Does LED = LED? Unfortunately not!
After 18 months of working with translucent slate veneer, we have really started to adore the material. We love working with it. As a natural material, it still amazes us every time we go through our stock to select a sheet or two for a new product. The variety, the patterns and the colours are truly inspiring. And, as with everything, the more you work with a material, the more experience you gather and the more attuned you become to minute differences from sheet to sheet. However, we have learned how to deal with those to produce consistent looking, top quality products.
There was something else we started to pick up on, something we did not expect at all. Even though we always bought the same type of LED strips from the same colour ranges, we noticed differences in brightness and colour. It got to the point where it was impossible to pair up some of our Cubes or Lamps because they appeared so different.
There was a particular weekend we still remember as if it were yesterday. We had to finish a very important commission, a pair of matching lamps. Things seemed to go so well until we switched them both on. Oh, horror! Colour wise, they looked totally different from what we had expected. A horrible looking yellow-green instead of the expected warm white glow. There was no way we would handover such a strange looking product.
But, why was there such a difference between the two lamps, we wondered? Did we accidentally mix the warm LED’s with another colour? We went on a fact-finding tour and eventually concluded: We did buy the correct type and colour, and we did not mix them up. Still, one of the lamps looked horrible.
It was then that it started to dawn on us that there were huge differences in strip LED quality. Suppliers may use the same LED chip types, but they were from different component manufacturers and likely of very different quality. Because ART FUTURO always wants to achieve the best possible quality, we reacted immediately and started to look for alternative suppliers.
After sourcing new LED strips from a few new suppliers and testing them, we eventually settled for the Leicester based InStyle LED. They offered the best package for us. There were a few reasons for that:
- Great knowledge and personal support
- Top quality LED strip that feels physically solid, with consistent light emission
- Competitive pricing
- Good packaging and fast shipping
- Ability to manufacture bespoke products while remaining price competitive
Find more information about the strips here https://www.instyleled.co.uk/led-tape/.
We are so pleased that we eventually found a partner that can supply us with a top-notch product that does not break the bank. It not only helps us to offer consistent, high-quality products, but it seriously lowers the blood pressure when working to a tight schedule without having to panic that the colours will be all wrong!
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