Under cabinet lights - fluorescent or LED?

[swee'pea99]

I know, I know, always the most exciting threads...

Anywaaaaay....

Got to get some under cabinet lights for the kitchen. I'm leaning towards LED - always found fluorescents a bit bland and soulless somehow, and LED just seems like A Good Technology: very low energy, lasts forever, blah de blah. But 'er indores is concerned that LED strips are for effect lighting, not functional lighting, and she might end up cutting her thumb off.

Has anyone used LED's? Any thoughts? What specs matter, and what should I look for? (I know when I need a 100w bulb and what a 60w looks like, but that's about as far as it goes.) Any advice appreciated.

 

[Globalti]

Ugh! Flourescent tubes are so naff and so old technology. LEDs every time for choice and low cost running.

Look: http://www.simplelighting.co.uk/categories/LED-Lighting/Under-Cabinet{47}Shelf/

 

[Night Train]

Depends on the LEDs I guess.
strips of them might give a reasonable spread of light but clusters of them might give a sharp beam of light casting lots of shadows and creating very bright and very dark areas.

I am using fluorescent strip lights, mainly because I have many of them in stock and almost endless supply of lamps and starters.

 

[Edge705]

Halogen for brightness LED for effects both low voltage

 

[swee'pea99]

Halogen? For under cabinet? Hadn't considered them. I would've thought you need a less 'sharp' light for chopping up carrots, no? Globalti, do you actually have them under cabinets?

 

[rich p]

I've got a couple of the battery operated, self-adhesive LED lights and they are next to useless.

 

[SquareDaff]

LED's are the way to go - especially as all old tech bulbs will be getting phased out in the next few years. Haven't used them in the kitchen but have used both styles camping - much prefer the whiter light the LED's generate.

 

[Globalti]

Halogen? For under cabinet? Hadn't considered them. I would've thought you need a less 'sharp' light for chopping up carrots, no? Globalti, do you actually have them under cabinets?

Er....no, we don't have halogens under our cabinets! Did I say we did? We have flourescent tubes and they're nasty.

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks all. Sorry Globati, that was really unclear - I meant to ask whether you'd used LEDs under cabinets. I'd just be interested to hear of anyone who has put LEDs under cabinets, and if so, what their impressions are (and which ones they used...there seem to be so many kinds. And I'm a bit dubious about the non-strip types that seem to be common - I'm wondering if the light they give is good for working - no harsh shadows and the like.

 

[junglegusset]

I don't like the light LED's give out, as bad as or worse than flourescent tubes IMO. Too much blue in them. Low voltage halogen capsule lights gives much nicer light to work by. You'll need a step down transformer, but you would need that for LEDs anyway I think.

 

[ColinJ]

I used to have GU10-type 4 halogen spotlights in a cluster in my kitchen. Okay, they gave out a lot of light, but I couldn't help but be aware of how much energy they used because they used to cook the bald spot on top of my head when I was standing under them to do the washing up! They also didn't last long and took out the fuse in my lighting circuit every time one blew.

As each halogen bulb went, I replaced it with a low energy equivalent (basically a tiny, folded fluorescent tube). The energy consumption is about 10% that of the original halogens and the light output is fine - once the bulbs warm up, but they take a stupidly long time to do so (at least a couple of minutes to achieve full brightness). I often think I've clicked the wrong light switch because the kitchen remains in darkness, but when I look up, I can see a faint glow from the ceiling, gradually becoming brighter. They are completely useless when I just want to nip into the kitchen for something. I end up using my LED front bike light as a torch!

I think I'll treat myself to some of those GU10 LED spotlights for the kitchen ceiling and try out some LED strip lights for under-cabinet lighting.

 

[User482]

You can buy "warm white" fluorescents and LEDs - these are the way to go as they have a much nicer colour temperature. I have fluorescents under my kitchen cabinets - they give a good spread of light and are a very low wattage, so I can't see any reason to choose LEDs in preference.

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks all. I think we're going to go with the warm-white fluorescents after all. For the moment at least, I think we'll keep the LEDs for mood lighting.

 

[rich p]

Thanks all. I think we're going to go with the warm-white fluorescents after all. For the moment at least, I think we'll keep the LEDs for mood lighting.

Good call swee'pea99 - bit of Mantovani on the radiogram, bottle of un-chilled Black Tower, a packet of salted peanuts on a saucer and she'll be putty in your fingertips!

 

[slowmotion]

Good call swee'pea99 - bit of Mantovani on the radiogram, bottle of un-chilled Black Tower, a packet of salted peanuts on a saucer and she'll be putty in your fingertips!

A long, long time ago a, erggh, "friend" told me that Playboy had an advert for a novel piece of seduction kit. It was a slow-acting, automatic light dimmer that started out at full power and dimmed to utter darkness over the period set by the Lothario, by which time the "gloves were off". Very Seventies.