They might look lumpy and bumpy, but LED lights are becoming popular for many vehicle applications. One of the reasons is that the basic LED light technology has gotten better and better over the years and is now being used for everything from simple tail lights to programmable warning lights.

LED, or light-emitting diode, lights always had three advantages over other light sources. First, they lasted a long, long time -- as much as 10,000 hours compared to 1,000 hours or less for some other lights. Second, they used a lot less electrical current, which was a big selling point on emergency vehicles where the alternator output at engine idle was usually less than the total electrical demand. Finally, they were extremely resistant to vibration, which was the number-one killer of incandescent light bulb filaments.

The biggest disadvantages to LED lights were cost and reliability. Budget-conscious buyers usually opted for less expensive lights, and those that were wary of new technology often stuck with tried-and-true designs.

With the current generation of LED lights, however, the benefits outweigh the costs, reliability is up and buyers are taking a second look.

One of the latest LED warning lights comes from Weldon Technologies, which introduced its new V-LED light source earlier this year. The V-LED is a higher-power light source, which means it is brighter. This allows lights to be built with fewer individual LEDs. According to Weldon, it is also a more reliable light source, thanks to better design, superior materials, tighter quality control and extensive testing.

Following the introduction of the V-LED, Weldon took the new light source and incorporated it into the company’s line of Diamondback perimeter warning lights, which were announced this summer. The Diamondback lights can be specified in a variety of sizes, colors and flash patterns to comply with NFPA, KKK and SAE standards for emergency vehicles. The light optics are designed to provide optimal light output and excellent visibility from the sides -- something that was lacking in many older LED light designs.

The Weldon Diamondback warning lights have four quadrants of lights that can be programmed to flash in a wide range of patterns including left-right, double-time, up-down, chasing and many others to provide an effective warning signal and give emergency vehicles a unique look. The lights can also display two or more high-intensity colors -- including red, blue, amber, green, and clear -- flashing in different patterns and at different rates depending on customers’ preferences and the unique warning light requirements of individual states.

The new Weldon Diamondback is just one example of the ongoing shift to LED warning lights. In fact, some departments are specifying LEDs for all their warning light requirements to take advantage of the long lamp life, low current draw, high vibration resistance and customized flash patterns. If you haven’t looked at them before, maybe you should consider LED warning lights on your next apparatus.