I'm new to the LED game so forgive my ignorance, but what's the difference btw a green lighting LED (that appears white when not lit) and an LED where the plastic lens is green?

I'm assuming the latter has a white LED at its core and uses the plastic to tint the light, while the former (obviously) glows green to begin with.

Is that right...and is one preferable to the other?

The clear lens and the green lens don't mean anything other that one was dipped in clear (water clear) resin. The chip it self is making the green light.

Most LEDs are cast in clear domes these days. Its actually unususal to find a color cast one.

-John C.

I'm assuming the latter has a white LED at its core and uses the plastic to tint the light, while the former (obviously) glows green to begin with.


LEDs generally transmit light in a very narrow wavelength, so a red LED transmits light only within the red part of the wavelength. Same with all of the classic colors. With typical white light, like a lightbulb, when you color it, you are not "adding" a color to the light, the colored filter is subtracting all of the colors of the wavelength except the part that it allows to pass through.

White LED's started life as a blue LED that was tweaked to the point of looking white. That's why they have such a cool cast to them. I don't know about the newer warm white LED's.