Hi, I just set up 4 different LED models and compared them to traditional incandescent and CFLs -- see my other recent thread. We preferred the kit to the regular bulb and baffle. The sealed front was nice. Look into the startup time... The Home Depot 620 lumen model had a 1 second delay when starting up, so we ruled that one out. It was also the least light output and cost a lot for that low output. We felt they were all very pleasant light. The only one we didn't like was the CFL. 2700k was indeed a bit warmer and 3000k was a bit whiter. We liked the slightly whiter color in all cases. More glare? No, not at all. IC / Non IC means the (cans) are rated for insulation contact or they are not. If they are going in an insulated joist they have to be IC, otherwise it doesn't matter. Overall we liked the Menards kit best, it was made by Feit Electric and had a flat translucent plate across the front instead of a bulb-like reflector like the HD models. We didn't try the Lowes model, cuz we found one we liked and didn't feel we had to research further -- altho I'm keeping them all till our dimmers come in to see how well they dim. This was all just personal preference. Get a couple and try them, then take back the ones you decide against. -mike

Light sources have a spectrum. In some cases it is narrow, and in others wider. The sun, for example, emits through the entire visual spectral band, as well as UV and IR. tungsten and tungsten halogen are hot emitters with various spectral bands generally characterized by their apparent color temperature. The sun's spectrum is close to that of a 6000K (degrees kelvin) black body, whereas tungsten lights may be 2700K and tungsten halogens up to 3300K. The latter color temperatures are considered lower than the sun color temperatures, but are called warmer. Arc lamps that are spectrally broad may fall into the same color temperature range as the sun, but depending on line structure from the gasses used and the pressure that they are running at, may appear redder or bluer than the sun. Note that as these thermal sources are turned down with a dimmer, they become redder (warmer color) even though they are getting colder, physically. Now, getting to light emitting diodes, there are two types that I'm aware of being used for illumination (excluding variants). One type emits mainly at a single color, but because they are not true laser sources, this color band may be somewhat wide. Combinations of these sources may be used to try to match the tristimulus diagram of human eye response and look like a black body emitter at some color temperature. High color temperatures are considered colder because they have more blue; lower temperatures are considered warmer because they have more red. Note that this is referring to color temperature, and not LED physical temperature. The Cree LR4s had a scheme for re-balancing the color temperature as the LEDs aged. As I recall they were available in two different color temperatures for different applications. A clothing store, for example, might want a higher (colder) color temperature for interior illumination, whereas a kitchen might prefer something warmer (lower color temperature). (No one should be embarrassed if confused by this contradictory nomenclature.) Cree provided me a (proprietary) spectral chart that showed that their color spectrum was broad, but not particularly close to matching a black body spectral diagram. To avoid any post construction complaints I bought a single lamp and tested it against my soapstone and granite to ensure that the green highlights in each were being properly illuminated to provide a pleasing color balance when illuminated with the warmer LR4 option. The second type of LED source uses a deep blue or UV LED (or array of LEDs) to illuminate a phosphor or a combination of phosphors intended to emit a particular "whitish" color temperature. These phosphors tend to look yellow when viewed with the lamp off. By choosing the phosphor chemistry, and possibly over coating with filters, different color temperature sources are created. The goal is to know what color temperature one wants before specifying the particular lights to be used. If you want a tungsten halogen color temperature, specify 3200K - 3300K. For regular tungsten, 2700K - 2800K is good. Higher values toward 4000K will be bluer and more blue sky matching. As an aside, LG was able to cut the cost of organic LED (OLED) TVs by using all white (phosphor) blue-emitting OLEDs with red/green*/blue filters rather than the more difficult to manufacture sets of red/green/blue single color LEDs. kas *maybe yellow, I'm to lazy to go look

Check your existing CFL cans to see if the can has an integrated ballast. If it does, the ballast needs to be disconnected. If the bulb is not connected using an E26 base connector, it is likely that the can has an integrated ballast. Then, you'd need to change the connector to a GU24 and use CR6/ CR4 like lamps which use a GU24 base connector. Technically, a E26 base connector can be used, but that might not be allowed legally in your jurisdiction. For instance, California has very strict rules in Title 24. If you decide to use an electrician's services, swapping out the can and light might be the recommended route.

air tight trim is a joke in my opinion.I base this on having tested for air leakage with a blower door while sealing these lights & trims. the foam rubber gasket does little to stop the air leakage from exiting the trim. the best way I've found is to use the hardcast 1402 mastic tape to seal housing to the sheetrock. similar to how supply box is sealed in pic of previous posting. tape goes into edge of housing and overlaps to sheetrock. allow 1'2" overlap as trim will cover the tape. this with the ICAT recessed light will stop as much of the air leakage as possible. there will still be a small amount of leakage, but not enough to be of concern. note this when you look at the recessed lights again: Halo's insulation contact air tight lights have two things that identify them. no holes in housing and a orange sticker inside the can that says it is air tight. orange sticker, not red. the red sticker says air tight when used with the following trim kits. deceptive lableling IMO. reading the small print inside IC cans the trim kits include, insert/baffle to fit inside the can to address holes in housing (@$14 each) and air tight trim kit, not sure of cost. as the insert/baffle would be needed at every recessed light, buying ICAT makes better economical sense. installing the baffles is a pita. so add labor for that to cost. buy ICAT, use mastic tape in place of 'air tight' trim. if you are putting IC cans outside under porches patio, unconditioned space this is what happens. as the install of recessed lights is ongoing, the electrician mixes up the boxes. some inside are ICAT, some IC. same outside. make it easy on everyone and buy all ICAT. wasps like IC, but not so much ICAT, less air movement. the cost per contractor case between the two is minimal when you compare to retrofitting each IC to air tight. best of luck.