The pros of having light strips horizontally accross the top (and on all four sides) despending on the brand of medicine cabinet and the quality of the LED lighting used is it can illuminiate the majority of the bathroom depending on size of the bathroom. It can act as the main light source as well as provide task lighting. Also, medicine cabinets with the bottom light depending on the brand is a nightlight where you can turn off the other 3 sides and use the bottom light as the nightlight, which can be dimmed. Having only two light strips vertically on each side can also provide the same benefits, but does not have the nightlight function. It really dependes on the brand of medicinec cabinet you purchase as some brands offer better quality in craftsmanship, lighting technology and functionality. I hope this helps.

Thank you, Sidler! That’s extremely helpful information. I’ve read reviews for several mirrored LED cabinets where some people say they are bright enough for the whole bathroom, and others say the same cabinet is too dim— it seemed safest to add a lamp across the top to ensure adequate lighting.

@HU-655806221 - You are most welcome. As I mentioned it really depends on the brand of medicine cabinet. There are brands that have better quality LED lghting technology, which can illuminiate an entire bathroom where overhead lighting above the mirrored cabinet is not neccessaary. And there are brands which don't offer good illumination due to poor quality LED lighting. Not all LED bulbs are created equal.

Thanks again, I will check out the Sidler mirror cabinets.