Recommendations – LED’s
Below you will find my most current recommendations for each product category. As always, these are NON-SPONSORED recommendations based on as much empirical information and testing as I can gather.
Last Updated: March 11, 2025
White LED Strips
Everything Included LED Kits - Best Performer
Pautix Tunable COB LEDs
MSRP: $25.99
Link: https://amzn.to/42jQhJH
All things considered, the best easy to use strip with everything included is the Pautix Tunable COB LED strip which had the highest CRI, highest brightness, acceptable flicker, and completely tunable color temperature using the included infrared remote, with the downsides being the highest price per meter, and a relatively low power efficiency.
Everything Included LED Kits - Best Budget Pick
Govee Warm White
MSRP: $20.99
Link: https://amzn.to/48XsxxB
The Govee Warm White strips also performed well with good brightness, low flicker, and high efficiency, at less than half the cost per meter of the Pautix strip, but I was disappointed that the CRI was only 83.2, and the Govee strip is obviously not tunable like the one from Pautix. The Govee strip also doesn’t come with a remote, so brightness can only be controlled by pressing the buttons on the controller itself. But both the Govee and Pautix remember their last state when powered on, so you can control them with a smart outlet or timer by cutting the power completely.
DIY'er LED Strips - Best Performer
JOYLIT 24V COB
MSRP: $33.99
Link: https://amzn.to/47TId3y
All things considered the best overall strip for DIYers was the Joylit 24V COB LED Strip which had an awesome full spectrum CRI of 95.8, the second highest brightness at 5377 lumens and only 0.6V of voltage drop over the entire 5 meter strip, with the downsides being a relatively high price at $34 and middle of the road efficiency at just 841 lumens per watt.
DIY'er LED Strips - Best Budget Pick
LEPro 12V
MSRP: $13.99
Link: https://amzn.to/42oGD8G
From a budget standpoint the LEPro 12V LED strip lights are hard to beat with a cost per meter of just $2, and the second highest efficiency at 1209 lumens per watt, with the downsides being a CRI of just 80.3 and a voltage drop of 1.57 volts over 5m indicating a more cheaply made strip with thinner copper traces, but if you’re on a budget and not extremely concerned with CRI they are an excellent value.
DIY'er LED Strips - Best Value
BTF-Lighting FCOB White
MSRP: $14.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3u8qurp
If you’re looking for something plug-and-play with Amazon Echo and Google Home control, I think the $19.99 Pautix WL5 is the best option due to its configurable power on behavior, configurable LED strip type, no banding or flickering, and nicely sized screw terminals that can accommodate 14 AWG ferrules, with the only downsides being not having connections for an external button, and the fact that it runs on Tuya which is a cloud-based service.
Addressable LED Strips - Best Performer
BTF-Lighting 12V WS2814
MSRP: $30.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3Soq8EZ
Overall, for addressable strips, I like the 12V WS2814 non COB strip which is quite a bit cheaper than the rest at just $30 for 5 meters, or $6 per meter and has a great white CRI of 92.8, is controllable in 5cm segments of 3 LEDs and had an acceptable voltage drop of 1.12V over 5m, with the downsides being significantly lower brightness and efficiency than non-addressable strips.
More information on White LED Strips: https://youtu.be/y3qL9o7CvEA
LED Strip Controllers
Best Zigbee-based Controller
BTF-Lighting LM052
MSRP: $33.32
Common Price: $24.99
Link: https://amzn.to/41sv8Nf
If you’re looking for a Zigbee option, the only controller that didn’t have flickering was the BTF-Lighting LM052 which also had very low idle power consumption and decent sized, easy to use press fit terminals. But the downsides of the LM052 are that it doesn’t have an external button connection, its power on state defaults to on and isn’t configurable, and in Home Assistant you can’t have the white channels on at the same time as the RGB channels when set up as an RGBCCT controller.
Best Local Control - WiFi - Smallest
Shelly Plus RGBW PM
MSRP: $31.49
Common Price: $31.49
Link: https://amzn.to/3F2wMhl
For local control WiFi, I think the Shelly RGBW PM, QuinLED An-Penta Mini, and An-Penta Plus are the clear choices. The downsides of the Shelly RGBW PM are its extremely small terminals, lack of a 5th channel for RGBCCT strips, and small delay during power on. But its small size, four button input terminals, and local interface are extremely convenient, especially if you’re setting up four different white LED strips instead of an RGBW strip.
Best Local Control - WiFi - Most Flexible
QuinLED An-Penta-Mini
MSRP: $38.00
Link: https://www.drzzs.com/shop/an-penta-mini/
The best exposed filament bulb by far was the Orein Matter over WiFi bulb, which was just $8, had good CCT range, good CRI, great efficiency, and is rated for damp locations, but it did have almost 30% flicker at 100% brightness, which gradually decreased until 80% brightness and then remained under 1% for the rest of the dimming curve.
Best Local Control - WiFi - Overkill
QuinLED An-Penta-Plus
MSRP: $54.99
Link: https://www.drzzs.com/shop/an-penta-plus/
The best exposed filament bulb by far was the Orein Matter over WiFi bulb, which was just $8, had good CCT range, good CRI, great efficiency, and is rated for damp locations, but it did have almost 30% flicker at 100% brightness, which gradually decreased until 80% brightness and then remained under 1% for the rest of the dimming curve.
Best Cloud (Tuya) Controller
Pautix WL5
MSRP: $19.99
Common Price: $19.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4it0OsH
If you’re looking for something plug-and-play with Amazon Echo and Google Home control, I think the $19.99 Pautix WL5 is the best option due to its configurable power on behavior, configurable LED strip type, no banding or flickering, and nicely sized screw terminals that can accommodate 14 AWG ferrules, with the only downsides being not having connections for an external button, and the fact that it runs on Tuya which is a cloud-based service.
More information on LED Strip Controllers: https://youtu.be/mYiXIr1Kh2k
LED Light Bulbs
Best Overall Bulb
Philips Ultra Definition Series
MSRP: $13.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3IvRwwr
As a total package considering quality of light, efficiency, flicker, dimming performance, and cost the Philips Ultra Definition bulbs are still miles ahead of anything else and if 2700K or 5000K color temperatures are right for you then they are the easy pick.
Best Adjustable CCT Bulb
Feit 2700K-6500K 60W
MSRP: $17.49
Link: https://amzn.to/48RE5kU
The Zigbee bulb by innr requires you to have a Zigbee hub, and Zigbee performance will have a lot to do with how many other Zigbee devices you have. But to me it’s a serious standout with high max brightness, almost zero flicker, great CRI, a huge CCT range from 2056 K to 6490 K, and a two year warranty. As far as I can tell, the only downsides to the innr bulb are that it isn’t rated for damp locations, it has slightly lower efficiency than others at 87.9 lm/watt, and its $15 price tag put it in the middle of the pack for affordability.
More information on LED Light Bulbs: https://youtu.be/QEvIUA7Ffp4
Smart Tunable White LED Light Bulbs
Best Overall (Zigbee) Bulb
innr E26 Smart LED Bulb
MSRP: $29.99
Common Price: $29.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4fdM8My
The Zigbee bulb by innr requires you to have a Zigbee hub, and Zigbee performance will have a lot to do with how many other Zigbee devices you have. But to me it’s a serious standout with high max brightness, almost zero flicker, great CRI, a huge CCT range from 2056 K to 6490 K, and a two year warranty. As far as I can tell, the only downsides to the innr bulb are that it isn’t rated for damp locations, it has slightly lower efficiency than others at 87.9 lm/watt, and its $15 price tag put it in the middle of the pack for affordability.
Best Matter (WiFi) Bulb
Linkind Matter Tunable Smart Bulb
MSRP: $16.99
Common Price: $15.12
Link: https://amzn.to/48jWmZy
The Linkind Matter over WiFi bulb is half the price of the innr and doesn’t require a hub. Of the Matter bulbs I tested, it was one of the easiest to add to HomeKit and shared with Home Assistant almost instantly. The Linkind had even less flicker than the innr, not even registering on my flicker meter until it reached 1% brightness, and it had a higher cool white CRI, better efficiency, and it’s rated for damp install locations. The only downsides of the Linkind are the fact that it can’t go lower than 2682 K color temperature, the inability to change the power on behavior without the AiDot app, and the fact that Linkind doesn’t list any warranty information on the box or on Amazon.
Best Thread Bulb
Nanoleaf Essentials Smart LED Color-Changing Light Bulb
MSRP: $49.99
Common Price: $29.99
Link: https://amzn.to/4e0wZNu
The Matter over Thread Nanoleaf bulb also performed extremely well on paper with very low flicker, high efficiency, great CCT range, and great CRI, but on my Thread network using AppleTV, it just didn’t work. However, if you already have a strong Thread network or just want to invest in the Thread protocol, the Nanoleaf bulbs are worth considering at $10 each.
Best Filament (Vintage) Bulb
OREiN Matter Smart Edison Light Bulb
MSRP: $54.99
Common Price: $44.54
Link: https://amzn.to/3Ulx6we
The best exposed filament bulb by far was the Orein Matter over WiFi bulb, which was just $8, had good CCT range, good CRI, great efficiency, and is rated for damp locations, but it did have almost 30% flicker at 100% brightness, which gradually decreased until 80% brightness and then remained under 1% for the rest of the dimming curve.
More information on Smart Tunable White LED Light Bulbs: https://youtu.be/1Xk7sTe29hs
Permanent Outdoor LED Kits
Best Overall Kit
Govee Non-Pro
MSRP: $279.99
Common Price: $299.99
Link: https://amzn.to/49mIRsm
If you’re looking for the scalloped wall wash look, and you feel confident that you’re not going to want to get into the full-on music light show hobby then I think the Govee lights are the easy pick. They are the brightest, have the best app with the most options, and have wet rated power supplies that are appropriately sized for a long lifespan. The standard Govee kit has 72 pixels total which means that each of the wall wash colors will overlap with the next, while the Pro kit steps down to 60 pixels total which creates a more separated look but has the added benefit of completely tunable white light using the warm white and cool white LEDs. The Pro kit also comes in both white and black, so you can pick whatever color matches your soffits the best.
Best Tunable White Kit
Govee Pro
MSRP: $399.99
Common Price: $399.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3tN1eGp
If you’re looking for the scalloped wall wash look, and you feel confident that you’re not going to want to get into the full-on music light show hobby then I think the Govee lights are the easy pick. They are the brightest, have the best app with the most options, and have wet rated power supplies that are appropriately sized for a long lifespan. The standard Govee kit has 72 pixels total which means that each of the wall wash colors will overlap with the next, while the Pro kit steps down to 60 pixels total which creates a more separated look but has the added benefit of completely tunable white light using the warm white and cool white LEDs. The Pro kit also comes in both white and black, so you can pick whatever color matches your soffits the best.
Best RGBW Kit to use with WLED
Eufy E120
Common Price: $179.99
Link: https://amzn.to/3Q6mX3u
Personally though, I’ll be keeping the Eufy lights installed. I’m a sucker for warm white light, and the ability to control the lights with WLED instead of the Eufy controller is a huge plus for me since I already have a WLED controller, and I think the wall wash will look awesome in my light show. If you’re looking to save a little money the Eufy kit is $100 less than the Govee Pro kit and still includes a separate warm white channel and as I said, the Eufy app still works very well, just not as well as the Govee app.
Best Permanent Install Light Show Option
YPS Puck Track
MSRP: $330.00
Link: https://yourpixelstore.com/product/yps-puck-track-15-meter-bundle-10-puck/
Personally though, I’ll be keeping the Eufy lights installed. I’m a sucker for warm white light, and the ability to control the lights with WLED instead of the Eufy controller is a huge plus for me since I already have a WLED controller, and I think the wall wash will look awesome in my light show. If you’re looking to save a little money the Eufy kit is $100 less than the Govee Pro kit and still includes a separate warm white channel and as I said, the Eufy app still works very well, just not as well as the Govee app.
More information on Permanent Outdoor LED Kits: https://youtu.be/DM-VhGarNgM