1) The regular and designer series are identical except the designer has a semicircular plastic diffuser built onto the "utilitarian" strip that is about 1/2 inch+ in diameter. I chose the designer, as it looks more finished, but the regular would have been fine in areas where you cannot regularly view the strips (or visible for Star Trek fans). The diffuser spreads out the light more--the shadows on the counter top are not as sharp, with perhaps only a bit of brightness sacrificed. After experimenting, I actually ordered two more short designer strips to go on the END of my cabinets on either side of the sink, to light the backsplash around the sink, rather than just underneath.
2) The cool white are a stark fluorescent light-like color, a little brighter than the warm white, but I definitely knew I wanted the warm. It is not quite as "warm" as a "warm" labelled incandescent, but more like a "warm" labelled fluorescent. It doesn't give that stark LED look.
3) The supplied attached tape strips serve a purpose, but not to permanently attach the strips (unless perhaps if you were attaching to perfectly clean glass). They help to position the strips and hold the screws (which puncture through them) from falling out while you are attaching the strips.
4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUT ANY STRESS ON THE WIRE PLUGS THAT ATTACH TO EITHER END OF THE LIGHTS. These are designed to be "plug and play" which is great. However, the plugs, though somewhat attractive, stick out about an inch beyond each light strip--plus you need another 1/2 inch+ clearance to plug them in once the strips are attached. If you are short of space and try to put the screws in while the plugs are attached to the strip or otherwise squeeze the plugs in a tight spot, the pressure on the plugs will cause an electrical short in that end of the light strip. I screwed in the strips where I had room, but where I didn't I used dabs of 100% silicone caulk to "glue" the strips to the cabinets. My daughter made supports out of tall stacks of plastic cups that held these in place for about 6 hours while they dried under the cabinets.
5) I contacted the company, Inspired LED, directly with a question and I ended up sending them a PDF of my new kitchen and they made helpful suggestions about which fixtures and cords should go where--then gave me the "Amazon" pricing break when I requested it.
6) Shipping was free and fast.
7) The company responded quickly and favorably when I needed to order more lights and exchange my cool white for warm white. They appear to be a principles-based business.
8) These are not heavy duty task lights, but meant to light the areas under the cabinets. During bright daylight I can't perceive much difference, except in the shadow areas. HOWEVER, I don't need lights during bright daylight :) I am very pleased with the amount of light that they provide at night or on a cloudy day.
9) I had three areas of my kitchen wired to a single light switch. Since I had three outlets, I used three of the 4-level dimmers and three of the regular power supplies. Alternatively, they have a more expensive power supply that can be plugged into an outlet that is already attached to a dimmer--I would have chosen this if I had just one outlet with a dimmer switch wired to it.
I would highly recommend these lights. Since we had invested in granite and an attractive backs plash, the incremental increase in cost to get these was worth it.
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I received my order VERY quickly from Inspired LED. Also ordered some 4" jumpers to go between the lights BUT received 12" instead. So I had to cut down some of the longer ones because they were shipped wrong. The kit is very complete with just about everything you really need for the installation. The components seem to be of reasonable quality making the install easy. The disappointment is that they don't put out very much light. They are perfect for that late evening trip to the kitchen but don't help much or at all during the day. We had a few halogen lights under the counter before but they made the bread, bananas, etc. go bad quickly. With all the new LED technology I just can't believe that there are not some really good LED light for under the counter at a reasonable price.Update: After one week we had a connector fail inside of one light bar. I disassembled it and it had a solder joint failure. Resoldered it and now it works great. Just wanted to post this problem.
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I bought the 6-panel designer set directly from the inspired website. They were very helpful in answering several questions I had before ordering. Everything arrived within two days and I was surprised how lightweight but bright these strips are. They are also very low profile, easily hidden under a cabinet.I was replacing halogens that were direct wired so I had to cut the cord and put a cord outlet on the end of the AC leads coming from the wall, but that only took 5 minutes. The lights give off plenty of light to work by and stay cool even if you leave them on all day (unlike halogens). They also use very little electricity.
I want to mention especially that the company was EXTREMELY HELPFUL by email. They answered all of my questions. I ordered the wrong transformers and they agreed to take them back with no questions asked.
I plan to put these in all of my closets next!!
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I had an electrician install this lighting under our cabinets. The light reflects off the backsplash in strips of clear and yellow light. Don't buy it!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Designer Series Under Cabinet LED Lighting Kit - TEN 10" warm white
I am an electrian of fifty + years....This Designer series is the best that I have ever seen or installed...I do have a problem with two of the fixtures, one was not installed with the end squarley installed and the electrical plug does not
make connection and the othe one is just loose and I have adjusted the plug with a staple to make it work...I am not going to return the product...My wife would be in tears,,(I am a hero because of this product)...I will contact the company directly to settle this small problem, considering all of the atta husband perks I have received....Richard....PS the dimmers are fixed, four position but this is working...It may be beter because we do not have to reach under the upper cubbards but only to press a button not twist a dial...R..again
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