Pro tip: Don't use cheap LED strips for garage lighting

I put up a $20 set from a random brand last winter and after 4 months half the lights were flickering or dead. Swapped to a name brand strip with a proper driver and the difference is night and day - no more strobing when I'm working under the car. Anyone else get burned by those cheap rolls?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

hugow301mo ago

Yeah I made that exact mistake last summer, got a super cheap roll off Amazon and within two months the adhesive gave out and strips were dangling everywhere. I went with a set from Monoprice that uses actual 3M backing and separate driver boxes, theyve been rock solid for over a year now even in the cold garage. The key I found is looking for ones that list the driver specs and have a warranty longer than 30 days, most of the cheap ones just have resistors hotglued to the strip itself.

0

betty_reed611mo ago

Those Amazon specials are a real gamble huh. I grabbed one that was like "military grade" or something and it lasted maybe two days before the blues started flickering like a disco ball. Ended up just pulling it all down and going back to my old strip from Home Depot that's been kicking since 2019. Honestly at this point I trust the stuff from the hardware store more than some online brand I've never heard of. You get what you pay for I guess.

2