LED strips provide excellent lighting for under cabinet lighting. The LED strip is thin, very bright and has a 3M tape adhesive for mounting to surfaces but as some designers and electricians have found, there can be some “spotting of LED lights” on shiny dark counter-tops such as Granite (and other similar reflective materials).
Aluminum Profiles Lens in Opaque reduce or eliminate the spotting effect by diffusing the light and more importantly, extend the life of the LEDs because the channel acts as a heat sink (although the strip produces little heat). Another added benefit is it protects the LED strip from splashes and makes cleaning the profile much easier. See also our new EvenBright LED Flex Strip that packs 74 2016 SMD LEDs per foot for a very even and bright light (unlike the older 5050 SMD LEDs caused spotting).
Color Temperature: Most commercial applications would uses a Pure or Day White LED Strip since the surrounding lighting typically will be about 4100 Color temperature (but can be up to 6000K). Our LED Strips have a CRI of 80 or better and our Quattro bright LED Strips have a CRI of 90 or better. Better CRI, better color of white. Most homes still have have incandescent bulbs or compact florescent in warm white. For under counter lighting, we recommend a warm white color LED strip. Warm White LED Flex Strips would better match the color temperature of 2800 to 3100k of the surrounding lighting and our strips have a high CRI for excellent color rendering index.
Tip! About 10 to 12 watts of LED Strip is about equal to a 60 watt incandescent bulb.
