The Best Monorail Lighting Heads in 2023

Looking for the best monorail lighting heads for your monorail system? We’ve put together our favourites as a buying guide to simplify the process to help you choose the right solution for you.

Let’s get started.

What are Monorail Lighting Heads?

Monorail lighting heads are suspended directional spotlights for monorail lighting systems. They are an integral part of any monorail system as they provide the majority of the task, accent and ambient lighting a room always needs.

Monorail Lighting heads differ from ordinary directional spotlights as they cannot be installed in a normal ceiling but instead play an important role in the versatility of a monorail light system.

Why Use Monorail Lighting Heads?

A great benefit to using monorail lighting heads is their ability to be added or removed quickly and repositioned anywhere along the monorail lines. This customization potential opens up opportunities to transform the look of any space by instantly adding accent lighting when the light is washed across a wall, task lighting down onto a table and ambient lighting when used as a general source of light.

You should consider the modern professional solution of monorail spotlight heads when an interior not only needs adaptable lighting but will benefit from a lighting system that can illuminate a room with a style that means business.

Where Best to Use Monorail Lighting Heads

Monorail heads are the primary source of light from any suspended monorail system, so they can be used in the same way a recessed light or spotlight would but with added benefits.

Most interiors include recessed lighting to add an ambient general lighting layer of light, and by positioning the heads downwards a room will be lit the same way. However, the monorail spotlight head can do way more, by swivelling and angling in all directions directing the light to exactly where you need it.

Use monorail lighting heads in rooms where installing recessed lighting is problematic, such as solid ceilings. The lights can suspend on short drop heights along the surface of the ceiling and position light exactly where you would otherwise find impossible.

Rooms with a pitched sloping ceilings also benefit from a monorail lighting spotlight that can follow a chosen line to position along rather than have to be mounted onto an awkward surface to try and direct light down from.

A popular location is to use monorail lighting heads for direct lighting over kitchen islands as the suspension system makes a real statement with useful lighting from both the heads and pendants. A well lit food preparation surface is important from the task lighting of the heads and at other times replaced with the accent lighting from monorail pendants for a more relaxing level of illumination. Both types of fixture can sit side by side but be on different circuits with a 2 circuit rail. 

Choosing Monorail Light Heads

As the primary source of lighting on a monorail system, first plan where you need to deliver the lighting within the room and make sure the monorail heads are going to be near those areas so the light will reach. Choose the areas that need direct task lighting but also use monorail heads to reflect light back into the room off of walls or even off the ceiling. You can then choose a spotlight head or LED lamp to fit into a head that has the appropriate beam angle.

The finish and design of a monorail head can also be chosen to compliment the room’s style. Monorail lighting systems bring a strong aesthetic but use that to integrate into the space with the color of monorail head body and drop rod. 

Monorail heads need to be chosen according to the system they have been designed for as the fixing to the rail may well be unique to the rail chosen by the manufacturer.

Choosing the physical size of a monorail head is a little limited but they can certainly make a statement by being grouped in multiples, say over a dining room table or office reception desk.

Best-Selling Monorail Lighting Heads

With so many monorail lighting head choices found online it can be difficult to know which brand to use and put your trust in simply an image found on a webpage. That’s why we recommend only heads from good quality brands and manufacturer’s.

1. Tellium Aged Brass Monorail Head

Product Features

• Aged brass finish
• 6″ drop height
• 8W LED included
• 360° swivel & 90° pivot for maximum control

Pro:

• High quality aged brass finish
• Suits this Mini Monorail kit
• Mounts to Tech Lighting monorails.

Con:

• The price does mount up quickly with multiple pendants but this is a high end quality product of commercial standards.

2. Tellium Antique Bronze Monorail Head

Product Features

• Antique bronze finish
• 6″ drop height
• 8W LED included
• 360° swivel & 90° pivot for maximum control

Pro:

• High quality bronze finish
• Suits this Mini Monorail kit
• Mounts to Tech Lighting monorails.

Con:

• Multiple pendants of great quality will mean the price mounts up quickly on a comprehensive system, but you do get what you pay for in lighting products.

3. Tech Lighting One Light Monorail Head

Product Features

• Satin nickel finish
• 6″ drop height
• GU5.3 LED lamp as pictured not included
• 360° swivel & 90° pivot for maximum control

Pro:

• Very useful adaptable head.
• Allows for own choice of color temperature by changing the lamp/bulb.
• Mounts to Tech Lighting monorails.

Con:

• Dimming LED lamps and bulbs expect to possibly manage the smoothness of the dim by adding more load.

For lots more on suspended lighting choices check out: The Best Track, Monorail, Freejack & Cable-Lighting

Andrew Orange, the owner of Orange Lighting qualified and worked as an interior designer in 1993 before specialising in lighting working on high profile projects based in London. Since starting Orange Lighting Ltd in 2003 he has been sharing his knowledge and unique teaching style mostly to his designer clients, offering practical real life advice born from running a busy consultancy and lighting supply business. Launching in 2020, his blog has evolved into Quick & Easy Lighting, curating some 25 years design experience into making the lighting choice and design process achievable and easy to understand for all.