Our kitchen under-counter lights (24′, small-tube, fluorescents) are 20 years old. The plastic covers are brittle and on their last legs.
What is the current choice for replacement lighting.
Frosty
“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.”
Milton Friedman
Replies
Mine were 15 yrs old. The fixtures were basically fine, but they were the bottom-end of the price curve, which meant mag ballast, and that meant starter "cans" that went as fast as the bulbs and are a big PITA.
So - when the most recent starter went, all the fixtures went and were replaced with electronic ballast units I got at Grainger.
The electronic ballast version is also "instant on" instead of flicker-on, but that wasn't a driver for me - just those doggone starters.
Plus - neighbor liked them, so he got a set and I installed them for him ("neighbor" and "handy" can't be used in same sentence, but he has cold beer!!)
Am sure there are other sources + brands out there as well - just mention these 'cause I got 8- 10 of them a couple months ago. My advice is spend the extra $$ for the electronic ballasts.
Am pretty sure you meant 24 inches, not 24 feet. If I am wrong, please post photo of your kitchen cabinets.
Grainger light fixtures
Edited 10/10/2009 11:07 am ET by Spotcheck
I tried the 'kitchen photo' for you but couldn't stand back far enough to get it all in.My youngest son used to say, "Gol, Dad. Nobody's perfect." I guess he was right. Thanks for the suggestion.Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
I put in Halogen pucks space about 18" O.C.
Pretty inexpensive but they put out a fair amount of heat.
They're available everywhere and I got mine at Ikea.
I think $20.00 for a set of 5?
As a note.. I put in Halogen pucks ..
They are not allowed in my fire district.. They get way to hot under wood!
Yeah they do get hot but the better ones are vented. I haven't noticed any scorching or discoloring of the material around the lights.
I just mentioned it because I had my house inspected by the fire department.. I was thinking of a reduction on home insurance.. I passed all cept for them HOT lights!
I really like halogen for under-counter lights. I replaced the fluorescent light above our sink with a halogen bar -- it has four halogens in a white metal housing. Heat is not a problem in that arrangement. Bought it at one of the big box stores.
Thanks, JamieFrosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
Last kitchen install I did, the Sparkey put in a 12 volt strip light, thin bulbs about 1 1/2 long.
Got a nice light spread and not hot. Looked great but was pricey but the HO wanted it and she was very pleased with the result. I do not know the brand.
If your cabinet faceframes extend at least 1" below the cabinet, I would try the halogen puck lights. I've had them for over ten years and never had any serious problems - except changing the bulbs. That can be a bit of a hassle trying to insert one while holding it in a tissue so you don't get oil from your fingers on it.
HD has the puck lights in 12v or 120v and I would recommend the 120v. I had the 12v pucks for a couple of years, but bulb life seemed pretty short (~6 months). I switched to 120v pucks and change maybe one bulb a year.
"That can be a bit of a hassle trying to insert one while holding it in a tissue so you don't get oil from your fingers on it." Have you thought to try simply wearing a latex glove? That's the only way I can handle those really small bulbs.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
We went with xenon lights which operate cooler than the halogen fixtures. The xenon have a high-low setting.
What are 'xenon' lights? I've never heard of them in this application.What are their advantages: heat, light color?Where are they available?Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
Frosty,
I'm not a big fan of the halogen under-cabinet lights. As others have pointed out, they really do get quite hot. That makes me nervous, being that they're mounted to wood...
You might look into some of the new LED lights that have recently arrived on the market. There are some that are designed for use under kitchen cabinets, and they look to be a nice addition to the choices for that purpose.
Their advantages are that they don't get anywhere near as hot as halogen bulbs; they are very inexpensive to operate; they last just about forever; and they produce a white light. The drawback is that, at this point, they're a little pricy. Still, at about 40-50 bucks for a 24 inch unit, it might not be that more than some new fluorescents or halgens.
A regional big box chain in my area, Menard's, as several of these on display, and I'll bet places like Home Depot do as well, though I've never looked for them there.
Disclosure: I don't work for the LED light industry, but have done research on the subject connected to possibly getting them installed as street lights in the city where I live..
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
We have a Lowe's very close by. I will 'shop' their choices.At this point:I am leery about the heat of puck lights and their bright spot-light pattern.
I definitely will go for electronic starters if I decide on fluorescents.
I will ask about Xenons and LEDS.Many thanks to all.Now if I only can remember to install under the cabinets - NOT under the counter.Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
You might consider buying one LED light and putting it under an upper cabinet just to see the color of the light. In my opinion, the light from the vast majority of LED's available at present is just plain harsh and unnatural looking. The promise is that there will be LED's in the next 4 years that put out a more natural color temperature light, but at present, LED puck light looks like the aliens are planning on landing on the counter top. "What color IS that orange, anyway? and is that a lemon or a lime??"Mike D
Frosty:
We have "NSL Xenon Task Light" fixtures that are 18" long. The light is bright enough for under the cabinet, has 2 level settings and you don't burn your hand against the lens. Our timber-framer / GC installed them in our house when building it ~ 5 yrs. ago after getting halogen puck burn complaints from previous clients.
We'd have them installed again, until LED become affordable. Try Googling for available sellers or ask your electrician to procure.
BTW, we do have halogen track lighting above our dining and living areas. At the time, we couldn't find dimmable compact florescent bulbs that cast a white light. We might look again since the halogen are nice and bright, but seem to make more heat than light.
Dave
Re Halogen pucks, I've used both.
If you go with the 12 volt units, you will be happier if you also go for a yard-light transformer and a dimmer as the little transformers shipped with the puck sets die almost as regularly as the bulbs. You have to be careful to pick a dimmer that is compatible with a magnetic load, however.
I now use the 120 volt units and like them better. No transformer to mess with, any dimmer will work fine with them, and for some reason, the bulbs do seem to last a lot longer.
Either gets hot enough to melt your chocolate or dry out your tea on the shelf above. The next set of cabinets that I do, I'm going to figure out a way to shield the underside of the cabinet from that heat.
Worth the effort, because the warm tones from the lights just can't be beat.
Mike D
I would recommend putting them under the upper cabinets rather than under the counter, Frosty. heh heh!
I replaced my old thin profile florescents with new ones. These even generate enough heat to melt chocolate chips if on the bottom over the fixture. They are inexpensive and come in many sizes, 8" up. I was able to place a strip under every upper unit. I can use them individually or all. I added a under rail/light rail molding to my cabinets along with crown and a couple of minor changes for a nice, inexpensive face lift.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Yeah, why does everyone call them under-counter, rather that under-cabinet or over-counter? Trying not to rant . . . this has bugged me for a while.Brian
I think it's pretty funny. I used the same phrase, but don't know if my brain was just echoing the OP or if I normally use that (completely nonsensical) phrase.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I would recommend putting them under the upper cabinets rather than under the counter, Frosty. heh heh!"Don't you understand? It was the melted chocolate chip cookie issue I was trying to avoid. That and the 24 foot long lights. Oh well! Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
Now with LED's. Use no power, never get hot, strips maybe to +6' (we have 2 4's), with pressure sensitive switch dimmer. And now with no money.
"And now with no money." Ain't it the truth, LOL! Ya gotta love 'em though. Will be glad when they drop in price.....forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Thanks for all the comments.As a rule I don't like Big Box stores but some things they do are excellent. Yesterday I went to our local Lowe's to check-out under-CABINET lights. There was a large display with perhaps 20 different lights - all lit. The difference between light quality of Xenon, Halogen, LED and Florescent was very apparent. Even the various fluorescents were very different. At the bottom of the display was a chart explaining the Pros and Cons of each type. I couldn't get anything like this at a local store - an education and selection.I chose the T-5 fluorescents because of heat, light color and no-flicker start.Thanks again.
Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
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