Flexible LED Strip Lights

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Types of Flexible LED Strip Lights

COB strip lights are especially useful when you cannot hide the strip behind anything and you don’t want the individual LED chips to be visible. They can also reduce hotspots if you place these lights close to highly reflective surfaces.

The Right Flexible LED Strip Lights for Your Application

Our LED tape lights come with multiple features and specs that give you the ability to bring your specific lighting vision to life.

Color Options:

Different Specifications:

Density

Depending on how continuous you want your light to look, choose from low, standard (medium), or high-density LED strip lights. High-density strips have more LED chips per foot, and low-density strips have fewer. Since lower density strips have more space between each light chip, they emit less light and require less power to run. 

Accessories:

Browse our various LED strip light series to find the best type of strip light for your desired effect.

Shop Strip Light Accessories

Important Factors to Consider When Shopping for LED Strip Lights

There are many choices, depending on what you need your flex LED strip lights to do. Check out our buyer’s guide here. 

Here are some key questions to ask yourself:

• Will your lights be installed anywhere where there could be moisture, steam, or heat? If so, you’ll want to pay close attention to your flexible LED strip’s IP rating. Don’t forget to make sure you select one of our outdoor-rated power supplies, as well as other waterproofing accessories.  
• For non-vehicle applications, do you want to use an external power source? If not, you can use our 120VAC lights. 
• How bright do you want your LED strip light to be? Don’t focus on wattage, because that doesn’t account for efficiency. Lumens per foot or meter is how you’ll determine the brightness. Don’t forget, you can always adjust your brightness with a dimmer. 
• What voltage do you need? For longer runs, higher voltage strip lights will give you more length before you run into a voltage drop. If you’re lighting a car, truck, motorcycle, or RV, 12V will be what you need most of the time. 
• Will you be using an aluminum channel or lens? This could impact your decision about the density of your chosen flexible LED tape light. Lower density lights will appear as an even strip of light when installed underneath a lens. However, the lens causes about a 10 percent drop in brightness, which is an argument for higher density or lumens per foot depending on your needs.
• Is it likely your lights will get dirty? An aluminum channel and lens make it easier to keep your lights clean. 
• Should you use an LED rope light or strip light? Most of the time strip lights will be a better product, due to their ease of installation and light output. However, flexible LED Neon Strip lights are a great alternative to glass neon lights.

Measuring Brightness of LED Tape Lights

The light output your LED tape lights put out is measured in lumens, specifically in lumens per foot or meter. The lumens metric is what will tell you how bright you can expect your lights to appear to the naked eye. We offer LED strip lights in many different brightness levels to accommodate any project. 

If you see a lower lumen value on your RBG strip, don’t worry!  Lumens measure all wavelengths of visible light. Since single colors only appear as one wave, the lumen measurement of RGB strips will be slightly lower than a comparable white light strip but will still appear as bright.

How Long Do Flexible LED Strip Lights Last?

Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy, one-size-fits-all answer for knowing how long your flexible LED strip light is going to last. That’s because there are a few factors that will either help you extend the life of your lights, or increase the likelihood of damage. If you take proper care of your strip lights, your lights could exceed the expected lifetime of 50,000 hours.

Getting the Right Power Supply 

An LED strip light is one piece of a system that includes a power supply, connectors, wiring, and controllers. Generally speaking, the LED strip light will last longer than the power supply. Selecting an appropriate, high-quality power supply is the first step to making sure your lights last as long as possible. Read our blog post on choosing the right power supply help you calculate and determine which product you need for your project.

Adding a Heat Sink

One of the best ways to protect your strip light is to add a heat sink. A heat sink works to absorb emitting heat and direct it away from the LEDs so that the system doesn’t overheat. You can easily add an aluminum channel and polycarbonate lens to pull heat away from the light strips.

Your LED Tape Light’s Lifetime Performance

Another thing worth remembering is that LEDs, like all light sources, put out decreasing amounts of light over time. You’ll often see this noted as L70 and a number of hours, such as 50,000 hours. This means that after 50,000 hours, you can expect your flexible LED strip to retain 70% of its original lumens output. Generally, this is when you would replace your strip light. 

LEDs are some of the most robust lighting products, and all of our products have been tested by our in-house team of engineers. In fact, some of our customers have LEDs they haven’t turned off for 10 years. With the right care and planning, you’ll likely find your flexible LED tape lights are built to last.

What Is The Max Run For My LED Strip?

Max run is the maximum length a strip light can extend from a single power source without experiencing an excessive voltage drop. Voltage drop occurs when a circuit gets so long that the voltage at the end farthest from the power source is not strong enough to push enough power down the strip. The result is that LED chips at the end of the circuit get dimmer than those at the beginning of the circuit. 

Many factors can affect the max run of your LED strips. If your strip lights have a higher light density, such as a COB strip, then the max run will be lower since there are more components causing the voltage to lower. On the other hand, strips with a higher voltage, such as 24V, will have a longer max run because there is a lower current draw.

Determining the max run of your LED strip depends entirely on your project and how you intend to use your lights. For more information on max run and voltage drop, read our blog post on 12-Volt vs. 24-Volt LED Strip Lights.

Residential LED Lighting Strips

There are countless ways you can use LED strip lighting to improve the look and feel of your home. In particular, there are some specific rooms where flexible LED strips are immensely popular among homeowners.

LED Strip Lighting for Bedrooms

Flexible LED strip lights can create a variety of different effects in the bedroom. An often overlooked space that requires illumination is the closet- add LED strip lights to make it easier to find the exact clothing item you need. Additionally, install LED lights behind your headboard or under your bed to give a soft glow and a relaxing, homey feel. 

Search for the best strip lights for your bedroom with our strip lights buying guide here. 

Flexible LED Strip Lights for Landscapes, Hardscapes, Decks, and Patios

LED strip lights are an excellent choice for handrails, decks, fire pits, patios, steps, and other key pieces of outdoor landscape or hardscape areas. These features not only make it easier to host garden parties or barbeques, but they also have a demonstrated ability to help you add value to your home. 

Here are some ways you can use LED strip lights to add a beautiful gentle glow to your outdoor space:

• Contour curved pathways or illuminate walkways 
• Around built-in furniture, benches, and fire pits
• Under steps 
• Along retaining walls 
• Backlighting sculptures or outdoor wallhangings
• Around the edge of rock or zen gardens 
• Under the handrail on decks and patios

For photo inspiration on how to incorporate strip lights into your landscape, look through our numerous LED landscape lighting ideas for creating the perfect outdoor oasis. Be sure to select the product with the appropriate IP rating to ensure your lights will last in various outdoor conditions. Remember to install and protect your LED strip lights, power supplies, and controller by installing them away from dips and sags in the landscape.

Commercial LED Lighting Strips

Commercial LED lighting strips are helping businesses of all types create an atmosphere that entices customers to feel comfortable and relaxed. While LED tape lights were once primarily a residential product, more and more businesses are reaping the benefits of these versatile, powerful lights. This includes establishments such as restaurants and retail stores now utilizing LED strip lighting to make the perfect ambiance for all customers. 

LED Strip Lighting for Restaurants

Ready to revamp your restaurant space? Check out our LED strip lights buying guide here. 

Strip LED Lighting for Retail

You know how important your storefront is. It tells customers what to expect from your store and draws in people as they pass by. Flexible LED strip lights are an excellent choice for your storefront because you can use them in a myriad of different ways to stand out from the other buildings, showcase hot new products, and even make your signage pop. 

Color rendering index, or CRI, is an important feature to understand anytime you use LED tape lights, but in a retail setting it is absolutely essential. CRI marks how accurately the lighting shows the true colors of an object in comparison to how it appears in natural light. Choosing LED ribbon lights with a high CRI will allow your customers to see the most accurate range of colors for your store merchandise.  

Tunable flexible LED strip lights are also an excellent choice for retail, especially in display cases, where the best color temperature will depend on whether you’re predominantly showcasing gold or diamond jewelry. 

For more information on the do’s and don’ts of LED retail lighting, click here.