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While not a terrible product, there are very obvious quality differences between this product and well known brands (e.g. Sylvania Mosaic). For the purposes of this review, I will be comparing these LEDs to Sylvania's Mosaic product which I also own.
Pros: Inexpensive, bright, Good remote & controller, decent (but cheap) power supply.
Cons: The smell, poor white color rendering, terrible pvc water proofing.
The Smell: The waterproofing on the LEDs is either an unstable chemical mixture, or simply not cured. It is obviously outgassing, as the smell is incredibly over-powering, like plumbing PVC solvent. The smell even transfers to your hands if you handle it. When left in my bathroom, the whole room will smelled like a plastic/rubber factory in about 15 minutes even with the exhaust fan running. The clear coating feels tacky, somewhat like the adhesive on a Post-it. The coating is quite soft compared to Mosaic's strip, and there is evidence of rippling in the first few feet of the coating when I started to unreel the LEDs. The rippling is of concern because it disperses the light when directly over an LED. I allowed the reel to warm up a bit in an attempt to complete the curing, but all it did was make the room smell worse. I've read from another reviewer that he put his in the oven to finish it; I will not be doing that. UV has a tendency to harden plastics, so I will try leaving them out in the sun a while. Hopefully this will at least mitigate the smell if it doesn't harden it.
Further, the waterproof coating on this product is not quite 'clear' when compared to Sylvania's. The Mosaic LED's waterproofing looks as clear as glass, feels solid and is not in anyway sticky. It's exactly what you'd expect from the coating. When compared to that, the generic LED's coating is a mess.
Hooked up to the same controller simultaneously, I photographed this product & Sylvania's at each primary color & white in a dark room. I also separately photoed a white ceiling with a lit equal length strip of each to demonstrate the color differences when set to white. The generic LEDs have quite a blue tinge to them when set at full white, while on the same controller at the same time, the Sylvania appears a true white. It can be compensated for with the controller by using a DIY setting and backing down the blue a bit, but it does dim the output slightly as well.
As for the overall output (brightness) of the individual LED SMDs, at both single primary color (R/G/B) & white, they subjectively look on par with the Sylvania's. However, reviewing the photos it does appear as if the red output on the generic LEDs is a little less compared to Sylvania's; this is likely the cause of the bluish-white. I do not have a lumen meter to verify this claim though.
The adhesive backing is insignificant; it's equivalent perhaps to scotch tape. Certainly I do not believe it's strong enough to hold the LEDs over a painted surface in a position where gravity would pull it down.
I am only publishing this review to help others decide if this is the right product for them. I intend on keeping these, but I'm not certain I would buy more for use indoors. For what I'm using them for, I don't think the downsides definitively out weigh the lower cost. No doubt the Sylvania LED strips are a superior product, but the retail price is pretty insane compared to these. ~$40 for 4ft of single density (~6 LEDs/ft) + Controller and Power supply @ Lowes compared to ~$40 for 16.4 ft of double density (~20 LEDs/ft) with Controller and (larger) power supply.
What the 3 star score really comes down to is the smell & poor coating. If it weren't for that, I'd be a lot happier with this product overall. I can compensate for the bluish tinge, but I don't want to worry about getting lung cancer by constantly breathing in chemicals over some cheap lighting. Certainly I shouldn't have to string up the lights in my back yard to dry them. When I unreeled the whole strip, there was some kind of slick goo that transferred to my hands. I expect that's a byproduct of that coating, and probably the source of the smell.
Update: Contacted the seller about the smell. They indicated that the resin coating they use is given time to dry, but may not be fully cured when packed. The slick substance is a silica (silicon) oil they coat it with to keep it from sticking.
I left it stretched outside, hanging in the back yard for the past 2 days. Most of the smell, but not all is gone. I used a paper towel to wipe the oil off. Important note: it was a bit cool this morning, about 40*F. While reeling the LEDs back up, the coating cracked completely open in several places. After noticing this, I stopped reeling it up and just brought it inside to warm up. After running the LEDs for a few minutes, the coating became flexible enough again to finish reeling it without breaking anymore.
I posted a picture in the customer images comparing these to the set of Sylvania's that I own.
Update: After having using it for a few weeks, the LEDs stopped smelling, are still stuck to the wall without peeling, and all of the LEDs still work.
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The leds are bright, all work and are consistent in color and intensity. The controller keeps its setting between power cycles. The remote works well with decent range. I am very happy with this product and price. It is installed behind a frosted window in a turret to draw attention during evening events.Best Deals for TaoTronics® TT-SL007 300 Led, Waterproof, LED Strip Light Kit
Love the lights the colors are brilliant! But They are not for outdoors in my climate. I live in NY and the lights started crackling in the cold... I would by more for indoors..Honest reviews on TaoTronics® TT-SL007 300 Led, Waterproof, LED Strip Light Kit
I was surprise at the variation of colors and brightness this produce produces. Also, I was very surprised at how well the light strip adhear to a surface. I put them under my kitchen counter cabinets and they stuck to the painted surface well.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for TaoTronics® TT-SL007 300 Led, Waterproof, LED Strip Light Kit
I ordered two of these sets for my small kitchen to put lights both above and below my counters. I was worried, but one remote controlled both sets. (The colors are the same on both) If you are doing a project like this you will also need LED Stip Light Connectors 4pin to make turns easily.The strips are easy to cut and slip right into these handy guys. Seriously-My Kitchen was transformed for minimal amount of money. You will also most likely need a paddle drill bit to be able to route the cables correctly. One kit I plugged in behind my fridge and used velcro to secure the power adaptor. The other I plugged in the the cabinet above the stove. Hint-Don't freak out if you are working with them and they turn off while installing. Most likely the plug just needs to be unplugged and replugged. They have worked perfectly for me since install.
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