White LED strip downlighting is an easy lifehack to make any space feel brighter and more luxurious, but some of the best-selling LED strips on Amazon give off terrible quality light when it comes to flickering, color temperature and color rendering index, and that&#;s really bad considering how important those things are for kitchens, closets, and workspaces.
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So, I spent over $600 of my own money buying all the top-rated LED strips on Amazon and I ran them through a bunch of tests using this professional colorimeter and this LED flicker meter to figure out which are the best and which ones you should stay away from.
And I&#;d love to just give you the results upfront, but unlike my LED lightbulb video there isn&#;t one best LED strip that will fit every application, so let&#;s break them down by category.
Starting with the easiest to use variety, complete kits that come with a power supply and controller. All you do is take them out of the box and plug them in and you&#;re ready to go. Here they are ordered by the price I paid on Amazon.
First, we&#;ve got the Pautix 5V COB LED Strip Light which is $10 for 2 meters.
Next, the Daybetter Tunable Under Cabinet Light kit is $10 for 3 meters.
Then the Onforu warm white LED strip lights which are $14 for 5 meters.
After that is the Lafluit under cabinet light kit which is also $14 for 5 meters.
Next is the Wobane under cabinet light kit at $19 for 5 meters.
Then the Govee Warm White LED strip lights which are $21 for 5 meters.
Then, the Novostella tunable LED light strip is $24 for 6 meters.
The most expensive was the Pautix Tunable White COB LED strip which was $26 for 3 meters.
And here is the cost per meter.
Even though you might see these lights as accent lighting, some of the most common uses will be in closets and kitchens, and in those cases the color rendering index or CRI of the light is extremely important. LEDs don&#;t all have the same color emission spectrums, and if certain color bands are missing or underrepresented than objects lit up by that light won&#;t look quite right, and the ability for a light to show the true color of an object is called its CRI. I used my Hoppocolor 350C Colorimeter to measure the CRI of each strip and found that the Daybetter tunable under cabinet kit was by far the worst at 70.2 for warm white and 70.9 for cool white, while the Pautix tunable COB strip was the best at 91.6 for warm white and 92.1 for cool white, and even if you don&#;t consider CRI to be important for your application, I would never suggest anything below a CRI of 80, so we can eliminate the Daybetter kit completely.
The next important characteristic of these lights is their flicker, which is a function of the controller and power supply more than the LEDs themselves, but a flickering light source can cause headaches and vision issues, not to mention just being extremely distracting.
I used my Hoppocolor LED flicker meter to measure the Flicker percentage and Flicker index of each LED strip and I found that the Govee kit had the least flicker throughout its entire dimming range, while the flicker from the Wobane kit was unbearable below around 80% brightness where the meter measured 99% flicker percentage. I also thought the 5V Pautix COB led strip, and Daybetter under cabinet lights at 32% and 43% were way too flickery for permanent use, so we can eliminate those as well.
Next let&#;s talk about brightness. I measured a 22 inch section of LED strip inside of a light sealed white cooler and recorded the lux measurement with my colorimeter, then multiplied that by the square meters of the cooler to calculate the lumens of each strip. I found that the Pautix tunable COB LED strip was the brightest at lumens on cool white and lumens on warm white, and the Novostella tunable strip was the dimmest at lumens on cool white, and lumens on warm white.
And by looking at their power consumption we can also calculate their efficiency in lumens per watt, where the warm white lights from Onforu were a standout at lumens per watt and the worst was the 5V Pautix COB LED strip at 652 lumens per watt, less than half of the Onforu.
So, all things considered the best easy to use strip with everything included is the Pautix Tunable COB LED strip which had the highest CRI, highest brightness, acceptable flicker, and completely tunable color temperature using the included infrared remote, with the downsides being the highest price per meter, and a relatively low power efficiency.
The Govee Warm White strips also performed well with good brightness, low flicker, and high efficiency, at less than half the cost per meter of the Pautix strip, but I was disappointed that the CRI was only 83.2, and the Govee strip is obviously not tunable like the one from Pautix.
The Govee strip also doesn&#;t come with a remote, so brightness can only be controlled by pressing the buttons on the controller itself. But both the Govee and Pautix remember their last state when powered on, so you can control them with a smart outlet or timer by cutting the power completely.
Next are the LED strips without a controller and these are for slightly more advanced DIY users who will provide their own appropriately sized power supply and controller. My preferred LED controller is the Shelly RGBW2, so that&#;s what I used for all my testing, and I used a benchtop power supply to provide 12V or 24V based on the requirements of the strip.
In order by what I paid for each strip on Amazon first we&#;ve got the LEPro Warm White LED Strip which is $10 for 5m.
After that for $15 is the 12V BTF-Lighting FCOB warm white strip which is $15 for 5 meters.
Then the 12V BTF Lighting RGB + WW LED strip which is also $15 for 5 meters.
Next is the Topai 12V COB LED strip which is $19 for 5 meters.
Then the 24V LLTOP COB LED strip is $20 for 5 meters.
The 12V Hitlights Warm White strip is $30 for 4m.
Next is the Joylit 24V COB LED Strip which is $34 for 5 meters.
Then we&#;ve got the 24V Joylit UL Rated warm white strip which is $38 for 5 meters.
Last, the most expensive DIY strip is the SuperlightingLED 24V RGBW COB led strip which is $45 for 5 meters.
And here is their cost per meter, with the LEPro coming in at just $2 per meter, and the SuperlightingLED RGBW strip at an eye watering $9 per meter.
Looking at the Color Rendering Index the Joylit 24V COB LED strip had a standout CRI of 95.8, which means it would be great for even the most demanding applications like photography, but the majority of the strips were also above 90 CRI which is great to see. The only strip that I feel like I can eliminate based on CRI alone is the BTF-Lighting RGB + WW strip which had a CRI under 60, even with a dedicated white LED on the strip, which is unacceptably bad.
Looking at flicker, as I said before, it&#;s more a result of the controller and power supply than the LED strip itself, but I did verify that all the LED strips dimmed and acted as they should with the shelly controller and had nearly identical flicker percentages.
For brightness there was a massive amount of variation with the Joylit 24V UL Listed LED strip coming in at a ridiculously bright Lumens and at the very bottom of the list the BTF Lighting RGB + WW strip came in at less than lumens, 11 times dimmer than the Joylit.
But maybe the craziest thing is that the Joylit COB LED strip was also very bright at lumens putting it in second place overall, but it was still less than half as bright as the 24V UL Listed strip from Joylit.
And when I measured efficiency, the Hitlights, LEPro, and Joylit UL listed strip were at the top with efficiencies above lumens per watt for the 22&#; segment.
Another important thing to consider when going the DIY route is how long of an LED run you can make without changes in color or brightness which is largely determined by the thickness of the copper traces embedded in the strip. For each strip I measured the voltage at the beginning of the strip and at the end when outputting full brightness white to determine the voltage drop and the best performers were the Joylit 24V COB LED Strip, BTF-COB Strip, and Joylit UL Listed strip which each dropped less than 1 volt over the entire 5m length, indicating high build quality and solid copper traces.
So, all things considered the best overall strip for DIYers was the Joylit 24V COB LED Strip which had an awesome full spectrum CRI of 95.8, the second highest brightness at lumens and only 0.6V of voltage drop over the entire 5 meter strip, with the downsides being a relatively high price at $34 and middle of the road efficiency at just 841 lumens per watt.
From a budget standpoint the LEPro 12V LED strip lights are hard to beat with a cost per meter of just $2, and the second highest efficiency at lumens per watt, with the downsides being a CRI of just 80.3 and a voltage drop of 1.57 volts over 5m indicating a more cheaply made strip with thinner copper traces, but if you&#;re on a budget and not extremely concerned with CRI they are an excellent value.
And for me the most well balanced strip considering both performance and value was the BTF-Lighting FCOB warm white strip which was just $1 more per meter than the LEPro, but has a CRI of 92.3, 30% more brightness at lumens, good efficiency at lumens per watt and less than 1 volt of drop over the 5m strip, which is a significant upgrade over the LEPro for just a little bit more money.
And last, if you&#;re looking for an addressable LED strip with warm white your options are quite a bit more limited, and the installation can be a bit more complicated because in addition to needing your own power supply and controller you&#;ll also need to decide which software you want to use to provide the data for your strips. For my testing I used a benchtop power supply to provide the 12V or 24V required and a digQuad LED controller running WLED software.
The two addressable RGBW options are called SK strips which come in 5V and 12V varieties and I&#;ve got the 12V strip from BTF Lighting which is $44 for 5m, and then there&#;s a newer type called WS which come in 12 and 24V and I got the 12V LED package which was $30 for 5 meters, and the 24V COB LED style of WS which was $42 for 5m. And for good measure I also included a standard 12V WS RGB strip to compare CRI and efficiency.
The most welcomed surprise for me was that the newer WS strips had great CRI numbers of 92.8 and 91.6, and the COB strip surprised me even more by managing a CRI score of 80.9 using its RGB LEDs, which is basically unheard of and twice as high as the RGB CRI of the other strips.
The SK strip was the brightest of the addressable strips at lumens using only the white channel and also the most efficient at 827 lumens per watt, which is still relatively low compared to the non-addressable strips, but better than the 490-531 lumens per watt of the WS strips and miles ahead of the 201 lumens per watt of the RGB WS strip.
The SK strip also had the least voltage drop of just 0.33 volts over the entire 5m strip compared to over 1V for the rest of the addressable strips.
And because the dimming of each LED is controlled by a microcontroller on the strip itself, I also measured the flicker percentage of each strip, and found that they were all well within the acceptable range with the SK&#;s performing the best with around half the flicker percentage of the rest of the strips at each brightness level.
And the last thing to consider for addressable strips is not only the distance in between the pixels, which we call the pixel density, but the size of each controllable segment. The COB LED strip for instance has no distinguishable pixels, but each controllable segment is 7cm long, which is decently large and may make your patterns look lower resolution, while the 300LED/m strips have a lower pixel density, but are controllable in groups of 3 pixels, so each controllable segment is only 5cm long for the SK and WS strips, and the WS RGB strip is individually controllable per pixel, meaning patterns will look higher resolution.
So overall for addressable strips, I like the 12V WS non COB strip which is quite a bit cheaper than the rest at just $30 for 5 meters, or $6 per meter and has a great white CRI of 92.8, is controllable in 5cm segments of 3 LEDs and had an acceptable voltage drop of 1.12V over 5m, with the downsides being significantly lower brightness and efficiency than non-addressable strips.
12V SK strips have been my go-to for years, and they do have better efficiency, higher brightness, and lower flicker, but in the future I think I&#;ll be migrating over to WS strips for their higher white CRI value.
So, to recap, my final recommendations in each category starting with the everything included kits are the Pautix Tunable COB LED strip for the best overall and the Govee Warm White strip for the budget option.
In the strip only category the best performer overall was the Joylit 24V Warm White COB strip, the budget option was the LEPro 12 strips, and a good balanced option between budget and performance was the BTF Lighting FCOB warm white strip.
And in the last category of addressable warm white strips my pick is the 12V WS non-cob strip which sacrificed some brightness and efficiency compared to my previous favorite SK strips, but with significantly higher CRI and a much lower cost per meter.
As a reminder, there are no sponsored reviews on this channel and I bought all these strips with my own money, but if you found this video helpful, I do appreciate if you use the links below because when you use those links as an Amazon affiliate, I do earn a small commission on the sale at no cost to you.
If you&#;re interested in supporting my channel directly and joining my monthly giveaways, consider joining these amazing people who are my patrons over on Patreon. If you enjoyed this video don&#;t forget to hit that thumbs up button and consider subscribing to my YouTube channel and as always, thanks for watching The Hook Up.
Philips has been a pioneer in improving people&#;s lives for over 130 years. Its goal is to create a healthier and happier world on a global scale. Philips believes that there is always room for improvement when it comes to making life better. As a technology company, it is constantly looking for new ways to make a difference in the world.
Philips offers a wide variety of products, including both indoor and outdoor lights. Their products are designed to be easy to install and use, and they offer a variety of features to choose from. Whether you&#;re looking for a basic light to add some ambiance to your home or you need something more specialized for a specific task, Philips has a product that will meet your needs.
City & Country: Eindhoven, Netherlands
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Key Products: LED lights, bulbs, lamps, lighting fixtures
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Philips has a long history of innovation and is a trusted brand when it comes to LED lights. At Philips, they understand that everyone has different needs when it comes to lighting. That&#;s why they offer a wide range of products, from basic lights to more specialized options. And because they want their customers to be happy with their purchase, they also provide excellent customer service in case you run into any problems down the line.
One brand that is quickly gaining a reputation for quality LED strip lights is Vorlane. Their LED strip lights are made with the highest quality materials and feature cutting-edge technology, making them a great choice for anyone looking for LED strip lights.
This company has had the objective of being a top-tier LED lighting company since its establishment in . All their product components are made internally, and they have crafted their own assembly and quality inspection process from scratch.
By streamlining the production chain, this company is able to undersell most of its competitors. Furthermore, by testing the LED lights under grueling conditions, Vorlane guarantees both the durability and dependability of its products.
City & Country: Guangdong, China
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Key Products: LED lighting
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If you&#;re looking for LED strip lights that are both high quality and stylish, Vorlane LED strip lights are a great option. With their timeless design, these LED strip lights will look great in any setting. Their LED strip lights are made with the highest quality materials and feature cutting-edge technology, making them a great choice for anyone looking for LED strip lights.
Based in Shenzhen, China, Govee has been making LED strip lights since and has since become a leading manufacturer in the space. The company offers a wide range of LED strip lights for both indoor and outdoor use, as well as a variety of accessories to go with them. They are known for their quality products, competitive prices, and excellent customer service.
What sets Govee apart from other LED strip light manufacturers is its focus on innovation. The company is constantly looking for ways to improve its products and make them more user-friendly. For example, Govee recently released a new line of LED strip lights that can be controlled via a mobile app. This allows users to easily change the color and brightness of their lights, as well as create custom lighting scenes.
City & Country: Shenzhen, China
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Key Products: LED strip lights, gaming lights, indoor and outdoor lights
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In addition to its commitment to innovation, Govee also prides itself on providing excellent customer service. The company offers a two-year warranty on all of its products and has a team of customer service representatives who are available to help with any questions or problems that users may have.
If you&#;re looking for LED strip lights that are both high-quality and affordable, then Govee is a great option to consider. The company&#;s commitment to innovation and excellent customer service makes it a trusted brand that you can rely on.
Wyze is a young lighting company that has made a big impact in a short amount of time. The company was founded in with the mission of making high-quality LED strip lights affordable for everyone. And they have succeeded in doing just that.
Wyze LED strip lights are known for their high quality and low price. They offer a wide variety of LED strip lights in a variety of colors and sizes, making them a great option for any lighting need. Their products are also backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee, ensuring that you&#;re always happy with your purchase. The company also offers free shipping on all orders over $50, making them an affordable option for anyone looking to add LED strip lights to their home.
City & Country: Seattle, Washington, U.S.
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Key Products: LED strip lights, light bulbs, Wyze Cam
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If you&#;re looking for high-quality LED strip lights at an affordable price, Wyze is the brand for you. Wyze is a great company that offers security cameras and LED lighting products at an affordable price. They are a great option for anyone looking to add LED strip lights to their home.
Wellmax has been focused on product innovation since it was founded in , launching new proprietary products every year. Today, Wellmax is a global LED lighting company with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia.
They constantly innovate to create new lighting solutions for your home &#; from LED strip lights and downlights to solar-powered lights. Their products are designed to be easy to use and energy-efficient, so you can enjoy them for years to come.
City & Country: Shanghai, China
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Key Products: Residential lighting, shop lighting, factory lighting, office lighting
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Wellmax is a great brand when it comes to LED lighting solutions. Not only are their products easy to use, but they&#;re also energy-efficient &#; perfect for those looking for long-lasting lighting choices. Furthermore, Welmax provides a wide product selection, ranging from LED strip lights to solar-powered lights! So, no matter your needs, you can be sure that Wellmax has got you covered.
Proled is an LED strip lights brand that has been in the business for over 10 years. The company specializes in manufacturing lights for both commercial and residential applications. Proled&#;s LED strip lights are popular among consumers due to their high brightness, long lifespan, and low energy consumption.
In addition, Proled offers a wide variety of LED strip light products, including color-changing LED strips, waterproof LED strips, and LED tape lights.
City & Country: Wels, Austria
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Key Products: LED strips, downlights, track lights, panels, spotlights, wall lights
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Proled is an LED strip light manufacturer that you can trust. With years of experience, they know how to design products that will stand the test of time. Plus, their lights are designed to be energy-efficient so you save money in the long run
Ecoshiftcorp was founded in by two entrepreneurs, Jason Demski and Michael Furey. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Ecoshiftcorp provides a variety of services related to clean technology, including energy efficiency consulting, renewable energy project development, and carbon management. They have a team of experts who work with clients to develop customized solutions that save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
To date, Ecoshiftcorp has produced LED light bulbs, solar panels, and electric car charging stations. In addition, the company has developed a software platform that helps businesses track their energy use and carbon footprint. The company is committed to helping businesses adopt clean technology solutions that will benefit the environment and the bottom line.
City & Country: San Franciso, California
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Key Products: LED lights, solar-powered products, energy-efficient lighting fixtures
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For anyone in search of clean energy solutions, Ecoshiftcorp is the company to consult. Their services include energy efficiency consulting, renewable energy project development, and carbon management. By working closely with clients, their team of experts develops custom plans that save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So, if you&#;re looking for LED lights or solar panels, be sure to give Ecoshiftcorp a call.
As the name suggests, ATEX Lighting Solution is a lighting company that specializes in providing lighting solutions for businesses and homes in hazardous areas. ATEX was founded in by two entrepreneurs who saw the need for safer and more efficient lighting solutions in highly volatile environments.
ATEX&#;s mission is to provide safe and efficient lighting solutions that improve the working conditions of people in hazardous environments. Their products are designed to meet the stringent safety requirements of the ATEX directive, which governs the use of electrical equipment in potentially explosive atmospheres.
ATEX has a strong focus on safety and quality, and all of its products are rigorously tested to ensure that they meet the highest standards. They offer a variety of services and have a team of highly qualified engineers and technicians who are dedicated to providing the best possible lighting solutions for their customers. ATEX is committed to innovation and invests heavily in research and development to ensure that its products are at the forefront of lighting technology.
City & Country: Japan
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Key Products: LED lighting fixtures, emergency lighting, portable lighting, and explosion-proof lighting
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ATEX has a wide range of products that cater to a variety of needs and applications. They are a well-established company with a proven track record of providing quality products and services.
The company has a strong commitment to customer satisfaction and they always work to ensure that their customers are happy with their products and services. They also offer excellent technical support and after-sales service. Overall, ATEX Lighting Solution is a reliable company with a wide range of high-quality products.
Zbllight is a Shenzhen-based LED lighting manufacturer and supplier that was established in . The company offers a wide range of LED lighting products including strip lights, grow lights, solar lights, and more. Zbllight has a strong focus on research and development in order to provide the best possible products to its customers. In addition, the company has a strict quality control system in place to ensure that all of its products meet international standards.
Zbllight is committed to providing innovative and energy-efficient lighting solutions for both commercial and residential applications. Their products are designed to save energy and money while providing a high level of lighting quality. In addition, Zbllight provides excellent customer service and is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that its customers are satisfied.
City & Country: Shenzen, China
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Key Products: LED strip lights, grow lights, solar lights
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Zbllight is a top-quality LED lighting company that manufactures a wide variety of LED lights for both indoor and outdoor use. Their products are well-made and extremely durable, and their prices are very reasonable.
Glamorled is one of the world&#;s leading manufacturers of LED lights and lighting solutions. The company offers a wide range of products for both home and commercial use, including LED lights, panels, bulbs, and more.
Glamorled was founded in and is headquartered in the United States. The company has a global presence, with sales in over 50 countries. They are committed to providing the highest quality products and services to its customers. They have a team of highly skilled and experienced engineers and technicians who are constantly developing new and innovative products.
City & Country: United States
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Key Products: LED lights, panels, bulbs
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If you&#;re looking for high-quality LED lights and lighting solutions, Glamorled is a great option. The company offers a wide range of products for both home and commercial use, and its commitment to quality is evident in everything they do. Their team of highly skilled engineers and technicians is constantly developing new and innovative products, making Glamorled a go-to choice for anyone in need of LED lighting.
LIFX, a pioneering force in the smart lighting industry, specializes in creating LED strip lights that transform ordinary spaces into vibrant, dynamic environments. Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, LIFX has quickly risen to prominence since its inception, driven by a commitment to innovation and quality in the realm of connected home lighting.
With a focus on user experience and sustainability, LIFX strip lights are designed to offer unparalleled color variety, intensity, and flexibility, enabling users to customize their lighting to suit any mood or occasion. These strip lights are not just about illumination; they are about enhancing lifestyle, productivity, and well-being through intelligent, responsive lighting solutions.
Country and City: Silicon Valley, USA
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Key Products: Smart LED strip lights, smart bulbs
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LIFX stands out for its direct-to-consumer approach, offering a range of smart lighting products that integrate seamlessly with popular smart home ecosystems. The brand is celebrated for its easy-to-use app, allowing for effortless control and customization of lighting settings. While LIFX products are positioned at a premium price point, the value they offer in terms of energy efficiency, longevity, and the ability to transform living spaces makes them a preferred choice for those seeking advanced lighting solutions.
There are a lot of different LED strip light brands on the market, but not all of them are created equal. These 10 brands have proven themselves time and time again to produce high-quality products that will meet your needs.
If you still have questions about which brand is right for you or want to know more about LED strip lights in general, feel free to contact us at Vorlane. We offer a wide array of LED products including LED bulbs, LED panel lights, strip lights, stage lights, etc. We would be happy to help you out.