LED downlights 70mm vs 90mm

JayB001 · Jan 21, 2020 11:37 am

Apologies if this has been asked before, I couldn't find a previous post with a similar question.

I'm currently renovating a shared kitchen/living space and trying to decide on LED size 70mm or 90mm cutout and placement.
Also deciding on lumens but I think 3000k/warm white is the way to go.

The space is 34m2, a rectangle 7.4 x 4.7, ceiling height is 2450mm.
They will be on 2 banks with dimmers (5x for the kitchen end, 4x for the living).
As far as Brand go, it seems Sal is the most consistent people are talking about but open to other recommendations.
I was initially thinking:
-tri-colour: to cover all colour options,
-on a gimbal: for lighting angle flexibility
-Dimmable
It turns out you can't get all this in one light, not that I've found and probably very expensive.

Appreciate any help.

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arcadelt · Jan 21, 2020 4:27 pm

Lighting fills three needs: ambient, task and accent. In a kitchen, task lighting is the most important. I presume your rangehood over the cooktop has good lighting, so I think you need three across the front of the island, otherwise you will be working in shadow. The rest will provide ambient, and accent lighting is nice if you can afford it for the extra pizzazz.

arcadelt · Jan 21, 2020 4:28 pm

JayB001

Also deciding on lumens but I think 3000k/warm white is the way to go.

...oh, and you might not have meant it the way you wrote it, but lumens is different to colour temperature.

arcadelt · Jan 21, 2020 4:33 pm

This would be worth a read, as it considers daylight as well as artificial lighting - although, they group task and accent lighting, which I think is a tough ask.

https://www.yourhome.gov.au/energy/lighting

Norfolk · Jan 21, 2020 4:59 pm

For general lighting you may also consider the beam angle and glare factor. Many cheap flat faced downlights with wide beams are quite glarey and uncomfortable, even with dimming. On the other hand, if the beam is too narrow it won’t properly illuminate your surfaces and walls. Typically in work and living areas 4000k cool white (like office lighting) is used, with 3000k warm white (like the 2700k old bulbs) for more relaxed areas like bedrooms and lounges. Its personal preference though.

Althom · Jan 24, 2020 1:22 pm

LED downlights like these https://robus.com.au/catalogue/downligh ... -downlight allow you to select your lumens (3000-400-6500K) via a switch on the back of the unit. That way you can experiment to see what colour suits best.

I've got these in a Living room and in two bathrooms. Brilliant lights. Cost me $60/each including fitting.

These ones https://reductionrevolution.com.au/prod ... -downlight are gimbal mounts but colour choice is fixed at warm (3000K) or neutral (4000K). $25 each.

Norfolk · Jan 24, 2020 4:23 pm

Note the switch on the back allows selection of colour temperature 3000k, 4000K, 6500K at installation. Lumens are the measure of total light output, or brightness, which can be adjusted with a dimmer if the light is compatible.

Althom · Jan 24, 2020 5:09 pm

It allows adjustment, not only at installation, but at any time you chose to get on a ladder.

JayB001 · Jan 28, 2020 7:50 am

arcadelt

Lighting fills three needs: ambient, task and accent. In a kitchen, task lighting is the most important. I presume your rangehood over the cooktop has good lighting, so I think you need three across the front of the island, otherwise you will be working in shadow. The rest will provide ambient, and accent lighting is nice if you can afford it for the extra pizzazz.

Thanks for the information, I went over the lights again and your right, considering the shadow from the light behind when working at the sink I had electrician add another outlet. Fortunately the ceiling is still open so an easy add on.

JayB001 · Jan 28, 2020 2:14 pm

Althom

LED downlights like these https://robus.com.au/catalogue/downligh ... -downlight allow you to select your lumens (3000-400-6500K) via a switch on the back of the unit. That way you can experiment to see what colour suits best.

I've got these in a Living room and in two bathrooms. Brilliant lights. Cost me $60/each including fitting.

These ones https://reductionrevolution.com.au/prod ... -downlight are gimbal mounts but colour choice is fixed at warm (3000K) or neutral (4000K). $25 each.

Thanks for the links, both look good. The Osram look a little nicer that the average 'gimbal' LED, but I wonder why no-one does switchable 'K' in a gimbal? That said, I'm pretty sure it's be warm white through out.
Still a little unsure if I go 70mm or 90mm cut out. I guess it won't really matter if I go 90mm because they'll be dimmable and there seems to be more choice in 90mm.
Any reason to choose one size over the other, or just personal preference?

Althom · Jan 28, 2020 5:07 pm

We've gone 90's throughout for no other reason that when I got the sparky in to replace the halogens that is what he had in stock.
Had 70mm halogens in the bathrooms originally which we've replaced with 90mm LED's set at 6500K. Previously for shaving I needed to switch on both halogens plus the light in the extraction fan. Don't need the light in the extraction fan anymore

JayB001 · Jan 29, 2020 9:19 am

Althom

We've gone 90's throughout for no other reason that when I got the sparky in to replace the halogens that is what he had in stock.
Had 70mm halogens in the bathrooms originally which we've replaced with 90mm LED's set at 6500K. Previously for shaving I needed to switch on both halogens plus the light in the extraction fan. Don't need the light in the extraction fan anymore

Great, so I think the size is a non-issue then. 90mm it is.
And might just go the switchable so I can play around with the colour tone for each area. Perhaps cooler over the work space and warm over the livning as someone else suggested.
Thanks

JB1 · Jan 29, 2020 9:53 am

JayB001

Althom

We've gone 90's throughout for no other reason that when I got the sparky in to replace the halogens that is what he had in stock.
Had 70mm halogens in the bathrooms originally which we've replaced with 90mm LED's set at 6500K. Previously for shaving I needed to switch on both halogens plus the light in the extraction fan. Don't need the light in the extraction fan anymore

Great, so I think the size is a non-issue then. 90mm it is.
And might just go the switchable so I can play around with the colour tone for each area. Perhaps cooler over the work space and warm over the livning as someone else suggested.
Thanks

It will look terrible to have different colour lights in the same room.

JayB001 · Jan 29, 2020 9:55 am

JB1

JayB001

Althom

We've gone 90's throughout for no other reason that when I got the sparky in to replace the halogens that is what he had in stock.
Had 70mm halogens in the bathrooms originally which we've replaced with 90mm LED's set at 6500K. Previously for shaving I needed to switch on both halogens plus the light in the extraction fan. Don't need the light in the extraction fan anymore

Great, so I think the size is a non-issue then. 90mm it is.
And might just go the switchable so I can play around with the colour tone for each area. Perhaps cooler over the work space and warm over the livning as someone else suggested.
Thanks

It will look terrible to have different colour lights in the same room.

ok, note taken, lucky they'll be switchable )

ElizabethMan · Apr 25, 2021 4:19 am

I love your idea for the living room. It would be nice to have a calmer and whiter light over the work surface and warmer over the lounge space. This is how I did it in my kitchen, and may I say it's looking bad. Of course, I didn't come up with the idea myself. When I first came into my new home, I didn't know what to do. I wanted an excellent lighting system, but I was on a low budget at that time. The solution to my problem was a friend recommendation. He told me about LED light and their benefits. Litelume's services are very budget-friendly, and they offer the best indoor and outdoor products that are high quality. Also, their 10-year warranty was what bribed me into trying this out.