New Construction- Which LED recessed lights

led lighting tech changes by the minute. i would not even go by an electrian's advice because he may thought something was the bees-knees 6 months ago but everything changes on a monthly basis it seems like.

my advice is go to lowes & home depot and check out the latest cans, look at all options including 'all-in-ones' (which look the best IMO) and then play around with the dimming capabilities of each.

i know you don't want color changing but i honestly wouldn't spend a penny on any recessed lighting that can't also control the whiteness levels. you don't realize how nice it is until you have it. going from soft-white to white-white is a dramatic change and even in the same space there are reasons you want that at different times of the day and depending on whether you've having a relaxing dinner or working a jigsaw puzzle on the table.

also look a few threads down for the 'can light suggestions' thread.

search the web.

look at 'new' products on amazon.

be informed and this is something you don't want to save money on by getting a deal on a 3-year-old pallet of LED cans someone is selling.

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So CAD based upon all of that what would be your go to cans at this moment?

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it changes so rapidly; but maybe start with something like this:

can replacement w/ tunable & color $32






and see how it works for awhile then order them for your whole house.

again, DO YOUR RESEARCH. that was just a 10 second google search and new products are coming to market all the time.


personally i would go with a kit like this. i think the integrated LEDs is the way to go and your builder doesn't have to do anything except mount the cage. you can then come along with a baffle/light all-in-one and honestly they probably charge more than $30 just for the trim if its coming with the house.

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Thanks for the info. I guess I didn't realize I could change warmth. When I said changing colors I thought we were talking blues, reds and whatever.

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color lights have gotten a bad rap b/c everyone assumes if you want to change the color you're buying a novelty light for carnivals.

essentially all bulbs with tunable whites break the app down into a 'color wheel' section an a 'white temp' section.

some manufacturers (like hue) make both a tunable white and a colored bulb which is stupid. as you can see from the link above, it shouldn't cost any more to make a bulb capable of both but hue like their profit margins.

eta now that i've shown you the 'light' you will never be satisfied stuck with a contractor pack of lights that can't adjust white levels.

I use Halo cans with Feit LED trims, 2700k.

If you need adjustable, use the Halo adjustable trim.

If you are adding recessed lights to an existing room, I like the Lithonia wafer lights @ 3000k.

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i know you don't want color changing but i honestly wouldn't spend a penny on any recessed lighting that can't also control the whiteness levels. you don't realize how nice it is until you have it. going from soft-white to white-white is a dramatic change

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absolutely. ive been changing all 2700k lights in my house to 3000k (which are harder to find), and the impact is amazing.

color changing would be great to have

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More to the point, if they are on a switch and grouped, they behave one way, but if using the app, could they be controlled individually?

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Yes. If you want individual or custom groups then you would install smart bulbs and can easily group them in endless combinations the native app or in Amazon/Google for voice control.

As for the switch, if you're using hue they make a special fake rotary dimmer you can install over the switch that acts like it's turning them on and off and dimming but it's really just sending smart commands to the bulbs and not actually breaking the circuit and turning them off.

We went regular cans and used the retrofit led kit things. I figured as it changes they would always have anything new that would come out available. Plus in a pinch we can just screw in a regular bulb if needed.

I just got the retrofit kits from Lowe’s, that was over five years ago and have not had one go out yet. Mine are not dimmable but none of mine have dimmers anyway. Could change easily if I wanted though.

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These are great, you don’t need cans and the wiring was easy. No matter what you go with, use an actual hole saw to cut the holes in the ceiling, they are 10 times faster than the hole cutters that have a dust catcher bowl.

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I put these exact ones (3000K) in a home I purchased in the Fall. Very easy install and they have been great.