MCGOR 10inch Under Cabinet Lighting, 2 Pack Rechargeable Motion Sensor Light Indoor, 5 Levels Dimmable Magnetic Closet Lights, Wireless Under Counter Lights for Kitchen, Stairs

Why I reached for these lights

I’ve been slowly upgrading the working light in my kitchen and storage spaces, and I wanted something I could mount without drilling, recharge without juggling AAA batteries, and ignore until it just…works. This 10-inch, rechargeable, motion-sensing pair checked all those boxes on paper. After several weeks rotating them under cabinets, in a hallway, and in a bedroom closet, I have a good sense of where these MCGOR under-cabinet lights shine—and where they don’t.

Design and installation

Each bar is a slim, 10-inch strip with a frosted diffuser that keeps glare down. Build quality is better than I expected for the price: the housing feels solid, the switch has a defined click, and the magnetic mount system is genuinely convenient. There are strong magnets built into the back of each light. If you have a ferrous surface (a steel shelf or range hood), you can stick them directly. For wood or drywall, the kit includes thin adhesive-backed metal plates; stick the plate to your surface, then the light snaps onto it magnetically.

That magnetic interface is the star of the installation story. It’s secure enough that I didn’t worry about the lights dropping, yet they pop off easily for charging. A couple of practical tips:
- Clean the surface with isopropyl alcohol before placing the adhesive plates.
- Dry-fit the lights first to check sensor coverage and glare, then commit the plates.

No wiring, no holes, no fuss—and perfect for renters.

Controls and light quality

Controls are simple: a physical mode switch for On/Off/Auto and a brightness control that gives five clearly stepped levels. I prefer stepped dimming in a utility light; it’s faster to dial in than a continuous press-and-hold, and each step is distinct enough to be useful.

The light is a warm white—comfortably warm without skewing orange. That’s ideal for evening use, and it doesn’t throw the clinical, bluish cast you sometimes get from budget bars. With 40 LEDs behind a frosted cover, the output is even across the full length of the bar with no visible hotspots.

Brightness at the highest setting is enough for food prep on a standard-depth counter if the light is positioned near the leading edge of the cabinet, but it’s not a replacement for a wired, high-lumen under-cabinet system. Think focused task light on a section of counter rather than whole-kitchen illumination. On the lowest setting, it makes an excellent night path light that won’t wake anyone.

I didn’t observe flicker or buzzing. For bookshelf, pantry, and closet use, the color and diffusion feel spot-on.

Motion sensing that actually works

Set to Auto, the lights use a PIR motion sensor rated to a 120-degree field of view and about 10 feet of range. In practice, mine triggered reliably from several feet away, even at oblique angles. Importantly, the sensor is tuned for low-light environments, so it doesn’t waste battery during bright daytime conditions. In darker rooms, it wakes up quickly and shuts off roughly 20 seconds after the last detected motion.

Placement matters. If you install it too far back under a cabinet lip, the lip can block the sensor’s view and you’ll have to be right under it to trigger. Mounted near the front edge, it catches movement as you approach. In a closet, putting it at chest height facing outward gave me the most consistent activation when opening the door.

Battery life and charging

Each bar houses an 1800mAh battery and charges via USB-C (cables are included; a wall adapter is not). Battery life will vary depending on brightness and how often it’s triggered. My results lined up with the stated behavior:

• Always-on mode at full brightness is for temporary tasks. Expect hours, not days. I used this setting during a power outage for a few evening hours—handy, but not what you’d leave on continuously.
• In Auto mode, battery life stretches significantly. Under my kitchen cabinets—high-traffic, dozens of brief activations a day—I charged about every two to three weeks at medium brightness. In a bedroom closet where it only turned on a few times a day, I went well over a month before topping up.

The convenience of USB-C cannot be overstated. I keep a cable in a junk drawer, pop the bars off their plates, and plug in. No hunting for button-cell replacements, no proprietary chargers. The lights are easy to remove and reattach thanks to the magnets, so downtime is minimal.

Everyday use

• Kitchen: At 70–80% brightness under a cabinet, one bar clearly lights a 2–3 foot working zone. Knife work and reading labels felt comfortable. I liked that the warm white didn’t alter the look of food in unflattering ways.
• Hallway/stairs: At the lowest or second-lowest setting, the bars make excellent path lights that trigger as you approach. The 20-second shutoff is a good balance—long enough to pass through, short enough to preserve battery.
• Closet: This is the sweet spot. Set to Auto and medium brightness, the light comes on as soon as the door opens and shuts off after you’re done. I stopped fumbling for a chain pull and haven’t thought about charging more than once in a while.

What could be better

• Always-on is a battery drain: The lights can run continuously, but the capacity is tuned for motion use. If you need lights on all day—for a display cabinet or continuous accent lighting—look at plug-in or hardwired options. These are best in Auto.
• Mode switch layout: The three-position On/Off/Auto switch sits flush and is small. In a dark spot, it’s easy to flick past Off to the wrong mode. You’ll probably set-and-forget, but it’s a minor usability quirk.
• Brightness ceiling: For wide counters or very bright task lighting, a single 10-inch bar may not cut it. Plan on two bars or step up to a longer/higher-output light if you want big, uniform coverage.
• No wall adapter: The included USB-C cables are great, but you’ll need your own USB power brick. That’s common these days, but still worth noting.

Who will appreciate these most

• Renters or anyone avoiding holes and wiring.
• People who want automatic, hands-free light in closets, pantries, hallways, and under cabinets.
• Households trying to cut routine battery waste—USB-C rechargeability is a win.
• Night owls who prefer warm, low-glare light that won’t wake others.

If your use case is decorative lighting that stays on for hours every evening, these can do it briefly, but they aren’t optimized for that scenario.

The bottom line

The MCGOR under-cabinet lights get the fundamentals right: reliable motion sensing, a comfortable warm-white beam, sensible five-step dimming, and a magnetic mounting system that makes installation and charging painless. They’re not a replacement for hardwired under-cabinet systems in brightness or endurance, but that’s not their brief. Used as intended—in Auto, in low-light spaces where you want light only when you need it—they’re an easy, low-maintenance upgrade.

Recommendation: I recommend these for anyone seeking fuss-free, rechargeable lighting in functional spots around the home. They’re particularly good for closets, pantries, under-sink cabinets, and as path lights on stairs or hallways. If you need lights that stay on for long stretches every day, consider plug-in or hardwired alternatives; otherwise, these strike a smart balance of performance, convenience, and value.