Not too long ago I found this LED light strip sitting on the shelf at my local Five Below, and I just knew I had to take a look at it. Well, that was my main excuse for buying it. My other reason is because I thought this would be something nifty to use in a DIY project.
I guess I should start off by listing the features mentioned on the box. Specifically, this LED strip is supposed to be easy to use, is USB powered, has 15 colors to choose from, and even comes with a remote control. Out of that, there is only one little white lie, and that is the fact that the LEDs actually have 16 colors if you include white (and I do). Also, the back of the box mentions that the LED strip has an adhesive backing, and that will definitely come in handy depending on the project you use these on.
As for the features that are not listed on the box, this strip is weather resistant thanks to a layer of clear silicone (which I was not expecting), it’s designed to be cut to whatever length you choose (which I was expecting), and even has multiple lighting modes that you can choose from (I had hoped for that, but wasn’t sure). That’s right, not only can you choose between 16 colors, but you can even have fun with different lighting effects. While the remote lists 4, in my experience there are only really 3 modes. You can have the lights flash between the three main colors (red, green, blue), flash between all or most of the possible colors (I didn’t count, sorry), or do a smooth transition between all of the colors (my personal favorite). If you want to see the lighting effects in action, feel free to watch the above video.
The other item included in the box was a manual, which I found pretty useless. It mainly gives you some of the technical information as well as a couple of warnings, but it completely skips over one of the most important parts. Specifically, it doesn’t tell you the proper way to hook up the power cable. The way the strip was designed, it’s actually possible to hook the power cable up in two different directions. Now, while it might be possible to actually use the strip no matter which direction the cable is facing, I didn’t want to risk it since I have fried more than my fair share of DIY projects by hooking a USB cable up backwards. Just make sure the label on the cable is facing the same direction as the LEDs and you’re all set.
Now, let’s talk about the price. For your $5 you get a 1 meter long self adhesive USB powered RGB LED strip with 16 chips on it, and I’ve found that to be a pretty average price for such strips on Amazon. Heck, even if I go to AliExpress there isn’t that much of a price difference if you’re only buying 1 meter, and this way you don’t have to wait several weeks to get it. The longer strips really don’t save you much per meter on Amazon either (AliExpress is another story). All in all, I think $5 is a great price for what you’re getting here, and the fact that it’s in your hand immediately and can be returned without much hassle (if needed) is a huge bonus.
I should go ahead and say that I’m actually pretty familiar with LED strips like this one, since I’ve worked with similar strips in the past for various projects. I’ve also been contacted a couple of times by Amazon sellers asking me to review the ones that they carry, though I never actually took them up on their offers since they wanted a positive review in exchange for the product (which is shady IMO). Also, none of the sellers offered strips for under $20, and I try to keep to items in the $10 or less range for reviews since my content (this blog, my YouTube channel, my coming podcast, and any future projects) are all about being a geek on the cheap.
