Hi

I know there has been lots of discussion on these forms about LED downlights and I have read through alot of it. There is alot of information which is useful but alot of it gets quite technical for the average person.

So...what I am hoping for is some simple, straightforward information about the different LED downlights.

Obviously there is difference between fittings. We are just finishing off building a new house and have allowed points for downlights in some of the rooms - mainly the kitchen / meals area and rumpus room. We have had various downlights recommended by various people so I'm hoping someone here can simplify all the info that is overwhelming us.

The fittings seem to be GU10 which connects straight to a 240v power supply, but from what I can see these only go up to 9w. Is 9w strong enough for a kitchen? We have been told it is by some people and not by others. If 9w

Some downlights come with a transformer but I have been told that the life span of the transformer is only a couple of years so therefore the long life of the LED is not necessarily so as the transformer will prob wear out before the light.

Other downlights I have seen seem to come with a power plug looking thing and I'm not sure how this connects or what it does.

Any information is much appreciated to help me make sense of it all.

9W not enough.
Be careful of colour temp - I like natural white (approx 5500k) Nice natural colour not too dull, not too blue.
Dedicated LED downlights are better than plug in globes. they dissipate the heat produced more efficiently, lessening the risk of LED failure.
If you get surface mounts installed at each point where you will be installing a light, you can get the hole cut and simply plug the downlight in using the standard 3 pin 240V plug. no need for silly junction box options.
Use only CREE or Edison chipsets.

Whilst these are on ebay you can get 12w led downlights.

see the link

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/120876022862 ... 1438.l2649

I am about to trial these to see if they are what they say. if correct it could present a huge saving over some of the more "recognised" brands. If not, not a lot spent to solve the problem.

There are some 'plug-in' LEDs that are bright enough, you can find some with 720 lumens which is the same as halogens. Full downlight kit LEDs that have their own transformer also get a lot brighter than that, north of 900 lumens for a warm light and over 1000 for cool light. Also keep an eye out for CRI, the closer to 90 the better.