Show me your cans! er, I mean recessed lights...

[pitterwoo]

We have recessed lights in the living room that I currently use  those halogen incandescents in.

These:

Sorry the pic is so big.  Anyway, I really like them because they look and act like an incandescent, but they are at least a bit more energy efficient and last a pretty long time.

We need to install can lights in the kitchen now too and while I'm really happy with this, I don't want to be over committed to old technology that is basically on it's way out.

Would you go with LEDs?  I'm skeptical of the lighting being too harsh and I know that in the past I've thought that LEDs have a subtle strobing that is annoying.

Any other options that I should be considering?

[bunnymendelbaum]

Hilarious title!

LEDs have come a long way recently but I don't have any direct experience living with them. I have to email an electrical engineer today, so I'll ask him his opinion.

In our old house, we had these cans:
www.cooperindustries.com/content/public/en/lighting/products/recessed_general_purpose_downlighting/compact_fluorescent/_4_inch_housings/_269428.html

With this trim:
m.homedepot.com/p/Halo-4-in-Specular-Reflector-Cone-Trim-999P/100036942

And these halogen bulbs:

www.lightbulbmarket.com/category/40082320

[TBM]

We have 4 inch can lights with led bulbs, in both our hall and our kitchen. They have warm white bulbs that are anything but harsh. One bulb int he hall is a brighter white, and it is crazy bright....to much for the hall, but I might not mind it in other applications. I would really like something in between the two levels, but haven't found anything in the right size for the can lights yet.

I didn't want halogen...they are just too hot.

We were warned that more than three leds in a line can cause a delay in starting, and in the hall, the last one in the line does come on ever so slightly after the others. Other than that, there is nothing different/noticeable.Ours are all dimmable.

In the kitchen I don't notice a delay at all. We have can lights (only 5 total)mostly as 'path lighting', not as task lighting, (except for the one over the sink area, that is on a different switch.)

[pitterwoo]

I really like halogen, and those look like they're nice Bunny.

H is pushing me to go with LED so I'm trying to figure out more about those.

TBM, do you by chance have the info on which lights and housings you went with?

I have been looking at 4" sizes. That's pretty much the consensus size in general now, right?

[TBM]

Sorry...I don't remember which housing we wound up with. We had some issues with the electricians installing the wrong size first, and we had so much going on at that point that I forgot to keep track of what we finally got.

[pitterwoo]

Jan 5, 2014 18:14:43 GMT -5 TBM said:

Sorry...I don't remember which housing we wound up with. We had some issues with the electricians installing the wrong size first, and we had so much going on at that point that I forgot to keep track of what we finally got.

I totally understand.  It seems really confusing online which is my preferred way to research these things.  We're going to check out the lighting and electrical supply stores in person this week.  We'll see what we come up with and what recommendations we get.  All conflicting, I'm sure already