On 8/14/12 I ordered a pair of Daws Better Built LED light strips for truck boxes. Here's the review...
Price Per Unit: $25.78 + S&H (each)
Product Link: https://www.dawsbetterbuilt.com/index.php?option=com_ixxocart&Itemid=150&p=product&id=3694&parent=1
Product Image:
Impressions:
This is a quality product at a very reasonable price point. It takes 4 AA batteries that you must supply, yourself. The battery case is held together by four small screws and is NOT sealed against the elements, but when located inside a truck box this should be a non-issue. The battery case, on/off switch, and LED strip all use high-quality 3M adhesive tape that adheres very solidly to a mounting surface provided the mounting surface is clean, even, and properly prepped (degrease with your own isopropyl alcohol being appropriate). The LEDs are plenty bright for the task and the on/off switch has a red LED of its own that is lit when the unit is turned on, making it easy to find the switch to turn the unit off, at night. There is no auto-off function for this unit.
I bought two of these because I knew that a three foot LED strip would not make it all the way around my truck box ... and that I'd end up with light deficiencies on one side of the box if I only had one unit. Even buying two of them, my price including S&H was $66.83. By comparison, Putco makes a similar product and wants nearly $100.00 for a single unit of it. True, the Putco product has motion-sensitive on/off and a 20 min auto-off timer. However, those are bells and whistles I simply don't need, as I'd like to think I've got enough common sense to turn off a light when I'm done with it. (Also, I worry the Putco product could be accidentially triggered 'on' by things in the box when the truck is in motion ... and it occurs to me that this might be why the Putco product has an auto-off timer ... to prevent battery drain should such an event occur. Hmm...)
Here are some photos:
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Package (Front)
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Package (Back)
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Unit (Back)
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Battery Pack
Daws Better Built LED Strip - My Install Location
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Mounting
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Output
(Please pardon the poor low-light photo quality. My phone takes craptastic pictures at night. I was able to see inside my truck box just fine with only the lights shown in this shot.)
The Bottom Line:
I'd recommend this product to anyone looking for battery-powered LED truck box lights. Installation is simple. The product is reliable. The light output is good. The price point and value are both exceptional.
Price Per Unit: $25.78 + S&H (each)
Product Link: https://www.dawsbetterbuilt.com/index.php?option=com_ixxocart&Itemid=150&p=product&id=3694&parent=1
Product Image:
Impressions:
This is a quality product at a very reasonable price point. It takes 4 AA batteries that you must supply, yourself. The battery case is held together by four small screws and is NOT sealed against the elements, but when located inside a truck box this should be a non-issue. The battery case, on/off switch, and LED strip all use high-quality 3M adhesive tape that adheres very solidly to a mounting surface provided the mounting surface is clean, even, and properly prepped (degrease with your own isopropyl alcohol being appropriate). The LEDs are plenty bright for the task and the on/off switch has a red LED of its own that is lit when the unit is turned on, making it easy to find the switch to turn the unit off, at night. There is no auto-off function for this unit.
I bought two of these because I knew that a three foot LED strip would not make it all the way around my truck box ... and that I'd end up with light deficiencies on one side of the box if I only had one unit. Even buying two of them, my price including S&H was $66.83. By comparison, Putco makes a similar product and wants nearly $100.00 for a single unit of it. True, the Putco product has motion-sensitive on/off and a 20 min auto-off timer. However, those are bells and whistles I simply don't need, as I'd like to think I've got enough common sense to turn off a light when I'm done with it. (Also, I worry the Putco product could be accidentially triggered 'on' by things in the box when the truck is in motion ... and it occurs to me that this might be why the Putco product has an auto-off timer ... to prevent battery drain should such an event occur. Hmm...)
Here are some photos:
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Package (Front)
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Package (Back)
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Unit (Back)
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Battery Pack
Daws Better Built LED Strip - My Install Location
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Mounting
Daws Better Built LED Strip - Output
(Please pardon the poor low-light photo quality. My phone takes craptastic pictures at night. I was able to see inside my truck box just fine with only the lights shown in this shot.)
The Bottom Line:
I'd recommend this product to anyone looking for battery-powered LED truck box lights. Installation is simple. The product is reliable. The light output is good. The price point and value are both exceptional.