Has anyone experimented/used LED bulbs in place of their 1157 bulbs? It seems like a nice upgrade to get brighter brake lights, but I am sooooo confused by all the offerings on the web. From $2.99 to $29.99 a piece! The claims that cheaper bulbs is not as bright and we should splurge for the higher cost ones makes sense, but who do you trust?

Many years ago I paid close to $100 for a pair of PIAA superwhite headlight bulbs for my W124 with American headlights. Liked them well enough for the white light, so I was sad when one of them burnt out years later. In a pinch I put in a $5.99 bulb until I can re-order the PIAA. Guess what? I cannot tell the difference. I've been running one PIAA and one el-cheapo bulb for years now, frankly, I don't remember which side is the more expensive one. The poor American headlights on the W124 probably doesn't help.

That's why I'm hesitant to splurge on the LEDs now. I spotted $29.99 set of 10 on eBay. I'm tempted to get that batch and have plenty of spares!