Honda Jazz headlight upgrade: Confused between Philips & Osram lights

BHPian VikramCS recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dear All,

Stock headlights on my Jazz are just okay-ish, so, intend to upgrade since I'll have to invariably travel more frequently these days after sunset.

The intention of this thread:

I searched TBHP posts, but, wasn't clear with the information I got. I need advice from our knowledgeable members on:

1. Which is better Philips XtremeVision Plus OR Osram Night Breaker?
2. Even among these, there are multiple confusing options. Philips Xtreme Vision G-Force mentions H1, H3, H4, H7, H11, HB3, HB4, HIR2. Which is the right one for Jazz?
3. Osram's Night Breaker family has - Night Breaker Unlimited, Night Braker Laser and Xenarc Night Breaker Unlimited. Which among these is better?
4. Between Philips and Osram, which is better in terms of light throw, clarity during rains and reliability?

Any Jazz owners who have upgraded to the above, please advise.

Thank You.

Here's what BHPian shancz had to say on the matter:

No personal experience but stating from some posts I came across when a friend wanted to change/upgrade his Jazz's fog lamps.

Someone better informed and experienced might be able to guide you better.

1. Osram NightBreaker Laser has good reviews but Philips Xtreme Vision Plus is reputed to last longer.
2. Those are the bulb types(design). Jazz should be H4, your manual would contain that info.
3. Laser is the only one I had heard about but that's my limited exposure.
4. Philips Xtreme Vision plus is supposed to have better reliability than Osram NightBreaker Laser.

Again these are from what I read on the forum and beyond, no experience though and it might not be accurate.

But going with Xtreme Vision Plus would be playing safe, IMO.

Here's what BHPian jaysheth had to say on the matter:

Hi Vikram,

Totally agree that the stock lights are not great. Had a tough time travelling 60 kms on a highway, 2 weeks ago (had to slow down due to lack of brightness). Last week, therefore, I upgraded the headlights in my Honda Jazz VX CVT with Osram H4 LED. Detailed impressions here (Auto Lighting thread: Post all queries about automobile lighting here).

The local vendor quoted INR 5K (MRP 5600). I argued that it is selling for INR 3300 on Amazon, to which he said to go with Amazon, so I ordered from Amazon. Along with that, I also ordered white Osram parking lights, as yellow lights next to white look ugly.

Product Link for the headlights + parking lights combo package (INR 3.7K)

The reason behind choosing this (for now): I too was looking for better halogens, but BHPian Behemoth advised that there wouldn't be a significant improvement. Details here (Auto Lighting thread: Post all queries about automobile lighting here). Ideally read all communication between myself and Behemoth, starting from this point, to get the full perspective. I am still keen on halogens, but only during the monsoon seasons for now.

I still have a feeling that halogens were at least illuminating the side areas, whereas it is pitch dark with these LEDs. This is because LEDs do not emit light in all directions (unlike halogens). However, I am planning a Pune-Mumbai-Pune trip early next week. Am planning to keep some part of the journey intentionally in the night, on the Pune-Mumbai expressway (which is usually pitch dark). If you could hold on till then, I will be happy to share my experience.

These are of course white lights (6000K) which should be avoided in monsoon. I could not find good 4300K LED lights, hence settled for this. But in any case (and this is important), I have decided to use these lights during non-monsoon months. During monsoon, I intend to use either stock halogens or preferably a slightly better yet 60/55W halogens during monsoon. Will research better halogens before the monsoon (please share your impressions if you go with any halogens). Thanks to my helpful mechanic, I have learnt to install these myself, well, hopefully! Please be aware that installing these LEDs requires some installation skills and minor twisting with/tampering with rubber gaskets (luckily no cutting was required, only twisting the rubber/cover to match the updated design).

Here's what BHPian VPJ74 had to say on the matter:

Blaupunkt is a very reliable German brand with direct to consumer presence in India along with support (maybe like Bosch). It sells Lights, Rear Cams, Dash Cams, Car audio, Dampening sheets along with other stuff.

Why then there are very few reviews or recommendations for their products vs. online/unbranded products? I thought it would be a no-brainer to buy from them for any upgrades. Do they have a QC issue in the market or are the products fake?

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.