Black & Decker 1-Bar LED Under Cabinet Lighting Kit, Natural Daylight, 12"

Why I tried this under-cabinet light

I wanted a bright, neutral, hands-free light for a stretch of counter that doubles as a coffee station and quick project bench. Battery pucks never lasted and strip lights were fussy to dim. The Black & Decker 12-inch bar promised natural daylight output, simple tool-free mounting, and a motion sensor with an optional timer—everything I needed in a tidy kit.

Setup and installation

The kit is complete: a 12-inch light bar, a small control box with the motion sensor, an AC adapter, mounting clips (both standard and magnetic), and jumper wires in multiple lengths. I mounted the bar under a cabinet using the included clips and ran the control box along the underside near the front lip so it could “see” motion in front of the counter.

A few installation notes from my experience:
- Tool-free mounting is legit. The springy clips hold the bar securely, and the magnetic clips are excellent on steel shelving. For wood cabinets, the standard clips with the two included screws were plenty.
- Cable management is better than most kits. The 4, 12, and 30-inch jumpers plus an extender let me route around obstacles and daisy-chain to another bar later. The included adhesive wire clips keep everything tidy.
- If you’re starting from scratch, make sure you’re buying the full kit (with the control box and adapter), not an add-on bar. The model I tested included the adapter in the box.

It took me about 20 minutes to mount everything, including routing the wires and tidying them with the clips.

Design and controls

The bar itself is slim and disappears under a standard cabinet lip. It has a tactile power button on the end, but I rarely touch it because the control box handles motion on/off and brightness.

Controls on the box are straightforward:
- Motion on/off toggle for hands-free activation
- Ten-step brightness control
- Optional three-hour auto shutoff timer

Brightness steps are evenly spaced and, importantly, the kit remembers your last setting after power loss. The low-profile diffuser does a good job smoothing the LEDs so there aren’t distracting hotspots on glossy countertops.

Light quality and performance

The “natural daylight” tone works well for cooking prep and tinkering. It reads close to a neutral white without a blue cast, which helps with color accuracy when sorting parts or reading labels. In daily use:
- The top few brightness levels are genuinely bright for a single 12-inch bar, enough to light a two-foot working zone by itself. If you’re lighting a longer run, plan on linking a second bar.
- Dimming is smooth with no stepping artifacts; the light doesn’t buzz, and it runs cool.
- I didn’t measure power draw, but as an LED bar it sips energy—far more efficient than my old halogens and cool to the touch even after hours.

Glare is minimal if you set the bar back toward the wall and use the lower brightness steps for late-night trips to the kitchen.

Motion sensing and timer behavior

The motion sensor is the feature that makes this kit easy to live with. It wakes quickly as I approach, and it doesn’t false-trigger from across the room if I point it toward the work zone. A few tips:
- Position matters. Mount the control box so the sensor faces your usual working stance; if it’s tucked deep under the cabinet or aiming at a backsplash, it can miss movement.
- The three-hour auto shutoff is optional and can be toggled. This is handy if you tend to forget lights on, but it’s easy to enable accidentally. If your light starts turning off earlier than expected, first verify the timer state and reseat the low-voltage connector at the control box.

After several months, I had one instance of mild flicker that turned out to be a slightly loose plug between the bar and jumper. Reseating the connector fixed it. Since then, no repeat issues.

Linking multiple bars and cable management

Linkability is a strong point. The included jumpers let you:
- Span cabinet dividers with the 4-inch or 12-inch jumper
- Route around a microwave or range hood with the 30-inch jumper
- Extend a run using the inline extender

The system stays neat; the cables are thin and easy to hide behind the cabinet face frame with the adhesive clips. If you plan to link multiple bars, consider spreading them evenly to avoid bright/dim patches along a run. The bar diffuser does a decent job, but physical spacing still matters.

Everyday use: kitchen and shop

In daily life, convenience wins. I leave motion mode on and brightness at a mid-level during the day; at night, I bump it down to two or three for a soft path light. The hands-free control is great when my hands are messy, and the light comes on fast enough that I don’t think about it.

On a steel shelf in my garage, the magnetic clips were surprisingly sturdy. They let me experiment with positioning before committing to screws. I like that one kit can move between spaces easily; it’s non-destructive if you stick to magnets and adhesive wire clips.

Downsides and quirks

No product is perfect. Here’s what I’d improve:
- The external control box adds clutter. It’s small, but you do need to place and orient it intelligently. An integrated sensor on the bar would be cleaner.
- The optional timer can be confusing if you forget it’s on. I’d prefer a clearer indicator, or a longer/shorter timer selection.
- This is a corded system. If you want a truly wireless solution for a pantry or closet without an outlet, this isn’t it.
- Light coverage from a single 12-inch bar is limited. For a long counter, budget for at least two bars to get even illumination end-to-end.

None of these are deal-breakers, but they’re worth planning around.

Value and who it’s for

If you need reliable, bright under-cabinet light that you won’t have to think about, this kit hits a sweet spot. Compared with battery pucks, it’s vastly more consistent and brighter, with granular dimming. Compared with LED tape, it’s simpler to install and reconfigure, and you get motion sensing without third-party controllers. Power users may still prefer custom tape solutions for perfectly even edge-to-edge light, but for most homes and small shops, the flexibility and ease here are hard to beat.

The claim of up to 50,000-hour LED life and big energy savings versus incandescent tracks with how cool it runs and how little power LED bars typically draw. The hardware pack is generous, and the magnetic clips alone make this useful beyond kitchens—think workbenches, bookcases, or utility shelves.

Pros

• Fast, tool-free installation; magnetic or standard clips included
• Natural daylight output with 10 brightness levels and memory
• Responsive motion sensor with optional three-hour auto shutoff
• Linkable design with multiple jumper lengths for clean routing
• Runs cool and quiet; energy efficient

Cons

• External control box requires thoughtful placement
• Optional timer can be enabled unintentionally
• Single bar doesn’t cover long runs by itself
• Corded power only; needs a nearby outlet

Recommendation

I recommend the Black & Decker 12-inch bar for anyone who wants an easy, reliable under-cabinet or shelf light with hands-free operation and adjustable brightness. The kit is complete, the motion sensor works well when positioned correctly, and the included mounting and jumper options make installation straightforward and tidy. While the external control box and corded power add a bit of complexity, the overall experience—daylight output, smooth dimming, linkability, and low heat—makes it a practical, set-and-forget upgrade for kitchens, workbenches, and utility shelving. If you plan a long run, buy a second bar from the same series and leverage the included jumpers; if you need wireless power or fully invisible wiring, look elsewhere. For most use cases, though, this kit strikes a smart balance of performance, flexibility, and convenience.