Comparing LED Streetlights with Different IK Ratings

IK ratings for LED streetlights are important quality indicators. Guess most of the regular average people have seen IK rating codes on some LED lights but have not realized what they are.

The IK rating method literally indicates how strong the LED lights are against external mechanical impacts. It’s important to have LED lights with proper grades of IK rating, so they won’t break easily and will even last during some severe conditions.

I’m quite sure you’ve seen some severe conditions. One typical example can be strong winds. Moreover, there can be some other cases like small stones from slingshots or tyres running over.

Just reading about numbers and rating methods may not be obvious. It won’t be easy for you to understand the difference between the good ones and the bad ones. So, I decided to make a video with samples for an interesting test.

Last weekend, I take 2 LED streetlights outside for a slingshot test. It simulates some installation cases in real life. Each sample has a different IK rating – one is good and the other is much cheaper.

• The good one is from a premium manufacturer. They work with BackMorning for quality inspections and they run strict quality tests during production – like, drop tests, loading tests, etc.
• Meanwhile, the cheaper one is from a web store. Honestly, we have no idea whether they do tests to verify the quality or not.

The major testing tool is a regular slingshot for consumers, not something specially designed for strictly scientific purposes. I shot the glass of each streetlight sample with 5 rounds at the same distance.

The result?
Check the recorded video below.