Contractor/electrician gave me 3 LED recessed lighting choices: help!

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I have spent the last 8 hours reading online reviews and different lighting threads here. I give up! Appealing to the Houzz lighting experts to take pity on me and provide much needed guidance.

PROJECT: Kitchen renovation (includes under-cabinet lighting, pendants over island and eating area, and 4" recessed lights).

GOAL: recessed lights that go on instantly, are as dimmable as my current incandescent, and give off a nice soft light (not glaring). Please help me choose recessed light/dimmer combo to end up with a good end result.

STATUS: Halo recessed housings have been installed in the ceiling so I have to stick with that (contractor put HALO H99ICAT housings in the ceiling already).

DILEMMA: Electrician gave me 3 choices for the lighting that will go inside those housings.** Of the options presented, he recommended CREE DR4 .** Options below:

a) Commercial electric 4" White Baffle Recessed Light Trim T19. Looks like you put in this housing and trim ring, and then buy and add a bulb separately.

b) Ecosmart 4" LED 1000064749 - Lamp module & housing unit - box says it's 9.5 W, a 65W equivalent soft light replacement, 2700K. Light is almost flush with surface (ie, not very recessed looking, don't really care for the look).

c) Cree DR4 Series LED Downlight (Model # DRDL4-05727009-12DE26-1C100 ) -- Lamp module & housing, 65 W replacement, uses 11.5 watts, 2700K. Light sits up in the housing about 2".

Concerns based on research --

1. ONLINE REVIEWS: most reviews of the CREE CR4 series LED are very positive, but a good percentage say that the light is very bright and dimmers don't dim them enough. This is a big concern for me. Don't want a kitchen that's too bright w/ lighting that's not dimable enough. Can't find much about the newer DR4 vs. the CR4 series ... but I think they are similar.

2. DIMMER COMPATIBILITY? CREE specifies their lights should only be used with approved dimmers. Dimmers not yet purchased or installed yet ... I was thinking about LeGrand dimmers, outlet covers & switch plates ... but LeGrand is not on their approved list! Should I switch to a different brand dimmer? Started reading about Lutron dimmers and others, very confused. Abandon the LeGrand option and choose a different dimmer ... or choose a different (not CREE) LED light?

3. QUALITY? Less of a concern, but the CREE and ECOSMART trim/housing look a little cheap (to me). Anyone else familiar enough with the brands in question to say whether it's a quality finish? Seems crazy to spend all this $$$ on marble, quality cabinets, etc. and then put lighting that looks cheap. Are there other, higher quality alternatives that should be considered? What is the style trend?

QUESTIONS:

The reviews about incompatibility of various brand recessed LEDs and dimmers is making me nuts. Is there a better option, beyond contractor's list? Am I good going with recommended CREE DR4. (and if so, which dimmer)? And since I am attempting to upgrade, what style/qualtity indicators should I be aware of?

THANKS IN ADVANCE for any help you can offer on this decision.

Featured Answer

David

8 years ago

The Cree lights do work with all dimmer types - ELV, MLV, incandescent.

Some factors affecting dimming performance

Some dimmers will have a minimum load which is greater than the total load of 1 or 2 CR4/ CR6 lamps. eg - min load of 20W. The end result is that there will be flickering (not the only cause for flickering) and other issues.
Dimming range of the lamp vs perceived dimming.

Lutron has a nice write up on dimming LED and CFLs that is easy to understand.
Dimming explanation by Lutron

Yes Legrand has elv dimmers that should work with Cree.

adorne dimmer by Legrand

I personally prefer Lutron - excellent products with outstanding support (even for the end user)

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Comments (12)

David
8 years ago
ELV (Electronic Low Voltage) dimmers handle led lighting well.

The integrated trim is usually a metal ring painted white.

Following are the specifications for the DR and CR series from Cree. The CR series is more efficient.

You can do an online comparison or print out the spec sheets and do a comparison

Cree DR4

Cree CR4
Rhonda Hurwitz thanked David
Rhonda Hurwitz
Original Author
8 years ago
David, thanks so much for your comment about the distinction between DR4 and CR4. I appreciate the link to the specs.

Efficiency aside ...

Do you know is the LeGrand line is an ELV compatible dimmer for the CREE, or if I need another option?
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Rhonda Hurwitz
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks so much for the links. Will read and then let you know if I have any followup questions!
omelet
8 years ago
Rhonda, I can't give any advice about lighting, but I wanted to say that I really respect the way you organized your post - project, goal, status, etc. That is very impressive. I'm so glad you got good advice from an expert. I hope your project turns out wonderfully!
Rhonda Hurwitz thanked omelet
homepro01
8 years ago
Rhonda,

Agree with Omelet statement. Your post is very well written. I also agree with David about Lutron dimmers. I have the Lutron ELV dimmer in my dining room with a Tech Lighting Chandelier. It dims down to almost nothing. It is a great dimmer. No humming, flickering, etc. I have a Leviton dimmer in a bedroom for some LED lights and it does not work the same. The Leviton links to my home automation system but I may have to invest in the Lutron all around.

Good luck!
Rhonda Hurwitz thanked homepro01
Rhonda Hurwitz
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I am grateful for the help of the community here. This is a complex subject to get right ... especially for a lighting newbie! I will share my final decision here ... as well as anything I learn prior to deciding. PS @homepro01, thanks for sharing your first hand experience with the Lutron ELV vs. the Leviton dimmer. Good to know.
User
8 years ago
We recently replaced all our cans with Feit retro fit and lutron dimmers -- LOVE IT
Rhonda Hurwitz thanked User
AvatarWalt
8 years ago
Lighting is one of this week's rotating renovation obsessions, so I understand your dilemma. I made an appointment with a lighting designer at a good sized local lighting store last week ($75 for an hour, which I think was money well spent), so that might be an option for you if you live in a place where that's available, as I found it really helpful.

Soft, incandescent-like dimming is a goal for me too, and I know that most LEDs just get dimmer rather than also getting warmer like good old "real" bulbs. Satco, however, makes warm dimming bulbs, and Juno has warm dimming housings. I haven't actually seen either of them, so I can't comment on how they look, and there may be others out there too, but that's an option you might want to throw into the mix (even though we're supposed to be clarifying things, not making them more complicated!)

Let us know what you decide and how you like it. I keep wishing there were ONE easy area, but I haven't found it so far.
Rhonda Hurwitz thanked AvatarWalt
Rhonda Hurwitz
Original Author
8 years ago
Finding a lighting designed /consultant is a great idea. The suggested bulbs and cans also interesting. I will post what I find ... thank you for the suggestions. Warmth is the key word.
parker25mv
8 years ago
You should consider going with 3000K, it has a somewhat whiter color of light. 2700K may be too orange-colored for a kitchen space, in my opinion.

TCP makes a 3000K downlights with 90 CRI. A higher CRI value is important if you want the red colored objects in your kitchen to look vibrant and colorful. With ordinary LED, sometimes red colored objects and skin tones can look a little dull and greyish.
Jasmin Huang
6 years ago
Randomly found your post and we are facing the same decision. WhAt you end up using?

Contractor/electrician gave me 3 LED recessed lighting choices: help!

David

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Contractor/electrician gave me 3 LED recessed lighting choices: help!

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