Designing and Installing Signs

People looking for signs often find themselves comparing LED signs against neon signs. The truth is that both have their own pros and cons, and you'll find purchase prices more or less comparable. However, most businesses find LED signs a better bet, and here are just five reasons why.

1. Energy Use

You probably don't think signs use up too much power, but you'd be wrong for making that assumption. Neon signs are relatively power hungry; in fact, they use many times more power than LED signs. This should be a major concern since you're going to be leaving your sign on for hours each day. By choosing an LED sign over a neon sign, you can help keep down your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint.

2. Durability

Neon tubes are made from glass, so it should come as no surprise to learn that they aren't particularly durable. This is a problem since signs should be placed where they'll attract the most attention, and some of that attention will be unwanted—if someone wants to vandalize your sign, they'll find it easy to break. Of course, there's also accidental damage to worry about. With an LED sign, you won't need to worry quite so much—LED displays are highly resistant to impact.

3. Maintenance

Your LED sign will probably last longer than a neon sign thanks to its superior durability, but that isn't all. LED signs also demand far less in the way of maintenance. In contrast, neon signs need their tubes refilled with gas after a certain period, and this is something that needs to be done by a fee-charging professional. You'll also need a transformer to hang your sign, and they won't last forever. LED signs are basically maintenance free.

4. Visibility

There's no denying that neon signs can look great. The problem is that they don't look so great from a distance. In fact, they might not be visible at all. LED lights can be seen from a much greater distance, so an LED sign is going to cast a wider net than a neon sign. Even in broad daylight, your LED sign will be perfectly visible.

5. Versatility

A neon sign is for keeps—once you get it, you can't go bending the tubes to create a new message. With an LED sign you can do exactly that whenever you want. Need to update your sign? Simply change the LED display.