Why You Shouldn't Buy Cheap Headlight Bulbs

My wife had been complaining that her headlight bulb was dim on the driver's side. When I pulled it out, it had a huge bulge and had darkened significantly.
The price for a pair of them was $5.90 in a no-name brand. A reputable brand costs $16 for a brand new pair on eBay and is purported to last 100 hours, which should last well over a year given how much she drives. For comparison, the passenger's side bulb has been going strong for 2-3 years and outlasted the cheap bulb.
Fortunately, the bulbs on a Toyota Avalon are very simple to swap out. But on a more difficult car, it would be very worthwhile to go with bulbs from more reputable brands.

[@bhoutdoors507]

That’s absurd! I generally like to buy good quality bulbs even for a cheap car, it’s a nice low budget luxury that I enjoy every time I drive at night

[@reedpetersen]

I totally agree! The cheaper bulbs usually aren't as bright. I like to use a lot of white-label or low-cost alternatives for many products and they often turn out pretty good. This one didn't.