Do you like your recessed lights? What kind are they?

15 years ago

I've gone to a couple of lighting showrooms and was surprised to find that I didn't like the lighting from recessed low-voltage halogens in model kitchens. The light was uneven as you moved around, and that bothered my aging eyes! But it's hard to tell if it would be the same in my kitchen, since showroom conditions are so different. So I'm still considering it. (I'm definitely not going with incandescents.)

Those of you who have recessed fixtures, do you have halogen, and are they low- or line-voltage? Or the new "daylight" dimmable compact fluorescents? Do you find the light to be even all over the room? Do you also have ambient lighting fixtures in the room to even it out? Or do you find that your spacing does create even lighting throughout the room?

Is there anything that you don't like, in terms of color or brightness?

Thank you!

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Comments (5)

cat_mom
15 years ago
Hey there! :-)

We have Halo, new-construction cans for vaulted/angled ceilings in the kitchen, and regular Halo cans in other rooms. We use regular flood bulbs in all--100W in most of the rooms, in the entryway and hallway, and 65W in the bathroom (don't know if that will change after it's reno'd).

When we first had the recessed lighting installed years ago (in most of the house), the electrician put in Halogen bulbs (90W?) and we hated them. The lighting was too stark and each light covered too concentrated an area, casting shadows everywhere. We made him take the halogen bulbs out and replace them with incandescent bulbs. Much more even lighting in our opinion.
organic_nettie
15 years ago
I had a big problem when they installed my recessed lights. I just could not imagine them in a finished room, all I saw was studs and dark walls. We have 7 cans (5 inch) in a 10 X14 kitchen and one hanging light over the sink. Now that the room is coming together, I find I like them much better. We have 65 Watt bulbs with a dimmer. Now that the cabinets are in and the walls are painted, they are much softer, bright, but softer. It took me a while to make up my mind but it all works out ok. I have three lights over the table, and the rest are around the cabinets. I have the three on one switch, and the other four on another switch, this way I do not have to put them all on at the same time if I don't want to. Also, the hanging light over the sink is on a separate switch too.
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tetrazzini
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi catmom! How are you? I'm glad someone else had the same feeling about the recessed halogens. I read such favorable things about them, I was disappointed to actually see them. I like incandescent lighting, but I think I should look down the road if I'm going to install something new.

organic nettie, are your bulbs halogen? If so, are they low-voltage?

(I still don't get the distinction between low voltage and regular halogens, except the size of the fixture in your ceiling. Am I missing something?)
kookoo2
15 years ago
We use a combination of recessed compact fluorescent (by Rudd Lighting), and compact fluorescent ceiling fixture (as well as a great strip fluorescent under-cabinet light over the main work counter), all with warm-white lamps. The same recessed lights are the main light in our family room. Very energy efficient (and here in California, can't use incandescent as main lighting in kitchens). They aren't dimmable, but we have them grouped on a few switches, so they don't all have to be on at once.
sue_ct
15 years ago
I have Juno and I really like them. Make sure you look at the features, which I didn't know to ask about but I lucked out anyway. Ask what types of bulbs you can use, if they are compatible with CFLs should you decide to go with those in the future, even if you don't intend to now. They are getting better all the time. One feature that came up here was someone who felt hers were too glaring and I was able to fix that on mine by recessing the bulb deeper into the fixture, but they do need to be adjustable that way, and I am not sure if all of them are. So, the more versatile bulbs you can use, and fixture and dimmer that are also compatible with CFLs (I like to have options), a variety of trim pieces available so you can alter/update the decor if you want, and a fixture widely adjustable to recess the bulb or make it flush with the ceiling depending on your lighting needs and comfort.

Sue

Do you like your recessed lights? What kind are they?

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Do you like your recessed lights? What kind are they?

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