The Difference Between Neon and LED

Neon is the traditional way of providing illumination for signage shapes, such as illuminated letters and logos. Neon is used by some as a term to describe any illuminated sign, but this is not correct as neon is only used where its ability to be formed into a shape is required.

If we need to illuminate a box sign, for instance, we normally use fluorescent tubes, which are cheaper to buy and run, and easier to replace.

Neon is an old technology which uses high voltage to illuminate a gas in a sealed glass tube. The tube can be formed into shapes by a skilled technician. Different gasses and coloured glass produce a range of colours. In this way, neon can be used to actually be the sign such as the traditional "Hamburger" sign in a shop window.

Neon tends to fail early (usually due to a gas leak in the tube) or last for a long time, so long as the fragile tubes are well protected. Neon is expensive to run due to high power consumption.

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. These are modern technology and are completely different to neon in all respects except that they are a light source.

LEDs are small point sources of light. The ones used in signage are very bright. They use low voltage, which makes them easier and safer to wire. They are a very efficient light source and cheap to run. They have very long life and do not require special skills to make shapes suitable for illuminating letters and logos.

Most LEDs used for signage are supplied as sets of diodes on a panel approximately 100 mm long. These are attached to the inside of the item to be illuminated and are joined by wires so the panels provide even illumination.

Quality LEDs are very reliable, but there are cheap low duty LEDs which are not suitable for signage. Since illuminated signage is often placed in areas of difficult access, it can be very expensive to replace faulty LEDs (or neon), so this is an area where saving money on a cheap LED can be a false economy.

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