LED strip lights The benefits of LED strips are virtually unlimited when it comes to lighting. The world’s best lighting designers use LED strip lights because of the superior illumination, efficiency, color possibilities (white LED strips to RGB color LED strip) and ease of installation.

From placing an LED strip lights under cabinets for lighting to using LED strip lights for ceiling light fixtures, LED strip lights are flexible and highly customizable. LED strip lights are used in:

  • Restaurant lighting
  • Hotel lighting
  • Display lighting
  • Retail lighting
  • Signage lighting
  • Refrigeration lighting
  • Fresh food lighting
  • Accent lighting
  • Full spectrum LED lighting

Because every application is different, there is no direct answer to what is the perfect LED strip light. To help you make the best choice we have created this guide to help you choice find the best LED strip lights.

Outline your goals

Start by outlining how you are looking to use LED strip lights and what you are looking to accomplish. Examples of what to cover include:

What do you want to light?

  • Where do you want to use the led strip lights?
  • Do you want to dim the light or control it with a remote?
  • What color LED strip do you want?
  • Does the area have other lights?

Compare CCT, Brightness, and CRI (Color Rendering Index)

Brightness (Lumens and Millicandellas)

For traditional incandescent lighting we call brightness watts but in the LED strip lights world brightness is called two things. For colored LED strip lights it is called millicandelas, and for white LED strips the brightness is called lumens. When choosing a LED strip, lumen’s is one of the most critical variables to consider.

When looking a, the lumen of LED strip lights make sure to look at how it’s being measured. “Lumens per foot,” “lumens per meter,” and “lumens per reel” are examples of how companies measure and list their lumens. Now, remember, not every project requires the brightest LED strip. Always take in consideration how bright you want the area. We suggest going with the brightest LED light strip and getting dimmer. This allows you full control over the LED strip lights and overall total brightness output.

CCT (Color Temperature)

CCT LED Strip Lights, or Correlated Color Temperature is the actual color of the light AKA the color temperature. The color temperature is rated in degrees Kelvin (K). LED strip lights color temperature rating is based on how the white light will visually look.

2000K – 3000K is called a “warm white light.” Warm white light is a yellowish orange, white color. As the color temperature increases, the color will change to yellowish white to white and then to blue-white.

RGB LED Strip Lights

RGB LED to strips incorporate red, green, and blue LEDs to create a wide diversity of colors plus white. However, with RGB LED Strips, the white comes across with a purple hue.

To create the color’s an RGB controller is needed. Using an RGB controller you can control the brightness, speed, color, and more!

RGB+W LED Strips

RGB+W LED Strips to have the red, green, and blue led chips plus a separate white LED chips. The separate white LED chips to remove the hue that is commonly found with white RGB colors. RGB+W controllers are also required to control the lights settings and colors.

CRI (Color Rendering Index)

CRI is how colors look under a direct light source when being compared to sunlight. The color rendering index ranges from 0-100, with 100 representing that colors under a direct light source appear 100% the same as if they were in direct sunlight.

The average LED strip lights has a rating of 80 CRI, but if your looking for vivid fully accurate lighting consider going with a led light stip of 90+ CRI. At LUXX all of our LED light strips are 90+ CRI.

Look at LED strip light size and the total number of LEDs on the light strips

Many times LED strip lights are sold in reels of 16’ 5”. Machines select and place LEDs and controllers onto a bendable circuit board that is commonly 3’ 2” in length, so individual sections are joined together to make a complete Led light strip reel.

Now when shopping, start with knowing exactly of much feet you need the LED strips to be. This will allow you to properly company pricing. On the LED strip light packaging it will say how many LED chips are on the reel and what the LED chip type is.

Energy used per LED strip light

Wattage will tell us how many power the LED strip lights are using when turned on, and much we’ll have to pay each month. When looking, make sure you check how it’s being displayed, per foot, per meter, or reel.

Many times it reads”24 watts per reel” but when you get home you discovery its 24 watts per foot. Also, the power supply you purchase all depends on the wattage required. So always remember to check out the energy used.

Moreover, lastly, if you purchase LED strip lights that require 24 volts and use a 12-volt power supply the LED strips won’t work and could start a fire. See here for Power Supplies.

LED Strip Lights Quality

Heat Management

Heat kills LED strip lights. Always make sure to ask and see what forms of thermal management was implemented. If no heat management was used LED strip lights life cycle could sink from the average of 50,000 hours all the way down to 10,000 – 20,000 hours. Heat management for LED strip lights can be done on the LED chip and PCB level. Do not on rely on an aluminum heat sink for thermal management of LED strip lights.

Color and Accuracy

Always ask for test results that prove your LED strips are the correct color.

Safety

Make sure to check for UL Listing and the RoHS Registry. UL is the International benchmark for testing of safety, compliance, and performance. RoHS Registry is a worldwide organization that test products for hazardous materials.

Components

The LED strips performance and life-cycle depend on the materials used; quality of LEDs, depth and materials used in PCB, resistors, wires, and lead-free soldering.

Quality Reports

Ask for reports such as LM-79 testing and IES reports. These will help you verify claims of brilliance and durability.

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