LED strips are not only practical, but they also provide a very special flair. They are often used for indirect lighting, to set accents, or to draw everyone’s attention to certain pieces of jewelry. On request, the lights can shine in a wide variety of colors and brightness levels. This means that they can always be adapted to current preferences.
LED Strips are convinced with numerous application possibilities. The strips are flexible, which is why they can also be attached in corners that are difficult to access without much effort. They are also quite insensitive to shocks, which contributes to their already very long service life.
The processed LED lights can provide light for up to 50,000 hours. They will bring joy to their owner for decades. Exactly how long the lights remain operational depends on the conditions under which they are put into operation. The semiconductor materials also play a role.
A brief look at the success story of LED strips
Thanks to their versatility and easy installation, LED strips and lights are an integral part of everyday life. If we dare to look into the past, we find that technology has advanced at a rapid pace.
LEDs were invented back in 1962, but at that time they were only used as indicator lights or for signal transmission. In the 1990s, the time was ripe for more extensive deployment. The LEDs were used more and more as a light source and have now even replaced the tried and tested light bulb. The reason for this was, of course, the ban on incandescent lamps.
The diversity and adaptability of LEDs and LED strips are convincing more and more consumers. With the purchase of LEDs, you also make a valuable contribution to protecting the environment. For comparison: incandescent lamps consume about ten times as much energy. However, the low energy consumption does not detract from the strong luminosity of the LEDs.
You can recognize high-quality LED strips by these characteristics
Numerous facts speak for the purchase of LED strips. But not every product is of the same quality. There is a large selection, which is why it is not always easy to distinguish between high-quality and low-quality LED strips. Basically, there are five points that you should pay attention to when buying. We have compiled a list of these for you below.
- The carrier tape and its copper content
Each manufacturer decides for himself which quality class he uses for his built-in carrier tapes. This is indicated by the flexibility of the product. The stiffer it is when it is bent in the rolling direction, the more stable the LED strip is of course.
This is often accompanied by the copper content of the product. We are dealing with a double-edged sword here. The less copper used in the LED strip, the cheaper it is ultimately to buy. However, the metal is responsible for heat dissipation.
So the less of it there is in the strip, the higher its operating temperature can be. If the heat dissipation is too low and the temperature rises, the LEDs will be damaged. Therefore, always pay attention to the protection class.
- A flawless coating
The coating is an important criterion in terms of safety and should therefore always be examined very carefully. Does it feel brittle, has a strange smell or is it even visibly damaged? Then you should refrain from this product. In this case, the specified protection class could no longer be guaranteed.
- The tape and its degrees of adhesion
Depending on the intended use, LED strips with tapes can be purchased with different degrees of adhesion. It is important that they are provided with protective paper. It serves as temporary adhesive protection and prevents the strips from sticking to objects before they are installed.
The higher the level of adhesion that is chosen, the fewer problems there will be after installation. There is hardly anything more annoying than an LED strip that comes off again after a short time. Sticking it on again often only provides brief satisfaction or is no longer possible at all.
With each new attempt, the tape sticks less and less. If you want to enjoy the strips for a long time, you should rely on a high degree of adhesion.
- The chip as a crucial feature of overall quality
The quality of the built-in chips is decisive for the quality of the LED strips. They differ, for example, in the following points:
- Brightness
- Operating temperatur
- Compatibility with the ambient temperature
There are also different price and goods groups with regard to the chips. The chips can account for up to 50 percent of the sales price. But of course, the price does not necessarily provide information about the quality. It makes sense to take a close look in advance at how many chips are installed on the LED strip.
There should be at least 60 pieces per meter. We at LED Strips World even install 200 in our QLF and QLF Pro Strips. The fewer chips there are, the lower the luminosity is in the end. There is often a great temptation to compensate with a higher power supply. However, this shortens the lifespan of the LEDs.
- The lumen values for optimal brightness
The lumen values are not directly indicative of the quality of the product. However, they should also be considered when buying. Basically, the higher the lumen value, the higher the luminosity.
If you rely on low values, you have to be aware that you will always be limited in terms of brightness. If you opt for higher lumen values, you always have a free choice, as long as the LED strip is dimmable.
LED strips with 500 lm/m are suitable for setting light accents or for providing atmospheric indirect lighting. If entire rooms are to be illuminated with the strips, specimens with 1000 lm/m and more are the better choice.
The fact is that the price of a product does not necessarily say anything about its quality. It is all the more important to know the criteria that you should definitely pay attention to when making a purchase. We at LED Strips World would be happy to help you with this. We will advise you comprehensively and of course, also provide you with high-quality LED strips.
Not only the selection is decisive
Anyone who decides on high-quality LED strips has already taken a big step in the right direction. But correct commissioning is almost as important. After all, what use is the highest quality product if it is not used properly? So let’s take a quick look at how LED strips should be put into operation.
A big advantage that LED strips to bring is that they can be cut as desired. This is exactly the first step in commissioning. Caution is only required here with the printed circuit boards. These should not be cut under any circumstances.
If the choice fell on an LED strip with silicone or rubber coating, these must be removed at the soldering points. Then the strip can be easily cut with everyday scissors.
In the next step, the LED strips are connected. This can be done quickly and easily with quick connectors. The front clamp of the connector must be loosened so that the strip can be fed through.
When closing, make sure that the copper conductors are flush and that the poles are correctly connected. If you connect the same poles with each other, you run the risk of a short circuit.
Now it is the turn of the power pack or the transformer. The performance is to be considered here. This can be calculated very easily. Multiply the length of the LED strip in meters by the specified power per meter. Since there should never be a full load, add around 20 percent afterward.
For example, for a 5-meter long strip with 5 watts per meter, the power supply unit must be able to generate 30 watts.
The tension must also be taken into account. Since LED strips are operated with DC voltage, this must also apply to the power supply unit or the transformer. If you accidentally use AC power, you may damage the LEDs.
Controller for RGB LED strips
Anyone who has opted for an RGB LED strip connects a controller in between. This is necessary to switch the lights on and off and to change the light colors.
RGB LEDs have a total of four leads: one positive and three negative. The positive connection cable is white or black. The three negatives are blue, green, and red. All must be connected to the correct terminal block. The terminals are each provided with the first letters of the colors.
The blue connection cable goes into terminal B, the green into terminal G, and the red into R. Finally, the positive connection cable is plugged into the positive pole of the controller.
Now connect the controller to the power pack using a low-voltage connection cable. The black wire is placed in the V- terminal and the red wire in the V+ terminal. Of course, the cable connector then has to be plugged into the controller coupling. Then it’s almost done.
The last step concerns the cable ends of the supply line. The black or brown outer conductor is to be placed in the L clamp. The blue neutral conductor goes into the N terminal. What remains is the yellow or green protective conductor, which belongs in the PEN terminal. This completes the professional commissioning.
High-quality LED strips for indoor and outdoor use by LED Strips World
Innovation, passion, sustainability – that’s what we at LED Strips World stand for. We are proud to say that we are the market leader in the field of LEDs. We are therefore happy to present our QLF and QLF Pro series to you.
Our QLF series is suitable for setting stylish lighting accents indoors. The strips are equipped with 200 LEDs per meter, which provide homogeneous light and shine for up to 50,000 hours. They give you joy for up to 15 years.
Our strips from the QLF series impress with a very low heat development and therefore also low wear. Of course, you can shorten the strips as you like and thus optimally adapt them to your needs.
The LED strips of our QLF Pro series can be used both indoors and outdoors. Among other things, the strips are provided with gold-coated conductor tracks. A wide variety of weather conditions cannot harm them, because the strips are protected against corrosion and oxidation. They also easily withstand temperatures between -40 °C and 120 °C.
The QLF Pro LED Strips can be cut every ten to 20 millimeters. They impress with a colorfastness of up to 100 CRI. With a service life of up to 200,000 hours, the built-in LEDs shine for up to 60 years.
At LED Strips, we rely on contemporary and innovative solutions that we adapt precisely to your needs. We also have high standards when it comes to sustainability. By that, we don’t just mean the LED technology itself. We only use high-quality raw materials and rely on long-term cooperation and fair trade.
We are proud of the great trust that our customers place in us again and again. We would also be happy to take on your concerns, advise you in detail and present our range to you. To do this, send us a message, give us a call, or request a callback.
