Which led type is the best?

Other Hardware General Electronics
1

Hello all. I am planning to buy some leds for my projects but there are different sizes and different types and all cost the same. So which is better 5mm or 3mm and which type clear or diffused.

2

Hello all. I am planning to buy some leds for my projects but there are different sizes and different types and all cost the same. So which is better 5mm or 3mm and which type clear or diffused.

There is no real answer to that, the best ones are the ones most suited to what you want to do. If you want big LEDs big ones are best, if you want small LEDs small ones are best. LEDs are cheap, buy a selection of colours and types.

3

Only difference between 5mm and 3mm is it's size. Real differences come from the series etc from the manufacturer. Internal a 3mm and a 5mm can be exactly the same.

4

Anshul333:
Hello all. I am planning to buy some leds for my projects but there are different sizes and different types and all cost the same. So which is better 5mm or 3mm and which type clear or diffused.

There is no absolute notion of "best".

This is how to think:

  1. What are my requirements? List them - anything you choose has to provide these features. This
    may include a budget constraint.
  2. What properties are desireable but not essential? Rank them. One of these is always cost.
  3. For each candidate component, if it doesn't meet requirements, ignore it.
    If it does meet requirements, how does it perform on the desired properties - given the ranking
    on desirable properties you can rank the candidates and choose.

So the only meaning of "best" is that which ranks highest against a set of ranked desirable properties,
so you have to figure those out first. Your desirable properties and ranking will be different from
everyone elses, and if you don't state them, people can't answer the question "what is best?" for you.

Note that there may be nothing that meets the requirements - then its time to change the requirements
or give up.

For LEDs the properties you might consider are:

colour
efficiency
size
forward voltage
max brightness
detailed spectral response (partic. for white LEDs)
beam shape, diffuse/specular lens
cost
through-hole v. surface mount