Best products from r/Lighting

Ok take my opinion for what it is (an opinion).
I like the idea that you suggested for color temp, I would go with 3500K temp for the LED, 4000K is to blue for a warm comfy feel in the room and 3000 is a little to red for my taste. 3500 is perfect for a living room setting, but if you can not find it I would go with 3000K.

I would go with a center light like you have but flush mounted, then either choose a nice sconce on the same switch mounted to the wall or a [three light floor lamp] (https://www.amazon.com/Boston-Harbor-TL-TREE-134-BK-3L-Light-Black/dp/B003A9E734/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523457838&sr=8-1&keywords=floor+lamp+with+three+lights) in the corner with the lights pointed at the ceiling and wall to get a nice reflective light lighting the room but also allowing for spot lighting when needed.

I would also go with dimmable fixtures, for the times when you do not need it to be as bright.

My general experience is when we light out rooms ourselves we have a tendency to not provide enough light for all situations and just go with what is good enough. So I am all for having multiple lights in a room, that are just ready for when needed, but left off when you want the warm comfy feel.

If you want to see if you have enough light already or not, buy a lamp and plug it in and move it around to see if you could use more light and if so where it would be best to place it.

They're sometimes called party lights, if you want to expand your search terms. I recommend LED if you want to keep bugs away, since the most credible theory I've seen says bugs are attracted to UV radiation in artificial light. There also shouldn't be any glass to worry about shattering with LED.

Human perception of the brightness or dimness of a light source is relative to its surroundings. You'd probably be best off either checking out your options in person at a brick and mortar showroom, or get something dimmable (or even find one with an in-line dimmer).

Price is going to depend a lot on where your willing to make compromises on the above, as well as how much you need. You can get a 48' string of 24 LED light sources from Jasco for $90. If that breaks your bank, then nothing that meets your criteria will be affordable. If you need over 100', then be prepared to spend triple.

A quick search for LED party lights turns up a few options more in the 96' (2x 48') for $70-$130 range, but from brands I've never heard of and can't vouch for.This one seems like the best fit, since it specifically mentions shatterproof.

Good luck.

Wow! i didn't know they were so complicated to dim. Thanks both for the suggestions and the manual!

/u/abt5000 i will check at that this night if there is a dial, thanks!

/u/MountJunior
According to the manual i see that they only dim from 20% - 100% so i guess that the result i have with my ELV switch is expected.

Considering that, I need to put some downlights on my bedroom so i would like to dim them as slow as possible (without having to use halogens). I have a common led dimmable phillips bulb i got on the hardware store hooked to a lutron casseta lamp dimmer, and it goes super low, i love that. So looking at led downlights, what would be the best config? Something that it is not 12v DC i guess?

I saw this on amazon, would this be a good option? (i see that it uses a driver)
https://www.amazon.com/ProGreen-Dimmable-Ultrathin-Recessed-Downlight/dp/B01FX5D4UE/

If not, something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Cree-TW-Equivalent-Retrofit-Recessed-Downlight/dp/B072M35PYM/r
But with the last one i need to add a can.

I am doing this from scratch so i can put whatever makes more sense.

Thanks again!

Ideally I'd be able to adjust the color / RGB

I guess the main issue I'm running into is finding a nice little shade or can that I can put the LED light in on the floor, so that it looks nice.

Actually, it hadn't occurred to me that there were color changing LED "bulbs" that fit into regular sockets. Brainfart there I guess. I looked at phillips hue bulbs and thats definitely pricier than I want. Maybe something like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A85LTQU?psc=1 though I'd prefer more like $15 or $20 per bulb.

Then I suppose I could just put it into something like this: http://amzn.com/B0000DI4D8 for the effect I want

Any other better recommendations for the bulb or "can" fixtures?

Hi,
You need to look for an equivalent set of LED replacements. They are easy to find. Ideally, you want to do a generic search on Amazon for "MR16 LED gu3.5 base"......but a word of caution, there's a lot of variance in the unknown brands when it comes to the stated power consumption compared to what the lamp is supposed to actually replace. For example, I went to Wal-Mart and bought a set of Great Value MR16 LED's (Warm White) and put them in halogen landscape lighting and they've been surprisingly awesome and I've had no issues. But I've had a lot of issues buy no-name brand LED lamps from Amazon....so you want to watch out for that.

Also, if you have the patience, try to a set that specifies the beam angle, a wider angle in your kitchen will be better if you want the light to be more distributed.

I would trust the AmazonBasics or Phillips before I bought a no-name brand, but if you frequently shop at Wal-Mart, I will say that I am suprisingly satisified with the MR16's that I put into some of my old halogen landscape lighting.

When choosing these lamps, make sure that you choose the color temperature carefully, anything marketed as "day light" will be a pure, unnatural white. You want to pick the soft/warm option when choosing a color.

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-LED-470278-Equivalent-Landscape/dp/B0758KQN8F/ref=sr_1_2?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1542402631&sr=1-2&refinements=p_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A6104102011%2Cp_6%3AATVPDKIKX0DER

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Equivalent-Bright-Dimmable-6-Pack/dp/B01N75RRDH/ref=sr_1_3?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1542402631&sr=1-3&refinements=p_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A6104102011%2Cp_6%3AATVPDKIKX0DER

Okay, well, I'll take a shot at it but this may need a lot of tweaking on your end.
Your best bang for the buck as far as most power for the lowest price is your standard lead acid car battery. Downside is they are huge, and heavy, and you can't discharge them more than 50% at a time or else it ruins them. They have deep cycle batteries which you can discharge until they have only 20% left, but they cost more. There are lots of other types of batteries, smaller or lighter or longer lasting, but they can become extremely expensive. Everything with car batteries is relatively cheap because there are so many in use. Chargers are easy to find and inexpensive.

So that gives you 12v DC power. Next you need a light source, and you need the most light for the least amount of watts, because the fewer watts you are burning, then the longer your battery will last. I'd pick the standard led strip lights, and they come in many different versions, some are brighter and use more watts than others, and some are also adjustable as far as color. If this is going to be outside, make sure you buy the waterproof version.

As for connectors, I like XT60 connectors, they are relatively cheap and handle high current.

Do you mean equivalent to a 5-10W incandescent bulb?

If you scroll down that list of Home Depot search results, there are a number of 25W LED bulbs which would be significantly dimmer than the 40W ones.

Another approach might be to use a dimmer together with a dimmable LED bulb. The Philips Warm Glow LED bulbs work really well for this (I have those all over my house on dimmers).

(1) This is a handy dimmer that can be easily hidden inside lamps and fixtures (just make sure to verify your setup with a professional electrician, etc. etc.):

https://www.amazon.ca/Westek-6079BC-Range-Replacement-Dimmer/dp/B000FPDHKA/

(2) If that doesn't work, then this style pluggable dimmers which let you control one or more lighting fixtures (just make sure you don't exceed the rated wattage):

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.credenza-300w-plug-in-lamp-dimmer-in-brown-with-night-light.1000840047.html

(3) Lutron Diva dimmers look like normal wall switches, except they have a subtle dimmer control on the side. Dimmable LED bulbs are compatible with these and they work really well (also have a number of these in my house).

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.lutron-diva-600-watt-single-pole-dimmer-with-wall-plate-white.1000109549.html

One option would be to get color-shifting LEDs. Way more expensive (at least $20/bulb) of course, but you might be able to make them work with the color-spectrum and dimming functionality you want. You'd probably need to get smart light switches as well, so that you can setup an IFTTT to tweak the color of the bulb as you dim it. (Or else, just be satisfied to control the dimness/color from an app or Alexa.)

One option I have tried is this one. Though it looks like that one doesn't get warm enough for you.

As far as the diffusers go, you may get lucky at a local hardware store with some translucent hose or pipe or something plastic you can cut into sections. I took a look at the McMaster Carr catalog (which is a good place to go for basic materials), but they only have clear or opaque tubing.

You could also check to see if the color is really what you want in the room cheaply by purchasing a couple sheets of theatrical/cinema gel and covering your existing lighting fixture. You won't get the fluorescent tube look, but it would be some like $20 rather than the ~$100+ for the LEDs, driver, diffuser, etc. Something like Lee 201 would give a similar color wash to the room.

http://www.amazon.com/Satco-09097-7MR16-S9097-Flood/dp/B00H790066

Satco S9097 - 5000k 40deg gu10 - nice bulb, but be aware they will be substantially brighter AND whiter than your halogens - other than that they are a great bulb

An inexpensive alternative to "black wrap" or "Black Tack" that could solve your issue would be something like this. It's used primarily by HVAC to seal joints, but should function perfectly for your task. It's also well within your budget.

acutally i am a pro photographer and one thing i never understand is when i am adjusting K temp for an image the higher I go, the warmer the light, where as with lighting it seems to be the opposite? i.e. 4100 flourescent seems to be much cooler than 2700K incandescent.

anyway, back to the relevant stuff...
I think LED seems good as ampersand mentions it has broader coverage and lower energy than halogen.

i went to the lighting store and they recommended something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Recessed-RL460830WH-4-Inch-Retrofit/dp/B0081K4TKI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

something tells me this isnt what i want, though im not sure why. im also not sure what retrofit means?

i think i want a more standard can/trim/lamp with dimmer as you have mentioned. any idea on budget for that setup if I have about 6-8 lights.

thanks!

hey, thanks! which article are you referring to? but towards what you just said, let me ask you I use this light box for probably 3 or 4 hours a day, is that too much? any general advice on the best use of this?

https://www.amazon.com/NatureBright-SunTouch-Light-Therapy-package/dp/B000W8Y7FY/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1480449813&sr=1-1&keywords=sun+touch+plus

I used to install landscape lighting professionally. Couple problems in that picture.

1. To the right of the house the eave mounted down lights there is only one. There should be symmetry.
   
   
2. Lighting from the eaves down didn't give a good angle and therefore caused hotspotting and bad diffusion of light.
   
   
3. the porchlights and one of the garage lights are 3000k while the rest of the lights are 2700k again symmetry and cohesion is off. This creates artifacts in the overall scene that are not pleasant to the eye also on the porch there is a strange light just hot spotting the window. I have no idea why someone decided to do that.
   
   
4. The downlights that are angled towards each other are at different angles. This does not help define the shape of the house and again affects symmetry.
   
   
5. The whole 1st floor entrance was neglected, the columns being lit would have really tied the house together. Always light entrances slightly more. This visually identifies entrances.
   
   
6. Zero path lighting, uplighting on trees or range in lighting. This is not a complete scene.
   
   There is no depth, no color, no emphasis nothing. It's a bland portrait and the designer clearly just picked out a couple places for lighting he though was ok. I have to say it. This is bad lighting. It may look good from the untrained eye but this is an example of trying to do too much with too little so they placed the lights to wash over everything. If I was ripple electrical I wouldn't put this on my website or my blog, for customers looking for good lighting they are going to quickly skip this company.
   
   Here is what I would have done.
   
   Uplighting instead of downlighting. On the right side of the house 2 8 watt 2700k spot uplights mounted to the right of the windows to accent the white window frames all the way up, angled to catch the eaves as well.
   
   By the entrance, replace the porch lights with 2700k lamps, light each column.
   
   On the second story mount three wall wash fixtures to the gutter with 6 watt lamps and a diffusor. Two on the eaves one on the windows. This will provide a subtle contrast to the bottom floor but still allow the white eaves and window frames to pop. It will also eliminate the hotspotting.
   
   For the garage, more than likely they didn't have the opportunity or consent to mount well lights in the ground facing up on to the garage door and eaves that would be ideal. Otherwise I would have just put one downlight at the center and matched up the garage carriage lights with the same color temp.
   
   And then some damn lights on the foliage and gate. None of the stone had any light on it, stone has a great texture for lighting it's a shame none was hit.
   
   Ripple electrical you need to buy this book. This is who I learned from.
   
   The Lighting Bible: The Professional Guide to Architectural landscape Lighting the Creation of a Lighting Portrait https://www.amazon.com/dp/1541107365/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_SehYCbXP6Z299

https://hackernoon.com/the-best-tv-experience-philips-ambilight-clone-f164e392266a

Something like this is your best bet.

If your not good with soldering you can use something like this.

Dont worry if the label on the connector is wrong, copper is copper.

I get my Led strips from alitove on amazon. They sell different pixel density.

Any 5v power supply(once again alitove) will be sufficient, I recommend a 10a one. You can use it to run your RPI and your leds. The hdmi switcher and hdmi to rca can run off your tv power if your tv has usb plugs.

Think I'm gonna pick this up https://www.amazon.com/American-Panel-Output-Blacklight-Light/dp/B000FVY0UA?pd_rd_wg=T0syc&pd_rd_r=ab1af3bf-57cc-4503-845a-22fd29079ae1&pd_rd_w=PbMQO&ref_=pd_gw_simh&pf_rd_r=50PRYJWPTWRX751RBQD6&pf_rd_p=4c5acc25-f4b0-5ad7-9004-0f2549f94c2f

​

Looked all over, seems like the most powerful one I'm gonna find

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Thin-Recessed-Junction-Downlight-Certified/dp/B07JBQTVFM/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=3000k+led+1200lm+downlight&qid=1551026499&s=gateway&sr=8-6

​

First, outstanding answer and the two of you clearly know your shit. This is the one I am looking at getting throughout the apartment. I have not thought about the beam angle in a sophisticated way. I vaguely know about lux but not how to organize what lighting where with any type of intention or specificity. In terms of specific positioning because it isn't marked on the link, I am just evenly spacing them. Is this appropriate?

​

Also, any thoughts about my questions regarding size in the different areas?