LED Neon Flex vs Traditional Neon Glass Lighting! Which Product is for Me?
(Last Updated On: )Traditional neon glass lighting contains inert gases, such as helium, neon, or argon, packed into glass tubing. Inert gases rarely bond chemically to other atoms, and therefore would normally not emit light due to energy changes resulting from chemical bonding. However, if an electrical voltage is applied to inert gases in a closed container, they can release energy in the form of light. The color that the gas emits depends on the gas used and the amount of voltage applied within the container.
Neon lighting has been in use for almost a hundred years, so it is considered fairly reliable by most lighting manufacturers. Some find it more aesthetically pleasing than LED lights because of the “warmer” tone of light. They also have a “vintage” feel that customers often like to incorporate into their business’ or project’s brand. However, there are many downsides to neon lighting. Neon lighting requires a lot of energy for the small amount of light that comes out. There are a limited number of colors due to the limited number of usable inert gases and glass color options, and usually, only one color can be displayed at a time. The glass tubes are very delicate and fragile, where one small crack can break an entire lighting system. Because of the fragility, there are very high maintenance costs associated with glass lighting.
On the other hand, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were developed in 1961 by James R. Biard and Gary Pittman while they were working at Texas Instruments. LEDs are essentially semiconductors that emit light when a voltage is applied. They were commercialized in 1962 by General Electric and quickly became a standard lighting source due to their practicality and the wide range of potential colors. Using LEDs in indicators and signs rose to popularity soon after commercialization, due to their low energy consumption, low maintenance, and small size. One color lights, in particular, were adopted for traffic lights, exit signs, and emergency lighting. They were also incorporated into brake lights due to their ease of visibility and fast switching times, resulting in brake lights becoming fully lit up to a half of a second faster, giving drivers more time to tract. They were also adopted in sustainable lighting efforts, as they outperformed other available lighting methods in energy-efficiency. More recently, they have been adopted for sensor systems for biological applications.
LEDs have many advantages over neon lighting, as they consume less energy, last longer, are more durable, are smaller, and can be switched on and off faster. They are also more environmentally friendly. A single LED bulb can last more than 100,000 hours and emits high-intensity light at low voltages. They are very low maintenance, so users do not have to worry about upkeep costs, and are inexpensive to replace. They also have unlimited color options, with the ability to display more than one color depending on the applied voltage. They do not use toxic chemicals to produce light either, unlike some neon and fluorescent lighting.
LED Neon Flex products take all of the benefits of LEDs and combine all of the desired lighting traits from traditional neon lighting. By stringing LEDs together into a chain and encasing them in flexible shielding, our customers can recreate the feel of vintage neon lighting with more flexibility on design, more environmentally friendly fixtures, less maintenance cost, and more durability.
Which Product is for Me?
If you are interested in a more traditional neon lighting, our Super Round LED Neon Flex and Super Round RGB LED Neon Flex lighting systems are for you. These products replicate the traditional round glass tubing associated with traditional neon lighting. The Super Round LED Neon Flex can be fabricated in nine different colors for your business needs. If you would like a system that can change colors based on your desires, the Super Round RBG LED Neon Flex can be changed to any of the 16.7 million color options using the RGB Color Controller that comes with the lighting system.
Alternatively, if you are interested in traditional neon lighting with a small twist, our Square Surface Mount Device Round LED Neon Flex and Dome Surface Mount Device LED Neon Flex might be the pick for you. These products look like the traditional glass tubing associated with neon lighting but come in slightly different shapes for your creative goals. The Dome Surface Mount Device LED Neon Flex comes in single color and RGB options, so you can either pick one color or change the colors on demand, whereas the Square Surface Mount Device Round LED Neon Flex comes in nine color options for your needs.
You might also be interested in our Double Side Surface Mount Device LED Neon Flex products, which display neon light on the top and bottom of a flexible, durable strip. This product is a more modern take on traditional neon lighting, allowing you to create designs that would not be possible with traditional neon lighting. Similarly, the Side View Surface Mount Device LED Neon Flex is another modern take on neon lighting, with a rectangular strip on one side of the flexible strip, allowing for creative patterning.
For projects that require high-class flame resistance, such as tunnels, emergency exits, or windows, we offer the Thermoplastic Polyurethane Surface Mount Device LED Neon Flex. Thermoplastic Polyurethane is highly abrasion resistant, has high shear strength, has high elasticity, can perform in low temperatures, is transparent, and is resistant to oil and grease. This product is perfect for exit lighting or emergency signage, where fixtures should be bright, easily visible, and resistant to any unusual environmental damage.
For smaller projects, check out our Mini Surface Mount Device LED Neon Flex, which comes in a smaller size than our other LED Neon Flex products. This product is similar to our more traditional LED Neon Flex products that resemble traditional neon lighting but is better suited for smaller spaces.
We can also create wooden neon signs by integrating our LED Neon Flex products into wooden signs. If you are interested in this option, please reach out to us directly with your ideas.
Flex-Neon.com
Flex-Neon has been serving customers in the lighting business since 2008, specializing in flexible LED neon lighting fixtures with the option for custom design at a reasonable price. You may have seen our lighting in the Heart Dialogue project developed during the Interactivos Birmingham Seminar in Birmingham, UK, which focused on materializing the pulse of a person who places their finger on an attached sensor. Round LED Neon Flex lighting fixtures were also used at VIVID Sydney to create an interactive public art structure that materialized the pulses of the people sitting on it. We manufacture high-quality lighting fixtures and consider it our responsibility to make sure that any problem our customers run into is solved by our team.
Interested in incorporating LED Neon Flex into your business or project? Contact us for more information on how our custom lighting options can best suit your needs. We have an expert technical support team focusing on production, development, and service, that can take your blueprint, description, drawing, or idea, and help you pick the best products.
If you want to know more, please contact us by Email. sales@Flex-Neon.com
