As time goes on, we see a steady pattern of similar questions and we seem to engage customers with varying degrees of knowledge about LED Lights. Some seem to be experts, and some seem to be new to this new kid on the block. For the most part, we find there is as much good information as misinformation about LED Lighting.

So over the next few months, we are going to talk a bit about LED Lights, all the specs, truths, untruths, where they excel, the truth about lumens, and hopefully dispel some rumors and misgivings. We’ll start with a simple one today: Do you need a frosted LED Tube?

Lately, we are finding that many of the manufacturers are stepping away from frosted LED tubes. When first conceived, there was a specific purpose and need and it had a lot to do with the specific setting and technology being used in early tubes. First generation LED Tubes used first generation DIP Diodes, and in certain office situations, these produced a glare on certain surfaces and computer monitors. As good as LED Lights are in an office environment (no flickering, no humming, no eye strain when compared to their fluorescent counterparts), LED’s did produce a glare that was noticeable and annoying. To combat this, manufacturers started to produce a frosted lens and offered it as an option instead of clear lens’.

However, products evolve, and the latest versions of DIP LED’s and SMD LED are much better than the first version of DIP LED’s, and the need for frosted lens to offset the earliest designs are no longer required. So although tubes are still available with a frosted lens, the need is more for aesthetic reasons than for ones of function.