Hi, I have Seagull Ambience, and I like the color of the light, the intensity (I have a 10w bulb about every 8" average) and in 5 years I have only had one bulb go out. In comparison, I've had to replace all of the 20w halogens (4 of them) in the thermador vent hood in that same time period. (and replace a section of in-cabinet rope light 4 times!) The U/C's have more hours of use than the hood. The warming effect is noted, but it's not perceptible at countertop level, just the cabinet floor. The "heat" hasn't rendered any discoloration to the cabinet bottoms, so it's clearly not in the temp range to bother the wood or the finish. Casey

I just went back to check the display in our local store that carries both Kichler and Seagull. They have a display setup with undercabinet lights over a dark granite countertop. It shows lights mounted near the front vs near the back for comparison. They also compare strip/linear lights vs a white enclosed box similar to what I have seen for many fluorescent and xenon lights. Even with the lights off, the white box reflected too much in the granite, and it was blinding when the lights were on. In addition to mounting the strip along the front edge to the cabinet, they added a small L-shaped channel of aluminum to cover the lights--all light is directed toward the backsplash. You could not see any reflection at all. I believe this would be a simple addition to any brand of linear/strip lighting. Because Jon reminded me that some people have had complaints about Kichler linear system, we eliminated that brand. Pegasus sounds good and I will use that website for information, but we probably will go with Seagull because it is readily available locally and the store seems very familiar with the product. Jon, thanks for the reminder about the gauge of the wire. I don't think about such things, but I will be sure the electrician pays attention to matching his wire to our system.

I saw this thread of posts regarding Seagull (low-voltage) Ambiance Lighting. Here's some responses to several questions. 1. "Clear or frosted bulbs?" Personally I would suggest 'clear' for task lighting, 'frosted' if you'll be able to see the actual bulb. 2. "5W or 10W bulbs?" I use 10 watt for task, 5 watt (in some cases) often for behind glass doors. As a rule, I generally use 10 watt. 3. "I can't find stranded 10/2 anywhere, only solid copper?" For the actual wire where the bulb holders clip in, you must use their 'stranded 10-2 wire' (9373-12 or 9373-15 : 100' rolls), available in white or black (yes it is pricey). If you purchase another brand of stranded 10-2, make sure it fits the Seagull wire holder. 3a. NOTE: BY CODE, YOU MAY NOT RUN THIS STRANDED CABLE IN THE WALLS OF YOUR HOME. Rough wire using Romex. 4. "...Dimmers?" If you're using a Magnetic tranformer, you should use a magnetic dimmer. They do cost more money. Remember, you are dimming the line voltage to the transformer ... not dimming the low voltage output from the transformer. 5. "...Spacing?" General rule of thumb is one bulb holder every 4 to 6". 6. "Since this is low voltage, there is not requirement that you use Romex, which you will not find stranded." UNTRUE! You cannot (by Code) run the 10-2 stranded in the wall. 7. "Isn't 10/2 a little heavy? Is it a 20A circuit? I'd think 12/2 would be fine for in-wall." Your wire inside the walls should be 10-2 Romex for 12 volt systems and (can be) 12-2 Romex for 24-volt systems. 8. As suggested in one post, DO make sure your low voltage output is properly fused. Just because it's low-voltage, don't think that it can't be dangerous. 9. Break up your 'homeruns'. For example: If you have lights to the left and right of the sink, make 2 separate homeruns. Likewise, left and right of the cooktop, 2 separate homeruns. Don't try to run the entire kitchen low-voltage system on one homerun. Splice/Junctions: You aren't supposed to do any splices in the wall. The Romex comes out below the cabinet int a Seagull (9459-12, 9459-15) 'Compartment/Splicer'. This will splice Romex to their stranded.

Call Seagul's toll-free technical help line. They're really helpful and are going to know WAY more than anyone here.