Glass Neon VS LED Neon Lights

Considering getting a neon sign for your home, event or workspace? Did you know that there are two types of neon signs in the market?

Traditionally, neon signs were all made of glass. The first-ever glass neon lighting tube was patented by George Claude in 1915 and is still widely used today, though not as popular. Hollow glass tubes are hand-shaped by a bending the glass over a hot flame, then filled with different gases and covered with different coatings, depending on the intended colour. For instance, Neon emits a red colour while Argon emits a blue colour. In order to get the gas to glow, the gas-filled tubes are short-circuited with a high voltage current at a high temperature.

Glass neon tube being filled with neon gas. Image Source

Glass neon sign. Image Source

LED neon lights started appearing in the last 10 years and have quickly become the industry norm and customer preference. They are made from light-emitting diodes that are strung closely together, creating a neon flex tube to emit an uninterrupted flow of light. These tubes are flexible, allowing for easier manipulation of shapes. The tubes are fixed to a clear acrylic backing as a base to enhance the glow from the lights. The sign is now ready to be mounted anywhere you like!

LED Neon Sign by Neon Life Store. Image Source

LED neons are more energy efficient

Both the glass and LED neon lights can be powered by an electrical source. However, glass neon bulbs require a lot of electrical energy to create, which also means it will require a lot of energy to stay lit. To compare, glass neon requires 15,000 volts while LED neon only require 12 volts, making LED neon lights the more energy-efficient choice.

LED neons are safer for you and the environment

LED neon lights are also much safer as they do not heat up or contain toxic materials such as mercury, found in glass neon that is harmful to humans and the environment. As LED neon does not contain glass components, there is also less risk of getting injured if one breaks the neon tube.

LED neons require no maintenance

Lastly, LED neon lights are made from neon flex tubes which are high quality, flame retardant PVCs that require no maintenance and can last for up to 30,000 hours. On the other hand, glass neon lights can only last up to 10,000 hours with timely maintenance.

Here at Neon Life, our signs are strictly created with LED neon flex tubes, ensuring our customers never have to worry about the overall costs, safety and maintenance of the new addition to their workspace or home decor.