12 Gauge 2 Conductor Electrical Wire, Low Voltage Landscape Wire, Stranded PVC Cord, 12V/Oxygen-Free Tinned Copper/12/2 Wire for Automotive, LED Strips, Lamp Lighting, Marine (100FT-30M)

This 12awg 2-conductor landscape wire seems to be very heavy-duty and very durable wire that will work well for a wide variety of 12V – 24V DC outdoor and direct burial low-voltage applications. This wire features a heavy-duty and very durable PVC outer jacket that is sunlight-resistant and suitable for direct burial installation. This low-voltage landscape wire is rated for 30V and features the following labeling printed on the outer jacket.12AWGX2C 30V UNDERGROUND LOW-ENERGY CIRCUIT CABLE DIRECT BURIAL SUNLIGHT RESISTANT

81.4 ounces for the 12 AWG x 100 ft (that’s just over 5 pounds) which seams to be consistent with 12x2 copper but I really don’t know how to confirm that. It’s very flexible and easy to work with. The jacket indicates it’s rated for burial and also solar resistant 30 volt “low energy circuit” cable. Lots of words for low voltage landscape cable. No certifications so don’t plan on using it inside. That does not mean it’s not safe; it just means it’s not certified to be safe. Anyway, it looks and feels fine. With the black jacket, it will disappear into most applications. Lots of small strands, that’s why it’s hard to confirm a copper core; the cross section is so small that you can’t see anything other than “tin” color on a cut end. So I did some scratching with a knife and I think I convinced myself that it is copper core wire (see image).This is semi-flat cable with a similar cross section to the usual brown “divided”, “split”, “lamp wire” so I think most larger cable piercing tap-off connectors designed for twin-flat wire will work but check yours first. This is also a double jacket assembly with red and black jacketed conductors inside a pretty tough second outer black jacket so it’s a little different to work with. A good pair of automatic wire strippers make this simple but old-school pocket knife techniques will be unpleasant.The picture and description shows 8 wire nuts in the package. Mine had NONE. They also show a 300 volt rating but the cable is clearly marked 30 volt. This is just sloppy / misleading marketing and they loose 1 star for that. I’m being very generous with that; they need to fix this ❗️Go big ❗️Low voltage means higher current which means bigger wire. Don’t make the mistake of equating low voltage with tiny wires 🙈The opposite is true. It’s not about voltage, it’s all about amperage ⚡️⚡️⚡️Just look at the size of the wires on your 12 volt car battery, HUGHE 🔋because they carry high current. Figure out your power requirements in watts then divide by volts (probably 12 v or 24 v in your landscape / LED set-up) to find the current load then size your wire based on amps (and distance). More amps = bigger wire; longer distance = bigger wire. Low voltage systems have serious outdoor safety advantages because they won’t electrocute you when they get wet but also some heavyweight wiring necessities depending on what you are hooking up. Two 100 watt old school spot-light reflector bulbs on your back-yard light fixture (at 120 volts) draws only 1.67 amps and wouldn’t even tax tiny wire. Two 100 watt LED light strips at 12 volts on your deck requires 16.7 amps and needs serious fat wire to function 🌟 200 watts in each case, just less volts and more amps; big amps = big wire 🤔 I’m pointing this out because a see another review indicating he was replacing 12 gauge with 16 gauge wire because it’s easier to work with. Don’t do that ! Use the right taps and connectors and keep your big wire.

I re-wired our entire front yard 12V landscape lighting system with this product. It’s easy to use, made with quality materials, and worked out perfectly for my needs.

I ordered this wire to run a short string of landscape lights. This wire has two layers of insulation which should help protect it underground. Each strand is individually insulated one in red and one in black then they have a second black outer insulation covering both. I found that using a pair of diagonal wire cutters I was able to easily split the outer jacket between the two wires then strip the wires individually. I like this wire better than the zip cord style wire.

When you are planning your landscape lighting design, one of the things to factor in is the distance that you need to carry the current over to the lights. This 12 gauge wire is the nice balance of size that will minimize the wattage drop that happens over longer runs.The jackets are good and easy to remove for connecting up the fixture. The wire is stranded nicely as well.Not much more to say - but this is quality wire that will perform well for nearly any design that you throw at it. Just ensure that you also get the right connectors for direct burial as well so the connection will be as good as the wire is!