drums114 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I am looking to get strobe for my 2014 display. Which ones are the best and who has them the cheapest? I probably want the LED strobes. I do not have them now. Also do you recommend making your own string of them? Where can you get the sockets and how many can you put on one line? I am assuming you use zip wire? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djr Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 http://www.creativedisplays.com/siteresources/data/files/2013%20strobes%20%20.pdfThey also have the sockets and wire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a31ford Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 A while back, I bought 80 strobe from Paul at CDI ( DJR's Link in his post) along with 2000 feet of wire vampire ends (M & F), & sockets, shipped fast (I live in Canada) and everything works ! Shout Out for Paul at Creative Displays Inc. !! Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I also use the ones from CDI and this is my 4th year using them and there working fine . Planning to buy more on there 2014 sale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflights Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Do LED strobes flash random enough so they are not all flashing at the exact same rate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Do LED strobes flash random enough so they are not all flashing at the exact same rate? Many complain of that -- you can mess with putting them on separate circuits, and randomizing their starting points and doing "pre-charging" but I would rather not mess with that. Strobes don't take much juice (unless you use a 1000 of them) and are only on for a few seconds at a time, so I prefer the Xenon bulbs instead. Plus LED strobes don't seem to have the same "pop" as xenon ones, which in my opinion is the whole point. I love my strobes from CLS. They go on sale a few times per year. Since Darryl added the coating on the board a few years, failure rate has been excellent. I think my first one kicked the bucket this year (after 4 yrs of use) -- strangely it worked when I tested it at the end of season last year before packing them away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I'm using about 100 Led strobes and I just start and stop all of them at the same time, seems the longer there on the more randomized they get, I don't see much difference in the flash on LED compared to xenon strobes. But as surfing4dough stated xenon strobes seem to have a little more pop.....This may be true, it's just that I can't see it, probably others can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasmadrive Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I don't like the LED strobes. the Xenon have a much better flash in my opinion.. The thing about randomizing with a precharge doesn't really work.. I just mix in faster and slower strobes on the same string.. makes em look random! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflights Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Thank you all for your feedback on that question. Xenon sounds like the way to go to make life simple for yourself and get the look you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Great comparison of Xenon to LED strobes: http://www.highcountrylights.com/blog/strobe-light-comparison.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEWTOUR Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I'm still a fan of the LED's and CDI 2014 pre-sale has them pretty cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drums114 Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 Thanks for all the info. Although I am running almost all LEDs right now in my display, it seems like the Xenon are the best. Does anyone know what bulbs won the Great Christmas Light off on the house in Elburn, IL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-Paul Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 There are pros and cons of both type. The LED are less likely to break, no glass tube in the unit. Now in the sub group of Xenon strobe we have the "U" tube and the "I" tube. BTW the "I" tube is sold by CDI and the "U" tube is sold by CLS. In my opinion LED just dont cut it. And The "I" tubes flash better from the side of the strobe lens and the "U" tubes seem to do a better job of both sides and the end of the lens. I am going to look for some of those strobes that one might mount to the eves, those are even brighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasmadrive Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 I am with Max, the LED strobes don't cut it, especially if you have used strobes in a professional capacity in the past. The attack and decay of the xenon ultra fast, the light is pretty much full spectrum and not a single spectrum with a phosphorus coating to change the color to white. More appealing to the eye for a strobe I think. I use all U-tube type. They are brighter and have more radiating surface area.. I have had a few failures over the last three years but not many.. Again, I buy two different flash rates and mix them on the string.. makes em look plenty random, even on short runs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drums114 Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 Thanks, I think I am leaning more towards the xenon even though I have most of my display in LED Christmas lights. I don't think they will suck up that much energy plus they are only on for a few seconds at most. How much does "U" tube is sold by CLS usually price them when they are on sale? And when does he usually do that? The "I" tube is sold by CDI are on sale now for $3.75 per bulb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasmadrive Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Not sure about a sale time or price. But I remember buying them in bulk. 50 at a pop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zooo Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 I bought several strobes from Christmas Light Show this year. 20% failed after one month of use. Not a day of warranty with these. CLS has some cool products, but no more CLS strobes for this guy. My 35 strobes from Christmas Light Emporium had about a 5% failure rate after one month. They cost less and have a much lower failure rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 I bought several strobes from Christmas Light Show this year. 20% failed after one month of use. Not a day of warranty with these. CLS has some cool products, but no more CLS strobes for this guy. My 35 strobes from Christmas Light Emporium had about a 5% failure rate after one month. They cost less and have a much lower failure rate. Did you put weep holes in them to let condensation escape (and on the proper end depending upon which end is facing down)? Also, here is a great presentation given on the ins and outs of strobes, plus some tips for strobe repair if needed (including for CLS strobes).http://www.woodinvillewonderland.com/images/ChristmasExpo/ChristmasExpo2011Curatin%20Strobes.pdf(http://www.woodinvillewonderland.com/howto.htm) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrant Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Last year, I bought the LED strobes, then while testing them, quickly discovered they blink at the same rate for several seconds. It wasn't the effect that I wanted so I ordered zenon curtain strobes and was happy with them. This year, I bought 25 more for a second mega tree, then mixed up the batches to insure there was no real difference across them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 I'm from the been there-done that school on strobes. I had LED strobes for three years (one year for use and two years trying to get rid of them) and the only good thing I can say about them is you can drop one on the ground and it will probably still work. Pre-charging is a waste because they all still seem to fire at the same rate anyway - just for a second or two shorter before randomizing. Starting them at staggered times (maybe a 100th of a second difference from one channel to the next is somewhat helpful. but a royal PITA. So much easier to just use xenon... I also agree - having well over a hundred of both types - that the "U" tube models are a LOT brighter than the "I" tube. I can also attest that despite the shocking failure rate, the CLS strobes are a definite step or two above the CDI strobes in brightness. (It's especially noticeable on videos.) Those CLS strobes that I have that still work are the brightest in my collection. Best advice from me is to buy nothing but xenon and get some from every vendor you can find with reasonable prices. (If there's an option of firing rates, get some of each.) Mixing and matching xenon models is my preferred option for ultimate randomness and brightness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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