Phobya 30cm Blue LED-Flexlight Review

Introduction

Phobya is a brand although it is made up of multiple companies, manufacturers, designers and technology owners. They do not have a head office but develop and produce products at multiple locations worldwide. All the products under the Phobya brand name adhere to strict quality standards along with a series of factors including the use of multilingual manuals etc.

Today we are taking a look at the Phobya 30cm Blue LED-Flexlight. An interesting product for both modders and enthusiasts who want to make their rig stand out, so lets get cracking with the review.

Specifications and features

• Length: 30cm
• Colour: Blue
• Width: 10mm (strip only)
• Number of LEDs: 36
• Voltage: 12VDC to 14VDC
• Connector: 4-Pin Molex

Packaging and accessories

The flexlight comes in a molded plastic sleeve with a cardboard back. Looking at the front of the packaging we see the product held securely in place through the clear plastic window and behind we see the Phobya branding on the cardboard insert.

On the back of the packaging is a large description about the product along with the barcode and an area where the manufacturer highlights which type of flexlight you have inside, as you can see we have the 30cm Blue LED model however the other colours and sizes are listed below.

Colours:

• UV
• Red
• Green
• Blue
• White
• Warm White
• RGB

Sizes:

• 30cm
• 60cm
• 120cm
• 240cm

The top of the packaging is sealed so you will know if anybody has been at it before you.

Opening up the packaging we find what appears to be 3M branded double sided tape to stick the LED-flexlight down with. No other accessories are included with the unit.

Closer Look

Starting with how the LED flexlight is powered, we see a pass through molex power connector. Which means you can power your new LED strip without losing a molex power socket. As molex connectors are becoming less and less popular I would have liked to have seen the strip powered from a SATA power connector instead. The molex pass through provides a three pin power connection, into which you plug the LED strip into.

I am pleased to see Phobya have used black connectors throughout the unit on both the molex and 3-pin. They have also taken the time in manufacture to ensure no coloured cables are left showing with either the cables being braided in tight weave black braid or wrapped in black heatshrink.

Moving onto the LED strip itself; as I have already mentioned it is powered via a black 3 pin fan connector. The cable is approximately 28cm long, allowing you plenty of room to be able to route the cable out of the way in the case to keep your rig good and tidy. This cable is also braided in a tight weave black braid which covers the majority of the cable. I would like to say that the heatsrink was a bit loose at one end and didn’t grip to the cable very well.

The LED strip itself is 30cm long and comes in a flexible clear rubber outer sleeve in order to protect the internals from getting damaged and provide a waterproof barrier. The strip uses 36 SMD LEDs mounted to a black flexible PCB; the benefits of LEDs are that they use very small amounts of power, are very durable and cool running. This is a welcomed offering to cold cathodes for lighting up your rig.

With the strip being flexible you can mount the flexlight in most places such as wrapping it round a tube reservoir or mounting it in the floor/top of your case to give you the desired lighting effect.

The overall finish of the flexlight is very good. Everything has been well thought out, with the build quality being good and cables braided. The cable braid quality is superb with a tight weave which hides the coloured cables beneath perfectly. I was slightly disappointed about the heatshrink that wasn’t wrapped to the cable tightly as otherwise the product thus far had no flaws.

Performance

The best effect I have found is to hide the LED strip out the way, either in the top or bottom of your case. You will get a nice even glow throughout the case without the constant glare from the LEDs in your eyes, through your case window for example.

The LED strip was bright, however not the brightest I have seen. It provided a nice ambient blue glow and remained cool during operation. There was no flicker in the light which could be moved about while powered on while still providing a solid light output.

I did think while playing around with the strip that the inclusion of a brightness control feature would have been a nice edition even if that was through the molex plug providing three different voltages (5v, 7v or 12v) to determine how bright the LEDs were.

Conclusion

To conclude, I am very happy with the performance of the Phobya LED-Flexlight. It comes presented in simple but effective packaging which protects and shows the product off through the clear plastic and does the job perfectly

The overall finish of the actual flexlight is very good. All of the cables are braided in a good quality black braid and black connectors are used on all the connections which is great to see. Such a small change helps to make the product from something average to something good.

The flexlight light is good, provides a bright solid glow and can be placed/wrapped around most things inside or outside your case. In the package you get everything you need to get you going. I would have liked to have seen some brightness control added however this would obviously add to the cost.

Retailing for around £8/£9 at the time of writing the LED strip does exactly what it says on the tin at a good price point and works well for anybody wishing to give their rig a bit of bling. As such I am pleased to give the Phobya LED-Flexlight our value award.