Thanks bignick and davidr for the replies. This is a residential kitchen so the HO lamp is probably too bright. ALKCO does sells the "Little Inch" fixture with standard T5 bulbs. I just saw them listed on Lighting Fixtures and Ceiling Fans website. Will call tomorrow re:availability. Also saw the Juno UFL22 and UFL46 at this website.. http://electricsupplieson-line.stores.yahoo.net/juliuf3421wt1.html It comes with a high-efficiency (HE) lamp. How does that look for my needs? Also, must admit that I have started looking at the Kichler Xenon Series II strips. Things seem to be more straight forward and they are readily available at Bellacor with free shipping included! I know Xenon is cooler than halogen but just how hot are they?

Thanks; some great tips here! I am going to check out all these lighting sources y'all have suggested. @ debrak_2008: I'm happier with the cabinets now they're mostly installed, but when I opened the boxes to inspect I nearly cried. Hadn't realized that 'engineered wood' means chipboard. The interiors are cheap looking and the bottoms of the drawers are not durable--I will not be able to store my cast iron cookware, for instance, in the deep drawers. May have to replace some drawer bottoms. Another time I would not buy AW, but perhaps everything will hold up better than I think. Part of the problem is that I live in an area rife with great craftsmen and artists, so I look at, and appreciate, fabulous, high-quality and deeply individual cabinetry etc on a daily basis, but can't afford to buy it!! @ gpraceman: We chose DW because we wanted one switch for everything and we were putting in new sheetrock and wiring anyway. According to the electrician, if you buy the cheaper lights, you will end up paying dearly for replacement bulbs etc. One of his customers who went for the cheap lights told him he'd already spent as much again in replacement bulbs. No idea. Still worrying over counter choice--LOVE the butcher block but I freak out over the water issue. If we do it, we will definitely choose an IKEA sink with integrated drainboard. (Not sure why integrated drainboards are otherwise so hellishly expensive in the US.) Still contemplating tile. Husband doesn't want laminate. I am SO not good at this stuff. I really appreciated all the helpful and thoughtful suggestions.

If your previous lights were fluorescent lighting, it is very likely that you have line not low voltage wiring (i.e. 120V AC). If so, you'd need to figure out the size of the power supply based on the total power draw of the lights. run line voltage wiring to a power supply which has to be placed in an accessible location (eg. - inside/ on top of a cabinet) put in a separate run(s) of low voltage wiring from the power supply to the location where the lights will be placed. The wires have to be sized appropriately to handle anticipated the current draw. Get the appropriate dimmer - ELV when an electronic power supply is used or MLV (which will be more common since most power supplies use ferrite cores and are Magnetic Low Voltage). There are low profile ( ~ 3/4" to under 1") line voltage LED UCL available from different sources. All led lighting have very low heat output relative to CFL, incandescent.

One other comment. Color temperatures are not consistent from brand to brand. For instance I have a 3500k Feit bulb that is much more cool than a 4000k in a sylvania. The 4200k might end up being a close match to your 4000k lights. You won't know until you try them out. In my experience there can be up to a 1000k difference in color between various brands (and there is even inconsistency between bulbs of the exact same brand and model). Something rated 4000k could actually end up anywhere from 3500k to 4500k. I go to a physical store with a good return policy and buy at least 4 different brands of the spec bulb I am looking for and try them all out at home. I keep the one that matches what I am looking for and return the rest.