Change under rail bed light bulbs to LED

Old picture but shown are the under rail lights added back in '02. A string of trailer clearance lights, 12 lights, 6 lights per side. Think I got for like 12 bucks @auto zone. They are great for loading stuff in the truck at night-especially the camper. Verses using the trucks cab mounted light which shines as much in your eyes when loading stuff or useless when loading the camper. I've a switch added to the trucks interior dome light to turn off stock bed lights. A toggle switch in dash for new under rail bed lights.

Recent LED swapping and changes to trucks lighting ( blinking fender lights etc) caused me to consider swapping these lights bulbs to LED

No real reason except when being used at night generally truck isn't running, the amount of power used and battery drain.

Quick comparison at power use between 12 incandescent bulbs verses LEDs seemed a no brainer to change out. But it was the increased light output of 2 to 3times at 1/6 of the amp draw that prompted me to order replacements. Package of 20 for 9 bucks...

When bulbs arrived I tested to ensure they all worked, measured consumption and to mark polarity.

WOW- considerable difference in output and power used, amazing.

The incandescent bulbs actually consume 7 times the power yet 1/3 less bright than the LEDs.

Just a side by side, mid day, LED on the right.

Obvious battery savings, more than obvious increased lighting at night. I guess the other real test is longevity. Considering the lights are 19 years old and all still worked, expecting the LEDs to live that long would be a stretch. At least by my experience with LEDs. We'll see how long these last. I have spares, they are cheap so replacing more often worth the battery time and light output.
Did I mention how bright these are?

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