Situated in the sheltered, scenic waters of the Clyde’s Largs Yacht Haven, Largs Chandlers is a traditional and well-stocked supplier of ship’s stores, with a wide selection of marine clothing. The retail store recently replaced its old fluorescent tube lighting with modern, efficient InStyle LED strips and we’ve got before and after pics of the project. When it came to updating the store’s lighting, Alistair of Largs Chandlers chose to move over to LEDs strip lighting rather than a like-for-like replacement of fluorescent tubes. For this kind of project we typically recommend high-end LED brightnesses (20W or 24W tapes), but to achieve the desired effect for this installation, Alistair chose to use twin strips of our 10-watt neutral-white (4000K) LED tape mounted side by side.
To diffuse the LED light output, creating a smooth light-bar effect, the LED strips are fitted in deep-surface aluminium extrusion profiles. The lights are driven by six 320-watt Meanwell power supplies (all IP65-rated), and controlled by four 4-channel DMX LED receiver modules.
Benefits of LED strip lights
Some excellent reasons to make the switch from fluorescent lighting to LED strip lights! Energy efficiency – up to 30% better than linear fluorescent lights (LFLs).Long lifespan, low maintenance – LFLs have an average life of 30,000 hours. In comparison, InStyle’s LED strips will typically still give 70% of their original output even after 50,000 hours. Dimmable and controllable – dimming fluorescents requires expensive gear. Even then, the effect is poor when compared to simple, cost-effective LED controllers. Light quality – contemporary LEDs can create the ideal colour temperature for any location – including a like-for-like fluorescent-style glow if that’s what you need – and without the inevitable flicker that LFLs produce.
…And unlike LFL tubes, LED strips and their aluminium-profile housings are safe and shatterproof!
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Largs Chandlers – BEFORE[/caption> 
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Largs Chandlers – AFTER[/caption> 
From its beginnings in 1985 (in a Portacabin!), Largs Chandlers have grown to be one of the largest chandlery shops in the UK. They’ve built a reputation for comprehensive stock of marine equipment, charts and books, good technical knowledge, and clothing and accessories that include well-known brands of waterproofs, technical clothing, nautically themed casual wear, footwear and luggage.
The friendly team have over 100 years’ experience, and their skills include instruction in all kinds of sailing and motor boats, boat building and repair, splicing, clothing manufacture and many hours of leisure sailing and cruising!