Three layers of light in the main part of the kitchen...recessed, (with wall wash lenses), semi flush pendants, and under cabinet. Plus, hanging pendants in the nook. All LEDs. Does this look like “the stark bright bluish color of an operating room”? Click to enlarge.

LEDS come in cool and warm temperatures. What you choose, is up to you. Purchase some, and see which works best in your space.

Oh, and in addition to lasting much longer, and using less energy, LEDs do not get hot, like halogens.

I have recessed 3000k LEDs in my current home and going into our new build. I love them. The light is not too yellow and not blue, it's just right. I think the 2700k is too yellow and 4000k+ too stark and cold. (I also have pendants and under cabinet lighting in the kitchen.)

LEDs come in a range of color temperatures.

I was almost going to start a similar thread, although I am convinced about using LED due to the efficiency. I am going to have recessed, under cabinet and pendants. I am really a novice at this and since going to the stores to look and inquire is not feasible at this time--- are the 3000 and 4000 LED light bulbs readily available and labeled as such?

If I need the candle bulbs too, do those come that way as well?

(sorry to hijack your thread). Would love to order one or two and see how they look .Thinking 3000 sounds right but maybe 4000 would be good in kitchen.

I should add...the LEDs shown in the pic of my previous post, are 3000k.

Thanks everyone - I will give the 3000K a try.

All LEDs should be labeled with lumens (brightness), color temperature (Kelvin), and CRI (that's color rendering index).

Lumens are what everyone should learn to use instead of "watt equivalent." Old school 60 watt incandescents produced about 800 lumens; 75 watt incandescents produced about 1100 lumens.

Color temperature measures how warm (yellow) or cool (blue) the light produces by the lamp is. An old-school incandescent was about 2700 K, "soft white" incandescents were about 3000 K. Daylight is around 6500 K.

Color rendering index runs on a scale of 1-100 and measures how colors appear in the lamps light (this is different from color temperature). Look for lamps with CRI >90. Greater than 80 is acceptable for most people, but objects will look better with the better color temperature, and if you already have reservations about LED lights, maybe you are more sensitive to this than others.

Salovna, you should be able to find LED candelabra bulbs and they should be labeled with the same information.

Thanks everyone - I just ordered some 3000K to test out.

"The kitchen is going to be gutted in a while, but should I change the bulbs to LED?"

Are you planning to change the fixtures or just the bulbs within the existing fixtures? If it's the former, you might want to buy a "selectable" LED trim (example) to attach it to an existing ceiling can (or just a portable lamp) to try various color temperatures in your kitchen.

The whole fixture will be changed. They are 25 years old and I'm having some problems with them.

You may be able to just remove the bulb and insert a retrofit LED trim. You'd just have to measure the diameter of the existing fixture. Examples:

• Four inch
• Six inch

There are also retrofit fixtures that can fit in an existing hole in the ceiling without a can. Example.

Whatever you do, I recommend a dimmable LED and dimmer (example) as you may find the new LEDs too bright at full brightness.

This is what I bought - looks like the old halogen so I thought they'd be ok.

https://www.lightbulbs.com/product/satco-09436

Make sure your switches are upgraded to accommodate dimmable LED bulbs. Old dimmer switches may not be compatible with new dimmable LED bulbs.

Thank you - The switches do have dimmers but are older like the fixtures. I won't put the new bulbs in until I have an electrician over. Clearly not anytime soon with the virus.

Good point by chicagoans. We upgraded our wiring and switches during our whole house reno, to accommodate dimming the LED fixtures we put everywhere.

You'll definitely need a dimmer with that 950 lumen bulb. The Lutron MACL-153MR-WH dimmer is a great, flexible, though not inexpensive dimmer. You can install it yourself if you are reasonably handy, can follow directions, and have a screwdriver.

@wdccruise - Thanks for the info. I think I'll have to call an electrician when this lock down lifts. The switch is one of a group of 4 and there is also another bank of switches on the other side of the kitchen for these lights as well. I'll just buy some more halogen until this is over.