Diode LED Good vs. Better vs. Best Tape Lights

Diode LED Lighting provides a wide catalog of quality LED tape lights! This includes their top selling Blaze series, as well as the Blaze X, Valent, and Valent X series. When it comes to tape lights used in residential or commercial locations, Diode tape lights operate on a good, better, best policy.

• Best - Valent X
• Better - Blaze X Serie & Valent Serie
• Economy - Blaze Serie

The Diode LED Blaze tape light series works well in residential locations. As the most popular tape light series, they provide performance and value for everyday projects. The Blaze tape light packs a 90+ CRI, or Color Rendering Index, and a 7-year limited warranty. They come with either 18 or 36 LED chips per foot. Diode’s tape lights cover the full color spectrum ranging from 2000K to 6300K.

The cut points, or where you can cut the strip lights, differ depending on the voltage and the lumen output for each tape light. For the Blaze series, the cut points are at every 1-inch, 2-inch, or 4-inch intervals depending on the tape light you choose.

This series provides the most cost-minded option between the Blaze, Blaze X, Valent, and Valent X series.

Though slightly more expensive than the standard Blaze series, the Diode Blaze X comes with improved CRI over the Blaze series. Additionally, their 12-year limited warranty beats out the Blaze series’ 7-year limited warranty for longer coverage. With a 90+ R-Value, representing how accurately a light source reproduces strong red colors, and a 95+ CRI, the Blaze X tape lights deliver precision color rendering. You can find options with either 18 or 36 LED chips per foot. Their color temperature options include 2400K, 2700K, 3000K, and 3500K.

Similar to the Blaze series, the cut points for each Diode LED Blaze X tape light start at 1 inch, 2 inches, or 4 inches depending on the tape light chosen. However, unlike the Blaze series, the Blaze X series offers a 12V, 300+ lumen output option.

The Valent series offers a step up from the Blaze X series. As a versatile, high-density tape light, they work well in most applications. When paired with LED channels, they provide full diffusion and dot-less light.

Diode’s Valent series tape lights come in 200+, 300+, or 500+ lumen outputs and 72 LED chips per foot. With more chips per foot, the fixture produces more light. This allows the beam of light to appear linear and uninterrupted. Other lights with chips spaced further apart can emit uneven hotspots of light that appear like dots. Valent tape lights include cut points every 1.32 inches and come with a 7-year limited warranty. These tape lights only come in 24V units.

Though they cost the most out of the other options on this list, the Diode LED Valent X series also provides the highest quality. This series consists of precision-engineered, high density tape lights that work well in demanding applications. Their dense population of LED chips offers uninterrupted linear light.

Unlike the Valent series, which only offers three lumen outputs, the Valent X series tape lights come in 100+, 200+, 300+, 500+, and 800+ lumen outputs. They also include 72 LED chips per foot and feature the best color rendering with a CRI of 95+. The Valent X series ranges in color temperature from 2400K up to 6300K and includes a 12-year limited warranty. They include cut points every 1.32 inches and do not require a channel (extrusion) for heat sink. Like the Valent series, the Valent X series only comes in 24V units.