Last week, one of our customers, Mr.Mollar sent us email inquiry about led flexible strips and asked for samples to send him.After he received the samples he got confused. He said "all of them tested good and excellent quality ,but which one suits me best?"
Here we'd like to explain the differences of flexible strip to help you to decide on which one will be the right
for your project.
Questions to consider when choosing the right flexible LED strips light :
What is the application?
Would you like significant light output or ambient lighting?
What color would you prefer?
Do you require waterproofed?
What length of flexible led strip lighting do you require?
Do you need any other accessories such as aluminum channels?
There are four main types of flexible led strip lights:
2835 LED
3014 LED
5050 LED
5730 LED
1. 2835 LED Flex strip
These 2835 flexible LED strip lights are smaller in size and are less bright (except for 240 LED/M) – perfect for creating ambient lighting.
These LEDs also tend to be lower in wattage.
2835 flexible LED strip lights can be cut every 3 LEDs.
Good heat dissipation – ensures the longevity of the LED chips.
12 volt or 24 volt.
Waterproof or Non-waterproof
Dimmable with the use of a Magnetic Switch (see which brands are compatible) and a Low Voltage Magnetic Transformer or dimmed on the 12 volt side with a low voltage dimmer.
They come in:
30 LEDs per Meter
72 LEDS per Meter
60 LEDs per Meter
120 LEDs per Meter
240 LEDs per Meter
Flexible 2835 LED strip lights are great for applications such as:
cove light
accent light
shelve light
toe kick light
pathways light
landscape lighting
2. 3014 LED Flexible strip
These 3014 flexible LED strip lights are smaller in size and are more bright than the 3528’s but less bright than the 5050’s, perfect for creating ambient lighting.
These LEDs also tend to be lower in wattage that 5050’s
3014 flexible LED strip lights can be cut every 3 LEDs.
Good heat dissipation, ensures the longevity of the LED chips.
12 volt or 24 Waterproof proof or Non Waterproof
Dimmable with the use of a Magnetic Dimmer Switch (see which brands are compatible) with a Low Voltage Magnetic Transformer or dimmed on the 12 volt side with a low voltage dimmer.
They come in:
60 LEDs per Meter
120 LEDs per Meter
Flexible 3014 LED strip lights are great for applications such as:
cove light
accent light
shelve light
3. 5050 and 5730 led flex strips
These 5050 flexible LED strip lights are larger in size and tend to put out more light compared to the 3528’s and the 3014’s.
These LEDs are perfect for areas where more light is desired.
These LED strip lights tend to be higher in wattage so will need to make sure your power supply can handle the load.
5050 flexible LED strip lights can be cut every 3 LEDs.
Good heat dissipation, ensures the longevity of the LED chips.
12 volt or 24 Waterproof proof or Non Waterproof
Dimmable with the use of a Magnetic Dimmer Switch (see which brands are compatible) with a Low Voltage Magnetic Transformer or dimmed on the 12 volt side with a low voltage dimmer.
They come in:
30 LEDs per Meter
60 LEDs per Meter
120 LEDs per meter
Flexible LED strip lights are great for applications such as:
cove light
accent light
shelve light
building facade
workspace light
outdoors Christmas lights
pathways light
landscape lighting
WATERPROOFING
There are 4 main waterproofing options:
No waterproofing – perfect for indoor use and in areas without humidity and dust.
Gel coating (Most popular) – for areas prone to dust and humidity such as kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and workshops. Also okay for outdoor locations and gentle exposure to water/rain.
Hollow plastic sleeving – used in areas to heavy water flow.
Plastic sleeving with gel filling – only necessary for submersion in water up to 1m deep.
POWER SUPPLIES/TRANSFORMER
Choosing the correct power supply/transformer depends mainly on the total wattage consumed by the flexible LED strip lights that will be attached to one power supply/transformer. This can be calculated by using the wattage per meter or ft information for each flexible LED Strip light. Keeping in mind too that a power supply should only be loaded to about 80% of its maximum capacity (i.e. a 60 watt power supply/transformer should only be loaded with LED strip lights with a wattage draw of 48 watts at the most).
For example, total power of 5meters of 5050 60led strips per meter as follow:
14.4 W *5meters= 72W , So a 100W power supply will be sufficient.
Please give us a call +86 13809882437 or e-mail oxford.adsleds@yahoo.com and our team at oxford LED Lighting will be happy to help you choose the right flexible LED strip light for your lighting project!
