TIR light pattern stands for “Total Internal Reflector”. The best way to describe the light pattern would be to compare it to a flashlight. The spread is round and narrow with a 50-degree spread of light. The strong suit for the TIR is that the light is focused and directed giving a very bright light beam. The downside is that it covers a very narrow area. So it's brighter but narrower whereas the Linear is wider but not as bright.
Linear Light pattern is best described as producing a wide angle of light generally producing 180 degrees of light. This light pattern is highly effective for covering a wider angle however since the light head is being spread over a wider angle it appears much less bright than a TIR.
