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Flexible LED Strip light buying guide: How to choose LED strip Lights

Accent cove lighting example with UltraBright Accent Series LED strip lighting  

90% of customers found this information helpful before choosing their LED strip lights

The use of flexible LED strip lights is rapidly rising in modern lighting design around the world.  Architects and lighting designers are implementing LED strip lights into residential, commercial, and industrial projects at an increasing rate. This is due to an increase in efficiency, color options, brightness, and ease of installation. A homeowner can now design like a lighting professional with a complete lighting kit and an hour or two. 

There are many options on the market for LED strip lights (also called LED tape lights or LED ribbon lights) and there is no clear-cut standard for how to choose LED strip lights.  We have created this guide to educate experts and newcomers alike. 

New to LEDs?

What are LED strip lights and what can they do? 

AI-powered Product Selector by Project 

LED strip light customer-submitted project photos

LED strip Light Comparison Sheet

Flexfire LEDs Catalog with many photo examples

Important notes before getting your project started:

Step 1: Get a clear vision first!

Because each project is unique, there is no all-in-one solution. Different projects require different types of LED strips. Answer the questions below in your head before starting any project. We're here to walk through these with you as well.

Location

• What type of location are you in? Residential, commercial, retail, outdoors?

• What specifically will you be lighting? 

• Where will it be installed? Under cabinets, kick boards, coves, eaves and awnings, backlighting, display cases, international space station?

• Will the lights be exposed to the elements or liquids?

• What material will the lighting be attached to?

• How many feet do you need?

Functions and aesthetic 

• What overall look do you want to achieve? 

• Do you want accent lighting, task lighting, perimeter lighting, indirect lighting, principal lighting, specialty application, etc

• What materials or objects am I lighting or using the strips for? 

• Do I need High CRI for high color rendering? (See below for explanation)

• Do you want the lights to emit a white light only? Single color like red, green, or blue? Have the ability to change colors with a remote? Or have the ability to change the white output from warm to cool white with a remote?

• Are there other lights in the area and if so, what color are they?

• Do you want to dim your lights or control them with a remote or wall switch?

Emotions

• What are the non-physical results you want to achieve?

• Do you want to create a calm, seductive, energetic, hopeful, safe, relaxed, bold, or fun environment?

• What do you want your guests and customers to think or say when they enter your space?

Ready? Let's Go!

 - Top 4 things you need to know before choosing or comparing LED strip lighting -  

1. Compare Lumen, CCT, and CRI (Color Rendering Index)

1.1 Lumen (Brightness)

Lumen is the measurement of brightness as perceived to the human eye. Because of incandescent lighting, we are all accustomed to using watts to measure the brightness of light. Today, we use lumen. Lumen is the most important variable when choosing which LED strip light you need to look at. When comparing lumen output from strip to strip, note that there are different ways of saying the same thing.

The questions you should be asking is 'Lumens per what? Per foot, meter, or reel? How long is the reel?' 

Different projects require a certain amount of brightness to achieve a desired look. Our advice is to always go brighter than needed and add a dimmer. Running your LEDs below their full power and brightness can also increase lifespan.

Below is a general guide. We are always available to help design your project with you.

Quick Guide of needed lumens by project type:

Accent Lighting and Mood Lighting - 100 to 350 lumens per foot

Under cabinet Lighting - 175 to 525 lumens per foot

Task Lighting with low distance from light source - 280 to 437 lumens per foot

Task Lighting with higher distance from light source - 500 to lumens per foot

Indirect lighting in a bedroom/ hotel / vehicle / lobby - 375 to 562 lumens per foot

Industrial lighting / signage / tube replacements - 500 to 950 lumens per foot

Here is an example of our White Output LED Strip Lights and the lumen they emit:

Important: Be careful if the company does not state the lumen output. You will have no idea what the brightness will be until you purchase them. Flexfire LEDs has some of the brightest LED strip lights in the world. If quality is important to you, always request the test data sheets from any company to verify their claims of "lumen output".

Using Lumen as the only comparison can be tricky! Some brands over-power their LEDs to make them brighter. Sadly, this will make them fail faster and burn up. We under power our LED chips to make sure they last longer than rated.

1.2 CCT - Color Temperature

 

CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) refers to the color temperature of light, measured in degrees Kelvin (K). The temperature rating directly affects what the white light will look like; it ranges from cool white to warm white. For instance, a light source that has a ' K rating is seen as, what we call, warm white light. Warm white light looks very orange and/or yellow. When increasing the degrees Kelvin, the color will change from yellow to yellowish white to white and then a bluish white (which is the coolest white). Although the varying temperatures have different names, it should not be confused with actual colors such as red, green, or purple. CCT is specific to white light or rather, the color temperature.

"Can I order a k light from amazon and a k light from you and they will look the same?" The answer is quite possibly no.

All CCTs are not created equal. You may notice that some lights that are "cool white" may not look pure white. They may give off a greenish, purplish, or bluish hue to them. This is because the LEDs have been selected from a presorted pile (bin) that is far from true white, in order to save money. It is important to ask the manufacturer of the LED strips how they BIN their LEDs and what their selection process is. Our strips are always selected from the same bin, to make sure every batch is the same and there are no color differences.

Which color temperature should you choose?

Here is an example of the same bedroom under k, k, k, and k lights. Notice how lighting changes the mood and style of the space! The aesthetic, function, or emotion of a space may change depending on the color temperature you use. Choosing the right color temperature is not difficult, but make sure you take into consideration the colors of your walls, the floor, what you will be illuminating, what activities will be completed in the area, or if there are local regulations telling you what CCT to use (Like California's Title 24).

If you are having difficulties choosing which LED CCT is best for your project, consider purchasing a Tunable White Strip.

• Dynamic Tunable White LEDs allow you to choose which CCT from k - K with a remote control
• Dim-to-Warm LEDs allows the LED strip to change from K to candlelight K as you dim it

1.3 CRI - Color Rendering Index

Can't tell the difference between the black and navy colored socks in your walk in closet? Could be that your current lighting source has a very low CRI!

Color rendering index (CRI) measures how colors are correctly rendered under a light source in comparison to natural sunlight. The index is measured on a 0-100 scale with 100 being a perfect rating of color accuracy, meaning the colors appear as they naturally would under unadulterated daylight. High CRI lighting is sought out everywhere, but is particularly valuable in. The bottom line: the higher the CRI, the higher quality is the light source.This rating is also a measurement in the lighting industry to help discern naturalness, hue discrimination, vividness, preference, color naming accuracy, and color harmony. 

95 - 100 CRI '  Phenomenal color rendering. Colors appear as they should, subtle tones pop out and are accented, skin tones look beautiful, art comes alive, backsplashes and paint shows it's true beautiful full saturation. You have to see it to believe it!  Our Outline series, Render Series, and Accent Series have CRIs up to 98! 

90 - 95 CRI ' Great color rendering! Almost all colors 'pop' and are easily distinguishable. Noticeably great lighting starts at a CRI of 90.

80 - 90 CRI ' Good color rendering, where most colors are rendered well. You may not see items as fully saturated as you would like, but most people will not notice. 

60 - 75 CRI ' Poor color rendering. Items and colors may look desaturated, drab, and at times unidentifiable (cannot see the difference between black and navy colored socks).

See our High CRI LED Strip Lights

2. Compare LED strip size and number of LEDs on the strip 

Traditionally, LED strip lights are packaged on a reel (spool) of 5 meters, or 16' 5''. The machines used to "pick and place" the LEDs and resistors on the flexible circuit board are typically 3' 2'' in length, so individual sections are soldered together to complete a whole reel. If purchasing, make sure you are purchasing by the foot or by the reel. Confirm length before checking out. 

Measure how many feet you need of LED strips before you start. This will make it easier to compare price (after quality is compared, of course). Once you determine the number of feet on the reel being sold, look at how many LED chips are on the reel and the LED chip type. This can be used to compare LED strips between companies. 

What do the numbers of the LED chips mean?

The numbers referenced before the LED type specifically detail the size of the LED.

Below is an example of what the numbers mean when companies talk about LED strip lights. Here is a full writeup on What is the difference between and and LED chips? 

Not all chips are created equal either, you can purchase a LED strip from Amazon and one from a high quality manufacturer, and all the components, CRI, light quality and longevity can be different. These numbers specifically detail the size of the LEDs.  

BLUE DIAMOND supply professional and honest service.

Types of LED chips and meaning of their indicated numbers

3. Wattage consumed per strip of LEDs

Power consumption is one of the reasons we as a society have begun switching to LEDs. Wattage tells us how much power we are consuming while these lights are on, and in turn how much we'll have to pay at the end of each month. Once again, be sure to verify the wattage per foot, meter, or reel before you buy.

Some may read '24 watts' on a reel and then get home and realize this is per meter or per foot, meaning the whole reel actually uses much more. Making matters worse, they have bought a power supply that covers 30 watts, thinking that would be enough. This often occurs when a seller doesn't properly list important information in an easy to read format.

Finally, make sure you understand the voltage that your flexible LED strip lights use. An LED strip light that uses 24 volts will not work if you purchase a 12-volt power supply, and also may result in risk of fire. You need to choose the correct power unit for your lights.

4.

 

Verifiable Quality

You are looking for a "set-and-forget" lighting system that can be used for years to come. To make sure that your LEDs last their intended lifespan, are safe around your home and business, and don't require extra maintenance costs to replace, you need to verify the quality claims.

1. Thermal Management -  Heat = death to LEDs. Ask if and how the LED strip lights have been designed for proper thermal management and heat dissipation. If they have not, the LED's 50,000+ hour LED chip lifespan may drop to 10,000 or 20,000 hours. This can be done on a chip level and on a PCB level. Do not solely rely on an aluminum heat sink to dissipate heat away from the LEDs. The product should be designed at a component level to ensure a longer lifespan.

2. Color Quality and Accuracy - When you purchase a 'K warm white' LED strip light you should not expect to get a bright white color from the LEDs. Ask for test reports that prove the color you are purchasing is what will arrive. This is especially important when adding additional lighting to an existing installation. If the colors do not match it will be very noticeable.

3. Safety Certifications - It is difficult to verify a seller's safety claims using Amazon or Ebay alone. Check the UL listing, REACH, or RoHS registry to make sure the LEDs are safe and do not contain lead or other hazardous materials. 

4. Material Quality - Product performance and longevity is determined not just by the quality of the LEDs, but the thickness and materials used in the PCB, resistors, wires, and lead-free soldering. 

5. Test Reports - Ask for test reports to verify claims of brightness and longevity. These may include LM-79 testing, IES reports, etc.

6. Warranty, Customer Service, and Installation/Design Assistance - We are here to help design your project, no matter what the size. Our LED strip lights represent the highest quality found on the market today, and will be lighting your project area for many years to come. We also boast the longest warranty of any LED strip light in the market of 15 years!

Which LED strip should I choose?

White Output

Outline Series'- For long runs of light. Subtle, beautiful accent lighting with near perfect color rendering. CRI up to 98.

Accent Series'- For the perfect ambiance.  Bright accent lighting suitable for most residential, hospitality, and retail spaces. CRI up to 98.

Architectural Series'- Double the brightness of the Accent Series. Perfect for high-brightness applications like coves, architecture, and retail. CRI93+

Industrial Series' - Packs a serious punch. Extremely bright for where a lot of light is needed. CRI up to 96.

Slim Series' - Thinnest LED strip light for specialty applications with a width of only 3.5mm

Dynamic Tunable White Output

Accent Series' Dynamic Tunable White - Mid-range Brightness adjustable from K - K Small cut lengths, long run length, high CRI of 98

Architectural Series' Dynamic Tunable White - High Brightness adjustable from k - K, high CRI of 94

Sienna' Series Dim-to-Warm Tunable White - As the lights dim, they automatically warm from K to K. Used with any dimmer and have a high CRI of 94.

RGB Color Changing Output

ColorBright' RGB 150 Series - Lower brightness for accent lighting, long run length. 150 LEDs per 16ft spool. Low power consumption at 2.2w/ft

ColorBright' RGB 300 Series - Mid brightness for task and accent lighting, 300 LEDs per 16ft spool. Low power consumption at 4.4w/ft

ColorBright' RGB 600 Series - Very high output to fill your space with gorgeous color, 600 LEDs per 16ft spool. Medium power consumption at 6.1w/ft

ColorBright' RGB+White Series - Choose any color as well as a pure white. 50% RGB LEDs and 50% White LEDs. 

ColorBright' RGB+Tunable White Series - Best of all worlds. This 5-in-1 strip boasts full RGB color control and full spectrum Tunable White technology CCT range: K-K. High CRI and emits over 260lm/ft

ColorBright' Digital Pixel Series -  WS IC Protocol 'digital strips' mean each segment is individually controllable. Create scrolling effects. 

Other considerations when choosing your LED strip lights:

 

You need a product you can trust and will produce a good clean light for years to come and save you money in the process. 

The LED market is highly saturated with manufacturers and distributors offering various levels of quality, cost, and specifications. Due to safety and quality purposes, we have created this page and video to ask the question of what the difference is between Flexfire LEDs and other competitors like the ones on Amazon - LED Strip Light Reviews - Flexfire Vs Amazon Strip

Flexfire LEDs' strip lights have been used by NASA, Lockheed Martin, JPL, US airports, Disney, Hilton Hotels, major retail chains, and thousands of happy homeowners. Chances are you've seen our lights somewhere.  

Save this comparison chart and compare with other LED strip lights: 

 

Download the Strip Light Comparison Chart

View our catalogs for design ideas: 

Flexfire LEDs Catalog / Brochure

Need help with your project or selecting the perfect lights?

We have LED project design specialists ready to help educate and assist you in your project.

 Please contact us or call us at 1-844-353- OR 1-925-273-

LED neon strips are quickly growing in demand. You must have heard good arguments about them before. These neon strips are specialized for many uses. Are you in search of LED strips for your business promotion or house decoration? But you don't know which LED neon strip fits best with your requirements? Which one to choose?

There are multiple options for LED neon strips in the market. Every LED strip light has its own pros and cons. Thus it's confusing for buyers to choose from these multiple options.An LED strip can be profitable for someone but not for others. It all depends on how you choose them. So let's discuss different attributes of different LED neon strips.

Why Choose LED Neon Strips?

LED neon strips are ruling the market. These strip lights are on the top in the lighting industry. LED strips are more durable, long-lasting, efficient, and cost-effective.

They are easy to install, repair, and maintain. Also, these LED strip lights are more efficient, environment friendly, and less expensive. These features give them the upper hand over traditional neon lighting. LED neon lights can really boost your marketing performance.

Here are the 7 things that can help you to choose the right LED neon strips:

1. What brightness do you want?
2. What's color do you need?
3. How about the waterproof of the LED neon strip?
4. What's the dimension of the LED neon strip to choose?
5. What's the Bendable Direction to choose?
6. How can you install the LED Neon Strip?
7. What's voltage to choose?

1: What Brightness Do You Want?

What Is Lumen?

Before you buy the LED neon strips for your house or lightings projects. You need to first determine how much brightness you need. The brightness of LED neon lights is measured in lumens. Usually, people think of it as power, it is incorrect. Yes, the higher the power, the brighter it will usually be, but it's not accurate enough. This is because it is also related to luminous efficacy (lm/w). Lumen(lm) = power(w) * luminous efficacy(lm/w). The number of LEDs, the brightness of the LED, and the light transmission of the neon tube, all play a big role for them.

What's the Brightness of LED Neon?

There are many different options in sizes for LED neon strips. The larger the neon size and better heat dissipation, the more LEDs can place. And then the higher brightness will be. Besides, their brightness depends on the illuminated surface area and transmittance of the neon tube. Thus, it is important to know the LED neon's sizes and shapes before purchasing it.

What's the Brightness LED Neon Strip?

If you want to buy LED strips with higher output brightness, choose the one with a higher lumen. Compared to the normal LED strips, LED neon strips are much lower in brightness. It is only about 100-lm/m.
If you need super high brightness, here is a 360-degree light-emitting LED neon strip to share with you. The highest brightness LED neon strip in the market: 360° View Round LED Neon Strip, is lm/m, 25w/m.

• 360° LED Neon Strip

2: What's Color do You Want?

During your search for LED neon strips, you need to know about color combinations and color temperatures. There are many color combinations to choose from in the LED neon strip lights. These neon strips can display any color combination. A controller is used to switch between flashes or solid colors.

You need to know about color temperatures if you want to choose white colors. The color of lights emitting through LED strips is defined by color temperature. The Color combination of LED neon strips will help you more precisely. 

What Color Temperature Should I Choose for LED Neon Strip Lights?

Color temperature helps to differentiate different colors that LED strips can produce. The temperature of the light shoes how cool or warm it is. The color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K). The high color temperatures represent cool colors like bluish shade.

Whereas the lower temperatures represent warm colors like a yellow light. So, you should select LED neon strips by checking their color temperature. This will help you to find the right LED strips for your use.

Which Color Is Best?

The Color combination of LED strips has an impact on their performance. Also, the appealing factors of these neon strips rely on color combinations. A color combination can be great for some applications but not for others.

The colorful LED neon is used in outdoor decoration, signage, billboards, and other scenarios. LED neon strips are available in a variety of color options. Red, green, blue, yellow, and RGB colors, even the programmable RGB color. With the DMX controller, there are even more features for various projects.

For more information, We recommend you to check DMX512 LED Neon N  with RGB addressable colors.

3: How About the Waterproof of the LED Neon Strip?

Waterproofing is another factor that you should know about. Waterproof LED neon strips are useful in every weather condition. You can relax for a long time by choosing waterproof LED strips. The Latest LED strip lights are equipped with waterproof qualities. 

Are LED Neon Strips Waterproof?

Waterproof LED neon strips are more protected and stylish. Also, these LED strips can operate on low voltage. If you are looking for power saving and more durable LED strip lights. Then you should look for waterproof LED strips.

Waterproof LED Neon Strips are Effective?

Yes, waterproof LED strip lights are very effective. These are useful for outdoor, bathroom, and pool lighting. The IP67 waterproof LED neon strips are excellent waterproof LED strips. These types of LED strips contain silicon and polyurethane (PU material). 

So, IP67 waterproof LED lights are highly resistant to dust, water, and moisture. Are you looking for IP67 waterproof LED strips? We recommend you to check IP67 waterproof DMX512 LED Neon .

4: What's the Dimension of the LED Neon Strip to Choose?

LED Neon strips are available in many different dimensions. For example, the big one of , the width is 50mm and the height is 25mm. For the ultra-thin one of (LED Neon N), the width is 6mm and the height is 12mm.

Big dimension LED neon strips are bigger in size, brighter, and can get longer. So, if you want to decorate your house, building, or shop, boat e.t.c. Then you should choose big dimension LED strips.

Small dimension LED neon strips are more smooth, small in size, and easily bendable. So, if you want to make signs for decoration or publicity, or recessed in some very thin grooves in house, e.t.c. Then you should look for small dimension LED strips.

So, you can choose a suitable dimension for the LED neon according to your different applications.

5: What's the Bendable Direction to Choose?

Another important factor for the LED neon strip is the bendable direction. There are mainly two bendable directions for LED neon strips in the market: vertical and horizontal. Both directions have their advantages in different fields. The different LED neon strips are selected according to different application.

In a nutshell, horizontal bendable LED neon strips are mainly applied on a flat surface. The luminous surface surfaces are all on one plane. Vertical bendable LED neon strips are applied to the three-dimensional, luminous surface in different multiple planes.

You can checkout LED Neon N with horizontal bendable direction and silicon material. Also, checkout LED Neon with vertical bendable direction and silicon material.

• LED Neon N
• LED Neon N

6: How can You Install the LED Neon Strip?

The Installation of the LED neon strips is simple and easy to do. It is easy to mount, cut, wire these LED strips together. If you are want to buy flexible LED neon strips, with silicon material and easy installation. There are two simple installation solutions, mounting clips and mounting channel as the below images showed.

• Mounting Clips
• Installation Way 1

• Mounting Aluminum Channel
• Installation Way 2

7: What's the Voltage Do You Choose?

You can choose from low voltage DC12V/24V and high voltage 110V/220V for your LED strip lights. If you choose high voltage 110V/220V, then there is no need for an LED driver. Also, LED neon strips with high voltage can handle a longer length. Eg: 50 or 100m/roll. 

Whereas low voltage provides a longer lifetime and high lumen than high voltage. Because of the series circuit, parameters of the LEDs are consistent or not much different. This increases the lifetime of LED strips. If you are looking for a longer lifetime. Then low voltage LED strips are the best choice. Checkout LED Neon N with DC24V.

Final Thoughts

Purchasing LED neon strips is not difficult as long as you know all these key factors. Most importantly, you should understand their installation, voltage, length, dimension, and color options. Your focus should be on your requirements and all the key factors. This will guarantee you to make your lighting project successful. You can check out the best-LED neon strips on https://potatolighting.com.

Are you interested in learning more about led neon flex rgbw? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!