It's true that not all power supplies or drivers will reliably pump out 100% claimed power. Nor are all stereo amps equal, watt for watt. That's just to say yes there's variability out there in the land of electronics and different products get labeled differently. My impression, based purely on others reports, are that the Meanwell drivers will reliably run at 100%. Maybe they beef it up a little, hardware-wise, and their ratings are conservative, instead of the other way around like when a shady manufacturer will rate something too high through some bullshit testing procedure just so they can make a quick buck. There's an expectation of transparency with the Meanwell product and I think it's rubbing off on other manufacturers who are trying to compete in that space. That's just my impression. Lately some other driver OEMs have been getting screen time on RIU with the DIY kits and PLC has their driver. The Meanwell HLG series has been the gold standard for a while, and the first question is naturally "is this driver as good as the comparable Meanwell driver?". Anyway. I'm just saying. From peoples anecdotes, and the little I know about electronics, it appears that if the good-quality driver is adequately ventilated and the led's are run within their temperature specs it makes for a stable load on the driver up to 100% rated wattage, if the rating is realistic. And it's common for people here to run their cobs way below temperature spec. The driver stability is generally taken for granted. But, of course, electronics do sometimes fail. Usually it's related to excess heat. There's been no large scale spate of complaints about dying Meanwell drivers, or the newer players either. That would become apparent pretty quick. Not saying it can't happen though.
