led strip light vs led rope light, which one is better?

Nowadays, more and more people use led lights for homes, hotels, shopping malls, offices, etc.
LED strip lights and LED rope lights are among the most commonly used lighting products. Yet, many people don’t know the difference between them.
In this article, we will share you what is the different between them.
What are led rope light?
The led rope light looks like a rope, it will be stored or sold roll by roll, but the length depends on your own needs.
Rope light is material of SMD led or DIP LED, wires, and plastic material. You choose the round or square shape, and single color or multi-colors, etc.
The rope light is used in decorative because the light output is minimal.
What are led strip light?
Led strip light are also called led tape or led ribbon, which are mainly ribbon luminous products made by welding LED lamp beads to the flexible PCB board. There are single-color, double-color, RGB, RGBW and RGBWW, etc., can be used for decorative lighting or even commercial lighting.
LED rope light vs led strip light, which one is better?
Now that you have a general idea of what a LED rope light and strip light are, let’s discuss their differences. As they have different capacities even though they look almost the same, the guide below will help you determine which is the right one for your project.
Items | LED Strip Light | LED Rope Light |
Lighting Source |
SMD led like: 3528, 2835, 5050,2216,5630, etc
COB: led chip directly on the pcb board
|
SMD LED or DIP LED or incandescent bulbs |
Input voltage |
Low voltage:DC12V & DC24V
High Voltage: AC220V & AC110V
|
Normally AC220V and AC110V; few of them are DC12V and DC24V |
Size |
Mainly refer to the width of the PCB. It can be made from 3mm to 40mm, 50mm, fit different types of led aluminum profile. | Round in shape, normally, the diameter is between 1-3cm. That can be better protect the led light when using the rope light outdoor. |
Mounting and Installation |
For IP20 and IP65, use 3m adhesive tape for installation
For IP66 and IP68, together with 3M tape, they also need clips for fixing
|
They use mounting clips or Nylon ties to fix it on another surface. |
Available Colors and CCT |
can offer more color than rope light. Not only the color mention on the right side, but also have RGBW, RGB CCT, MAGIC COLOR CHANGE, CCT changeable. | 3000k, 4000k, 5000k, 6000k, white color, red, green, blue, amber, yellow, etc. And can use RGB color change rope light. |
Beam Angle |
For smd led strip, it's 120-degree; for cob led strip, it's 180-degree. | 360 degrees, better for decoration for Christmas lighting. |
Brightness |
Different type of led strip to offer you different brightness. You can choose the suitable type to fit your needs. | Low brightness, can only work as decorative lighting, unreliable for practical applications. |
IP Rating |
IP20,IP65, IP66, IP67, IP68 | IP65 |
Run Length (Voltage Drop) |
Normally, 5meter; ultra length can reach 50meter in series | can be run as long as over 80 meters when used with an AC input |
Power Consumption |
1-30W/M base on different types of led strip | about 5 wattage per meter |
Casing Material |
Silicone glue or silicone tube or PU glue or epoxy glue | PVC, the cheap price material |
The Pros and Cons
One form of lighting isn’t necessarily better than another, and both LED strip lighting and rope lighting have their pros and cons.
Rope lights
Pros:
1)They’re very inexpensive,
2)they’re a longer length than strip lights,
3) and they are 360-degree viewing allows them to be used as Christmas decorations.
Cons:
1) They aren’t very bright,
2) the plastic or epoxy tubing yellows and cracks with age,
3)they’re thicker and more challenging to install,
4) and they can’t be bent easily, so flexibility is limited.
LED strip lights
Pros:
1) They’re very bright with an option for dimming,
2) they’re very thin and easy to install,
3) they’re great in almost any environment,
4) they have high bend flexibility,
5) they’re usually always of very high quality,
6) you’re able to control the color remotely.
Cons:
1) They can’t run very far before voltage drop occurs,
2)and they only have a 120-degree beam angle, it's hard to make 360-degree in installation.
The best place to use led strip and led rope light
Both strip light and rope light have countless applications. Choosing between the two depends on the function and where you use it. Here are ideal places where you can install them.
Items | LED Strip Light | LED Rope Light |
Application |
Around mirrors Accent lighting for benches or shelves in the home Under stairs to create better visibility Inside display cases to accent items within General room lighting Under retail shelving to illuminate product |
Christmas decorations Wrapping around a balcony Illuminating walkways Landscape accenting Wrapping around pool fences Wrapping around tree trunks in the backyard |
People also ask
Repeatedly bending rope light back and forth can damage the internal wiring and components, so do your best to only bend the light in one direction. Winding your rope lights around poles and trees with small diameters can also cause the wiring to break and short out sections.
LED light bulbs don't get hot to the touch, but they do produce some heat, as all lights do. All light sources produce some level of heat and LEDs are no different. However, the technology of LED lights allows for less heat creation and for the heat that does build up to escape.
Incandescent rope light has the benefit of lower up-front costs and lasts up to 3,000 hours, which is perfect for seasonal use. For long term and landscape lighting projects, LED rope light uses less energy, which allows for longer runs to be connected together. LED rope light is estimated to last up to 100,000 hours.
The mark that indicates a safe spot for cutting rope light will typically look like a small pair of scissors or a dashed line. This is the only place that LED or incandescent rope light should be cut.
Conclusion
There are some differences between the led strip light and the led rope light. But both of them are used to light up our home better. No matter which type you select, Hanron lighting always offers the best quality and affordable led lights to you.