Phantom Lighting System

Undercounter lighting is necessary to both the aesthetics and overall functionality of kitchen design and workflow. Dark spots under cabinets make it hard to see colors and work with tools. Food preparation is difficult (and sometimes a bit unsafe) if you do not have an adequate source of glare-free light to work with. It is also more difficult if the light is unevenly distributed or brighter in some places than in others.

Fluorescent under cabinet lights have long been used for undercounter lighting sources for many reasons. Originally developed as energy efficient task lights, fluorescents could operate for long hours with lower energy cost and less frequent lamp replacements. It made sense to then adapt these same sources to indoor task lighting applications like under undercounter kitchen lighting. In some ways, they are ideal for this task—provided the lighting is uniform and aesthetic outcome is not the highest priority.

Fluorescent undercounter kitchen lights are segmented fixtures that mount in series underneath the rear of the cabinet. Depending on type and origin of manufacture, these segments vary in length. Ideally, these segments can be lined from side to side, end to end, and evenly distribute light across the countertop.

Fluorescent undercounter lighting can work very well in such a setting if the counter features a matte finish that reflects virtually no light, and provided that the fixtures can completely line the posterior undersurface of the cabinet. You will encounter problems, however, if you are looking to build a custom home with more sophisticated cabinetry and countertop design.

Custom cabinets vary and cabinet light solutions cut to standard lengths cannot precisely match their horizontal surface. A series of fluorescent fixtures can still be installed here, but there will be gaps on one end or both due to the fact that standard lengths, even when combined, may not precisely match horizontal measurements. You will see an immediate, noticeable deterioration in the quality of undercounter lighting. Dark spots will appear under the sides of your cabinet due to the lack of lighting uniformity.

The problem becomes more compounded if you are planning to install a granite or marble countertop. Because these surfaces are so reflective, glare becomes just as much of an enemy as shadow. Fluorescent undercounter lights installed at the back of the cabinet will not work here because they will shine light forward across the counter which will then reflect up into the eyes.

For these situations, LED undercounter lighting with linear strips is much more effective than fluorescent lighting. Because they mount to the forward undersurface of the cabinet, they direct light backward away from the eyes and provide a higher quality aesthetic. Custom made strips are to be preferred above standard-sized linear strips because they can be manufactured to fit the exact horizontal dimensions of the cabinet. Glare shields should also be present, with options in light distribution angles offered by the manufacturer as well. Lights should also fitted with dimmers so homeowners can adjust countertop lighting to match general room lighting levels. Furthermore, multiple lamp options should be made available to the builder who needs freedom of choice in selecting light source and color temperature.

To meet all of these requirements, Phantom Lighting engineered the TM series linear task light for kitchen cabinet lighting. The TM strip light can be fitted with your choice of incandescent, xenon, or LED festoon lamps. This series comes in 5 available trims, each one having a specific light distribution angle that allows you to precisely match beam spread in kitchen cabinet lighting applications. TM linear strips are 100 percent dimmable, so homeowners can easily and instantly adjust light levels. Each strip is also glare shielded to minimize spill light and direct the majority of luminance away from the eyes into the back splash.

We have further developed our technology with the patenting a new LED festoon lamps that can closely imitate the color rendering and luminance output of xenon—at only 60 percent of the power consumption. Furthermore, heat sinks built into our festoons make it a cool-operating light source that can be left on for long periods of time without measurable heat buildup.
You can order Phantom LED festoons in the warm color temperature of 2800K, the slightly cooler 2950K, and the cool color 5000K. You can also order incandescent and xenon lamps in the same color temperatures for special, luxury under counter lighting applications. If this is your decision, we recommend you use dimmer controls to minimize heat and power consumption, which will also help keep temperature down and maximize lamp life.

We manufacture cabinet lighting fixtures in our Houston, Texas facility. A network of nationwide lighting supply sales representatives fans out throughout all 50 states into cities like Scottsdale, Arizona, Seattle, Washington (SEA), Los Angeles, CA (LAX) Boston, Massachusetts (BOS), Princeton, NJ (EWR), Philadelphia, PA (PHL), Dallas, Texas (DWF), Chicago, IL (ORD), Baltimore, MD (BWI), and Minneapolis, MN (MSP). We also service clients internationally, with lighting manufacturer representatives working out of Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

We invite you to contact us toll free 800-863-1184 to obtain more information on all of kitchen and display lighting products. You can also request cabinet lighting literature on our Phantom Lighting website, visit our Phantom Lighting mobile website, or read through the many informative summaries and FAQs located on our cabinet lighting blog. All of these resources, including our online virtual lighting showroom contain a wealth of information about our custom; low-voltage lighting products that are the dream come true of art lighting designers and cabinet lighting builders on two major continents.

Why do so many under cabinet lights produce so much glare?

Lower grade commercial linear strip lights are usually manufactured with insufficient glare shielding. Many use frosted lenses intended to soften the intensity of the light and minimize excessive. While they do a good job in keeping the light below levels that would actually blind a person, they do not provide sufficient shielding to completely eliminate the indirect glare that that can reflect off of granite, marble, or metal surfaces. Phantom strip lighting, on the other hand manufactures under cabinet lights that eliminate both direct and indirect glare altogether. Unlike some puck lights that are partly visible, Phantom strips are so compact they lie completely hidden from view. We do not use frosted lenses on our lamps because they create too much of a “fuzzy” look to the light. Instead, we use glare shields specifically engineered to anticipate the wise variety of counter tops in custom homes and commercial environments. This completely eliminates glare while maintaining optimal clarity. As a commercial under cabinet lighting manufacturer, we take hiding the light source very seriously.

Why do some under cabinet lights actually shine light into your eyes?

Larger fixtures cannot support their own weight in many cases without the “back rest” of the wall, thus creating the forward throw of annoying, excessive light. Phantom is a lighting manufacturer of under cabinet lighting strips to more efficiently mount beneath the front end of the cabinet underbelly. Our engineers can design this feature into our strip lighting due to their extremely compact size. Our lights, by contrast, strategically angle the light from the front of the cabinet onto the workspace. Our unique lamping designs create a more ambient pattern of luminosity that cascades downward in an even layer of light that is clear but not blinding. This creates a preferred status for Phantom as an under cabinet lighting manufacturer in commercial, residential, and even industrial domains. Not only do we provide superior positioning and lighting, but we offer some of the most cost-effective lighting technology available anywhere in the world.

Phantom manufacturers under cabinet lighting fixtures with several lamping options that save clients on power costs.

Our entire linear low voltage strip light series are manufactured as either 24VAC or 12VAC products. In simple terms, this means higher-end lighting lamps such as xenon that normally consume greater amounts of electricity by design now use less power when installed on a Phantom transformer. Larger fixtures cannot support their own weight in many cases without the “back rest” of the wall, thus creating the forward throw of annoying, excessive linear strip. We also offer UC or task lights with incandescent bulbs for more standard kitchen and break room lighting, and we have recently introduced superb LED replacement lamps that can competitively match quality to industry mainstay light sources at only 80% of the power consumption rates of previous technology. This allows you to replace LED puck lights that often create an eyesore without sacrificing on power savings.

Lighting agents are available throughout United States, Canada, Central America and South America to consult personally with individuals and commercial entities on an infinite number of customization that make our team of under cabinet light manufacturers the most personable group of customization and design experts in lighting engineering.

We invite you to learn more about Phantom Lighting and our patented, proprietary cabinet and display lighting we manufacture.

LED strip lights provide an ideal source of showcase lighting in any situation involving heat sensitive items. Materials such as makeup, textiles, foods, produce, can quickly deteriorate when exposed to forward radiant heat and/or ultraviolet light. Phantom LED festoon light strips generate only a small fraction of the heat of incandescent or Xenon equivalents, with the radiant heat of each individual lamp being roughly equivalent to that of a 1 watt light bulb. This makes them not only well-suited for various forms of retail showcasing, but also for museum lighting of historical documents, antiques, and ancient artifacts.

Over the past decade, we have also seen a growing demand for LED strip lights in cove lighting design work. LED Cove lighting requires both an optimal beam spread and a high lumens output that can dispel all shadows along a curved surface. Because it can be such a chore to replace cove lights when they fail, a longer lamp life is preferred in order to curtail maintenance costs. Furthermore, because cove lights tend to remain on for longer periods of time than task lights, it serves a budget well to use an energy efficient light source. Phantom led lights strips fulfill all of these requirements. With only 1.7 watts of power, the Phantom LED lamp is designed to ultimately replace all 3, 5, and 10 watt incandescent and festoon lamps by minimizing current without sacrificing light intensity.

Phantom LED strip light bulbs have also worked their way into larger industrial spaces as power savers and key components to LEEDS certification. In areas where scaffolding or man lifts must be used to service cove lighting systems in hard to reach areas or tall ceilings, Phantom LED light lamps reduce costs by exponentially reducing lamp replacement cycles. No other festoon bulb offers longevity comparable to a Phantom’s 50,000-hour lamp life. Incandescents burn out after approximately 7,500 hours and Xenon’s after about 20,000 hours. Incandescents and Xenon festoons also consume more power and emit less light.

Why not jump on the LED lamp train and contact Phantom Lighting to learn more about the benefits of Phantom LED technology! Phantom distributes low voltage strip lighting and fine art lighting projectors throughout the Western Hemisphere and works with both commercial lighting firms and private end users. Contact a professional lighting manufacturer representative in your area, or simply call 1-800-863-1144 to see LED technology in a whole new light.