Battle of the Bar Lights
Monday 22 Jun 2026 · 4:30
TPL Vision HPS Series vs. Smart Vision Lights LHIXP: Which is the Brightest Bar Light for Machine Vision Applications?
Bar lights are used extensively in machine vision applications. Typically, they’re used to illuminate larger areas where we need to control the angle of the light and pick out certain features.
We often need bar lights to be particularly bright in these situations, as it enables the cameras to operate at faster exposure speeds and keep up with the fast pace of a production line. It also means the machine vision cameras we use can operate at a higher aperture, so we have a deeper depth-of-field.
The brightness of bar lights is one of the key factors in choosing the right light for the application.
So, when TPL Vision quietly declared their new HPS Series light to be the brightest bar light in the industry, we had to put it to the test!
In this independent assessment, Visicon's founder, the No-BS machine vision expert himself, Peter Jelf, compared the TPL Vision HPS Series with the brand-new Smart Vision Lights LHIXP.
The Battle
As technology has evolved, strobe lights have become brighter. With brightness being such a key factor in the choice of bar lights for machine vision applications, it’s no wonder that each manufacturer is trying to outdo the other!
Smart Vision Lights and TPL Vision are two of the most well-known light manufacturers in the world, and our go-to suppliers for machine vision lighting.
With the claim that TPL Vision has the brightest bar light in the industry, SVL were keen to send us their latest offering, the LHIXP, so we could put it to the test.
Key Statistics
Both of these lights come in different size options, with the TPL light being available in 125mm increments from 125mm to 2500mm. The SVL LHIXP is available in 300mm increments from 300mm to 1200mm.
The SVL light is available in four lens angles from 15º to 60º. The TPL light come in narrow +/-7º but can be adapted using clip on angle changers. For our test, we had the 15º and the +/-7º (14º) to make things as close as possible.
The maximum strobe duration comes in at 1.0ms for the SVL and 2.5ms for the TPL light, with operational temperature ranges of -10ºC to +40ºC and 0ºC to +40ºC, respectively.
The strobe profiles are quoted as “strobe trigger latency” of 6.0µs for the SVL light and a “rise time” of 0.8µs for the TPL light. Assuming these mean the same thing, the TPL light is lightning fast compared to the SVL light – although in reality, they’re both extremely quick!
The power requirements of each light are very efficient, as they both use a ‘tank’ method to save up power before deploying it when the strobe triggers. The average power draw comes in at 1.22A for the SVL light and 1.05A for the TPL light.
The following table shows a comparison of the key features between the Smart Vision Lights LHIXP and the TPL Vision HPS Series:
Size Options
SVL LHIXP: 300mm – 1200mm
TPL HPS: 125mm – 2500mm
Max Strobe Duration
SVL LHIXP: 1.0 ms
TPL HPS: 2.5 ms
Operational Temp.
SVL LHIXP: -10ºC - +40ºC
TPL HPS: 0ºC - +40ºC
Latency / Rise Time
SVL LHIXP: 6.0 µs
TPL HPS: 0.8 µs
Avg. Power Draw
SVL LHIXP: 1.22A
TPL HPS: 1.05A
Max Frequency
SVL LHIXP: 1kHz
TPL HPS: 1kHz
Power Method
SVL LHIXP: Capacitor charging
TPL HPS: Capacitor charging
Manufacturer
SVL LHIXP: Smart Vision Lights
TPL HPS: TPL Vision
Hidden Strobe
One of the advantages of the SVL bar light is their patented hidden strobe feature. What this does is effectively simulate a continuous light by strobing at a very high frequency, which is imperceptible to the human eye.
This means the operator doesn’t see the flash when the light is triggered to take a photo on the production line, because it’s hidden amongst the ‘continuous’ light.
The benefit of the hidden strobe feature is that the environment feels more settled, with no flashing lights, which can otherwise cause distractions in a busy manufacturing environment.
The Results
To test the brightness of these bar lights, we set up a test with a camera taking a picture of a greyscale to show the difference visually. We also took a reading of the average greyscale value.
The results really surprised us – take a look at the video below to find out who won!
Choosing the Right Machine Vision Bar Light
Visicon are widely regarded as the machine vision experts, and Peter Jelf’s trademark NO-BS approach means our customers are left with a solution that best fits their needs – rather than the solution that earns the most commission!
To find out how a properly functioning machine vision system can benefit your production line, book a discovery call now.