About LED Strip Lights
They’re long, flexible strips of LEDs with a commercial grade 3M adhesive backing used to create hidden and subtle lighting effects, such as under cabinet lighting.
We sell our LED tape by the meter, with all prices and specifications you see on the site based per meter too. So, if a particular strip light says 7.2W energy consumption, then 4 meters of this tape will use a total of 28.8W.
We feel that selling our strip lights by the meter allows for greater amounts of flexibility for our customers, and gives you the exact amount you need.
Yes, all our strip lights come with designated cutting points that differ depending on the type of tape used. The cutting points are as follows:
Tape with 30 LEDs per meter can be cut every 10cm, Tape with 60 LEDs per meter can be cut every 5cm, and Tape with 120 LEDs per meter can be cut every 2.5cm.
It’s important to know that this is a general guide and that other types differ from this. For example, our RGBW tape has 60 LEDs per meter, but can only be cut every 10cm.
Our single color LED strip lights are available in warm white, cool white, red, green and blue. Our dual color tape features warm white and cool white simultaneously, whilst our RGB color changing tape can emit any color depending on the controller./p>
This all depends on what they’re being used for. If you’re simply creating mood lighting, then anything up to 7.2W will be fine. If you’re lighting an area such as a work surface, however, you may be better off with 14.4W tape.
All our LED strip lights are available in 12V. We also sell 24V single color and 24V RGB color changing tape too.
For single color LED strip lights, you just need a 12V power supply. For RGB color changing the LED tape, you also need an RGB controller too.
We sell a range of LED strip light kits too, that comes with everything you need in one box. These come in preset 1m, 2m, 3m, 4m, and 5m lengths, and can be easier than assembling what you need yourself.
The two kinds of 12V power supply we sell are plug-and-play power adapters, and LED drivers.
Power adapters offer quick and easy installation and work from a 13 amp 3-pin plug socket. LED drivers are designed for mains electrical work and can be wired directly into an existing lighting circuit.
Technically speaking, there is no limit to the amount of strip light you can run. As long as you’re getting sufficient power to the strip light, you will be fine.
However, we do recommend breaking larger runs of strip light down into smaller sections to avoid voltage drop. If you have any difficulties with this, the easiest thing to do would be to give our team a call, and they can advise you on everything you need to know.
As many as you like – as long as you’re not exceeding the maximum load on the power supply. We do also recommend leaving a gap of around 10% between the total wattage of your tape, and the maximum wattage of the driver/power supply.
So, for example, if you have a 100W LED driver, we would advise you run up to a maximum of 90W, as this will help preserve the lifespan of your LED strip lights.
Yes, though you will need a 12V dimmer switch.
These numbers simply refer to the physical size of the SMD (Surface Mounted Diodes). It’s easier to think of the 3528 as the small chip and the 5050 as the large chip.
5050 chips are twice the size and almost 3 times as bright as 3528 chips.
This depends on where you’re going to be using your LED strip lights. If they might be exposed to moisture, then you may want to put an IP rating on your purchase. IP ratings and the level of protection they provide is as follows:
IP Rating | Protection against foreign bodies | Protection against moisture |
IP20 | Protected against objects larger than 50mm | No protection |
IP44 | Protected against objects larger than 1mm | Splash-proof |
IP65 | Completely dust tight | Light jets of water |
IP67 | Completely dust tight | Submergible at depths up to 1m for up to 30 minutes |
IP68 | Completely dust tight | Full submergible |
Generally, to make sure there is no damage to your strips, we recommend using IP65 protection in areas like the kitchen or bathroom, ensuring that steam and condensation won’t cause any damage.
If you’re planning on using them outside, or in a fish tank for example, then we recommend using IP68 rating. We also offer something called IP68 nano – a revolutionary new type of protection that encases your strips in a silicone coating.