# eBay LED light strips and drivers?



## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

In quebec you cant legally install or sell lighting not csa or cUL approved, but you may check with your juridiction if they are legal to sell since they are low volatge


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## kbsparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Coming from Hong Kong ... not sure if it's junk or not (probably is) ...


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Unless I ordered massive amounts on a regular basis, I wouldn't consider buying material online.


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

oliquir said:


> In quebec you cant legally install or sell lighting not csa or cUL approved, but you may check with your juridiction if they are legal to sell since they are low volatge


I agree. Not sure if they are CSA or not, but I'd assume they aren't. I'd have to look back and see if they need to be if they're only 12V, but I think they do.



kbsparky said:


> Coming from Hong Kong ... not sure if it's junk or not (probably is) ...


Could be, but the stuff I got from the supplier was made there too and it worked great.



480sparky said:


> Unless I ordered massive amounts on a regular basis, I wouldn't consider buying material online.


I'm not looking to order a pile of it but if it's decent, I'll grab one set for the next time someone wants it. If I can save $270 on material costs, that's $270 in my pocket at the end of the install.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveO. said:


> ..........I'm not looking to order a pile of it but if it's decent, I'll grab one set for the next time someone wants it. If I can save $270 on material costs, that's $270 in my pocket at the end of the install.


So you get a strip and a driver, and save $270. Then you go install it, and the driver dies after a week. Now how much money will go '_poof_'?


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

480sparky said:


> So you get a strip and a driver, and save $270. Then you go install it, and the driver dies after a week. Now how much money will go '_poof_'?


That's why I was asking for feedback on them. :thumbsup:

I just ordered a roll and a driver and I'm going to put them in at my in-laws and see what happens. They'll be thrilled getting their old fluorescents replaced for $30 and I'll get to see how they work over time, without looking bad if they fail in front of a customer.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

I've been playing with stuff from hong kong, but no real work with it. you can buy the rolls of lights, and still buy a us made class 2 ul listed transformer to energize the stuff with, and it's all good.


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

wildleg said:


> I've been playing with stuff from hong kong, but no real work with it. you can buy the rolls of lights, and still buy a us made class 2 ul listed transformer to energize the stuff with, and it's all good.


I did find an article on a Canadian site that says if you connect the lights to an approved CSA or UL power supply the combination is considered approved. I know it's a manufacturer saying that, but it makes sense to me. I'll see how it all works out when my stuff arrives and I get it installed. The job I did this week with the same, locally purchased lighting worked out great. I was happy with it and the customer was thrilled. If I can do it again and make an extra couple hundred bucks on the material, I'll be even happier. :thumbup:


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## partyman97_3 (Oct 11, 2009)

Have you guys had any luck installing these with the sticky backs or do you have an alternative method. We were sampled some of these to try in a sign, but we were afraid to try them, thought they might some off over time.


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

partyman97_3 said:


> Have you guys had any luck installing these with the sticky backs or do you have an alternative method. We were sampled some of these to try in a sign, but we were afraid to try them, thought they might some off over time.


I used the solicone rubber clips on the last set I put in but the roll I ordered from ebay has the 3M tape on the back, and I intend to use it. I'll let you know how it works once it's installed and I'll be watching to see how it holds up over time. The strip I bought was just under $10 shipped and the power supply was $9.81 shipped so if it works out and is decent quality, it's a steal of a deal for the material. The power supply is also UL approved in Canada and the US as well.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I just installed some at my house and was very happy with them. I paid about $200 for both the driver and the 15m roll of lights.
The sticky back tape seems to be holding up very well on new cabinets, older cabinets may need some degreasing.

http://www.electriciantalk.com/f8/under-cabinet-led-installation-31914/










Is it the same stuff?







.


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## rdr (Oct 25, 2009)

oliquir said:


> In quebec you cant legally install or sell lighting not csa or cUL approved, but you may check with your juridiction if they are legal to sell since they are low volatge


It's not just Quebec, but then again how often does an inspector start tearing your light fixtures apart?


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

rdr said:


> It's not just Quebec, but then again how often does an inspector start tearing your light fixtures apart?


It happens here in South Florida all of the time..


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## rdr (Oct 25, 2009)

jrannis said:


> It happens here in South Florida all of the time..


Really? What are they looking for? Grounding? Make up? UL listing? All of the above? I've never seen that happen.


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

jrannis said:


> I just installed some at my house and was very happy with them. I paid about $200 for both the driver and the 15m roll of lights.
> The sticky back tape seems to be holding up very well on new cabinets, older cabinets may need some degreasing.Is it the same stuff?


Looks like the same stuff, but the total price for everything through eBay, including shipping, was about $20. 

Are there any approval stamps on the stuff you installed?


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## Rafverki (Jan 8, 2012)

They come stamped with ROHS, CE, and UKAS Certifications. They are 1/10th the cost, and are the exact same product. 
I installed $5,000 in the strip lighting in an upscale restaurant, and went home and bought the exact same product online for 1/10th the cost and installed it in my house one year ago and haven't had one single problem. 
The 3M sticky back is great if the strips are in a straight line, however I put a dab of gorilla glue every foot. 
I have had no problem, and neither has anyone who I have installed them for.


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

Rafverki said:


> They come stamped with ROHS, CE, and UKAS Certifications. They are 1/10th the cost, and are the exact same product.
> I installed $5,000 in the strip lighting in an upscale restaurant, and went home and bought the exact same product online for 1/10th the cost and installed it in my house one year ago and haven't had one single problem.
> The 3M sticky back is great if the strips are in a straight line, however I put a dab of gorilla glue every foot.
> I have had no problem, and neither has anyone who I have installed them for.


I bought a bunch from different sellers and you're right, they're identical to the ones I bought locally. Next time I'm in at the lighting store I'll mention it and see what they say.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

the difference, as far as I can tell, is in the power supplies. I bought a couple Chinese power supplies, and I bought a couple power supplies that were UL listed, and thermally protected. I'm comfortable with the labelled ones - they also cut out when shorted without frying, which is nice.

as far as the led strips themselves, only time will tell. I bought a couple rolls of cheap chinese strips as well as expensive american bought stuff, and cannot tell the difference (yet) in performance.

I've seen a whole bunch of led controllers, but I have no frame of reference for what is good or not. 

As long as the power supplies and line volt wiring is listed and up to snuff, the class 2 stuff could be luminous dog $hit and still be compliant.


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

wildleg said:


> the difference, as far as I can tell, is in the power supplies. I bought a couple Chinese power supplies, and I bought a couple power supplies that were UL listed, and thermally protected. I'm comfortable with the labelled ones - they also cut out when shorted without frying, which is nice.
> 
> as far as the led strips themselves, only time will tell. I bought a couple rolls of cheap chinese strips as well as expensive american bought stuff, and cannot tell the difference (yet) in performance.
> 
> ...


I made sure all the power supplies were ULc approved as well, just to cover my own ass. This week I'm going to unroll a set in the garage on a 5A fuse and just let it run for a week or two and see if it holds up before I install one somewhere else.


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## Hawkeye_Pierce (Apr 3, 2008)

Rafverki said:


> They come stamped with ROHS, CE, and UKAS Certifications. They are 1/10th the cost, and are the exact same product.
> I installed $5,000 in the strip lighting in an upscale restaurant, and went home and bought the exact same product online for 1/10th the cost and installed it in my house one year ago and haven't had one single problem.
> The 3M sticky back is great if the strips are in a straight line, however I put a dab of gorilla glue every foot.
> I have had no problem, and neither has anyone who I have installed them for.



Best way to compare the cheap stuff with the expensive stuff is to see if the resistor values match (tiny numbers, might need a magnifier if you arent farsighted like me)

Id be weary of the crappy psu's before I was weary of the tape. I'm sure 99% of the tape is coming from the same damn factory!


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## Rafverki (Jan 8, 2012)

The tape will always be an issue, at the restaurant that I installed the expensive ones in, I had to go back six months later and glue some of it back down. If the surface isn't 100% clean of dust, or if oils from your hands touch it, it can compromise it. 
Both the tape there, and at my house from china was 3M brand. 
My lights have been running on a timer nightly for six hours for one year, and haven't had one problem. 
I was, however, wary about the transformer straight from china. The listing I posted earlier was off of the led tape. If, for some off chance reason, the china driver malfunctions and causes damage, good luck. Even if the American one is the exact same (which they clearly aren't), the company should cover damaged.
I have not had any problems or worries with the strips, they are much more basic and reliable than a driver. 
So from my experience:
Buy a domestic driver and buy your strips from overseas.


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## kbsparky (Sep 20, 2007)

I used a regular 200 watt landscape transformer, and a bridge rectifier with a capacitor to make my own 12 VDC power supply for a bunch of LED lights at a customer's place.

Under load, I measured 11.8 Volts DC, so the landscape transformer was doing the job quite nicely.


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