Inspired LED carries both 12V LED Strip Lights and 24V LED Strip Lights, but how do you know which is best for your particular lighting project? Both can provide plenty of brightness and are offered in multiple color temperatures. Below I will go through the main difference for each voltage type and why one might be more or less suited to your particular lighting project.
The 12V product line is going to have the largest range of options when it comes to varying brightness levels and color temperatures. We offer four different brightness options and six different colors all listed below. The 12V LED product line is the optimal choice for most residential applications. The one limitation of the 12V LED strips is the max length you can run before there is a noticeable voltage drop. Voltage drop occurs when there isn’t enough voltage to make it to the end of the LED strip, causing the end of the strip to look dimmer than the beginning of the strip. Our Normal Bright LED strip is our least bright LED product in the 12V line; you can run this a max of 20ft before you start to see a noticeable change in your LED strip. Whereas our 12V Mega Bright is our brightest LED strip and can only be run a max of 12ft, anything past that will be significantly dimmer than the rest of the LED strip.
Color Options:
Warm White 3000K
Pure White 4200K
Cool White 6000K
Red
Blue
Green
Color Options:
Warm White 3000K
Pure White 4200K
Cool White 6000K
Red
Blue
Green
Color Options:
Warm White 3000K
Pure White 4200K
Cool White 6000K
Blue
Color Options:
Warm White 3000K
Pure White 4200K
Cool White 6000K
This makes 12V LED strips the perfect choice for under cabinet lighting, above cabinet lighting, toe kick lighting, backlighting, shelf lighting, and more. The general rule of thumb is if you do not need to exceed lighting over 20ft in one run, then choose 12V LED lighting for your project. It will be more cost-effective and you will have more customization options for your project.
12V LED Strips Pros & Cons
Pros:
-Choice of four brightness levels
-Multiple color options to choose from
-Stays cool to the touch, never gets hot
Cons:
-Can only run a max distance of 12′- 20′
-Not as bright as 24V LED Strips
Our 24V Product line has the least amount of options for brightness and color temperature but are well suited for specific tasks. We offer two different brightness options and three different color options that are listed out below. 24V LED strips allow us to run massive lengths up to 33.3’ while still maintaining a brighter light output than most of the 12V LED product lines.
Color Options:
Warm White 3000K
Pure White 4100K
Cool White 6500K
Color Options:
Amber White 2500K
Warm White 3000K
Pure White 4100K
This makes the 24V LED Strips perfect for soffit lighting, retail space, or areas where a lot of downlight is needed. The 100ohm Mega Bright is capable of going up to 550 lumens/ft which is double the brightness any of the 12V LED strips can accomplish. If you need to light up an entire room or have a large room with a soffit, the 24V LED strips are the perfect choice. Since voltage drop is minimal you can get away with lighting whole rooms with one or two LED strips.
24V LED Strips Pros & Cons
Pros:
-Inspired LED’s brightest available LED strip
-Can run lengths longer than 20′
-Higher Efficiency than 12V LED strips
Cons:
-Can get warm to the touch
-Fewer color options
-Larger transformers needed
