Q: What are lumens (lm)?

Lumen is the measurement of brightness as perceived to the human eye. Because of incandescent lighting, we are all accustomed to using watts to measure the brightness of light. Today, we use lumen. Lumen is the most important variable when choosing which LED strip light you need to look at. Make sure you compare lumen output between LED strip lights before determining which one is best for your project. 

Q: What is AC?

This is Alternating Current. This is the electricity that is used in most homes and commercial spaces. It’s often referred to as line voltage and number differs from country to country. US line voltage is typically 90V-220V, whereas it often averages higher in Europe.

Q: What is DC?

This is Direct Current. Most LED strips on the market use low-voltage DC. A transformer or low-voltage battery is often required to step-down the AC voltage to a suitable level for the LED strips, which is normally 12V or 24V DC.

Q: Are your LED strips constant current or constant voltage?

All of our strip lights require constant voltage. A constant voltage power supply is an electrical power source that regulates voltage to a constant level. In the case of Flexfire LED strip lights, a constant 12V or 24V, depending on the LED strip being used, would be required.

Q: What is CRI and why is it important?

Color Rendering Index (CRI) is the measurement of how colors look under a light source when compared with sunlight. Having information on the CRI of a LED strip light is important because you want to make sure that the colors are being accurately represented by the light source. CRI is measured on a scale from 0-100. A CRI of 80+ is the industry-standard for most applications while a CRI of 90+ tends to be necessary for situations that need color accuracy. Our UltraBright High CRI Series are used for photography lighting, retail lighting, bathroom or salon lighting, and residential lighting. Read more about the importance of CRI, here.

Q: What is the difference between 3528 LEDs v 5050 LEDs?

LED chips are all not all equal. The four digits represent the size of the chips in millimeters. For example, the 3528 chip is 3.5 mm X 2.8mm. Some chips are brighter than other and some have special uses and restrictions. Read more about the difference in chip size here.

Q: What is color temperature?

The color of light can be quantified by referring to its color temperature. White light is measured in Kelvins (K). Most white lights fall in a spectrum between 1800K and 6500K. When getting close to 3000K, the light is noticeably warmer. On the other end of the spectrum, the lights have a blue-ish tint and cooler tone when nearing 6500K.

Q: Which color temperature should I choose?

Choosing the correct color temperature lights for your project is very important, and as important as the brightness you choose. Consider the look and feel you want your project to have. What other color lights will be present? What material and color are the materials you wish to light?