The Best Monorail Lighting Kits in 2023

Looking for the best monorail lighting kit for your home or building? 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.

Quick Best Buy

Monorail 5 Light Kit in Brushed Nickel

This short drop monorail track light is the entry level kit from the quality George Kovacs brand. Scroll down for the complete review.

What is a Monorail Lighting Kit?

Monorail lighting is a modern highly versatile linear suspension system that can be run in straight lines or even hand shaped into curves to create a decorative feature. A variety of lighting heads and pendants can be quickly attached, removed or moved along the monorails to create not only a wonderful lighting feature but create opportunities to light even most tricky of spaces by suspending the lighting from the ceiling.

Monorail lighting kits provide pre-selected popular combinations of monorail accessories to get you started. It can be the most cost effective and simplest place to begin with the option of being expanded at a later date.

Why We Like Monorail Light Kits

Component built monorail lighting systems cover a comprehensive selection of hardware and accessories to install lighting into virtually any interior space. However, these bespoke solutions do require a greater degree of understanding that can be avoided by using a pre-chosen kit.

As lighting designers we primarily use monorail lighting to position lighting over areas within a room that would otherwise be impossible if it were not for this simple linear suspension system. Solid ceilings that cannot take recessed lighting, slanting ceilings that are difficult to install lighting into, architectural or structural features that are awkwardly positioned – all are solved with the use of monorail lights.

It’s also the versatility of interchanging the lights themselves that make this quickly adaptable lighting solution ideal for retail and spaces that have multiple uses.

Types of Monorail Lighting Kits

Monorail Lighting Suspension Kit

A basic introductory kit that can create a variety of rail lengths by cutting the rail by hand before installation. This length will be supported with various choices of ceiling standoff and most kits allow for adjustment of height of the rail in the field. The choice of lighting to connect to the system is left to you to source additionally.

Monorail Lighting Kit with Light Fixtures

To get you going as a complete introductory kit, some kits include lighting heads as well. These lighting sources are useful for ambient and accent lighting, to spread light generally across walls or surfaces. You can possibly add to this kit with more lighting fixtures.

Can Additional Lighting be Added to Monorail Lighting Kits?

If you want to add lighting to a monorail light kit after installation, be sure to check that the monorails can take the extra weight, pendants can sometimes be a heavy choice. Monorails will hold plenty of weight as long as the rail is supported frequently. Also ensure there is capacity in the transformer to successfully power more load, this will depend on the type of light sources you are using.

If you want to add more components or lighting to your monorail kit check out: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Monorail Lighting

LED Monorail Lights

Monorail Lighting Kits without light heads allow you to choose either dedicated LED heads that have an LED source built within it or heads and pendants that will take a LED bulb – so make sure you check to see if LED is an optional source type or provided.

Be aware that some manufacturer’s do not recommend LED lamps on their systems because of dimming issues that can arise. The 12V transformer that powers the monorail will require the heavier load of halogen sources to make a smooth dim when adjusted from your dimmer switch. Using these 12V systems LED lamps can just be too light a loading, causing some flickering when full power is reduced during the dim.

Top Monorail Lighting Kits

This is our best selection of monorail lighting kits that come with a variety of accessories.

1. 5 Light Monorail Kit in Brushed Nickel

Product Features

• Dimensions – 120″ long
• Difficulty – Easy as a preselected kit
• Lights – 5 qty Halogen Lamps (can be replaced with LED lamps)

Pro:

• An affordable and decent quality brushed nickel finished rail with adjustable light heads that take halogen or LED lamps.

Con:

• This kit was originally designed for halogen lighting but is expected to be used with LED lamps.
• Dimming a transformer intended for halogen will have a larger capacity which is helpful but dimming may be problematic using LED lamps as the load is light.

2. Monorail Mini Transformer Kit

Product Features

• 8′ long hand bendable MonoRail
• 2 sets of end caps
• 250W Power transformer (120V input)
• 2 individual rigid standoffs (rail drops 1.4″ from the ceiling)
• Light heads or pendants to be bought individually

Pro:

• Beautiful aged brass finish
• Looks incredible pictured with the pendants **LINK**
• Mounts to a standard 4″junction box.
• Add up to 5 qty 50W halogen lamps or LED equivalents.
• Tech Lighting brand

Con:

• This kit was originally designed for halogen lighting but is expected to be used with LED lamps. However, the dimming of LED lamps may need some care and extra loading from a halogen lamp to stop a little flicker if it arises.

3. Milano 12ft Satin Nickel Monorail Kit

Product Features

• 12′ long hand bendable MonoRail
• 2 end caps
• 120V line voltage input
• Set of individual rigid standoffs (5″ from the ceiling)
• Set of Light heads or pendants available individually

Pro:

• Dimming easy with line voltage powered bulbs

Con:

• You have to choose your own heads or pendants

4. TLA 800RAL28NXZ Bronze Monorail Kit

Product Features

• Hand bendable bronze finish monorail
• 2 end caps
• 100W Transformer
• Includes 2 qty heads and 2 qty pendants

Pros

• Complete kit easy to install
• Extra heads and pendants be added to after installation
• Power entry can be anywhere along the rail

Cons

• Dimming with LED bulbs will need some care and attention.

5. 700MOKTS150S Satin Nickel Monorail Kit

Product Features

• 8′ long hand bendable MonoRail
• 2 sets of satin nickel end caps
• 120V input to 12V 150W transformer
• 2 qty rigid standoffs
• Monorail heads or pendants available separately
• Tech Lighting Brand & Monorail System

Pro:

• High quality manufacturer
• Surface mount transformer means the whole kit is in the room and there is no need to find a hidden location for a remote transformer.
• Easier DIY product to install than a remote transformer system.

Con:

• You have to choose your own heads or pendants

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.