Prime Time Wants Your Opinion

[RV Guy]

A vendor asked us to try a new concept so we put it up in a unit just to take a look.

What you are seeing are LED strip lights mounted every 48". The thought is to use them instead of typical "pancake" lights or in place of the typical 4" round halogens that you might see in some fifth wheels.

The installation is primitive so forgive the fact there is wiring exposed at the ends and that it's not "tight" all the way across - it was just an experiment.

Benefits are:

Approximately 10,000 hours of bulb life vs about . . . well not very long with some of the pancake bulbs.

Low AMP draw - each of the strips pulls less power than 1 bulb of a pancake light.

No heat emission - your unit stays much cooler.

The benefits are easy to appreciate, but:

DO YOU LIKE THE LOOK? IT'S OBVIOUSLY VERY DIFFERENT. MAYBE TOO DIFFERENT?



Thanks for the feedback - PTM

[DF5.4]

I like it. I have been a fan of LED lighting for a while now. I did something similar under the bed cap of my F-150 when I had it. The LEDs were bright and being a strip instead of a bulb there were not as many shadows.

[Goomph]

It is a futuristic look, one could get used to it .....

Can you adjust the intensity on leds ?

Does it provide more uniform distrubution of ligth compared to the old bulb style stuff ?

It would help to see the whole trailer and how the light illuminates the RV rather then just the leds themselves, but, I think it looks ok .. I would NOT Turn down a trailer if it came with a light system like the one you pictured.

P.S. Sorry I do not have a primetime RV,. maybe I should not have spoken ?

[autorot8]

I like it and the benefits of LED lights. Does it light the trailer as well as the typical trailer lights? If so I would chose that over the typical lights.

[jaxfl]

Just One word.......... NO it is very tacky and a distraction. Oh sorry that is more than one word.

[sbelliott]

Yes, LED's are dimmable. Yes, I think LED's are great for campers. An LED upgrade is one of the first things I plan on doing since we will be boondocking a lot, if just using lights then battery life should go up by 75% given equivalent lumen output as incandescent. The expected life of the LED's is actually 100,000 hours. I would have paid extra to have an LED upgrade!

[flyrotor]

not impressed, maybe if they were installed into a fixture of some sort, but as strips spaced apart like the photo, and I do realize this is not a permenant install. I don't like the looks of it

[sbelliott]

You guys need to not be so "old fashioned" LED's are the future of lighting and the best use of them is to spread the light out in a panel or strip. RVGuy, I have seen several applications that have a 2 or 3 inch wide, translucent strip covering recessed LED light tubes with wood looking accents on either side.

[dretired]

I like the idea.. but it needs a "finished look", show some pics of how well it lights everything up

[Rugged Brown]

Originally Posted by dretired

I like the idea.. but it needs a "finished look", show some pics of how well it lights everything up

I agree

[M109Rrider]

Undecided...have to see better pics or in person.

[tbritt]

I myself would rather see the things they come with WORK (keyless entry) for one and maybe move up to 50 amp service for two and make the trailer a true 4 seasons trailer......most people move up to LED's on there own sooner or later.

[Triguy]

Not so much. Rope lighting every three feet on the ceiling doesn't do it for me. I have seen rope lights mounted on a wall close to the ceiling for accent and ambient lighting. The light basically bounces off the ceiling. That looked nice. I can also see ropes used under the lip of an RV's countertop - bouncing off the floor.

I still think spot-lighting is best for those areas where people will sit and read. Flood lighting for open areas.

[rracer5]

Jury out. Bright lights on the ceiling seem too commercial to me, not "homey". I do think they would look great as accent lighting in places such as under the cabinets in the galley, the ceiling in the bathroom where bright lights are needed. How about starting a new trend ........ "factory installed" LED's under the trailer along the frame??? That would be cool!!!!

[grhodes50]

Originally Posted by dretired

I like the idea.. but it needs a "finished look", show some pics of how well it lights everything up

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

I agree

X3

[RV Guy]

Wow - this is great feedback. Keep it coming!

[KAB449]

I like the use of LED lights for the benefits of low power consumption and long life. I also like the use of different lighting fixtures to accent the interior decor. The LED strips you show in your picture would be perfect for under cabinet lighting and possibly some indirect ceiling lighting but I do not think they, if exposed, would enhance the beautiful interiors of your products. The effort should be directed toward developing unique, attractive fixtures using LED lighting.

[Triguy]

If you offer LED as a standard package or as an options, make sure to offer bright white (~6,000K) and warm white (~3,000K). I personally prefer the warmer light.

High cree is also good.

[Koodog]

Agree with Keith....indirect lighting and perhaps some reflective.
LED is definately the way to go for so many reasons.

Make sure to post pics after you try this.

[Luvtocamp]

Not a big fan of the "strips" across the ceiling. Looks a little carnival. Inside a fixture yes. Under cabinet/accent lighting would be great and look nice especially if mounted behind the front of the cabinet. (So you can't see them) Another thought, LED lights do fail. Most light strips run in 3" segments to be able to be cut to fit. What happens if one of those segments stopped working? (I am sure it can happen even though they have a long life) would you need to replace the entire strip. Or have a "gap" in the lighting.

We are getting ready to install Waterproof LED strip lights on our pontoon boat for ambiance/low light in the seating area and under the boat. I am a fan of LED especially because of the low battery consumption.