When you choose the lighting, you may see the choice of led strip lights and rope lights, but most of them don’t know what the main difference between the two is. Because they do look very similar, they don’t have a single main light source like a light bulb, but a series of continuous lights. At the same time, they are not the same. We will show the differences between LED Strip Lights vs Rope Lights, so that you can better understand the differences. Of course, this article will explain in detail what these differences are, hoping to help you better to decide which one is right for your lighting plan.
Table of Contents
- 1. What is LED Strip Lights?
- 2. What is the Rope Light?
- 3. What is the different between LED Strip Lights and Rope Lights?
- 4. Applications of LED Strip Lights and Rope Lights
- 5. Conclusion
What is LED Strip Lights?
The LED strip is a flexible circuit board, they surface mount LED lights and emitting diodes, it can be bent and cut, with 3M adhesive backing, very easy to install.
What is the Rope Light?
Rope lights have actually been around for a long time and as soon as we see the shape, we associate them with Christmas as they are a popular form of decoration.
In fact, the most common is the big tree installed beside the road, which can illuminate the pedestrians on the road at night, and can also decorate the tree at the same time. Plus, the materials allow light to filter through, and you can see that there can be many cut points along the length of the rope light.
What is the different between LED Strip Lights and Rope Lights?
There are still clear differences between led strip lights and rope lights, we will explain some of the following features, so that you can accurately distinguish them as follow:
Size:
LED Strip lights: which is very soft and small, you can choose different board widths, it can also hide very narrow place, only see the light, but not the led strip.
Rope lights: The diameter of the rope light is very wide, about 1-2 cm in diameter. We need to mount these lights with clips, it adds extra width to the rope lights.
Light Source:
LED Strip Lights: They are available in various configurations of LED chip sizes and quantities. Such as 3014 LED, 5050 LED, 2835 LED or 2010 LED, the input voltage is mostly 12/24vDC input, more information, pls kind read 12V or 24V LED Strip, How to Choose? They are available in a variety of single and color changing functions.
Rope lights: Which is usually with incandescent bulbs or LED bulbs, there are also LED, they have two types of power input: 120/220 VAC and 12/24 VDC, their colors are relatively single, without the color temperature of RGB.
Brightness:
LED Strip Lights: low brightness and high brightness are available, of course, the brightness depends on the chip of the light bar. Comparable for a variety of different lighting or decor, and all LED strip lights are easy to control and dim.
Rope lights: The brightness is relatively low, which is more suitable for decorative lighting projects, not suitable for most key lighting projects, such as task lighting or display lighting, and the appearance of rope lights will gradually turn yellow with time.
Flexibility:
LED Strip Lights: The LED strips are flexible, these lights can be bent up to 90 degrees, and you can easily install them in any corner.
Rope lights: The Rope Light is also a bit flexible, but you can’t bend it too much, so, we’ve seen it wrapped around a pole or ornament.
Viewing Angle:
LED Strip Lights: The general angle of LED strips is mostly 120 degrees. At present, there is a COB LED strip that can have a beam angle of up to 180 degrees.
Rope lights: The beam angle of the rope light is 360 degrees because the rope light is round. So, it’s more of a shape made for Christmas decorations.
Installation:
LED Strip Lights: All light strips have 3M adhesive backing, which can be directly glued to the surface during installation, or can be installed and fixed with accessory clips.
Rope lights: Rope lights are simply clip mounted rope lights as they don’t have any adhesive backing.
Cost:
LED Strip Lights: The process of making LED strip lights is a bit complicated, no matter from the high-quality materials, or the variety of colors and functions, so they will be more expensive than rope lights. However, we think that the light bar is a better choice because it can create more possibilities and has a longer service life.
Rope lights: The rope light has a single color and function, so it will be cheaper than the light strip.
Applications of LED Strip Lights and Rope Lights:
LED strip lights and Rope lights have their own advantages and disadvantages, so they also have different functional uses as follows:
LED Strip Lights:
Around mirrors
Accent lighting for benches or shelves in the home
Kitchen
Stars ligthing
Room lighting
Rope Lights:
Christmas Decorations
Wrapping around a balcony
Illuminating walkways
Landscape accenting
Walkways
Wrapping around tree trunks in the backyard
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed LED strip lights and rope lights from different angles. Of course, both rope lights and LED strip lights are excellent and versatile lighting options. But when it comes to brighter lights, with custom lengths, angles, and colors, we think LED strip lights give them more leeway to realize their project vision.