Acceptable LED heat range

[zero26]

Hey guys I have a 16" heatsink with 12 LEDs on it. I am curious about heat range. It's in my basement hanging above my frag tank, where it's 70 degrees. It's warm to hot to the touch but it wouldnt burn me.

[Rapid LED]

We always try to err on the side of too cool rather than too hot, as heat is going to affect how long your LEDs last (and how long they stay "bright"). When in doubt our recommendation is to always use fans to help with cooling.

[nanojg]

You should be fine, I believe the "led experts" recomend keeping it under 158 degrees F on the heatsink directly behind an led (which would burn you pretty good if you touched it)

Like mike says the cooler the better, I use a way oversized heatsink and fans (I got the rapid led dual fan controller and the 120mm fans that I run on very low voltage to keep em almost silent). My heatsink is not even warm to the touch, but that is probably not necessary.