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"Pro-Grade" LED Undercabinet?

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PCustoms

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Jul 23, 2011
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23,684
Location
VT
Finishing a kitchen remodel and getting ready to hang the upper cabinets, trying to get my under cabinet lights planned out.

The big box store is predictably overwhelming in this department, and searching online brings up thousands of questionable quality products. Looking for a professional grade LED strip or tap light that uses low voltage between the sections.

What brands are out there?
 
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Bert_

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Dec 24, 2016
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NW Iowa
I have used led tape light quite a bit for under cabinet lighting.

I really like the stuff, you can cut it every couple inches so you can make the exact length you need. It's very thin (1/4") so it doesn't stick out below the cabinets. And it runs on 12vdc so wiring is easy, I usually run a switched outlet either under the sink or in the basement where I plug in the 12v driver. From the driver I run some 18 gauge thermostat wire to each run of lights. They make little plug in connectors to connect wiring to the light, but I have had better luck soldering wire directly to the lights.

25190123827_e8d15357b5_n.jpg


I use the Diode Led brand.
Stay away from the cheap stuff on amazon or wherever. It will dim noticeably with a few years of use.
 
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PCustoms

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Messages
23,684
Location
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Bert_ said:
I have used led tape light quite a bit for under cabinet lighting.

I really like the stuff, you can cut it every couple inches so you can make the exact length you need. It's very thin (1/4") so it doesn't stick out below the cabinets. And it runs on 12vdc so wiring is easy, I usually run a switched outlet either under the sink or in the basement where I plug in the 12v driver. From the driver I run some 18 gauge thermostat wire to each run of lights. They make little plug in connectors to connect wiring to the light, but I have had better luck soldering wire directly to the lights.

25190123827_e8d15357b5_n.jpg


I use the Diode Led brand.
Stay away from the cheap stuff on amazon or wherever. It will dim noticeably with a few years of use.
Click to expand...

This is more what I am picturing. I want to run a switch on the counter to a hidden outlet, then 18 AWG from cabinet to cabinet.

My parents just did some fixtures from Sempria, SG9 I think. The spent $$ on the set, and it's a brand I've never heard of before. Says made in USA, but it looks like a LED tape assembled into a plastic housing.

I've also never heard of diode LED.

How can you tell whats reputable and not just some re badged Chinese junk?
 
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Bert_

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That's the brand I use because that's what my supplier caries :) It's about $10/ft for the 2.88watt/ft version, and there are a lot of different ones available. The cheap stuff was about 1/5 that price and after several years the difference is noticeable.

Do a bit of research, the crappy stuff usually doesn't have much for specs or info, whereas better brands will give plenty of specs about the product.

For example HERE is the spec sheet for the stuff I use.
 
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77thor

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Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
1,318
Location
Milwaukee, WI USA
Bert_ said:
I have used led tape light quite a bit for under cabinet lighting.

I really like the stuff, you can cut it every couple inches so you can make the exact length you need. It's very thin (1/4") so it doesn't stick out below the cabinets. And it runs on 12vdc so wiring is easy, I usually run a switched outlet either under the sink or in the basement where I plug in the 12v driver. From the driver I run some 18 gauge thermostat wire to each run of lights. They make little plug in connectors to connect wiring to the light, but I have had better luck soldering wire directly to the lights.

25190123827_e8d15357b5_n.jpg


I use the Diode Led brand.
Stay away from the cheap stuff on amazon or wherever. It will dim noticeably with a few years of use.
Click to expand...

+1 on the LED tape lighting :thumbup:
 
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PhysicsDude

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Jan 28, 2013
Messages
805
Location
Dallas, TX
Bert_ said:
I have used led tape light quite a bit for under cabinet lighting.

I really like the stuff, you can cut it every couple inches so you can make the exact length you need. It's very thin (1/4") so it doesn't stick out below the cabinets. And it runs on 12vdc so wiring is easy, I usually run a switched outlet either under the sink or in the basement where I plug in the 12v driver. From the driver I run some 18 gauge thermostat wire to each run of lights. They make little plug in connectors to connect wiring to the light, but I have had better luck soldering wire directly to the lights.

25190123827_e8d15357b5_n.jpg
Click to expand...

That's what I'm using for my kitchen remodel. I put the LED strips in aluminum housing that's pretty cheap also on Ebay/Amazon. You can cut it exactly to length, they come in a variety of brightnesses, and dimmable 12VDC power supplies are available if you want to be fancy.

IMO the biggest factors that contribute to what I would call "fancy" under cabinet lighting is that 1. you can't see the wiring, and 2. the switch is mounted in a wall box and not some janky rocker switch attached to a cord that plugs into an outlet.
 
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383 240z

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Joined
Dec 4, 2006
Messages
4,295
Location
Findley Twp. Allegheny Co.
PCustoms said:
Did you have to modify the wiring at all? How do you deal with the plugs?
Click to expand...

I put a few outlets above my cabinets. The wall wart is up there. I snaked the 12VDC line down between the cabinets. There is a 1/4" gap between each cabinet, each face frame sits 1/8" proud of the sides. It's just the way they were designed. I lengthed or shortened the wires as needed.
 
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