How to Choose LED Strips? Part.2

Flexible LED strips are widely used all over the world and people use it in commercial settings, factory renovations as well as residential projects. They are also popular among architects, lighting designers and individual users because of their superiority in efficiency, color selection, and strip quality control.

In addition to brightness, color temperature (CCT) and color rendering index (CRI) mentioned in the previous blog that affect how people choose led strip lights, this article will continue to guide you to choose led strip light from other aspects.

1.LED Density

LED density refers to the number of LEDs on a single strip, usually measured by LEDs per foot or per meter. LED density is a better metric to measure LED strip brightness. The higher the number of LEDs on a strip, the brighter the light it produces.
Common LED densities are 30/60/120 LEDs per meter. In addition to common densities, YUJILEDS also sells led strip in 128/420/700 LEDs per meter.

Standard density flexible strips are ideal for use in tight spaces or for indirect accent lighting. They are obviously not as intense as the higher density strips, so they are more suitable for applications where less light is more, such as shelf lighting, backlighting, and other soft accent lighting scenarios.

But if you are looking for more light output, high-density strips are a significant upgrade from the standard density ones. They are mainly for those applications with higher ceiling where you need more light, or if you are using them as a main source of lighting in a specific area.

 2.Input Voltage & Power Supply

• Check if the input of the product specification or markings on the strip is 12V or 24V DC before you choose your strip. It is important to check because wrong voltage input may result in malfunction or other safety hazards. Most LED strip configurations on the market run on 12V or 24V DC, and the same goes for YUJI LED strips. When using a standard mains power supply of 120/240V AC, the power supply needs to be converted to an appropriate low voltage DC signal.

• Check how many watts per meter/foot your LED strip consumes, since this is very important to determine how much power you will need. Each strip consumes a certain amount of power per meter/foot (watts per meter/foot). If you don't have enough power to light up your strips, they may appear dim, flicker, or not light up at all. Then, calculate the estimated power consumption of this product, which is important to determine the amount of the power required.

• When choosing a power supply for your LED strip, it is a good idea to leave an additional 25% power capacity above the power requirement of the strip, so as to extend the life of the power supply and keep it cool to prevent overheating. For example, a 5-meter YUJILEDS 2835 120 LEDs strip would require 5 meters x 18W / meter = 90W; for power supply stability, we would recommend a power supply that is capable of supplying at least 112.5W (90W + 25% * 90W).This means you need a power supply unit with a minimum output of 112.5W at 24V DC.

3.Quality control

Now, you can find and buy LED strips almost everywhere, if you go online they are countless choices on Amazon and eBay at different prices. Not all LED strips are created with equal quality. One of the main reasons for buying and using LED strips lighting is because they are energy efficient and provide long term cost savings. A low-quality LED strip may consume twice as much power and may even be less efficient than incandescent lighting.

Key Quality Factors:

1.Material Quality

LED strip performance and lifetime is determined not just by the quality of the LEDs, but the thickness and materials used in the PCB, phosphor quality, and the consistency of the components used within the strips.

• The thickness of the copper used in the PCB board – the thicker the copper the more the current can flow and the more efficient the strip is. The copper thickness of YUJILEDS LED strip light is generally higher than that of cheap LED strips on the market.
• The quality of the phosphor used in the LED SMD – the purity and size of the phosphor can affect the efficiency and brightness of the lighting. YUJILEDS uses its own patented phosphors to encapsulate the LED SMDs, and we can fully guarantee the quality.
• The consistency of components within the LED strips – mixing different size of LEDs on a strip not only looks unprofessional it can also cause inefficiencies and more rapid degradation of the phosphor.

2.Product Confidence and Quality Control   

You need to see if the product has relevant test reports to verify claims of brightness and longevity. These may include IES reports, TM-30, spec sheet, etc.

YUJILEDS^® is committed to providing high quality standards of LED products for the market. We hold strict standards in quality control all the time, from primary design to the final manufacturing. All our LED products are delivered after rigorous in-house testing and inspection. Satisfaction 100% Guaranteed!

All of YUJILEDS LED strip lights are tested between 8 to 12 hours after production.

Figure 1. YUJILEDS strips being burn-in tested after manufacturing.

3.Warranty and Customer Service

Last but not least, choose LED suppliers who provide better warranty policy and customer service.

Warranty policy of a LED product supplier reveals its quality control ability and its confidence in its products. Customer service tells the professionalism of a team and its devotion in providing satisfactory services for its customers.

YUJILEDS takes pride in its products and provides at least two-year warranty from the day the customer receives the product (unless otherwise stated). Also, we provide a 30-day return & exchange policy for all our orders. You could return any product you purchase to us for a full refund or an exchange within 30 days of receiving your product.

YUJILEDs LED strips represent the highest quality in the industry. Our mission is beyond just illumination. We are devoted to providing best light quality products and professional services to our customers.