Sidewinder™ LED Flex Strip for D65 Bias Lighting

I highly recommend it for the contrast it creates.

I bought two of these, and one is being used in a traditional bias lighting capacity, while the other is attached to the bottom of a ledge with a rather complex and weird geometry. Both of them provide beautiful light and work great. I find that one or two strips work with a cheap wall-wart power supply just as well as the fancy one from Waveform, at least to my untrained eye.

The only nitpick I have is that the double-sided tape is a bit cantankerous, and tends to let go if you make a 90° turn too close to the end of the strip, but this can be worked around.

Overall, I find these to be great. I was a little unsure whether the 600 lumens per meter would be adequate, but I find that I am not disappointed: the distribution of the light over a distance provides illumination comparable to what a single light bulb with nearly triple the rated lumen output could do in the same space.

These strips' quality and price make them a very good entry point for novices wanting to try small lighting project.

After spending a lot of time researching the basics of residential lighting to brighten up my home, it was time to get hands-on experience with LED strips. I picked these bias lighting strips because of the low stakes involved: (1) attaching them to my monitor would be a manageably small job; (2) the total cost of the setup was low; (3) the quality of the LEDs wouldn't be a limiting factor; (4) the power supply I needed to buy could be re-used for other tests; and (5) as non-critical lighting for me, my work could be good enough without needing to make major changes after I've improved.

Both the time investment and strip quality were exactly what I hoped for. However, because my LCD monitor isn't bright, running the strips at full brightness is a bit overwhelming without buying a dimmer. While that will raise the total cost, knowing now that I'll need a dimmer for future test projects makes it a free lesson on light intensity.

Setting aside all this stuff about its being useful as a learning tool, I really like these strips! I wrote half of this review with them on and half with them off, and having them on is so much easier on my eyes. I recommend them.

I tested these bias lights for video/photo editing and for home theater viewing. Going forward, no TV that I own will be without a Waveform bias light...it was a revelation. With OLED TVs and LCD screens that can achieve deep black levels, the Sidewinder provides a neutral, flicker-free frame of soft light enveloping the screen. It prevents eyestrain and distraction by clearly demarcating the screen edges in even the darkest of scenes. No single accessory has made such a difference in my enjoyment of the viewing experience! The incredibly smooth dial of Waveform's dimmer (an optional extra, but mandatory in my book) means the bias light can also be adjusted to suit any ambient light condition. When editing photos or video, the Sidewinder helped me judge the vividness of imagery by providing a visual palate-cleanser of neutral light adjacent to my work on the screen.

I wish Waveform offered the Sidewinder in a range of single-strand options pre-cut to the length needed for the different TV and monitor sizes available. Although it was ridiculously easy to daisy chain multiple segments to achieve the final length needed, the small cable-to-light transitions meant that extra wire management was required to keep everything flush with the rear of the screen, and to avoid small shadows being cast on the wall directly behind the TV or monitor. This is my one small gripe with what is an otherwise outstanding D65 solution for monitoring, editing, or just plain enjoyable viewing.