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Under cabinet lights are great additions to any kitchen. They provide focused lighting, mood, and style for very little effort and not a lot of money. If you’ve been thinking about adding under cabinet lights to your kitchen, you’re probably wondering which type works best. Let’s walk through the four most popular options so you can pick the one that fits your needs, budget, and style.
LED Under Cabinet Lighting: The Popular Choice
If you walk into most modern homes today, you’ll probably find LED under cabinet lights. There’s a good reason they’ve become so popular. They just work well for most people.
How LED Lights Work
LED stands for “light-emitting diode.” Without getting too technical, these lights create illumination by passing electricity through a semiconductor. The result? Bright light with very little heat and amazing energy efficiency.
Your LED Options
You’ll find LED under cabinet lighting in two main styles:
- Strip lights: These look like thin ribbons of light that run along the length of your cabinets. They provide smooth, even lighting across your entire workspace.
- Puck lights: These are small, round fixtures that create focused circles of light. They’re perfect if you want to highlight specific work areas.
Why People Love LEDs:
- Use about 80% less energy than old-style incandescent bulbs
- Last 15-20 years, so you won’t be climbing on counters to change bulbs anytime soon
- Stay cool to the touch. No worrying about heat affecting your food or cabinets
- Come with dimming options so you can adjust the mood
- Available in different color temperatures, from warm yellow to crisp white
LED Lights Installation
Many LED strip lights come with adhesive backing that makes installation pretty straightforward. Puck lights usually need a bit more planning for wiring, but most homeowners can handle the installation with basic tools.
What to Consider
LEDs cost more upfront, but the energy savings and long lifespan usually make up for it. Some cheaper options might have color inconsistencies, so it’s worth investing in quality fixtures.
Fluorescent Under Kitchen Cabinet Lights
Fluorescent lighting has been around for decades, and while it’s not the newest technology, modern fluorescent under cabinet lights have solved most of the old problems like flickering and buzzing.
Fluorescent lights create illumination by exciting mercury vapor inside a tube, which then produces visible light. Modern versions are much more stable and pleasant than the fluorescent lights you might remember from school cafeterias.
T4 fluorescent tubes work great for under cabinet lighting. They’re slim, about half an inch in diameter so they practically disappear under your cabinets while providing excellent, even coverage.
Fluorescent Advantages
- Energy efficient and long-lasting
- Provide very consistent light distribution
- More affordable upfront than LED options
- Easy to find replacements at most hardware stores
- Give off minimal heat
Things to Keep in Mind:
- Most aren’t dimmable (though some compact fluorescent options offer limited dimming)
- Contain small amounts of mercury, so they need proper disposal when they eventually burn out
- Take a moment to reach full brightness when you turn them on
- Light quality can feel a bit clinical compared to warmer options
If you want good, reliable lighting at a reasonable price and don’t need dimming capability, fluorescent is a solid choice that will serve you well for years.
Xenon Under Cabinet Lighting
Sometimes called HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights, xenon under cabinet lights produce the kind of warm, natural light that makes your kitchen feel cozy and welcoming.
These lights use a tungsten filament (like old incandescent bulbs) but surround it with xenon gas. This setup lets the filament burn brighter and last longer while producing that warm, familiar glow many people prefer.
Why Homeowners Choose Xenon
- Creates beautifully warm, natural-looking light that feels comfortable and inviting
- Fully dimmable, so you can set the perfect mood for any occasion
- Available in both puck and linear styles to match your design preferences
- Easy to find and replace when needed
- More energy-efficient than regular incandescent bulbs
What You Should Know:
- Produce more heat than LED or fluorescent options
- Use more energy than LEDs, though still better than old incandescent
- Don’t last quite as long as LED lights
- The heat they generate might be noticeable in smaller kitchens
If you love the warm, cozy feeling of traditional incandescent lighting but want something more efficient, xenon hits that sweet spot between old-school comfort and modern practicality.
Halogen Under Kitchen Cabinet Lights
Halogen lights are like xenon’s more intense cousin. If you want serious brightness and crisp, white light, halogen might be exactly what you’re looking for.
How Halogen Works
Similar to xenon lights, halogen uses a tungsten filament, but fills the bulb with halogen gas instead. This creates brighter, whiter light though it also means more heat.
The Halogen Benefits
- Extremely bright, crisp light output
- Excellent color rendering. Your food and kitchen finishes look their absolute best
- More energy-efficient than standard incandescent bulbs
- Fully dimmable for flexibility
- Relatively inexpensive to purchase
- Instant full brightness when you flip the switch
Important Considerations
- Generate significant heat. Not ideal if you store heat-sensitive items nearby
- Shorter lifespan than other options, so you’ll replace bulbs more often
- Higher energy consumption than LED or fluorescent
- The intense heat can sometimes affect foods or materials stored close to the lights
Halogen works well if you do a lot of detailed food preparation and want the brightest, most accurate lighting possible. Just be prepared for the extra heat and more frequent bulb changes.
Which Type of Under Cabinet Lighting Should You Choose?
It really depends on what matters most to you. If you want the most energy-efficient option that you can install and forget about for years, LED is your best bet. It stays cool, lasts forever, and gives you dimming options. For those who love warm, cozy lighting that feels like traditional bulbs, xenon creates that perfect ambiance and dims beautifully for any mood. Fluorescent offers reliable, even lighting at a budget-friendly price if you don’t need dimming features. And if you want the brightest, most accurate light for detailed cooking tasks and don’t mind the extra heat or more frequent bulb changes, halogen delivers unmatched brightness and color clarity.
Final Thoughts
You’ve got plenty of affordable under-cabinet lighting options to choose from. These four popular picks will come down to your personal needs and style.
Of course, choosing the right under cabinet lighting plays second fiddle to choosing the right kind of kitchen cabinets. If you’re looking for new cabinets, be sure to find a reliable supplier near you. Cabinets City is just the reliable and reputable supplier you need if you are in Chicago, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Hoffman Estate, Elk Grove Village, and surrounding areas.
We carry some of the best brands in the country, from RTA to custom cabinets, and at the best prices compared to Cabinets To Go and Advance Cabinets. These include Schrock, Fabuwood, J and K, Forevermark, and Wolf Cabinets. Everything comes with manufacturer warranties, and we make sure to deliver on time so your kitchen project doesn’t get delayed or go over budget.
We can advise you on the best cabinets and how to incorporate cabinet lights for your kitchen. Give us a call for a free consultation and quote, or visit our showroom in Mt. Prospect, Illinois. We can give you what you need faster and better than big box stores.
