I don't think you understand that the new LED's are a fixture in itself. I'm not talking about frosted glass fixtures with bulbs that are replaceable. I am considering that over these modern all-in-one units though! I get better light from a boob light with 2 20 watt LED's than I do from a modern fixture that uses less watts and gives off 1/4 the lumens. I'd gladly pay more in energy to get bright lights but they do not make the modern fixtures with bright lights from what I can find. I am finding some 16 or 20" round fixtures but those are meant for 1 light per room application. My kitchen has 7 boxes to fill, bedrooms have 5 or 6, etc.

You're confusing apples and oranges. The problem isn't LED vs incandescent. You're trying to get wide light dispersion (as from your boob light) with a fixture that's flat to the ceiling. It can't shine sideways because it has no vertical surface.

Any light that is flat will only light what's below it. Recessed cans with flat lenses (or no lenses) work the same way.

And, to overstate the obvious, any light that gives off "1/4 the lumens" will be only 1/4 as bright.

Is this for inside your home or in a work area? If in a workshop, garage, work area in the home where it doesn't need to be decor pretty have you looked at LED Hi-Bays? Talk about light output! I have 6 2-footers in my 48x48 garage hung 20' high and it's like daylight in there at 3AM.

I am fascinated with your problem. I've installed all LED lighting in my home and the lights are so bright we rarely use more than one or two at a time. And the install is pretty easy. Phillips has a line of LED's at a good price point (at least 4 - 5 years ago). I would suggest trying an online or local lighting store or build.com where you'll get good customer service.

I don't think you understand that the new LED's are a fixture in itself.

But that's a choice. You could, instead, look for low-profile lighting that'd designed for regular bulbs and then put in the kind of LED bulbs you prefer -- those too have evolved and improved in recent years. They come in a variety of shapes!!

Try these:

http://p-tec.net/led-recessed-downlights/

My favorite is the Ultra-Thin (original).

Your original two options are very close in lumen output around 6/675 so they are pretty similar. I was just in Home Depot this afternoon and their 6" Globe brand ultra slim have an 800 lumen output for $24.97 per light. Might be an option for you.

I have a few of the earlier Halo LEDs 675 lumens) and find them plenty bright for smaller areas. They may seem a bit pricey compared to the no-name cheapies, but I haven't had a failure yet in about 4 years of use.

As with most recessed lights, you'd probably want a lot of them for a larger room. Cans aren't so great for room lighting, because they're all direct light, no indirect bouncing off the ceiling. I only use them to keep low ceilings from seeming any lower.

Also, be aware that the Halo 600 series efficacy is pretty low for an LED, only 54 lumens per watt for the 2700K. These days most good quality compact fluorescents can do 70+ L/W. Some are over 80 L/W.

I put a few of these PHILLIPS LEDs in a family room, 80" spacing and 36" from the walls, and they do an excellent job of lighting the place up with a uniform brightness in all areas. I also put in a dimmer switch as that much brightness isn't always wanted.

YMMV

ctnicholas, did you ever find a solution? We have tried 2 different brands of theses, the Halo and a Phillips, both have proved impossible to install. The ballast on the back and the wiring will not fit in are J-box. My husband has called an electrician to replace the J-box and a new light. They were both plenty bright giving 65-75w equivalent, just could not get the damn things mounted! After some more research I found a brand called GreenCreative, pricer but the come in up to 100 watts equivalent. I will see what we go with.

Teressa,

Though this was a few months ago I recall those Halo lights quite well. I was doing the installation myself and, they are a pain in the a** to install with their LED Driver protruding so far. You would think if you get the bracket into the j-box that you are home free - but no - they have two thin wires with a splice that get in the way of twisting and locking the light into the designated place.

I went on Amazon and started buying every high lumen knock off light I could find. I tried about 8 of them and was satisfied with Cloudy Bay for and Parmida for less quality lighting areas. I highly recommend the first one for indoor lights.