KC HiLiTES

KC HiLiTES, Inc is a manufacturer of off-road lighting based in Arizona.

Ford Ranger with KC HiLiTES lamps
KC HiLiTES Daylighter Lighting System (Pair)

History

The company was founded in 1970 in Saugus, California by Peter Kim Brown and his wife Carol Brown and named using their initials KC.[1] They were spurred to start the company when Peter began using landing lights from aircraft adapted to fit his truck, and realized that the way they were mounted wouldn't stand up to the rigors of use of the off-road community of race buggies and pickups. Available lighting at the time was limited to 55-watt halogen lamps that were in Brown's words, "really disappointing in the desert".[2] Initially he made a few sets for friends, but eventually began working with neighbors out of his garage assembling the lights, building the wiring harnesses and selling the packages to off-roaders and local shops.[3] In 1974, the company was moved to Williams, Arizona where it remains today.[4] Many race teams used KC's lamps, included pioneers Walker Evans and Ivan Stewart.

Currently Peter's step-son Michael Dehaas owns the company after purchasing it in 2004.[4]

Products

Generation 1.

The company's best known product is the Daylighter®. The Daylighter® served as the backbone of KC's development for many years. KC designed the special patented isolated rubber mount for the Daylighter when they noticed too many failures due to the severe vibration within the metal housing during off-road use. Many hours were spent with GE engineers learning about the intricacies of lighting, sealed beams, filaments, the varied types of construction, wattage and candlepower in order to devise a way to completely encircle the bulb in rubber, helping isolate it from damaging vibrations.[3]

In the 1990s, KC developed the HID (High Intensity Discharge) lighting system, based on the same metal halide concept used to illuminate giant sports complexes. More recently, KC offers HIDs and LEDs for off-road use, and for commercial and industrial applications. Many ATVs are now running HIDs, LEDs and other KC lighting products. Many of these original Gen1 products are still in wide circulation and use to this day.

Generation 2.

The company saw a resurgence of interest after the release of it's now iconic Gravity Pro6 light bar which received massive adoption industry wide. Following the form factor of it's unique daylighter lights and how people would use them in conjunction with cross bars on top of their vehicle, KC was the first company to develop and patent a interconnected linking system of Pro6 LED lights in an exapandable array dubbed the Infinity Ring System®. This type of forward thinking also led to the introduction and adoption of the original KC FLEX LED series which featured a stackable design as well as interchangeable parts such as bezels, lenses and more.

An interim introduction that tows the line between gen2 and gen3 lighting is the KC Slimlite which offered a competitive product in terms of light output and pricing.

Generation 3.

With the success of the Gravity Pro6 Bar and Flex series, KC doubled down on the next generation (era if you would) of lighting by way of the KC FLEX ERA® product family featuring the industry's first three source triangular light built to withstand the rigors of heavy offroad and racing use. Expanding the family to a 4 source pod featuring an industry standard square form factor but with industry leading technology, output and design, the KC FLEX ERA® 4 is just another story to tell in ever growing legacy of performance products purpose built for life's most demanding adventures.

References
  1. Nov 17, Paul Demery |; 2014 (2014-11-17). "A lighting manufacturer clears the way for growth in online sales". Digital Commerce 360. Retrieved 2020-06-16.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. "KC HiLiTES: Light up the Night". Expedition Portal. 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  3. "About KC HiLiTES®". www.kchilites.com. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  4. "KC HiLites - Hightlights of a Family Legacy - 4 Wheel Drive Magazine". Four Wheeler. 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2020-06-16.


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