when using LEDs your install time is greatly reduced.. to start you are using
a low voltage power source, there is 1 hole thru the building instead of 2,hole size is a lot smaller,wiring is much easier, the fact that you do not have to handle neon and the wiring
issues that go along with it. 1st and formost, properly wiring the units....
neon is real good is a bit cheaper to start with, i have used and installed a lot of neon over the years....for a sign installer LEDs are quicker, for the customer operating costs for LEDs are much less...
the real key to this again is, there are a lot of manufacturers of LEDs some will say they are the latest and the greatest, over the years i have found SLOAN and GE TETRA to always be there....
Well, we as a sign trade don't want to put out a products due to an install standpoint. Low voltage vs high voltage isn't a attention grabber if you are experienced in all phases, that is just a marketing statement used for our end clients. A lot of your LED labor is being done in house trying to get the even lighting, if you care about even lighting. Neon labor is done on the field, which is quick and twist. The only time you save is running flex. You don't want to sell a job according to what is easier for the installer, you care about overall appearance of your sign and how it will perform over time. If you are experienced it doesn't matter what you are installing, vinyl or servicing an electric sign
Neon it not a "bit" cheaper, it's considerably cheaper. For the client his initial investment vs energy savings over time is also considerable depending on the manufacturer you have picked for LED's.
In most cases with GE, it will take the client 20 years to make up this difference (Fluorescent of CCFL replacements). Sloan is the biggest waste of money in my opinion, the very under driven, it puts out very little light (surface FC per watt), it's a power hogger and is very expensive.
What you have to ask yourself as a shop is where is the sign going and what is the climate? What is the application? LED's are a good alternative, but they aren't something you use for everything, unless you are inexperienced or don't have good access CCFL production. The other problem with LED's are, they are always been replaced with a revised product a year later, so now what does our poor end client going to do when a few modules go out and we need to replace them?
Yes, there are a lot of LED's on the market, but GE & Sloan are one of the oldest for the sign market and not a very wise pick imo, they just have a lot of our government subsidized dollars to spend on marketing and R&D, very little to show for it. Guess who sits as one of Obama's advisors? GE, greatly undermines our industry, that is a fact. There plenty of other good LED manufacturers that perform better then GE & Sloan that do last, and considerably less. But never leave out CCFL lamps, their bright, last long over time, and still very light and energy efficient, and are standardized vs LED's that are not when it comes to service work.
