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Back in the early Nineties a relatively unknown option showed up as a custom lighting alternative to neon: fiber optics. At first, it was very obvious that fiber optics was no where as bright as neon. As neon is certainly bright, fiber optics was relegated to special applications where neon just could not be used safely and or by Code standards. Fiber Optics did gain some inroads as a specialty lighting source when used in very controlled lighting environments like inside nightclubs and where lighting is very controlled and directional and even layered. In other words, no ambient lighting on the actual signs!

At first, neon was not threatened by fiber optics and most fiber optic sales came as new market sales and did not take away from neon sales as a whole. But, that was going to change as fiber optic technology kept reinventing itself and providing more light. In the mid 90's fiber optic lighting changed tracks and started lighting channel letters with light out of the end of the fiber optic cable, instead of the side. This new approach allowed for fiber optics to equal the brightness of neon, even providing choices to equal 30ma and 60ma brightness. This caused the market to take on a more competitive edge between the two technologies and lines were being drawn in the sand.

Fiber optics was in fact getting sales at the expense of the industry standard and several national accounts jumped on the fiber optic bandwagon. The separation between the two grew even more with definite opinions on both sides. The number one saying I remember as I literally traveled the world was "Ok, but it is not neon!" So the fiber guys started saying "Well neon can't do this!" Trade shows became battlegrounds with sign companies not wanting to be seen with “technology vs. the other” in their booths.

So very late in the 90's, came the latest challenge to neon. With fiber there was really only one company and one person spearheading the sign industry, gathering friends and business partners for the challenge. However, with this new technology, literally five or more companies were running after neon and literally hundreds of technology partners coming up with new products. Heck, even one of the fiber optic boys started offering this technology.

LED

LED's are probably really the first technology to be able to take on neon in the two most important categories, price and brightness. LED's even offered longer warranties, up to five years and energy savings that can approach 80%, on average vs. neon and even better if calculated against 60ma transformers. Now the new battle lines are etched in the sand and probably right on top of the fiber optic lines.

LED's in the red spectrum like red, clear red, amber and orange offer equal brightness to the same colors of neon and can meet the Bill of Materials almost penny for penny.

LED's in the white, blue and green spectrum are another story as neither brightness or price is close to neon. So the markets on both sides are choosing up partners and the competitive analyses are starting to flow like blood on the battlefield.

So let me offer my calculations and analysis in chart form. To see the a comparison of LED, Fiber Optic and Neon electrical consumption click here for Excel^(TM) Spreadsheet comparison. Please understand I consider myself a "sign man", yet I have had the luxury of seeing these three technologies in two different markets, the sign industry and the lighting industry.

Fritz Meyne, Jr. is Vice President of his wife’s firm, Visual Identity Solutions, Inc. and can be reached at 407-248-9381 / FAX-355-3073 / email fmeyne@bellsouth.net / web at visualidentitysolution.com