Under Cabinet Lights - Buyers Guide
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 AC vs. DC Operating Voltage First, you must select the desire voltage for the new under cabinet lights. If you already have wires run inside the walls, you will want AC light. This eliminates the need for a transformer and makes the installation less bulky. Although 120v AC systems are more dangerous, the risk is minimal if you have the lights installed on a GFI and have most of the wiring inside the walls. If you are adding the lights after the kitchen is installed, you may want a 12 or 24-volt system. The biggest downside to DC systems is that you will have to find somewhere to hide the transformer. The upside is that running the low voltage wires is simple. They are small with very little insulation and you also do not need to worry about puncturing the insulation as you surface mount the wire. Lighting Styles Next, you must select the lighting style that gives you the performance that you are looking for. Task (Bar) Lights Task lights are rectangular assemblies that are about 1-1/8 inch thick and include multiple lights. They come in lengths from 9 to 36 inches. They must be sized to fit in the recess at the bottom of each cabinet and you should install as many lights as will fit in the recess if you want the most even light distribution. If you are looking for a lot of extra light, a set of task lights is the best option. They provide high density light and very even light. Task lights have glass diffuser that runs the length of the fixture and ensures that the area below is uniformly lit and does NOT have "hot spots" of well-lit areas separated by dark areas. Task lights are enclosed assemblies so there is no worry of splashing food or liquids onto the bulbs. This can be a nice safety feature. Puck Lights Puck light are extremely popular. Each puck is usually about 1-7/16 inches tall and 2-9/16 inches in diameter. Puck light are sold and installed in sets so you can get as much or as little light as you want on your countertops. If you install just a few of them, you will see bright and dark spots along the countertop. Some people don?t like this but I think it looks more dramatic than even light distribution. Strip Lights Light strips are cut to length strips that hold a series of exposed bulbs. Therefore, they must be either 12 volts or 24 volts. Strip lights are inexpensive since they have minimal installation hardware. The down side is that there is no diffuser so you do not want to look directly at them. This would be a problem is you have kids that will want to look up under the cabinets. Light Strips are available with varying lamp socket spacing (3in, 4in, or 6in on center). The result is 4 lamps/foot, 3 lamps/foot, or 2 lamps/foot respectively. For under cabinet lighting a lamp socket spacing of 3 inches or 4 inches apart on center is recommended. Check out the Sea Gull Linear Lighting System. Light Sources Finally, you must select the light source. Florescent bulbs Florescent bulbs have the lowest operating cost of any light source. They burn cool so they are Energy Star Compliant and safe to operate. The down side is that they product a blue-ish light that is unflattering and cold feeling. Many people feel that, even though florescent lights are the most economical lights, they should only be used in area where aesthetics are not part of the decision. Incandescent Bulbs The brownish color of incandescent light makes them the last option for kitchen installations. They do make battery operated incandescent pucks that could used as temporary under cabinets lights. Halogen bulbs Halogen bulbs burn extremely hot and that results in a light color that is closer to sunlight than incandescent bulb and florescent bulbs. This color light can give a kitchen that wow factor. They come in 10, 20 watts and 35 watts. Since the burn so hot, you cannot touch the bulb during installation or the oil from your hand will stick to the bulb and cause premature failure due to overheating. Xenon Bulbs Xenon bulbs are rated life is 10,000 hours on average (In contrast, halogen lamps are generally rated at about 2000 hours. The rated life of a lamp (light bulb) signifies the time at which 50% of a large quantity of these lamps will have burned out. Xenon bulbs have a Color Rendering Index (CRI) is 100 for all xenon light bulbs (100 is considered to be the best). The CRI is a measure of a lamp?s ability to render colors accurately. The scale ranges from 1 (very poor) to 100 (the sun). A CRI of 85 is considered very good. Xenon bulbs give off much less heat than comparable halogen light bulbs. Unlike a halogen light bulb the glass envelope of a xenon light bulb may be touched with bare hands (while the lamp is cool) without causing the lamp to fail prematurely. Summary The ultimate system (and also the most expensive) is xenon task lights. They really have it all: efficient cool burning bulbs that produce a light color that is almost identical to the sun. They provide even light distribution, are dimmable and give any home that wow factor that most people want in a new kitchen. Get more help with your Kitchen. The information on this site is provided for reference only and is provided "AS IS", "AS AVAILABLE" with no guarantee of accuracy. Information comes with no warranties, express or implied. Use the information from this site at your own risk. See our disclaimer for more details. |