There are two kinds of Halogens:
Sealed beam; which is a gas filled lens and filament
similar to a conventional vacuum incandescent. And
modular headlamp kits, which are a glass lens and a
seperate bulb (capsules) that nests within it and is
replaceable. The sealed Beams in the U.S. run about
$10-$12 US. The modular kits with seperate bulbs cost
more (How much? I don't know...never bought one).
Both types of halogens should just be plug-ins. That
is to say, they have prongs that your harness should
plug right into. Atleast on late model US cars.
The major difference is that when you lose a sealed
beam headlamp, for whatever reason, you have to
replace the whole unit at a cost of $10-$12.
With the modular system, you may only have to replace
the bulb ($3-$5), unless it's a rock that splits the
glass lens. Even if you do get a crack in a modular
headlamp lens, it won't go out because it's not a gas
filled or vacuum assembly. It's also easier to carry a
spare modular bulb in your boot than a whole sealed
beam bulb/lens. So there are definate advantages to a
modular system.
I'm not sure how much light an incandescent 7"
headlamp puts out, but a standard sealed beam halogen
puts out about 700-1200 lumens. From manufacturer web
pages I've read the modular systems seem to be on the
high end of this range. (which I assume is why the
modular systems I've seen advertised claim "Almost as
bright as HID!").
This brings us to HID lighting sysems, which put out
about 3200 lumens (in Sylvania's case). HID (High
Intensity Discharge) appears to be an arcing
illumination rather than a glowing fillament. The
HID's have ballasted proprietary cables from what I've
read and are a bit more involved in wiring into your
car's system. They also run in the hundreds of dollars
for a set.
-Terry
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