I know that they can’t possibly mimic the $2000 HID headlights, but do those bulbs actaully make a difference? For that price it seems like they have to be blowing smoke up their A$$, but I thought I’d check here first.
I just replaced the factory bulb on my motorcycle with an xenon one, and it definatly is brighter. I don’t think it looks anything like the HID lights though. I got it at an auto parts store for less than $15.
YMMV
I suggest perusing this site:
This guy knows so much about automotive lighting it’s scary. In summary, anything short of real HID lights are worse for you, because the light output after filtering to acheive the HID effect is less than stock. I think I remember reading on there that HIDs aren’t really even all that, because the color is one that’s worse to oncoming traffic’s eyes at night. He’s a big supporter of Euro spec (E-code) lights, which light the road better and don’t shine in other drivers’ eyes.
Checked the link and dug out the package to the bulb I bought, it says ‘Xenon’ on the front, but it is actually a halogen bulb 
. Oh well, it’s still brighter than the stock one.