Are Your Blinding HIDs Necessary to See?

So, this may be a personal preference, but I believe that with a good headlight housing, you don't need a blinding headlight bulb.  You don't even need a blinding set of headlight bulb imitations.  And by the way, when I say "blinding headlight bulb" I'm referring to BHBs-- I mean...HIDs  HAHAHAH...

Do you understand what's inside of your HID bulbs and why exactly they're so BLINDING when I'm driving down Route 1?  Do you know why they're so freaking bright to begin with?

Well, for one, HIDs are not similar to your stock non-HID bulbs in that they do not use a filament to produce light.

A filament, numbered "3" in the picture above, has electrical current passed through it.  As it sits in an inert environment, it doesn't oxidize or burn up.  Instead, it heats up and radiates light, leaving deposits on the inner surface of the glass as the bulb gets older.  The bulbs use a low DC voltage to get the current through the filament.

These bulbs are cheap and common on most passenger vehicles.

HID bulbs use a controlled electric arc to supply light.  An electric arc occurs when a gas is ionized by introduction of spark.  The amount of light an electric arc produces compared to the amount of light a filament produces per unit of power is much greater.

This phenomenon occurs at power plants when opening or closing electric breakers or in welding where the arc is used to produce heat to fuse metals together.

Long story short, HIDs are highly efficient and bright.  Awesome, right?

Wrong.  Aftermarket HIDs are illegal, so your relying on luck to get by without a ticket from a nice cop.  Also they're blinding.  If you're going to use HIDs, buy an HID headlight housing or an HID projector housing.  Please spare my eyes so that I can use them to live my life please :).  This is why I feel they are unnecessary for your daily-driver/take-your-kids-to-school application.  They're too freaking bright!

Anyway, sorry if I offended some tuners out there.  I know I use halogens on my car and it doesn't slow it down a bit ;).

Peace.