Category Archives: Customer Projects

LED Neon Lights for New Jersey Nights

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“Eat Heavy” says the bold sign just off of Route 3 in Clifton, New Jersey. Below it is the infamous Tick Tock Diner, a staple of classic American dining since 1948. Open twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, the retro façade oozes contemporary, metallic art deco and a spectacle of vibrant neon lights. Or does it?

Outside of Tick Tock Diner, lit with Solid Apollo LED neon lights on a cloudy, rainy day.

Last fall, the Tick Tock Diner reached out to us for lighting expertise. As part of extensive renovations to the building, the restaurant would be adding neon-like fixtures reminiscent of mid-century diners. One option to achieve this classic look is to go for traditional neon signage. Unfortunately, many disadvantages exist for neon signage. Once a neon sign is fabricated, it is permanent. You cannot change shape, color, or easily dim neon fixtures which are often very fragile. Neon fixtures also make use of a variety of gases and, occasionally, mercury to create their colors. They consume, on average, 4,800 watts over a twelve hour period.

Solid Apollo’s Neon LED Strip Lighting is the perfect alternative to traditional neon fixtures with seemingly endless benefits. Our neon LED strips are flexible, able to form to unique contours and shapes, and can be easily moved without fear of breaking. The unique structure of these strips gives the light the appearance of a neon fixture with no hot spots effectively diffusing the individual LED lights to create a glow. In contrast to neon, LED neon uses up to 75% less power than traditional gas fixtures.

Solid Apollo’s neon strips come in two formats, mini neon which functions at a low voltage of 24V DC, and the neon 120V which plugs directly into any 120V AC outlet for easy installation. Mini neon strips are more compact with a short two inch cut point, perfect for intricate designs. With longer 18 inch cut points, the neon 120V is great for long linear runs. Both strips come in a variety of colors and the 120V neon is available as an exceptional RGB flex neon that offers eight static colors and six color changing programs for ultimate control of your visual goals. All of our neon strips are fully dimmable and rated IP65 waterproof, suitable for locations inside and outdoors.

Outside of Tick Tock Diner at night, lit with Solid Apollo LED neon lights.

For the Tick Tock Diner, striking blue and red strips shoot around the building occasionally intersected with green diamond accents, created with our mini neon. Bolder red lines crafted with our neon 120V form eye catching accents. The addition of these fixtures further cements the diner as a New Jersey beacon, adding to its 70 year history. The Tick Tock Diner will now shine a little brighter with their new Solid Apollo LED Neon strips.

Do you have an LED project in mind we could assist you with? Reach out to us today at info@solidapollo.com or 425.582.7533 to begin planning your bright future.

Photos provided by courtesy of the Tick Tock Diner.

LEDs, Bars, and Bottles in Buffalo, NY

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Receiving photos of customer projects has long been one of our favorite parts of being in business here at Solid Apollo. There’s no greater reward than seeing customers’ visions blossom into fully realized lighting designs. This December we heard from Hartman’s Distilling Co. in Buffalo, NY. This new distiller recently opened in the heart of Buffalo and has already been featured on Yelp’s top ten best distillers list for the city. When Hartman’s reached out to us for lighting solutions for the shelves in their tasting room, we couldn’t wait to join their project.

Hartman's Distillery bar, blue wall in the background with lit shelves lined with bottles.To create an inviting glow that also accented Hartman’s beautiful packaging, we suggested our HI CRI PRO-Line LED Strip Lights. This incredible line of LED strip lights offers the best of color temperature and accurate color representation. In Hartman’s case both of these factors are equally important. Settling on a super warm white strip, Hartman’s cut a groove out of their shelving and inlayed the strip lights. Our HI CRI LEDs provide a warm light that crafts an appealing ambience and shows Hartman’s bottles in a vivid, color accurate setting.

Hatman's Distillery shevles on a blue wall. Sheves are lined with bottles and lit with LED strips. Two bottles of Hartman's liquor, one blue and one green, on their marble bar.

What is it about these HI CRI strips that brings Hartman’s tasting room to life? It all has to do with light and color. CRI, or color rendering index, rates how well light sources illuminate an object’s true colors in comparison to natural sunlight. CRI is measured on a scale of 0 to 100. Standard LEDs have a CRI rating around 80. Our HI CRI LED strips have CRI ratings over 92 providing unparalleled quality in color accuracy. Deep blues, verdant greens, and intense reds are all displayed vividly and accurately with our line of HI CRI strips.

Hartman’s application of our LEDs highlights one of the many ways our lights can be utilized. We’re always ready to help you achieve your lighting goals, whatever they may be. Reach out to us at info@solidapollo.com or at 425.582.7533 to begin your next project and be sure to share pictures of your own Solid Apollo lighting solutions.

Photo Credit: Shawna Stanley, provided by courtesy of Hartman’s Distilling Co.