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LED strip lights use energy-efficient and long-lasting LED bulbs to bring creative and decorative lighting to any room. While most strip lights are thought of as a colorful way to decorate a space, they can also be a viable option for bringing accent lighting to commercial buildings and residential homes.
Since the LED light market is saturated with products, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best LED strip lights available to help you make the right purchase for your home. Here are our top picks.
Top 6 LED Strip Lights
- Best Overall DAYBETTER LED Strip Lights
- Best Entry Level: MINGER LED Strip Lights
- Best Accessories: Lepro LED Strip Lights
- Most Customizable: Tenmiro LED Strip Lights
- Best For TV Lighting: PANGTON VILLA LED Strip Lights
- Best For Gaming: KontrolFreek Gaming Lights LED Strip Lights
Compare Top LED Strip Lights
| Product | Number of Spools | Length | Number of Lights | Power Source | Connectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAYBETTER LED Strip Lights | 2 | 100 feet | 300 | Corded electric | WiFi |
| MINGER LED Strip Lights | 2 | 65.6 feet | 150 | Corded electric | Remote control |
| Lepro LED Strip Lights | 2 | 32.8 feet | 300 | Corded electric | Remote control |
| Tenmiro LED Strip Lights | 2 | 65.6 feet | 300 | Corded electric | Remote controlled |
| PANGTON VILLA LED Strip Lights | 1 | 8.2 feet | 60 | Connected via USB | Remote controlled |
| KontrolFreek Gaming Lights LED Strip Lights | 1 | 9 feet | Not listed | Connected via USB | Remote controlled |
| Product | Number of Spools | Length | Number of Lights | Power Source | Connectivity |
Best Overall
Courtesy AmazonDAYBETTER LED Strip Lights
- $19.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Is also available in a 50-foot length
✔ Can connect to your phone via a smartphone app
✔ Can sync to your music
✘ Customers have to connect two strips together
✘ Has a short power cord
What Customers Are Saying
Customers who were satisfied with these LED lights said that they had strong adhesion and were easy to set up. However, those who were dissatisfied with them said that the strips broke easily if they weren’t handled with care and that the remote sometimes didn’t work properly.
Best Entry Level
Courtesy AmazonMINGER LED Strip Lights
- $19.99
- $21.99
- 9% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Comes with a 44-button remote control for light customization
✔ Comes with clips and adhesive for easy installation
✔ Can use the remote from over 30 feet away
✘ Has a thick coating that may make it difficult to cut
✘ Doesn’t include connectors
What Customers Are Saying
Positive reviews highlighted the intense brightness, easy installation, and large color range that these LED strip lights had. Negative reviews criticized these LED strip lights for falling off of walls because their adhesive backing wasn’t sticky enough.
Best Accessories
Courtesy AmazonLepro LED Strip Lights
- $19.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
These two strips make up a color-, mode-, and brightness-adjustable device that adds flair to any setting. Giving you everything you need to install and use the two 16.4-foot strips, your purchase includes 12 adhesive clips, a remote control, and two plugs. The back of the strips is also sticky to pair with the clips for double adhesion.
Pros and Cons
✔ Can cover medium spaces with two strips that are each 16.4 feet long
✔ Has an environmentally friendly design with low carbon, no flicker, and no radiation
✔ Has fading, jumping, and flashing modes
✘ Can’t cut them shorter than three bulbs
✘ Criticized for having bulbs that blinked randomly
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers praised these LED strip lights for being bright and offering fun lighting effects. Reviewers continually noted that they were easy to install and use. Unsatisfied customers had issues with the bulbs, with some of them blinking and some not working at all.
Most Customizble
Courtesy AmazonTenmiro LED Strip Lights
- $11.99
- $111.99
- 40% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Included remote control comes with 44 keys
✔ With over 65 feet of length, is ideal for medium and large spaces
✔ Includes adhesive hooks
✘ Doesn’t come in other size options
✘ Can’t connect to smart devices
What Customers Are Saying
Reviewers who left satisfactory reviews for these lights liked that they offered multiple color, mode, and brightness settings and that they could be peeled off and restuck in a new location. Those who left unsatisfactory reviews claimed that these lights didn’t connect to each other properly and that they sometimes stopped working after minimal use.
Best For TV Lighting
Courtesy AmazonPANGTON VILLA LED Strip Lights
- $
- $9.99
- % off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Comes with a 24-key remote
✔ Includes easy-to-install double-sided tape
✔ Comes in two different lengths
✘ Is shorter than many other LED strip light options
✘ The adhesive backing isn’t strong
What Customers Are Saying
Customers who were pleased with these LED lights said that they were easy to assemble, provided long-lasting lighting, and offered a range of color options. However, dissatisfied customers said that they didn’t provide satisfactory brightness and that they were made from cheap materials.
Best For Gaming
Courtesy AmazonKontrolFreek Gaming Lights LED Strip Lights
- $13.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Has a 3M adhesive backing for installation
✔ The light-emitting diodes produce little heat
✔ Works with TVs, consoles, or PCs
✘ Can be difficult to understand what functions each button performs
✘ Doesn’t come with a remote control
What Customers Are Saying
Happy customers liked these lights’ strong adhesion, quick installation, and customization options. Those who left negative reviews said that the strip sometimes came with defective lights and that the adhesive was difficult to remove.
Buyer’s Guide
To help you make an informed purchasing decision, here are five important factors to consider when you’re selecting LED strip lights.
Length
Keep in mind the layout and size of the space where you’ll be installing the LED strip lights. If you’re lining the ceiling of a large room with lighting, select one or more strips with enough length to cover the perimeter. If you need lighting around a small cabinet, desk, or TV stand, a shorter strip light is a better fit.
Most strip lights measure either 16.4, 32.8, or 65.6 feet. The manufacturer sometimes gives you a single spool or splits this length between multiple spools. Many strip lights are also cuttable if one of these lengths doesn’t fit your needs exactly.
Control
You can control an LED strip light in a variety of ways, including with a remote control, voice assistant, control box, and mobile app. Most strip lights come with a remote control and control box, but if you’re looking for added convenience, you can purchase a smart voice- or app-controlled model.
Color
Most LED strip lights emit a variety of colors, with some offering set choices and others offering customizable ones. If you’re looking for a specific color, select a smart LED strip light that has a color wheel on its compatible app to create your own color. However, if you’re only looking for a few color options, you can save money by purchasing a strip with pre-set colors.
Brightness
The brightness of LED bulbs is measured in lumens, which is the amount of generated light. The higher the lumens, the more light that’s generated. Generally, LED strip lights offer several brightness levels to create the mood you’re looking for.
Mode
On the same remote, box, or app you control the other settings, you can also usually customize the lighting mode. This is useful if you want to create a fun party atmosphere with flashing, fading, or otherwise changing lights.
Unique Ways to Use LED Lights In Your Home
LED lights have a wide range of applications since they are easy to install almost anywhere. Here are some suggestions for how to use LED lights in your home:
- Provide accent lighting to your staircase by adding lights to the steps or railing
- Use LED lights to brighten up corners of your living room and add ambiance
- Make your entryway more inviting by lining it with LED lights
- Set up lights underneath kitchen cabinets to help you see better
- Light the underside of shelves, bookcases, or cabinets for some extra flair
- Install some mood lighting in a movie or TV room to enhance the experience
- Create a night-sky aesthetic for your kids in their bedroom by setting up lights on the ceiling
- Make your bathroom more relaxing by adding lights to the shower, sink, and around the toilet
- Set up lights around a vanity mirror to see how your outfit looks in different lighting
- Add a unique glow to your furniture by installing lights around your couch and tables
- Enhance any photographs or prints by creating an LED light border around them
- Brighten up your garage or basement with LED lights to help liven up the space
- Add lights to your dresser drawers to help you quickly find the items you’re looking for when you need them
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do LED strip lights last?
On average, most LED light bulbs last between 35,000 and 50,000 hours, giving them a lifespan of around four to six years.
Are LED strip lights bad for my eyes?
Overexposure to the blue light that strip lights emit can disrupt your sleep cycle. In extreme cases, it can damage your eyes.
Do LED strip lights raise my electric bill?
Like many lights, the frequency at which you use your LED strip lights affects the amount they add to your monthly electric bill. With that being said, LED light bulbs are much more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs, so using them only costs you a marginal amount.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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