Types of Undercabinet lights

Xenon bulbs, LED bulbs, and T2, T4, T5, T8 and T12 fluorescent bulbs are the best choices for under cabinet lighting. Incandescent aren’t a good choice, though low-voltage halogen lights are still a very common option, easy to install.

Fluorescent

Undercabinet fluorescent Fluorescents are great for under-cabinet uses. Fluorescent under-cabinet lights are usually referred by a T (from Tubular) and a number: T2, T4, T5, T8, T12… The number indicates their diameter in eighths of inches (a T5 has a 5/8" diameter).

Fixtures using T8 lamps are standard, but slimmer T2, T4 or T5 fluorescent are also very common… The T12 lamps offer many choices and color qualities, but are rather bulky, with their 2’’ diameter.

Fluorescent are very-efficient and can provide a good, bright lighting for under-cabinet works. A disadvantage is that they cannot be dimmed without the use of proper and relatively expensive ballasts and dimmers.

LED lights

Undercabinet LEDs LED puck lights for under-cabinet uses are typically small and round, and often manufactured in a disc shape. Most LED puck lights include sets of LEDs within them in order to provide sufficient illumination for work areas. LED mini-bar and round recessed LEDs are also common.

Under-cabinet LEDs offer very low energy consumption and the longest bulb lifespan: over 50,000 - 60,000 hours of use, which amounts to around 25 times the lifespan of the incandescent and 6-8 times fluorescent and xenon lamps. Their main disadvantage is the price.

Xenon

Undercabinet Xenon Bulbs Xenon bulbs is another solution for under-cabinet lighting (their name comes from the gas these bulbs use inside their glass envelope).

Xenon bulbs lifespan equals that of fluorescent, and they are price competitive and more efficient and durable than halogen and other incandescent lamps.

There are several types of xenon fixtures (puck lights, hardwire, corded) both in line voltage (120 volt) and low voltage (12 or 24 volt) options.

Halogen and other incandescent under-cabinet lights

Low initial cost and the common misjudgment that incandescent have a superior light quality over other types of bulbs… make halogen and other incandescent lamps a common choice for under-cabinet applications.

But there are good reasons not to use incandescent: they generate heat, their energy consumption is several times higher than that of other alternatives and they burn out much more frequently (their lifespan is about 2,000 hours).

Fluorescent can cost you three times more than incandescent, but allow a quick recovery of the initial up-front investment: less than a year, for an average use of 2 hours/day.

The most competitive incandescent lamps for under-cabinet lighting are low voltage halogen bulbs (12 volt or 24 volt), with their low wattage bulbs.