Directed Electronics 8600 Micro Magnetic Switch

This magnetic switch controls my truck bed lights that are mounted underneath my bed cover. Open the tailgate, the lights turn on. Close the tailgate, the lights go off. I kept the lights' power switch in case I wanted to NOT have the lights on when the tailgate is down. Now, I must admit, I didn't wire the switch into my truck's wiring harness. That was done by one of my electronic engineer friends. He had it finished in 5 minutes.

Works flawlessly. After using 10+ old-style 110v (upstream of the 110v->12v power supply) mechanical cabinet door switches that have been the same design for decades (they're actually a lightbulb holder into which I screwed an adapter to fit a 2-pin plug), I could no longer find these. Since I really didn't need a 110v switch for a series of 8 x 6' long ribbon strips of 12v LEDs in a large bedroom closet, I thought I'd give this a try, though I was a little concerned about the 3w limitation as my LEDs draw probably 7-12w. This switch works great and I was able to install it in working order within 5 mins. Contrary to findings of another reviewer here, the two pieces do not need to touch each other to break the circuit (and turn off the lights) - they react as soon as they're within 2-3" of each other. Perfect for closet/cabinets etc.

I used them to wire up some truck bed lights to turn on when the tailgate or tonneau cover is open. Pros: - Installation was super easy - While the adhesive is good, since this was used outdoors and on the road I drilled the tail gate switch and attached it with screws. I couldn't use screws on the tonneau cover, so I held it in place securely with heavy-duty epoxy. - There is a reasonable amount of contact distance. Meaning that they don't have to be perfectly touching to open the circuit, they just have to be within about an inch of each other. - Durable. These have been on my truck for a year and 15k miles, and I haven't had any issues with them at all. Cons: - Really anything I could list would be nit-picking. These switches are wonderful. Some notes about other reviews saying these melted/started on fire: Some of the reviews here (and some with photos) mention fires and melting switches. Its almost certain that the people that wired these wired them incorrectly. Something like a polarity problem, or too much amperage. If you wire these correctly they will work completely fine. Just remember to use a fuse, and if you are wanting to control a higher amperage device use a relay. Super simple stuff, but people have gotten it wrong and left bad reviews which are no fault of this product. Overall, these switches are awesome. I'd definitely buy them again.

I purchased two of these switches for some led lights that I set up in our pantry. Unfortunately one of them did not work. I called Amazon and they are sending me a new one. The one that worked is working just fine. I mounted it on the pantry door so when you open the door. The led lights come on.

I was using these to make cabinet lights - so when you open the door, the led lights would come on. They work as intended (Normally Closed means that electricity will flow when the magnet is far away) but I've had 2 of these ruin because of a short occurring after I was sodering the leads to the LED strip. The switch is now in the ALWAYS on - meaning that the magnet has no effect, thus ruining the entire configuration. The LED strip I was sodering it to was 15" long, so very minimal amount of current flowing through. Buyer beware - if you are a good soderer, and you can somehow protect the leads, the product will work as advertised, but any problems and you just through $8 down the drain. (I'm counting S&H as part of the price)

On one hand, does exactly as it says and works well. Has a long (unfortunately thin gauge) lead that allows plenty of flexibility for installation. On the other hand, I needed to supplement the internal magnet with a couple neodymium round magnets that I super glued to the unit and then electric tape sprayed to protect and hide (see photo on the tailgate left side). I also did supplement the sticky tape with double sided very high bonding (VHB) tape to make sure it doesn't come off. Maybe not necessary, but not a bad idea for the couple bucks. Used in conjunction with bed lights and a switch; using this, you can wire the switch so the light is "always on", but is only on when the tailgate is open. When closed, the circuit is broken and the lights turn off without draining the battery. Works like a charm. Bunch of youtube tutorials to help tailor to your needs.

I purchased two of these to use on my RV trailer. I put one on each door into the storage area on the RV to turn on some LED strip lights. The switch is pretty small and compact and the magnet is strong enough that it will open the circuit with the two pieces being a little ways apart. This worked well in my application. So far the adhesive on them is working well but there are also holes to screw them into place if needed. Note that there are no screws included with them.

Originally I purchased one of these. It's worked fine for years. Recently purchased two more. One of them is unreliable and will sometimes get stuck.