(Part 3) Reddit mentions: The best under-counter light fixtures

After the first couple weeks of being a new dad, I realized that we needed a better lighting solution for nighttime diaper changes. The ceiling light was just too bright and when carrying baby Derek into the nursery our hands are usually occupied holding him. I found a LED motion sensing light on Amazon that I mounted to the side railing of the changing table. It comes on when we walk up to the changing table and stays on until no motion is detected for 30 or 60 seconds depending on which mode is selected. It can also be turned on/off manually. Manual mode also has a secondary light mode that provides a dimmer light. My wife and I love it so much, it's been really helpful making night time diaper changes a little easier.

It’s from Ikea but I painted the wood. I made sure to use a level when I put it together and the shelves are perfectly level and I added insulated tape on the bottom of the boards for sound dampening.
IKEA Shelves

The lights I bought on amazon and they are smart lights I can control with my Echo.
Smart Cabinet Lights

A bit late but - https://imgur.com/gallery/Yv5Mylb - here’s how I wired up my milsbo. There’s enough room between the glass shelves and the sides to fit in led light strips in the front. I decided to not bother lighting up the back w lights since there wasn’t enough room and I didn’t want to excessively modify the cabinet.
I bought 2 of these sets from amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TSZ21DZ/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_Er5VDbWYB8FCM
I also bought extra 3-pin L connectors to connect the corners a bit easier but I mostly used what was provided with the kit. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VCDWKZT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

And I wired it on both sides using the holes that the cabinet had for the mount brackets. I had to drill the holes a bit bigger but as you can see from the pictures you can hide them pretty well if you decide to tape down the wires to the back and the side of the cabinets so you can’t see the wires.
The ceiling of the cabinet and the bottom light strips are the most obvious ones but without them I feel like there’s isn’t enough lighting for my Saber shrine to stand out so I’ll have to live with it.

I nice look that's easy to achieve is to put LED strip lighting above crown molding. You leave a small gap between the top of the molding and the ceiling so the light is reflected out. Some of the kits let you adjust the brightness and even the color of the light with a remote control.

Costco had a Sylvania kit that included 8' of lights (4x 2'), connectors and remote for $30. In my kitchen for under/over cabinet lights, I installed this kit which has worked great.

If you don't mind going the DIY route, you could probably come in under $100 for parts for the strips:

• LED Strips - https://www.amazon.com/SUPERNIGHT-16-4ft-300leds-Waterproof-Flexible/dp/B00KYKEUXO/
  
• Power Supply - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073QTNF9F/
  
• Wifi controller - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DY56N8U/
  
• Extension cable - https://www.amazon.com/LEDENET-Extension-Cable-Color-ribbon/dp/B00J4HI746/
  
• Snap-on Connectors - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CNYZ0NW/
  
• Channel for mounting - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LL2SLME/
  
  Instead of the flat channel, you might be better off with angled channel for mounting the strips above the cabinets, since they'll throw more light on the wall, which is what you'll actually see - https://www.amazon.com/LEDwholesalers-Aluminum-Mounting-Installations-1901-V/dp/B00PJSSD7K/
  
  There's a ZWave RGBW controller but it's more expensive than the wifi one and can take some more configuration: https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW/
  
  If you get the snap-on connectors, I recommend putting a small amount of solder on all of the pads where you'll be connecting them on the strips, so that they make a good connection.
  
  As for the puck lights, you could probably get something like this and wire the distributor to the wifi/ZWave controller, instead of plugging it into the controller it comes with: https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Christmas-Furniture-Ambiance-Lighting/dp/B01N2I47VH/ref=sr_1_2

Specs:

Flat LED Light Surface Mount 14-Inch Square White 2700K runs off of 26 watts. Initial lumens is 2174 and delivered lumens is 1560. 90 CRI and 2700K warm white color temperature. Dimmable with an LED dimmer. ETL and CETL certified.

I'd like to have it hooked up to my LED Strips so they all light together:

EShine White Finish 6 Panels 7 inch Compact Size LED Dimmable Under Cabinet Lighting Kit! Hand Wave Activated - Touchless Dimming Control - Easy to Install - Deluxe Kit, Cool White (6000K) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B078HGS8YX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FKhKBbK7GMBSN


I also have this remote controlled LED dimmer module: TianNorth® Mini Remote RF Controller for Single Color LED Strip Lights Dimmer for 12 V DC LED Light Strips, 12A, Wireless Remote Control for All Dimmable 3528 5050 LED Strip https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01KTT3BSE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_kChKBb5MVWCSG

I got these off of Amazon!

They’re powered by AA batteries, and they’re motion sensing so if you walk by them or stand in front of it it lights up. It’s super easy too! Basically there’s an adhesive magnet strip that you stick to the surface, and the actual light strip sticks to magnet! Just put the batteries in, stick it to the magnet and you’re golden. :)

I think you can angle these towards the backsplash. Under cabinet lighting is amazing. I'd recommend putting these lights in under the other cabinets too. Having good lighting can totally change a room. It's one thing I'll spend money on.

Thank you so much Nawb. The solution I went with was that

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- All the wires are already getting 12V. So I wanted to just re-use this.

- I bought 12V LED puck lights from here https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07998XPS1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

- Connected them and they work great!

For mine I got a really good deal on these: https://www.amazon.ca/Neutral-Dimmable-Lighting-Included-Buget-friendly/dp/B01LXM8LY5 it was $50 for the 6 piece. I simply drilled the light to the boards and built them up one by one. For Kallax man.. I think you'd have a better result if you went for the pot lights. Depending on the size of your cabinet, get the matching number of pucks from here https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06WP9RRLQ/ref=twister_B06XBBBJ7F and just fill it up. I can already see how nice it would look!

First of all, this was made by BurntPixels on etsy. She does customs, and her work is impressive. I'm very happy with this.

Secondly, the pictures don't do it justice. It looks even better in person. The back of the box is all black with a small notch cut out of a corner for the power cord (this is the light I chose).

Yeah, that LED strip is a great idea. Props to the seller for thinking of it. It's something like this, and it has an adapter that plugs into a wall outlet, so no batteries or anything. Just a switch on the back of the head.

Now that I've seen it, I can't believe it's not on every machine. Definitely lights up the work space better than that awkward goose-neck light.

I use these in locations I want motion sensing lights when its dark but don't have an outlet: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071KDVB6J/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB recharging is nice, so I have these in closets and landings on the stairwell.

Then for bathrooms I use these... they were awesome during the hurricanes and after losing power: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XR9YC24/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I returned this exact light for the same reason. The necks weren’t long enough to work with the lamp mounted on the table surface and the clamp was too bulky for any other mounting method I could come up with. I even tried building an L-shaped mount to raise it up higher, but it was too heavy to work well and the bulbs kept drooping when the clamp was tilted so that they stuck out horizontally instead of vertically.

My solution wouldn’t work for everybody, but I ended up mounting a shelf over my table and mounted these under-cabinet lights on the bottom side. As an added bonus, I prefer the quality of light these put out, and I can use it with my own timer instead of the built-in one that only goes up to 12 hours (I run the lights for 16 hours). It’s just the right amount of light for my collection of low-light succulents, but wouldn’t be enough on its own for plants that need medium or high light.

I'm currently using these under my shelves. I connected it to a timer outlet so that it turns on every day at 8 am and turns off at 11 pm. I just started using them so it's too early to tell how much my plants will like it but I think it's great. It comes with everything you need to hook it up (including sticky backers to mount them and a dimmer). I currently have a pothos, jade plant, pilea, snake plant, and a small rubber tree plant under the lights.

I have a couple of these in a pantry with no power running to it. They work good, are pretty bright and I only need to charge them up every week or so.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K8QX2KF/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07K8QX2KF&pd_rd_w=MOCF8&pf_rd_p=8dbd62ec-d8d3-48e5-b85d-16f701719d81&pd_rd_wg=ytg26&pf_rd_r=4KWNZGK3DJF8TN816C29&pd_rd_r=6b50dba2-d6c4-4334-bbef-aa41b8ed908e&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRzcwSjZORUpKT0hQJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDYzMjExMUhSMURRUUtSMlJXWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjI5ODI2Mlg1T1VPQkxXOFFZWSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbF90aGVtYXRpYyZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Thanks! I found these on Amazon which are pretty similar. So the new plan is to run a line to the switch, and then a line to either side of the window that my sink will sit in front of (so I don't have to go around it) that can be roughed through the drywall. Then they can all be chained together without any issues and without needing to rough in for each light.

Just added lights to a closet with this same intent. I used oxyled motion sensor lights and it works really well. Ive used them in other closets and they are great for turning on when opening door and have a switch to keep them on if you are going to be rummaging around for a while.

What I used:
https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-OxyLED-Wireless-Operated-Wardrobe/dp/B072QL568M

Where I put them:
http://imgur.com/gallery/cMbwkS9

Motion/light sensing nightlights and pantry leds.

eufy Lumi Night Light, Warm White LED Nightlight Bedroom, Bathroom, Kitchen, Hallway, Stairs, Energy Efficient, Compact (Stick On (Motion Sensor)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071CFBXXZ/


Closet Light, OxyLED 64 LED Rechargeable Motion Sensor Light Wireless LED Under Cabinet Closet Lighting for Cabinet, Closet, Cabinet, Wardrobe https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072QL568M/

Yep. They are a dollar more than when I bought them but still super cheap. I cut the cords, going to wire direct 12v to a fuse box.

Thanks!
The lights behind desk: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYO4ZHF/
The lights on wall shelf: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IB6WU5C/

Can I suggest some really affordable lighting fixtures that activate with motion? I just took the leap after putting off fixing the lighting in my own closet for a year. I told myself it would be expensive and trick to accomplish.

Literally took $50 and 20 minutes to install these. Now I can see things and it fixes the problem until I decide whether I want to invest in can lights.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072QL568M

I’ve used these - they meet my needs.

Closet Light, OxyLED 64 LED Rechargeable Motion Sensor Light Wireless LED Under Cabinet Closet Lighting for Cabinet, Closet, Cabinet, Wardrobe https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072QL568M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_c7vOCbHKKDBXP

It was these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FFRXX72?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

[Motion sensor lights!] (https://www.amazon.com/OxyLED-Rechargeable-Lightening-Cordless-Wardrobe/dp/B072QL568M/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1518642574&sr=1-2&keywords=oxyled+t-02+plus)

here they are!

Manually operated

Motion sensing.

(The Fulcrum also comes off the mount so you can use it as a handheld flashlight too)