Buyers Products Silicone LED Strip Lights with 3M??? Adhesive Backing are available in various lengths and colors to fit a variety of applications. Each strip has blunt cut connections on both ends and can be cut to length every three LEDs. The 12V light strips feature durable silicone housing with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. End caps and mounting clips are included to make installation easy. The LED strip lights are backed with a 5 year warranty.
Specifications
| Amp draw at 12 Volts | 1.2 |
|---|---|
| Base / Mount Type | Surface |
| Built-In Switch | No |
| Certification | IP68 |
| Color | Clear |
| Connector | Blunt Cut |
| Depth | 0.5 |
| Hard Wired or Plug | Hard Wired |
| Housing Material | Plastic |
| IP Rating | IP68 |
| Lead Length | 6.0 |
| Lens Material | Plastic |
| Lens Shape | Rectangular |
| Lumens | 1396 |
| Mount Type | 3M Tape or Bracket |
| Number of Wires | 2 |
| Overall Width | 48.0 |
| Plug Included | No |
| Type of Plug | Blunt Cut |
| Voltage | 12 |
Advanced Technical Overview: The 48-Inch LED Silicone Strip Light for Demanding Applications
The 48-inch LED Silicone Strip Light, presented in a clear housing with a cool white emission, represents a pinnacle in versatile and robust illumination solutions for a wide array of demanding environments. Engineered by Buyers Products, this lighting solution integrates cutting-edge LED technology with superior material science, ensuring optimal performance, durability, and adaptability in commercial, industrial, automotive, and marine applications. This detailed exposition delves into the technical specifications, material advantages, installation paradigms, and performance characteristics that distinguish this product in the competitive lighting market.
Precision-Engineered Illumination: The Core of LED Technology
At the heart of this 48-inch strip light lies advanced LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology. LEDs are semiconductor devices that convert electrical energy directly into light, offering several inherent advantages over conventional incandescent or fluorescent lighting. These include significantly higher energy efficiency, a substantially longer operational lifespan, enhanced durability, and instant-on capability without flicker or warm-up time. For the 48-inch strip, the specific implementation provides a potent output of 1396 lumens. This lumen count, distributed uniformly across the 48-inch length, ensures substantial illumination, making it suitable for both task lighting and general area illumination where clear visibility is paramount.
The "Cool" designation refers to the correlated color temperature (CCT) of the emitted light. Typically, cool white light ranges from 5000K to 6500K on the Kelvin scale. This spectral profile is characterized by a crisp, bright white light with a subtle bluish tint, which closely mimics natural daylight conditions. From a functional perspective, cool white light is known to enhance visual acuity, improve concentration, and reduce eye strain, particularly during detailed tasks or in environments requiring high levels of alertness. Its ability to render colors accurately (high Color Rendering Index, CRI) under industrial or commercial conditions makes it ideal for workshops, cargo areas, service vehicles, and any setting where precise observation is critical. Furthermore, the clear silicone housing ensures maximum light transmission, allowing the full intensity and color purity of the LEDs to project effectively without significant light loss or diffusion.
Unrivaled Durability: The IP68 Silicone Encapsulation
A defining feature of this LED strip light is its robust construction, centered around a durable silicone housing with an impressive IP68 rating. The Ingress Protection (IP) rating system, defined by international standard IEC 60529, classifies and rates the degree of protection provided by mechanical casings and electrical enclosures against intrusion from solid objects and liquids. The "IP68" designation signifies an exceptional level of environmental resilience:
- First Digit '6' (Solids Protection): This indicates that the enclosure is fully dust-tight. No ingress of dust is permitted under specified test conditions, meaning fine particulates, common in industrial or outdoor settings, cannot penetrate the housing and compromise the internal electronic components. This is crucial for maintaining the long-term integrity and performance of the LEDs and associated circuitry.
- Second Digit '8' (Liquid Protection): This indicates that the enclosure is protected against continuous immersion in water beyond 1 meter (the manufacturer specifies the exact depth and duration, but '8' generally implies protection against prolonged submersion under pressure). This level of water resistance far exceeds what is typically found in standard lighting products, making the strip light impervious to heavy rain, direct washdowns, accidental submersion, and high-pressure sprays.
The choice of silicone as the primary housing material is a critical engineering decision. Silicone offers a unique combination of properties that are ideal for harsh environment applications:
- Exceptional Flexibility: Unlike rigid plastic housings, silicone maintains its flexibility across a wide temperature range, preventing cracking or damage due from vibration, impact, or thermal expansion/contraction. This flexibility also allows for easier installation around contours.
- UV Resistance: Silicone is highly resistant to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is prevalent in outdoor environments. This resistance prevents degradation, discoloration, and embrittlement over time, maintaining the aesthetic and functional integrity of the housing.
- Chemical Inertness: Silicone exhibits excellent resistance to a broad spectrum of chemicals, including oils, fuels, solvents, and cleaning agents commonly encountered in automotive, marine, and industrial settings. This protects the internal components from corrosive substances.
- Thermal Stability: Silicone can withstand extreme temperatures, from sub-zero cold to intense heat, without losing its protective properties. This ensures reliable operation in diverse climates and close proximity to heat-generating machinery.
- Superior Light Transmission: The clear silicone formulation used for the housing minimizes light absorption and scattering, maximizing the effective output of the LEDs and maintaining the cool white color temperature.
- Vibration Damping: The inherent elastomeric properties of silicone help to absorb and dampen vibrations, protecting the delicate LED components from mechanical stress, which is particularly beneficial in vehicle-mounted applications.
Versatile and Adaptable Design: Customization and Installation
The design of this LED strip light prioritizes adaptability and ease of integration. Measuring an overall width of 48.0 inches, it is ideally suited for linear illumination tasks across various platforms. A key feature for bespoke installations is its ability to be "cut to length every three LEDs." This design element is not merely a convenience but a carefully engineered aspect of the LED circuit. LED strip lights are typically designed with series circuits containing multiple LED chips and a current-limiting resistor within repeating segments. By allowing cuts at these precise three-LED intervals, the electrical continuity of each segment is maintained, preventing damage to the remaining LEDs and ensuring consistent light output along the customized length. This significantly reduces material waste and allows for highly precise fitting in custom applications, from interior cabinet lighting in service vehicles to perimeter lighting on equipment panels.
Connectivity is provided via "blunt cut connections" on both ends, allowing for a hard-wired installation. While this requires the user to terminate the wires with appropriate connectors or splice them into an existing electrical system, it offers unparalleled flexibility. It eliminates the limitations of proprietary connectors and enables a truly custom, secure, and durable electrical connection suitable for permanent installations. The 6.0-inch lead length provides ample wire for making these connections without requiring immediate splices close to the strip light itself.
For mounting, the strip light offers dual options: the included 3M™ adhesive backing and supplementary mounting clips. The 3M™ adhesive is an industrial-grade, high-bond tape renowned for its aggressive tack and long-term adhesion to a wide range of surfaces, including metals, plastics, and painted materials. Its pressure-sensitive nature allows for quick, clean installation on smooth, prepared surfaces, offering immediate holding power that strengthens over time. For applications requiring additional mechanical security, or on surfaces where adhesive bonding may be compromised (e.g., heavily textured surfaces, extreme temperature cycling), the included mounting clips provide a robust alternative. These clips typically snap over the silicone housing, securing the strip light via screws or rivets. This dual mounting strategy ensures a secure and permanent installation under various conditions and surface types.
Optimized Electrical Characteristics and Power Management
Operating at a standard 12V DC, this LED strip light is perfectly compatible with the electrical systems found in the vast majority of vehicles, including trucks, trailers, RVs, marine vessels, and heavy equipment. The 12V platform offers inherent safety advantages over higher voltage AC systems, reducing the risk of electrical shock. At 12V, the strip light draws a nominal current of 1.2 Amps. This translates to a power consumption of 14.4 Watts (P = V * I, where P = Power, V = Voltage, I = Current). This power draw is remarkably low for the lumen output provided, underscoring the high energy efficiency of the LED technology. For battery-powered applications, this low current draw minimizes the impact on battery life, making it an excellent choice for extended operation without excessive drain.
The hard-wired connection, specified as "Hard Wired" with "Blunt Cut" connectors, signifies a direct integration into the vehicle's or system's electrical architecture. This method bypasses potential failure points associated with plugs and receptacles, creating a more secure and weather-resistant connection when properly insulated and sealed. The two-wire configuration (positive and negative) simplifies wiring, allowing for straightforward connection to a 12V power source, typically through a fuse or a dedicated switch (note: no built-in switch is included, requiring an external control mechanism).
Broad Spectrum of Applications and Professional Installation Practices
The combination of its 48-inch length, 1396 lumens of cool white light, IP68 rating, and flexible installation options makes this LED strip light exceptionally versatile. Its primary target applications include:
- Commercial Vehicles: Interior cargo area lighting for box trucks, utility vans, and trailers; underbody illumination; step lighting; compartment lighting for toolboxes and storage units.
- Marine Applications: Deck lighting, bilge compartment illumination, engine room lighting, accent lighting for boat interiors and exteriors, provided connections are properly waterproofed.
- Heavy Equipment: Task lighting on excavators, loaders, agricultural machinery; safety lighting around critical operational zones; cabin interior illumination.
- Emergency Services: Auxiliary lighting in fire trucks, ambulances, and police vehicles for equipment management and scene illumination.
- Industrial Settings: Machine lighting, workbench illumination, inspection lighting in dusty or wet environments, aisle markers, and safety pathway lighting.
- Utility and Off-Road Vehicles: Under-hood lighting, rock crawling lights, interior cab lighting, and perimeter lighting for increased visibility and utility.
For optimal performance and longevity, professional installation practices are recommended. Prior to applying the 3M™ adhesive, the mounting surface must be thoroughly cleaned, degreased, and dried to ensure maximum bond strength. For hard-wired connections, proper wire gauge selection, soldering or crimping with high-quality terminals, and waterproof heat-shrink tubing or dielectric grease are essential to maintain the IP integrity of the entire system. Cable management, using cable ties or conduit, will protect the wiring from abrasion and ensure a neat, professional finish.
Commitment to Quality: The 5-Year Warranty
Buyers Products backs this 48-inch LED Silicone Strip Light with a comprehensive 5-year warranty. This extensive warranty period is a testament to the manufacturer's confidence in the product's design, material quality, and manufacturing processes. It provides assurance to commercial and industrial users that this lighting solution is built to deliver reliable performance and withstand the rigors of demanding environments over a prolonged operational lifespan. The warranty reflects a commitment to quality and minimizes the total cost of ownership by reducing the need for premature replacements and associated downtime. This level of guarantee is particularly important for products deployed in critical applications where reliability is not just a convenience, but a necessity for safety and operational efficiency.
Conclusion
The 48-inch LED Silicone Strip Light in Clear and Cool White from Buyers Products represents an engineered solution for high-performance, durable, and versatile illumination. Its advanced LED technology provides bright, efficient cool white light, while the IP68-rated silicone housing offers unparalleled protection against dust, water, UV radiation, chemicals, and physical impacts. Coupled with customizable length options, robust mounting solutions, and a hard-wired 12V power interface, this product is designed for seamless integration and reliable operation in the most challenging commercial, industrial, and mobile applications. The significant 5-year warranty further underscores its exceptional quality and long-term value, making it an indispensable lighting component for professionals who demand uncompromising performance and reliability.
