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jacobsmishpacha

Advice Please- Undercabinet Lighting

jacobsmishpacha
15 years ago

I need to get my undercabinet lighting ordered right away and the more I look the more confused I am. One problem is that all three of my kids (twin 3 yr old boys and homeschooled 10 year old) are home so I can't go out and look at stores, instead needing to rely on online searches. I am hoping that I can get close enough to a decision to (if necessary) run out and buy (or order online) what I want.

So, I am hoping some of the experts here can give me a hand. I am looking for lights which are as COOL as possible and as energy efficient as possible. The kitchen is well lit, so these don't need to be super bright lights. I am also hoping for something which is low profile and sturdy (one member of our household has a tendency to be a bit vigorous and bang and break things when rushing). There will be a trim on the base of the cabinets which should help quite a bit.

The wiring is already in, so no special needs as far as electrics are concerned.

Thank you for helping!!!

Comments (12)

  • bluekitobsessed
    15 years ago

    I ordered xenon puck lights from Pegasus Lighting based on prior recommendations on this forum. Everything has worked out great so far -- lights shipped timely, arrived in good condition, installed easily (I think -- I didn't install them), work great, hidden by light rail. I must confess that I didn't comparison shop other than visiting a local Lamps Plus and HD, and I'm sure there are plenty of other choices available.

  • alku05
    15 years ago

    Sounds like from your list of "wants" that fluorescent lighting would be a great fit for you. They are energy efficient, low profile and give off very little heat.

  • inkycrab
    15 years ago

    I bought some Utilitech florescent lighting from Lowe's. They are low profile and they can either be plugged in or direct wire. They are on/off, not dimmable and very affordable. The only problem I had is the bulbs they come with are very cool (light)and I wanted a warm white (3000K). So I went Walmart and found the warm bulbs for $6 a piece and am very happy with them. I do need to buy some light moulding for my cabinets because they are bright and it bugs me when I'm sitting at the table.

  • kailuamom
    15 years ago

    I bought my flourescents from pegasus lighting. The arrived quickly and are great. If you are looking for cool & sturdy, i would think that either flourescent or LED would be the best pick.

  • montalvo
    15 years ago

    When you say, "...as COOL as possible", are you referring to the heat they generate or the light spectrum they emit? In either case, fluorescents are going to be your best bet, although they can be fitted with both warm (spectrum) or cool tubes and the difference in the lighting can be pronounced. If you have a granite countertop, a cool tube will make it look like a totally different granite compared to the way it looks with a warm tube.

    You can buy fluorescents that are only 1" thick and they're the most energy-efficient option. Make sure you specify whether or not you want "instant-on". Those are slightly more expensive and may possibly use more electricity...not sure on that point.

    Bob

  • maydl
    15 years ago

    I bought W.A.C. fluorescent undercabinet light bars from lightingonthenet.com. They are very low profile, meant to be direct wired, have an on/off switch, and come with warm white T5 bulbs.

    If you go to that Web site, type the following into the search field: BA-BF-08. That is the smallest size; I think there are four sizes and three finish options, which should become clear from the Web site. I can't vouch for them yet because they haven't been installed, but a lighting store lady told me the other day that W.A.C. is a very good company.

  • rosalita
    15 years ago

    Does anyone have fluorescent lighting that is also dimmable?

  • plants4
    15 years ago

    The dimming technology for flourescent lighting is still in its infancy. Better to wait until it's perfected.

  • jacobsmishpacha
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback. I will check out some of these recommended fluorescent lighting suggestions.

    I know I must sound terribly dumb, but what exactly is the difference between "cool" lighting and "warm white"? Are there other options?

    Thanks!!!

  • maydl
    15 years ago

    The difference is the Kelvin degree rating of the light. Warm white light is 2700-3000 degrees Kelvin, most closely approximates the yellower color of incandescent lighting, and is often recommended for residential fluorescent use. Cool white light is around 4100 degrees Kelvin, is more blue-white in color, and seems to be used more in stores and industry. I'm sure others on this forum can explain this in more helpful detail.

  • jacobsmishpacha
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks, maydl!

  • solarpowered
    15 years ago

    I wouldn't characterize fluorescent dimming as "in its infancy"--it's actually a quite mature technology. There are, however, two factors that effect the market for dimmable fluorescents: 1) It's pretty expensive, and 2) People have tended to prefer incandescent lights for the sort of mood lighting that folks tend to want to dim. Therefore, the market hasn't really developed, and there are a number of holes in the market where one might want a dimmable fluorescent where nobody makes a ballast for the lamp of interest.

    In other words, if you want a dimmable fluorescent, and there is a suitable ballast and dimmer for your application, and you're OK with the price, then there's no reason not to "jump in." The technology isn't going to dramatically improve in the next few years.

    All that said, the only dimmable undercabinet light I've been able to find is the Alkco "Little Inch" L2F fixtures. They are available with 10% dimming ballasts that operate using Lutron's "3-wire" dimmers. (I note that because of the response of the human eye, 10% dimming looks like about 32% of full brightness; this may or may not be enough for you.) The "3-wire" ballasts and dimmers require three conductors between the dimmer and the light fixture, whereas normal wiring would require only two, so the wiring has to be installed with this technology in mind.

    Regular T4 and T5 tubs such as are used in undercabinet lights are one of those "holes in the market" that I mentioned above. The only ballasts I know of for those tubes are the Lutron ballasts for the T5's, which only go down to 10%.

    I note that Lutron has ballasts for T5HO (High-Output T5's, which are about double the wattage of a regular T5) that go down to 1%. A T5HO at full output seems a bit much for an undercabinet light, though.

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