Bulbs & Fittings Ideas

I received this today and put it under the counter I am really pleased with this item. Now I can make a midnight snack without putting on the big light. It is well constructed and only took minutes to hook up. The cord is a nice long one and can reach a long distance.

This light seemed like the identical twin of what I was replacing for very little cost. Installing a bulb proved to be a chore, however. It took several tries before I could get the bulb to light. I almost broke the casing in the process. Besides that, the switch is incredibly flimsy! It does not click in either position and has me wondering how long it will last. I find myself taking extra care when switching the light on and off.

It works for now. But it needs to last another 10 years to match the original light it replaced.

I don’t necessarily like the quality or look of this light, but it’s okay for getting the job done for the price and ease of installation. I had a light similar to this one under my cabinet for about a year before I gave up on changing out batteries, which is why I was happy to find this particular light with a cord. There is one small area in my kitchen where the track lighting doesn’t hit properly, no matter how I adjust the lights, and it happens to be the counter space most suitable for food prep during stove-top cooking. This Lights of America light is cheap, convenient, bright enough to sufficiently light my counter, lightweight, and was easy to install with some heavy-duty velcro (yep, I used velcro…sophisticated, no…haha. But it’ll certainly help when I have to change out the bulb because I could never get the light cover back on this thing without taking it down!).

With that said, keep in mind that you get what you pay for, and this light was cheap so I wasn’t expecting greatness. My older light that used batteries had thicker plastic casing that felt sturdier when being pressed into place, and it was thinner so that you couldn’t see the light at all under the cabinet when it was turned off. The plastic of the Lights of America light is flimsier, the light case/diffuser is a pain to keep attached to the unit while working with the light (actually, mine STILL isn’t completely in place, but no one can tell because it’s under the cabinet), and it’s bulky-looking, despite the fact that my cabinets have a bottom edge that extends below the bottom shelf by about an inch, providing some cover of the light case but not all. If you have a gorgeous updated kitchen, keep going with the updates and have a professional install solid lighting that is more stream-lined and blends with your decor. But if you’re like me and simply want extra light to see what you’re prepping and aren’t ashamed of your 1990s kitchen (hey, it works!), this light works just fine for a temporary solution that doesn’t waste batteries like many other cheapo lights do. One day I might spring for a more sophisticated set-up, but I’m content enough with how this light works for now.