How to choose kitchen under cabinet lighting?

Before we discussed something about kitchen cabinet lighting about its types, pros and cons even its installation. However you may find there are so many choice when you choose kitchen under cabinet lighting. Which one is best and how to choose? Hope this article will give you some guides.

Firstly, it is important to choose your light source

1. Fluorescent, Xenon, or LED?

Fluorescent kitchen under cabinet lighting are very energy efficient in providing a given amount of light. Moreover, fluorescent light sources give off very little heat. This is a great feature depending on what is stored in the cabinet immediately above the under cabinet fixture or, perhaps, what is lying 12 to 18 inches below the light. While most fluorescent fixtures cannot be dimmable, they can be a wonderful, inexpensive option.

Xenon lights are not quite as energy efficient and do give off some heat but they have full dimming capacity, and they give off an attractive warm light. (If you love the warm glow of an incandescent light bulb, xenon under cabinet lights are fine for you). While they are not cool to the touch, the amount of heat emitted is still substantially lower than halogen lights. Heat output can be an important consideration with kitchen under cabinet lighting since you're often installing the lights directly on the underside of food storage cabinets - and above any produce sitting out on the counter.

If you're looking for the most energy efficient option, go with LED light source, which are often dimmable. LEDs are also cool to the touch and will last for 50,000 hours before needing replacement bulbs (that's almost six years). The initial price tag is a bit more expensive but if you consider your future savings in energy, LED kitchen under cabinet lighting starts to make a lot of sense. They also give off a brilliant white light that is very appealing for kitchen design.

2. Puck lights or Linear lights?

The style of the kitchen under cabinet lighting fixture is another consideration. We usually recommend installing linear lights because they provide uniform, well-distributed light for the entire countertop and eliminate shadows. However, a number of people prefer the style of under cabinet puck lights for the kitchen, which create pools of light in more focused areas. Either type of light works fine, this is really just a matter of preference.

3. Recessed or Surface mount?

A lot of people assume that non-recessed kitchen under cabinet lighting will have fixtures jutting out unattractively from underneath the cabinets. This really isn't the case - most of the surface-mount options are so thin that you'd have to literally stick your head underneath the cabinet and look up to see the actual fixture.

4. Hardwired, Plug-in or Battery Operated?

Kitchen under cabinet lighting fixtures that are "hardwired" are connected directly to the power source. Plug-in cabinet lights, of course, require you to plug in a cord to your nearest electrical outlet. Decide what your preference is for type of installation and placement - if there's not a well-placed outlet in your kitchen, you will probably want to choose hardwired lights, or go completely cordless with a battery operated kitchen under cabinet lighting. We have many options for your choice.