Customer Reviews

American Lighting 043X-1-BS Hardwired Xenon Under Cabinet Lighting, Brushed Steel, 10-Inch

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As other reviewers have mentioned, these are not packaged well. But that is the shoddy packaging of American Lighting, not Amazon. I had a similar issue with a broken end cap. Amazon took care of it quickly and easily with a cross-shipped replacement.

I have the brushed steel version of this in 3 different sizes, but they are really all the same aside from the cost. The lights put out a decent amount of light, and the light is similar to an incandescent bulb, so somewhat yellow.

Installation wasn't too difficult, but make sure you leave a long enough wire when the electrical is run. On the larger (34 in) fixtures the feed hole can be almost 2 feet from where you make the connection inside the fixture. As other reviews have mentioned, its very tight in there and you don't want to be forced to extend the wires. I'm of average handiness and was able to install 3 of these lights in an hour or 2.

As another review mentioned, it is not possible to use the clamps that screw into the punch-outs and hold the feed wire in place. They are too tall for the low profile lights, and really just poorly made. Ironically, these useless clamps are the piece that sometimes will be bumped into the plastic end caps during shipping, breaking the end caps.

In another review someone mentioned that the magnets that hold the cover up are not strong enough. None of my lights had this problem at all. The magnets were more than strong enough to keep the cover tightly closed.

The lights are attractive. Difficult to install. You can not leave the lights on for a long period of time. They get really hot!!! I would not recommend these lights.

I am completely redoing my ktichen. Spent a fortune on having all cabinets wired for undercaibnet lighting. These lights are beautiful and very slim. My electrician brought his own, but I liked mine much better. They really seem great at a great price point. Especially like the magnetic cover. Fit very nicely under the cabinet and you really can not see them. Did alot of research and find these are a best buy all the way around

This is a solidly made product, with attention to fine finish. Good quality switch, nice fit for the glass. All parts are well manufactured, and the finish ends up as a refined looking product. Note that the sides are plastic, not solid metal, but that doesn't detract from how good looking it is. I expected to pay twice this for something as good. I looked at Kichler (too expensive, and finish is good but not refined), Juno - much the same, but less expensive than Kichler. This American Lighting unit is really nice.American Lighting 043X-1-BS Hardwired Xenon Under Cabinet Lighting, Brushed Steel, 10-Inch

This product does NOT come with any cord or any means to plug into a wall socket. If you wanted to use this for a desk, like I did, you will need to fork out the extra $10 to get a wall plug. Had I realized that before, I would not have ordered this unit. Additionally, packaging wasn't that great, just a bubble pack envelope.

I bought 5 of these units (in 3 different lengths) for my kitchen reno. The Xenon lights are a bit warmer than I like but they're pleasant. They do get hot after a while and these are mounted under solid wood cabinets. Slim enough that you don't really need a skirt to conceal them. Wiring can be a bit tricky as there isn't very much room.

These are good lights and are generally good quality. Some reviewers noted that the wire clamps, which are boxed at one end of each fixture, can damage the plastic ends, though the three I ordered did not have this problem. Each of my fixtures held two Xenon bulbs, and one of the sockets in one of the fixtures seems to be damaged in some way and cannot receive the bulb. Amazon is sending a replacement. Lesson from this is that there is some chance you'll be making an exchange. Xenon lights are incandescent and product the same warm light you are probably familiar with from regular light bulbs. They are supposed to be superior to halogen lighting, but both produce a fair amount of heat. I will update my review if the heat generated from these fixtures produces any headaches.

Aside from the plastic ends, construction uses a good amount of metal and is generally high quality. Internal wiring is also decent. When you disassemble the pieces you will want to do so carefully, and never force something apart. There are plastic/metal elements to the front magnetic hinge which can bend and, though this is easily fixed, can lead to future headaches.

Installation Tips:

I am quite comfortable with electrical wiring so that probably impacts my thoughts on this process. If appropriate for your application I recommend tying all connected fixtures to a dimmable light switch. Leave the fixtures set to high and adjust the light to a level that pleases you from a single location. I have not noticed any sort of frustrating flicker at dimmed levels as one reviewer mentioned, nor have I heard any buzzing (mine are on a cheap $15 Leviton dimmer, comparable to R10-IPI06-1LM). The easier ways to install these fixtures are to daisy-chain them from one fixture through side connectors (I am using three, with one chained on the right and another on the left) or using the connector cables (sold separately) with the same ports. You could also connect them with Romex using additional knock-out ports and the push-in wire connectors attached to the internal junctions (see below).

The 14" lights feature three knock-out ports on the back for wiring into the fixture and, as reviewers have mentioned, they *are* hard to open. One reviewer suggested using a Dremel and that would work nicely. I just hammered away at it with my needle nose pliers and got it open. The bolt which attaches the wire clams does not have enough room to turn inside the fixture. To resolve this issue turn the wire clamp itself into the bolt and install the third piece (which clamps down on the wires) after you've got the wires in. Each connection point inside the fixture attaches to a push-in wire connector with room for two additional wires. They work well and could be used to daisy chain additional fixtures with Romex using additional knock-out ports without too much trouble. If your existing wiring was not long enough to get to the connection points inside the fixture (apparently a problem with the longer fixtures) you could create a junction inside the fixture using a two-slot Ideal push-in wire connector and some patience

Oh, and a final note. The instructions with my fixture described mounting screws and then slipping the fixture up onto them and sliding it into place. My fixture had simple screw-sized holes. My instructions described the internal grounding wire as green (which would be fairly normal), but in my fixtures the grounding wire inside the fixture is yellow.

Good luck! Despite some headaches, I'm happy with this product.

I installed 5 of these under my cabinets and I can use them for either mood or work lighting. They look great, and if you happen to look under the cabinets and actually see them, their appearance is very sharp. The install was a bit tricky at first, but once you got the one panel off, it was pretty easy to hook into my existing wiring.

I purchased 4 of these (different sizes) to add some lighting to the countertop. I hardwired all of them into a switch on the wall with a dimmer so I have essentially infinite adjustment of the brightness. It is also nice that all of them can turn on and off at the same time or you can control them via the switches on the lights themselves. I used romex cable to string all the lights together. You can buy the wired plugs on amazon to connect them together if you wish. It will be easier than wiring in the romex, but more costly.

At full brightness, they do get very hot, but that should be expected from 20W xenon bulbs. I never turn them up all the way because it makes the kitchen feel like an operating room. At about half power, they do get warm but it's not bad at all. Just don't store chocolate on the bottom shelves and you'll be okay.

A neighbor of mine spent over $1,000 to have a different cabinet lighting system installed and his look no better or worse than these. I achieved the same affect for under $200.

I did not have any issues with the packaging. All my units arrived undamaged.

I ordered five of these in different sizes for undercounter and over sink lighting. I could not be happier with these lights. The installation was easy, you do have to know your way around electrical work a little because you have to remove the cover and hard wire the lights. I especially like the dual level switch that allows dim or bright levels of light. Makes a very nice night light or task light. I would certainly order these again. Worth the extra couple of dollars to get the stainless finish too.