Commercial LED Cobra Head Street Lights

What are LED Cobra Head Lights?

LED cobra head fixtures mount directly onto poles for roadway, street, and parking area illumination. Their distinctive curved design optimizes light distribution across wide areas while minimizing glare for drivers and pedestrians. Most installations use Type 3 and Type 5 optical patterns. Type 3 excels for roadways with forward throw, while Type 5 provides symmetric distribution for intersections and open areas.

What are the Benefits of Using LED Cobra Head Lights over Traditional Light Sources?

After 15+ years of commercial lighting projects, the performance gap between LED and legacy HID systems like high-pressure sodium continues to widen.

• Energy reduction of 50%-80%: A typical 400W metal halide replacement requires only 100-150W LED while delivering superior illumination. Combined with motion sensors, energy savings increase during low-traffic periods.
• Typical 100,000-hour lifespan: Unlike HID sources requiring frequent bulb and ballast replacements, LEDs maintain consistent output for years. Many commercial installations can achieve 15-20 years of operation with minimal maintenance and gradual lumen depreciation, depending on usage and environment.
• Superior illumination quality: LED technology delivers crisp, uniform LED street lights that enhance visibility for vehicles, pedestrians, and road hazards. Our lighting plans ensure balanced coverage and eliminate the harsh yellow cast and poor color rendering of high-pressure sodium.

Are Cobra Head LED Lights Suitable for Outdoor Lighting Applications Beyond Roadways?

Cobra head LEDs excel in outdoor environments where pole-mounted illumination is needed:

• Highways and municipal streets: Precise light distribution patterns improve driver visibility while reducing light pollution. 120-277V universal drivers accommodate most municipal electrical systems.
• Commercial parking areas: While shoebox fixtures are common, cobra heads offer similar performance with a different look. Many customers prefer their streamlined profile for architectural continuity with adjacent roadway lighting.
• Industrial perimeter security: These fixtures handle LED security and perimeter lighting for manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, and commercial complexes. IP65 weatherproof rating ensures reliable operation in harsh environments.

How Do I Choose the Right Cobra Head LED Fixtures for My Application?

We recommend starting with a professional lighting plan tailored to your site. Key selection criteria include:

• Lumen output matching: Calculate the total lumens needed to achieve the required foot candle levels across your area. Mounting height directly impacts this - higher poles require higher lumen outputs for ground-level illumination.
• Color temperature selection: Most commercial projects specify 4000K or 5000K for crisp white light that improves visibility over the yellow cast of high-pressure sodium. 3000K works well in residential areas where warmer tones are preferred.
• Mounting height considerations: Type 3 beam patterns work best for roadways with 25-35 foot pole spacing, while Type 5 suits intersections and open areas. Higher mounting improves uniformity but requires more powerful fixtures.
• Efficiency ratings: Modern LED cobra heads generally deliver approximately 150-200 lumens per watt compared to roughly 80 lumens per watt from metal halide sources. Higher efficacy means lower operating costs and better utility rebate qualification.

Safety and Performance Certifications

All our fixtures carry essential certifications, including DLC Premium, UL Listed, and ETL Listed approvals. These certifications demonstrate compliance with recognized safety, performance, and energy efficiency standards, and may qualify your project for utility rebates and tax incentives. DLC Premium certification indicates the highest efficiency tier recognized by the DesignLights Consortium and can provide access to maximum rebate eligibility where available.

Warranty

All our lights come with at least a 5-year warranty, and all warranty support is based in the USA. Our experienced support team understands the importance of keeping your lighting operational and will work quickly to resolve any warranty issues.

Expert Support for Complex Commercial Projects

Our experienced lighting specialists understand the technical challenges of commercial cobra head installations. We provide complimentary custom lighting layouts that calculate exact photometrics for your specific pole heights, spacing, and illumination requirements. Our team also delivers detailed energy savings calculations showing precise cost comparisons between your existing fixtures and recommended LED upgrades. These calculations include maintenance cost reductions and utility expense projections that prove ROI before you purchase. With years of commercial lighting experience, we help facility managers, contractors, and engineers avoid costly specification mistakes that lead to poor uniformity or insufficient illumination levels.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Most cobra head retrofits fail because of simple specification errors that could have been avoided with proper planning. These mistakes typically show up during commissioning when uniformity ratios do not meet code or the fixtures create unexpected glare problems.

• Installing the wrong arm length for the existing pole spacing. Standard arms work for most applications, but wide roadways need extended arms to position the fixture over the travel lane rather than the shoulder.
• Assuming all cobra heads use the same mounting hardware. Verify slip fitter dimensions match your existing arms before ordering, because different manufacturers use slightly different sizes.
• Selecting Type 5 distribution for roadway applications where Type 3 is required. Type 5 wastes light behind the pole and does not provide adequate forward throw for proper road illumination.
• Ignoring existing electrical infrastructure when specifying drivers. Many older installations use 120V circuits that will not handle higher-wattage LED fixtures without circuit upgrades.
• Ordering fixtures without surge protection in areas with overhead power lines. Lightning strikes and switching transients can destroy unprotected LED drivers within months of installation.
• Failing to account for lumen maintenance over time when calculating initial light levels. Size fixtures for end-of-life output rather than initial lumens to maintain code compliance throughout the fixture lifespan.

Commercial LED Cobra Head Street Lights Frequently Asked Questions

What are LED Cobra Head Lights?

LED cobra head fixtures mount directly onto poles for roadway, street, and parking area illumination. Most installations utilize Type 3 optical patterns for roadway applications with forward throw, or Type 5 for symmetric distribution at intersections and open areas.

What are the Benefits of Using LED Cobra Head Lights over Traditional Light Sources?

LED cobra heads deliver 50%-80% energy reduction - a typical 400W metal halide replacement requires only 100-150W LED. These fixtures offer a 100,000-hour lifespan with consistent output, eliminating frequent bulb and ballast replacements required by HID systems.

Are Cobra Head LED Lights Suitable for Outdoor Lighting Applications Beyond Roadways?

These fixtures serve highways, municipal streets, commercial parking areas, and industrial perimeter security applications. 120-277V universal drivers accommodate any municipal electrical system, and IP65 weatherproof rating ensures reliable operation in harsh environments.

How Do I Choose the Right Cobra Head LED Fixtures for My Application?

Select 4000K or 5000K for crisp white light that improves visibility, or 3000K for residential areas preferring warmer tones. Modern LED cobra heads deliver approximately 150-200 lumens per watt compared to roughly 80 lumens per watt from metal halide sources - request a lighting plan to match lumen output to your mounting height and coverage area.

What Safety and Performance Certifications Do These Fixtures Carry?

All fixtures carry DLC Premium, UL Listed, and ETL Listed certifications. DLC Premium certification indicates the highest efficiency tier and may qualify your project for maximum utility rebate eligibility where available.

What Warranty Coverage is Included?

All fixtures include at least a 5-year warranty with USA-based support.

What Common Mistakes Should I Avoid When Specifying Cobra Head Fixtures?

Verify slip fitter dimensions match your existing arms before ordering, as manufacturers use different sizes. Avoid selecting Type 5 distribution for roadway applications where Type 3 is required - Type 5 wastes light behind the pole and lacks adequate forward throw for road illumination.

What Electrical Considerations Should I Account For?

Many older installations use 120V circuits that may not handle higher-wattage LED fixtures without circuit upgrades. Order fixtures with surge protection in areas with overhead power lines - lightning strikes and switching transients will destroy unprotected LED drivers.