We love RBG here, both Stef and I have it dotted around our sets, and of an evening, it just looks great. Well, Twinkly got in touch, they have a new flexible RGB strip, allowing you to create some fun patterns on your wall, I hope. Let’s find out.
In the box, you get the LED RGB strip, 2m in length in this instance, plus everything else you need to get going. The led strip is hardwired into a control box with a button, which then feeds into the wall plug. The idea of this is to bend and create something for your wall and to achieve this, you’re provided with a number of plastic clips, that will 3M stick to your wall. These clips are either straight or at a 90-degree bend. Also in the box are the instructions and some full-size templates, a cactus, a tree, a music note, and the word love, detailing what and where to clip. Total length-wise, the strip is 2m, then another 2m from strip to the controller, then another 2m from the controller to plug.
For set up, you either plug it in and set the controls up or install the strip to the pattern you wanted on your wall and then do the controls. For me, I downloaded the app first, set the strip light up, and then made the pattern I wanted. How to install and create your shape is detailed in the instructions and it’s worth reading. They mention not to over bend the strip light as it may damage the LED’s.
When booting up the app for the first time, you need to sign up for an account via email or use one of your social media accounts.
Set up was actually very straightforward, with no hiccups. I unwrapped the strip, plugged it in, and then opened the app. Created an account, then connected the strip to the local Wi-Fi. Then the app asked me to take a picture of the strip, so I did, the app showed this digitally as a diagram and it mapped out the various led points within the strip that were controllable. From here, you can then go through various options and settings.
Control-wise, you can adjust the brightness, set a time, or turn the strip on/off. Within the gallery, there are default effects, they’re animated within the app, so you get a preview on your smart device but click on one, hit apply and the change is instantaneous on the strip. If that didn’t give you enough options, you can create your own patterns too. The customisation is quite in-depth and I love it. That photo you took earlier, well as the app recorded those controllable points, you’re able to select those individuals with your finger, with different colors, to make whatever you wanted. It’s really fun and it’s the most customisation I’ve seen in a very long time. I’ve also seen on the Twinkly website that you can have multiple strips, synced, for even more customisation.
Brightness and colours, very good, and if you imagine having one of those instragmmable gaming desk setups, have this above your monitor, minimal background light, it’ll look fantastic. It’s not limited to that set up, cove lighting, desk lighting, put it by your bed, in your kitchen, endless opportunities. Control-wise, the app works seamlessly and there are more than enough options to keep you happy.
The strip is flexible but it’s firm, so to keep the shape you’ve created, plastic mounts are needed. You can screw them into the wall, I think that’s a better option than the 3M stickers, they leave a terrible mark on your wall if you can even get them off. Is 2m enough? Maybe, maybe not, and unfortunately everything is hardwired, so you can’t extend this strip at a later date if you wanted to. Hardwired, I thought about hiding the cable in the wall and fishing it down to the plug but with the controller and plug, that’s not happening without alot of mess.
The Flex is available now from retailers such as Amazon for just under £100. Some may say that’s expensive, I do not think it is when you compare it to something like Nanoleaf. Flex is a lot more than just your off the shelf LED plastic strip light, a lot more.
