What is Puck Light?

Puck lights have traditionally been popular options for under cabinet lighting. They are short, cylindrical lights (shaped like a hockey puck) with a diameter of 2-3 inches. Typically they use halogen or xenon bulbs, which provide about 20W worth of light.

The puck light fixtures will typically mount onto the underside of cabinets using small screws that are included with the product.

Many xenon and halogen puck lights operate on 120V AC directly, but others operate on 12V and will require a transformer to drop down the voltage. Keep in mind that these transformer devices can be a bit bulky and will require a bit of creativity to place in a hidden location under a cabinet.

Today, LED puck lights dominate the market, and offer comparable performance at a fraction of the energy consumption. LEDs do not operate on AC line voltage, but rather low voltage DC, so they will require a power supply to convert the line voltage. Similar to 12V halogen puck lights, you'll need to figure out a way to keep the power supply hidden in your cabinet somewhere, or deal with a "wall-wart" that plugs directly into the electrical outlet.

But because LED puck lights are so efficient, some can actually be battery operated. This can eliminate the need to run electrical wires, making installation a breeze, and eliminating the sloppy look of loose electrical wires.

In terms of lighting effect, puck lights create a more dramatic look similar to spotlights with a directed beam that casts a roughly triangular beam shape immediately under each puck light. Depending on your tastes and preferences, this may or may not be a desired look.

Also keep in mind that you will want the appropriate quantity of puck lights with appropriate spacing, since areas below the puck lights will be light "hotspots" while the areas in between will have less illumination. In general, you will likely want approximately 1-2 feet between puck lights, but if there is a shorter distance between the cabinets and kitchen counter, you may want to place them closer together, as the light will have less distance to "spread out."