NeoPixels come in so many types. You can see all Adafruit's NeoPixel products here. I'll describe a few of the more commonly used types for wearables and cosplay, with pros and cons for each.

Strips

These are the most common type of NeoPixels. They come in a variety of widths and spacing. The most common are 30 lights/meter or 60 lights/meter, though you can also get the super-dense 144/m strip

The denser strips are more expensive, both in terms of how much they cost and also how much power they use -- your battery will last longer if you have dozens of LEDs instead of hundreds in your project.

Here's a quick video demonstrating the different densities.

Adafruit NeoPixel Digital RGB LED Strip reel wired to a microcontroller, with all the LEDs in a rainbow
You thought it couldn't get better than our world-famous 32-LED-per-meter Digital LED strip but we will prove you wrong! You wanted...
$99.80
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Dots

These are my favorite lights for cosplay applications. They are really tough! Each light is fully encased in plastic, so these light strands are really hard to break. I've even used them underwater. Adafruit sells them in 2" spacing or 4" spacing.

Adafruit NeoPixel LED Dots Strand - 20 LEDs at 2 inch Pitch
Attaching NeoPixel strips to your costume can be a struggle as the flexible PCBs can crack when bent too much. So how to add little dots of color? Use these stranded NeoPixel dots!...
$27.50
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Rings & Pixels

Sometimes you want a small form-factor or just a few small lights. NeoPixel rings or pixels can be perfect for making light-up gadgets. They come in a variety of sizes: 12 pixel/ring, 16 pixel/ring, 24 pixel/ring, or a giant 60 pixel/ring size.

You can also get a 7-pixel NeoPixel Jewel which is perfect for necklaces or very small projects, or individual NeoPixels -- single pixels you can place exactly where you want.

These pixels are a bit more advanced to use and will require some soldering to get them working. 

These are also available in both RGB and RGBW versions.

Much more about rings here!

Hand holding NeoPixel Ring with 16 x 5050 RGB LED, lit up rainbow
Round and round and round they go! 16 ultra bright smart LED NeoPixels are arranged in a circle with 1.75" (44.5mm) outer diameter. The rings are 'chainable' - connect the...
$9.95
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Specialty

Here are a few other types of NeoPixel strip that exist!

Find out much more in the NeoPixel UberGuide.

This guide was first published on Apr 08, 2020. It was last updated on Mar 25, 2020.

This page (Choose your Pixel Type) was last updated on Mar 25, 2020.

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