At Neon Creations, our skilled team have worked hard to master the art of making neon signs. It takes real skill, creativity and practice to heat and bend the glass tubing used to create a neon sign, never mind the process of pumping real neon or argon gas into the tubes to create that inimitable glow of colour.
For this reason, it is very frustrating when we see a lot of companies falsely advertising LED signs as neon signs. We have seen straplines such as ‘insane quality neon signs’ and ‘custom made neon signs’ from companies who actually create signs using LED lights. We’ve even seen this written on an LED sign website; ‘all our neon signs are made from LED neon flex, a bendy material used to make modern neon signs’.
LED and neon are completely separate products; you are either buying a neon sign or an LED sign. It’s as simple as that.
The definition of a neon sign
Neon signs are created by taking glass tubing and heating them in order to bend them into the right shape. The glass sections are pumped with neon or argon gas, which creates the colour inside the tube. Neon gas creates that unmistakable red glow, while argon gas is used for many other colours.
These signs are made completely by hand, as they have been done for decades. It takes a great amount of skill and focus, and we’re very proud of the work we’ve done over the years.
If you see the phrase ‘LED neon signs’, you are actually buying an LED sign that uses the small lights to generate the colour and light. We have seen many companies making LED signs, yet advertising them as neon signs. If you saw wording such as ‘high quality neon signs guaranteed’, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were buying a neon sign. However, check the FAQs on the website; here it will usually tell you it is actually LED. Read about the differences between neon and LED.
Don’t be misled
It can be very misleading and disappointing when you think you have ordered a neon sign and an LED one turns up. The two are very different in the effect they produce.
There is nothing wrong with an LED sign. Sometimes it is a much more fitting solution for your needs and budget. However we think advertising neon signs, when they are actually LED, IS wrong. What’s more, many of these companies also include ‘neon’ in their name. Just because it says neon, does not always mean it is genuine neon!
There are also sometimes hidden charges when buying from some of these misleading companies. This is because many of the companies claim to be based in the UK and the product actually comes from places like China, with an import duty fee to pay.
Be vigilant when you are shopping online and double check the facts!
If you are looking for a genuine neon sign, handcrafted from glass and filled with gas, you can trust Neon Creations to deliver just that. When we say custom neon signs made by hand in the UK, we mean just that.
If you have any questions, or you have seen a website advertising LED neon signs and are confused about what it really means, get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help.