Under Cabinet Lighting Reinvented
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 20, 2013 -- Customer inspired innovation led to the release of a unique pre-cut light-emitting diode (LED) tape light system. Homeowners now have a way to install their own under cabinet lighting without the hassles of splicing electrical wire, soldering connections, or drilling holes into their cabinetry. Or to be more realistic of the typical homeowner experience – going on Angie’s list, calling friends, reading reviews on Yelp.com, to find an affordable and reliable electrician to install their task lighting.
Often times, contractors will use halogen puck lights for their under cabinet lighting systems. Installation is a relatively messy process as the electrician needs to drill holes into the underside of the cabinetry to strategically mount the puck lights above the center of the countertop. Wires need to be measured and spliced to run along the bottom of the cabinet, then connected to the transformer to plug into the wall. Having been a general contractor for over twenty-five years, Tom Piana – owner of Affordable Quality Lighting, had intimate knowledge of the back-breaking installation process.
“Even when tape light came out it still didn’t help homeowners avoid the splicing or soldering part of the installation process,” Tom Piana said during a recent interview. With LED tape lighting systems coming in rolls of five to six feet, a homeowner would still have to measure the necessary length and cut the tape light to fit their needs. This increased the risk of damaging the individual diodes, or splicing at the improper section, causing an entire strand of diodes to burn out instantly. “I wanted homeowners to be able to truly install their own lighting – my goal was to eliminate the hassle and risk under cabinet lighting installation created.” Looking at the pre-cut system in lengths of 8”, 12”, and 16” strips of easy connect tape light, coupled with the “plug and play” connectors, Tom Piana is well on his way to achieving his original goal.
Unlike the traditional halogen puck light system, which created hot spots of light, AQL’s unique LED tape light system creates an even glow across the countertop without generating excess heat. The tape light doesn’t require any drilling or mounting brackets; it literally sticks to the underside of the cabinet with 3m adhesive. Tom took the design of his LED tape light one step further by covering the diodes with a weather-proofing epoxy coat. While it isn’t necessary to have the epoxy coating for indoor systems, Tom felt it was important to allow homeowners to wipe their cabinets clean with a damp cloth or windex their countertops without fear of damaging the tiny bulbs in their tape light system. The coating also allowed AQL's “plug and play” system to be rated for outdoor use, so the easy installation isn’t confined solely to indoor lighting.
It’s clear that Tom's LED tape light kit was built with the homeowner in mind. The strip of 5050 diodes provide brighter light for more task oriented uses, as well as connects to a dimmer to subdue the lighting when desired. The jumper connections were designed to plug from the tape light to the transformer without any soldering or wire splicing. Just line up the arrows and snap the connection together. It's about as easy as putting two Lego blocks together. The ingenuity on AQL’s part to create a homeowner friendly task lighting product is certainly bringing the lighting industry one step further down the path of innovation.
Danielle Mac, Affordable Quality Lighting, http://www.affordablequalitylighting.com, +1 (800) 865-7221, [email protected]
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