Colorful neon lights have been used by people all the time and have always been an inevitable part of decoration in businesses and various fields. With the development of the times, traditional neon lights are changing, and LED neon lights have become a trendy option for decoration.
In this blog, we will explore the differences between traditional glass neon lights and LED neon lights. Let us explore the mysteries of the neon world and understand the collision of tradition and modernity.
What is the Neon Sign?
Neon lights are generally divided into two categories: traditional glass neon lights and modern LED neon lights.
Traditional glass neon lights are essentially electronic signs made of luminous glass tubes, which are electric signs lit by long luminous gas discharge tubes containing rarefied neon or other gases in the glass tube.
With the development of the times and the development of power supplies, traditional neon lights have gradually been replaced by LED neon lights.
Neon Sign History
The technical theory of neon lights can be traced back to 1675. French astronomer Jean Picard noticed that mercury in the barometer tube emitted a faint glow. But people didn't know this at the time.
Neon lights originated from glassmaker Heinrich Geissler and physicist Julius Plücker. The two created glowing glass tubes in Germany in the 1850s. Geissler tubes were filled with air and other types of gases, including carbon dioxide and mercury vapor.
In 1898, British scientists William Ramsay and Maurice Travers discovered neon and observed a bright red light in Geissler tubes. However, the scarcity of neon hindered the development of lighting products.
In the 1890s, they were used as signs and lamps.
After 1902, Georges Claude's French company Air Liquide, began to produce neon industrially until Georges Claude first demonstrated the modern form of neon at the Paris Motor Show in December 1910. By 1919, the entrance to the Paris Opera was adorned with neon tube lighting.
As time went on, when electricity was mastered, it enabled many different types of lighting in our lives.
What’s the Difference Between Traditional Glass Neon and Led Neon?
1. Materials and Components
What Are Traditional Neon Signs Made Of?
Glass Tube: Traditional glass neon signs are made using a specific combination of materials by skilled craftsmen who heat and bend glass to create the desired shapes and letters.
Electrodes: Located at each end of the glass tube, they are responsible for conducting the current in the gas.
Transformer: Transformers are used to provide the high voltage electricity needed to excite the gas inside the tube.
Phosphor: Phosphor powder is coated on the inside of the glass tube to enhance or change the color produced by the gas.
What are LED neon signs made of?
LED (Light Emitting Diode): The working principle is a semiconductor, usually made of aluminum gallium arsenide. It consists of being wrapped in a flexible silicone or PVC tube.
Backboard: This serves as the mounting surface for the LED flex board, and common materials include acrylic or PVC.
Power Supply: LED neon signs require a low voltage power source to operate.
Mounting Hardware: This includes items such as screws, brackets, or adhesive strips used to attach the sign to a wall or other surface.
2. Neon sign Technology
How Do Traditional Neon Signs Work?
The basis of a neon sign is a custom-bent glass tube with an electrode placed at each end of the tube. These electrodes will conduct an electric current.
The glass tube is filled with a noble gas, most commonly neon, but there are other gases such as argon, krypton, or helium, or a mixture of gases, and the type of gas used determines the color of the light emitted.
While neon gas itself emits a reddish-orange glow, adding different gases can change the color spectrum. For example, argon naturally produces a lavender color, but combined with a small amount of mercury in the tube, it produces a pale blue discharge.
Krypton produces a pale white or very pale blue, while helium produces a bright orange or pink, and xenon produces a cool blue. In addition, the noble gas radon technically has a hot red discharge. However, due to cost reasons, the only noble gases of commercial significance in glass neon production are neon itself and argon.
Traditional neon signs require high voltage to work.
How Does Led Neon Work?
At the heart of an LED neon sign is an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric current is passed through them.
When LED strips are wrapped in flexible translucent tubes, the tubes protect the LEDs from damage. They also diffuse the light from the LEDs, creating a smooth glow similar to traditional neon lights.
The flexibility of LED strips and tubes allows for a wide variety of designs and shapes, which makes LED neon signs highly customizable, allowing for the creation of complex logos, text, artwork, and more.
LEDs can produce a wide range of colors, and by mixing these primary colors, RGB (red, green, blue) LEDs can be used to create nearly any color.
3. Neon sign Running costs
In fact, the overall running costs of LED neon signs are much lower than traditional neon signs.
Traditional neon signs require high voltage to run, so they consume more energy. LED neon signs use low-voltage LEDs, which consume significantly less energy, making them more energy efficient and reducing running costs by about 20%.
LED neon signs require little maintenance, whereas traditional neon signs are made of glass and are easily broken. LED neon lights are more durable, less prone to damage, and have a much longer lifespan than traditional neon lights.
4. Safety and Environmental Impact
Safety
Neither traditional neon lights nor LED neon lights are particularly harmful, but traditional neon lights are made of glass and are easily broken, which may cause leakage of the filling gas. A small amount of neon gas is safe, but damage to the glass tube means that the gas leaks into the air, which has the potential to harm people's health.
At the same time, high voltage is also one of the safety hazards.
Thanks to modern technological advances, LED neon lights are safer and more environmentally friendly. LED neon lights do not emit potentially toxic gases or mercury.
Impact on the Environment
The inert gas of traditional glass neon lights, the neon gas in it, cannot react with any other elements or chemicals, so it does not pose a threat to the environment. But the factor that needs to be considered is how to deal with the glass neon lights at the end of their life. The use of precious metals and potentially toxic gases is a huge hidden danger.
Traditional neon lighting displays consume more electricity. LED neon lights can save about 80% of energy compared to traditional glass neon lights. LED neon lights are often made of fully recyclable materials and are easy to recycle.
5. Flexibility of Graphics Design
Lighting Changes
Once a traditional neon sign is made, it can only emit one color, which is relatively simple. There is no way to change the iconic color, nor can it be dimmed or flickered.
LED lights can change a variety of colors, dim or flicker, and the flashing frequency is determined by your own remote control.
Designs
The way LED neon lights are made means that you will get a precise custom pattern with almost no major deviations. The accuracy and similarity of custom graphics of traditional neon lights are lower.
6. Neon Sign Placement
LED neon lights are lighter and can be used on walls, shelves, and tables.
Traditional glass neon lights are heavier, so you need to consider the wall's load-bearing capacity before using them.
Both traditional neon lights and LED neon lights can be used indoors and outdoors without any problems. Now more and more LED neon lights are used. Of course, if you like the heavy and large glass neon light aesthetics, you need to find a custom neon business, which is now rarely seen.
Which Is Preferable for Business Signage?
Appearance and beauty: Both types of neon signs can be very beautiful. If your store or customers prefer a retro style, then you can choose glass neon lights or LED neon lights with retro patterns. If your customers prefer detailed, patterned lights, LED neon is the best choice.
Space requirements: If you want to have more free space, choose LED neon because it is 1/4 to 1/3 thinner than glass options and very lightweight, whether you want to hang it on the wall or place it on a shelf or table. If your store is very large and you don't worry about space usage, then both LED neon and glass neon are within the selection range.
Overall cost: Considering the life of the sign, installation and maintenance, LED is the most cost-effective choice.
Versatility: LED neon has more sign shapes and styles to choose from, and there are more animation options. Pair LED with other sign media such as channel letters or UV printing, and you will find amazing results.
Safety: Glass neon needs to pay attention to the problem of fragility and heat of the sign. LED neon does not need to worry about these. It will not get very hot and the material is relatively sturdy.
Whether you are a garage owner, restaurant, cafe bar, salon, nail salon, choose the right neon sign according to your store!
Which Type of Neon Sign Is Better for Indoor Wall Art?
Glass neon signs are rarely used in home decoration, especially when there are children, fragile leaking gas, and hot signs, which always bring some safety hazards.
LED neon lights are shatterproof and cool to the touch, and the materials used are also safer. Whether you want to use them in a child's room, a man's bedroom, a cute pink room, a simple living room, or a home bar, they are safer options for home decoration. At the same time, this one is lighter, more energy-efficient, and easier to install and maintain.
Which Type of Neon Sign Is Better for Party Decor?
Safety: The light of glass neon lights may be softer. But in crowded places, safer LED neon lights are more selective, will not heat up or break easily, and also eliminate the safety hazards of high voltage electricity.
Versatility and customization: LED neon lights have more exquisite patterns, and pattern-making is more convenient, making it easy to define the patterns and language you want. And it can be moved at any time, no matter where it is placed.
Energy efficiency: LED neon lights will save you more costs.
Whether you are holding a wedding party, birthday party, bridal shower party, Easter party or bachelorette party, LED neon lights are more convenient.
LED Neon Flex vs Glass Neon – Which Is Best?
For most stores and personal home decoration, LED neon lights will be your first choice. They are better in safety, energy efficiency, and lifespan.
But for some people who consider retro aesthetics and are willing to take the associated risks and costs, glass neon lights are a good option.
It all depends on which one you like more.
Get Neonchics Neon Sign With a Neon Custom Real
We at Neonchics are committed to the best quality of LED neon lights purchased by customers. We can customize various LED neon lights, exquisite patterns, logos, or quotes, which will allow you to have high-quality products. Customers are always our top priority. If you have any questions, we are always at your service! We provide free shipping worldwide.
