@1DisabledWarVet@werehatrack@blaineg
I want it in an idle way but not enough to seriously consider buying one. It’s just one of those “oooo, I want that!” silly impulses.
@1DisabledWarVet@blaineg@Kyeh@werehatrack
Wife made a trip to Europe several years ago with three teens. The rental car was a Fiat and broke down three times in the first 2 days they had it… from that point forward Fiat was a four-letter word
@1DisabledWarVet@blaineg@chienfou@Kyeh
If I wanted a tiny car, and had the money, time, inclination, space, and lack of task list, I’d offer to buy my neighbor’s mint-condition Honda 600.
@cengland0@mr_crash_davis@thechilipepper0
According to some research, the use of warm white is really bad for a lot of people. YMMV, you use what you like, and those of us who are not going to put up with off-color illumination will keep on prowling for those scarce but excellent 6500K bulbs.
@mr_crash_davis, the operative word here is ‘if’. IF this package were ‘Free’ you would likely be All Over It! …i’m just saying. I hope that you agree, ‘A bit of sarcasm is a spice to any comments’!!
According to some research, the use of warm white is really bad for a lot of people
I have never heard this before. Do you have a link to more information? A study, or at least an article? I prefer warm white and I would love to know more.
@antolakmichael@cengland0@mr_crash_davis@thechilipepper0
Look up Seasonal Affective Disorder, which typically clears up when the indoor illumination color temp is increased to 6000K along with an increased level, while just “brighter” will not. It also hits people who work third shift. And as noted, some of us just don’t like “warm white” at any time. Some of us get absolutely cranky about it.
@antolakmichael@cengland0@mr_crash_davis@thechilipepper0@werehatrack
Weird. I’m the opposite. Daylight looks bright blue-ish to me, kinda hurts my eyes, and almost as creepy as fluorescent. Color tones look “off”. I just like the imitation incandescent over higher temp colors. It feels calmer to me.
I think the ribbon LEDs are better. Less visible, more uniform light. If you want you can get ones with a remote that dims and changes the color. I think some even will connect to an app. The only ones I’ve used were plain white. I put them on a 12V battery source and ran them down the door jamb of the door. A switch closes when the door is opened et voila! Light.
@werehatrack That’s what I did in the closet (now pantry). Being nested behind the door molding makes it impossible for them to shine in your eyes but they light every shelf fully. Worked great.
No way each puck puts out 1190 lumens.
I’ve found a listing for a 3 pack claiming a total of 710 and a 5 pack claiming a total of 1190 (same number as above claim but half the pucks) so I’m going to assume each puck gives off 235-240 lumens
@Narwalt According to the Amazon[1] listing: “These fixtures have a frosted diffuser and provide a combined 1190 lumens of warm white light wherever you need it.”
So you are completely right, 1190 lumens per 5 fixtures, 2380 lumens total because the deal gets you two sets.
@astroglide@jmrobinett You only get one power cord for five pucks. Unless you can find more cords with those same looks-molex-y connectors, you’re SOL on individual control absent doing cord surgery.
@jmrobinett@werehatrack yeah just cut off the molex and butt end connect and run to a junction box on top of your cabinets it sucks and is cord surgery but that’s how I’d get around it
No mention of a power brick or batteries; I suspect these use the same kind of 12VDC brick that the common types of strip light require. And I strongly suspect that it’s NOT INCLUDED. It would be REALLY NICE if the description and specs included that HELPFUL information.
@astroglide
Depends on what you like. I’ve become fond of the low-V LED strips, myself. But I still have a couple of 18" T8 fluorescents over one of the workbenches because I’m too lazy to replace something that works pretty well.
@werehatrack I got the led strips that change color under cabinets and led tape on top my wife loves it I had to dim everything cause I wanted accent light she wanted whole kitchen lighting lol
@astroglide@werehatrack
Only problem with fluorescents is they suck if the weather gets cold. That’s the primary reason that I changed all my shop lights to LED. Even in the south it gets down to the 30s every now and then and they generally flicker uncontrollably below about 50. I hated trying to do anything in the shop when the weather was cool.
@OnionSoup It appears that there’s a dimmer/switch in the power cord, but the string is either all on or all off. That’s just one of the reasons why I’m calling these decorator accent room lights, not enclosed-space illumination. Dimmer = decorator crap. Warm white = decorator crap. Lack of individual on/off = decorator crap. Just one power cord for five lights, no battery option, not stated as low-voltage = decorator crap. And battery puck lights are less than half the price, with greater flexibility, lacking only the dimmer; they have the difference of not using AC mains for power, BUT they work during a power failure, which these will not. Essentially, these are just decorator light fixtures.
@OnionSoup@werehatrack Though you do seem definitely unfavorable towards “decorator crap lights” I’d say your assessment of them is pretty accurate based on what we know. Except unfortunately I don’t think it’s even a dimmer (which I would like) – just the old rotary on-off switch like your parents had for their living room lamps by the sofa. Seems kind-of an odd choice of switch for these.
albeit brightness shenanigans, i hope to see in the dark bowels of my pantry with these lights. even via a 25 foot extension cord. this should be fun, in an Indiana Jones sort of way
@darrellkirby I’m thinking of getting them for a couple closets that could really use some lighting. In my case, the plug-in power source is a plus, since I routinely forget to turn the battery-powered ones off and thus get about one use out of a set of batteries.
@lisagd yea, same here, i have a couple of tap lights in there now and the kids routinely leave them on. however, i can now have amazon take AA batteries off of my auto ship list.
@darrellkirby@lisagd
A while back, I ran across a supplier that had puck lights with a setting that allowed them to be set to run for ten minutes when tapped, and then shut off. And when I went back to actually buy some, they were gone. I haven’t tried to find them again because I’m actually really good about not leaving them on - plus, I usually just pull out my pocket flashlight anyway.
I have something very similar in my house. They were there when I bought the house, the previous owner had them installed under the cabinets in the laundry room. The ones I have are very bright, wired together, and hooked up to a switch. However, I had to replace the bulbs in all but one of them when I moved in. the bulbs aren’t cheap, but I could find them at my local Menards, which was a bonus. Also, the way they’re installed in my hosue, it was relatively easy to change the bulbs. I feel like there’s better ways to get under cabinet lighting… but I’m not a carpenter.
@mbersiam
If I want mounted lights, I prefer either cordless battery-operated puck lights (as close to zero hazards as it gets, and they just stick in place) or low-voltage LED strip lighting. As just one example, I’ve got a battery puck on the closet door opposite the house thermostat, and I go through a set of batteries in it about every three years - which is why I never put those leaky Rayovacs in it.
My solution for illumination in dark spaces goes everywhere with me, and always points where I need it with daylight-color light. It looks like this, and uses a single 14500 lithium battery:
@werehatrack Well, you actually found one light (to rule them all) that you apparently DO carry around with you and it has the signs of wear to prove it. But that’s a good way to do it.
Many of us just buy lots of flashlighty-things and fire them up and then put them away in a closet or in a tool bag or who knows where, and then still can never find a working one when we need it.
@pmarin@werehatrack
Back in the day harbor freight used to give free flashlights out with any purchase. I probably have a dozen or more hanging around the house. Now that office Depot gives Duracell AAA batteries essentially free if you use their office rewards I have fresh batteries in all of them virtually all the time.
@chienfou@pmarin I cannibalized the switches from three of those freebie HF LED flashlights to replace the defective battery-killing electronic switches in some early Costco LED flashlights I bought. With the OEM control thingy, the units ate a set of AAA batteries in three weeks or less even when never switched on.
@karaoke99@werehatrack Yes, from online info on these, they will run fine with a plug-in dimmer. For example a Z-wave light module (or even an old X-10 is you still have that stuff). These are rated as dimmable and the Home Depot site has reviews confirming this. I don’t have these so can’t say for sure how well they dim. As with any LED + Dimmer combo, performance will vary because of differences in the dimmer circuitry, especially with older dimmers not designed for LEDs.
@Allieroon
Given that there are screw slots in the bases of them, I’d expect screws. And since the lights don’t use an external power brick, it looks like they each have their own voltage control circuitry, and might be heavy enough to make double-stick questionable as a mounting method.
@PecosBill These are garbage. It is NOT dimmable. Tested two different LED dimmers which wor greatk on LEDs. These wail LOUDLY at every level of brightness. I wish I’d checked the dim function when they arrived. I only checked each worked.
Specs
Product: 10-Pack: Westek Under Cabinet LED Puck Light Kit Set
Model: KBLD-L5B-N1, KBLD-L5W-N1
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$79.90 for 10 lights at Walmart
Warranty
1-Year Limited Warranty
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Apr 4 - Wednesday, Apr 6
I want the red car.
The flashing Meh face is impressive…
@Kyeh Is it saying something in morse code?
@cengland0 Oh, maybe so!
@Kyeh
It’s a Fiat. They’re far better than they used to be, but still Fiats.
@Kyeh Fix It Again Tony.
@cengland0 @Kyeh
Given the pulse length variation, it’s a dead fail if that’s what they were trying to do.
@Kyeh, ya got the money, you can have the little red car, or any car you want!
@1DisabledWarVet @werehatrack @blaineg
I want it in an idle way but not enough to seriously consider buying one. It’s just one of those “oooo, I want that!” silly impulses.
@blaineg @Kyeh @werehatrack, I understand; my comment was made due to my uncontrollable, And my controllable impulses.
@1DisabledWarVet @blaineg @Kyeh @werehatrack
Wife made a trip to Europe several years ago with three teens. The rental car was a Fiat and broke down three times in the first 2 days they had it… from that point forward Fiat was a four-letter word
@1DisabledWarVet @blaineg @chienfou @werehatrack Well, if I were going to get a cute small car (and had the money for it) I’d probably go for a Mini Cooper.
/image mini Cooper
@1DisabledWarVet @blaineg @chienfou @Kyeh
If I wanted a tiny car, and had the money, time, inclination, space, and lack of task list, I’d offer to buy my neighbor’s mint-condition Honda 600.
@1DisabledWarVet @blaineg @chienfou @werehatrack That would be sweet!
Is that the Walmart logo in the middle of each one?
@awk
It’s not the bat signal, but I see what you mean. Six yellow blobs in a circle… Subliminal advertising?
@awk, not hardly; that’s not a logo sign, but are the itty bitty LED lights inside each unit.
@awk The LED arrangement looks almost like the logo, but there are 8 LEDs here. The Wally World version would only have 6.
@awk @werehatrack Batsignal?
Is this the one?
@mexicantacos
Zathras knows.
@mexicantacos @werehatrack Zathras!
@blaineg @mexicantacos
If they were 5,000K daylights I’d be all over this deal
@mr_crash_davis me too. I hate that dingy yellow color. All the bulbs in my house are daylight so I couldn’t add these and still look good.
@cengland0 @mr_crash_davis you know, that could be messing with your circadian rhythms
@cengland0 @mr_crash_davis @thechilipepper0
According to some research, the use of warm white is really bad for a lot of people. YMMV, you use what you like, and those of us who are not going to put up with off-color illumination will keep on prowling for those scarce but excellent 6500K bulbs.
@mr_crash_davis, the operative word here is ‘if’. IF this package were ‘Free’ you would likely be All Over It!
…i’m just saying. I hope that you agree, ‘A bit of sarcasm is a spice to any comments’!!
@cengland0 @mr_crash_davis @thechilipepper0 @werehatrack
I have never heard this before. Do you have a link to more information? A study, or at least an article? I prefer warm white and I would love to know more.
@antolakmichael @cengland0 @mr_crash_davis @thechilipepper0
Look up Seasonal Affective Disorder, which typically clears up when the indoor illumination color temp is increased to 6000K along with an increased level, while just “brighter” will not. It also hits people who work third shift. And as noted, some of us just don’t like “warm white” at any time. Some of us get absolutely cranky about it.
@antolakmichael @cengland0 @mr_crash_davis @thechilipepper0 @werehatrack
Weird. I’m the opposite. Daylight looks bright blue-ish to me, kinda hurts my eyes, and almost as creepy as fluorescent. Color tones look “off”. I just like the imitation incandescent over higher temp colors. It feels calmer to me.
@antolakmichael @cengland0 @mike808 @mr_crash_davis @werehatrack
Yup. Daylight for the day, incandescent for the nights
I think the ribbon LEDs are better. Less visible, more uniform light. If you want you can get ones with a remote that dims and changes the color. I think some even will connect to an app. The only ones I’ve used were plain white. I put them on a 12V battery source and ran them down the door jamb of the door. A switch closes when the door is opened et voila! Light.
@tweezak
A lot of the time, they will hide behind a flange or lip, completely non-obvious until turned on.
@werehatrack That’s what I did in the closet (now pantry). Being nested behind the door molding makes it impossible for them to shine in your eyes but they light every shelf fully. Worked great.
No way each puck puts out 1190 lumens.
I’ve found a listing for a 3 pack claiming a total of 710 and a 5 pack claiming a total of 1190 (same number as above claim but half the pucks) so I’m going to assume each puck gives off 235-240 lumens
/giphy shenanigans
@Narwalt According to the Amazon[1] listing: “These fixtures have a frosted diffuser and provide a combined 1190 lumens of warm white light wherever you need it.”
So you are completely right, 1190 lumens per 5 fixtures, 2380 lumens total because the deal gets you two sets.
https://www.amazon.com/WESTEK-KBLD-L5B-N1-Westek-Light-Black/dp/B07D4XYBN6
@Narwalt, Great Point!!
You guys are way smarter than I am & I’s a genius, so …
I’m missing something. There appears to be only one plug in cord. So, I get how I can put 3 “here” but how do I put the other 7 “there”?
@Boiler3k Welcome to Meh, and to the almost good (but cheap) stuff.
@Boiler3k you get two sets of five, each with their own plug-in cord
@Boiler3k @troy
Plug-in to what? I see no mention of a power brick in the “what’s included” list.
@Boiler3k @troy @werehatrack
What’s Included?
@Boiler3k @ExtraMedium @troy
Okay obscured by the lack of contrast, I see it now in rhe third ohoto. Ick.
@werehatrack
It’s also listed at the top of this thread in the “what’s included” box as quoted in the post above yours
Can they be operated individually? Turn one on or off at a time? Or individually dim them?
@jmrobinett no
@jmrobinett unless hooked to individual dimmers
@astroglide @jmrobinett You only get one power cord for five pucks. Unless you can find more cords with those same looks-molex-y connectors, you’re SOL on individual control absent doing cord surgery.
@jmrobinett @werehatrack yeah just cut off the molex and butt end connect and run to a junction box on top of your cabinets it sucks and is cord surgery but that’s how I’d get around it
Warm white. Ick. Do not want.
I used my “You light up my life” lyrics on the shredder. Hmm… “Blackhole Sun”?
I’m all out of pucks and still gonna pass.
@mike808
No pucks left to give, eh?
@mike808 @werehatrack they got the puck outta here?
No mention of a power brick or batteries; I suspect these use the same kind of 12VDC brick that the common types of strip light require. And I strongly suspect that it’s NOT INCLUDED. It would be REALLY NICE if the description and specs included that HELPFUL information.
@werehatrack it’s a standard 120V plug which is clearly shown in the images. Description also lists that it’s a normal plug in connection
@werehatrack Check the third picture, it shows the plug. It even has one of those cheap in-line spinwheel on-off switches.
@jandrese
The lack of contrast due to the dark background completely hid that for me. okay, yes, I see it now
@jandrese @werehatrack
I’m an electrician where’s the good undercab lighting
@astroglide
Depends on what you like. I’ve become fond of the low-V LED strips, myself. But I still have a couple of 18" T8 fluorescents over one of the workbenches because I’m too lazy to replace something that works pretty well.
@werehatrack I got the led strips that change color under cabinets and led tape on top my wife loves it I had to dim everything cause I wanted accent light she wanted whole kitchen lighting lol
@astroglide @werehatrack
Only problem with fluorescents is they suck if the weather gets cold. That’s the primary reason that I changed all my shop lights to LED. Even in the south it gets down to the 30s every now and then and they generally flicker uncontrollably below about 50. I hated trying to do anything in the shop when the weather was cool.
Puck off.
Are they always on if plugged in, or is there a switch?
@OnionSoup It appears that there’s a dimmer/switch in the power cord, but the string is either all on or all off. That’s just one of the reasons why I’m calling these decorator accent room lights, not enclosed-space illumination. Dimmer = decorator crap. Warm white = decorator crap. Lack of individual on/off = decorator crap. Just one power cord for five lights, no battery option, not stated as low-voltage = decorator crap. And battery puck lights are less than half the price, with greater flexibility, lacking only the dimmer; they have the difference of not using AC mains for power, BUT they work during a power failure, which these will not. Essentially, these are just decorator light fixtures.
@OnionSoup @werehatrack Though you do seem definitely unfavorable towards “decorator crap lights” I’d say your assessment of them is pretty accurate based on what we know. Except unfortunately I don’t think it’s even a dimmer (which I would like) – just the old rotary on-off switch like your parents had for their living room lamps by the sofa. Seems kind-of an odd choice of switch for these.
albeit brightness shenanigans, i hope to see in the dark bowels of my pantry with these lights. even via a 25 foot extension cord. this should be fun, in an Indiana Jones sort of way
@darrellkirby I’m thinking of getting them for a couple closets that could really use some lighting. In my case, the plug-in power source is a plus, since I routinely forget to turn the battery-powered ones off and thus get about one use out of a set of batteries.
@lisagd yea, same here, i have a couple of tap lights in there now and the kids routinely leave them on. however, i can now have amazon take AA batteries off of my auto ship list.
@darrellkirby @lisagd
A while back, I ran across a supplier that had puck lights with a setting that allowed them to be set to run for ten minutes when tapped, and then shut off. And when I went back to actually buy some, they were gone. I haven’t tried to find them again because I’m actually really good about not leaving them on - plus, I usually just pull out my pocket flashlight anyway.
@darrellkirby @werehatrack That’s intriguing. I’ll have to do a quick search to see if I can find any and what they cost.
some more China cheap crap. Boycott China–do your part.
@clarion47 Uhh, I think you’re on the wrong website then.
@clarion47 can anyone really compete with the cost ?
@itsthebrod Probably so, but I just started my boycott so my past sins should be forgiven.
I have something very similar in my house. They were there when I bought the house, the previous owner had them installed under the cabinets in the laundry room. The ones I have are very bright, wired together, and hooked up to a switch. However, I had to replace the bulbs in all but one of them when I moved in. the bulbs aren’t cheap, but I could find them at my local Menards, which was a bonus. Also, the way they’re installed in my hosue, it was relatively easy to change the bulbs. I feel like there’s better ways to get under cabinet lighting… but I’m not a carpenter.
@mbersiam
If I want mounted lights, I prefer either cordless battery-operated puck lights (as close to zero hazards as it gets, and they just stick in place) or low-voltage LED strip lighting. As just one example, I’ve got a battery puck on the closet door opposite the house thermostat, and I go through a set of batteries in it about every three years - which is why I never put those leaky Rayovacs in it.
@mbersiam @werehatrack
If you actually changed the lights in your pucks they will probably halogens and not leds.
@chienfou @werehatrack you’re correct. Mine are haolgen
My solution for illumination in dark spaces goes everywhere with me, and always points where I need it with daylight-color light. It looks like this, and uses a single 14500 lithium battery:
@werehatrack Well, you actually found one light (to rule them all) that you apparently DO carry around with you and it has the signs of wear to prove it. But that’s a good way to do it.
Many of us just buy lots of flashlighty-things and fire them up and then put them away in a closet or in a tool bag or who knows where, and then still can never find a working one when we need it.
@pmarin @werehatrack
Back in the day harbor freight used to give free flashlights out with any purchase. I probably have a dozen or more hanging around the house. Now that office Depot gives Duracell AAA batteries essentially free if you use their office rewards I have fresh batteries in all of them virtually all the time.
@chienfou @pmarin I cannibalized the switches from three of those freebie HF LED flashlights to replace the defective battery-killing electronic switches in some early Costco LED flashlights I bought. With the OEM control thingy, the units ate a set of AAA batteries in three weeks or less even when never switched on.
No thanks…if lights aren’t Smart Home enabled, I don’t have much use for them these days.
@karaoke99 You can always use a smart home switch or dimmer on them, since they are plug-in strings.
@karaoke99 @werehatrack Yes, from online info on these, they will run fine with a plug-in dimmer. For example a Z-wave light module (or even an old X-10 is you still have that stuff). These are rated as dimmable and the Home Depot site has reviews confirming this. I don’t have these so can’t say for sure how well they dim. As with any LED + Dimmer combo, performance will vary because of differences in the dimmer circuitry, especially with older dimmers not designed for LEDs.
“2x Mounting hardware packs”…does this mean a bunch of screws or sticky tape??? I’m thinking hardware means screws.
@Allieroon
Given that there are screw slots in the bases of them, I’d expect screws. And since the lights don’t use an external power brick, it looks like they each have their own voltage control circuitry, and might be heavy enough to make double-stick questionable as a mounting method.
Mine just came today. These…are not dimmable, at least the two sets that I have.
Nice product. Had others in the past, these seem brighter and warmer.
BRIGHT. Should include a dimmer but don’t. I already do so I’m good. Just about to install. Very happy so far
@PecosBill These are garbage. It is NOT dimmable. Tested two different LED dimmers which wor greatk on LEDs. These wail LOUDLY at every level of brightness. I wish I’d checked the dim function when they arrived. I only checked each worked.