This is a simple, one-piece light.

• You are correct that there is no replaceable bulb but the estimated life is very long (a whopping 70,000 hours according to the manufacturer) so you are unlikely to need to replace one.
• The electrician will just plug in the fixture's wire and push it into the can. Very easy to install.
• The fixture's color temperature (warmth of the light) is selectable., It's dimmable if connected to a wall dimmer.
• There is another model with a gimbal.
• There are other similar but brighter models.
• Trim rings are available if you don't want white (see product specs linked to the web page).

-- amateur

If the light only costs $15, why would it cost you $30 to replace it? Replacing it isn't much more difficult than replacing a light bulb.

This a typical bottom of the barrel cheap large LED light with a lot of glare designed to be installed in existing recessed light housings - that's why there's a little pigtail shown with a medium base that screws into an existing incandescent light socket and an orange connector on the other end that connects to the new LED light. The big wire arms fold back and hold the unit in the old housing. However, your electrician is planing on installing a new housing and putting this thing in it.

The reason its called 5" and 6" is that it will fit in a 5" or 6" old housing.

Halo makes better recessed lights and there are better manufacturers than Halo. Find a lighting designer. Local lighting stores usually offer free lighting design advice and possible professional services. It helps to use the supplier your electrician will use. Ask to see installed examples of 4" recessed lights in different styles and configurations. Ask if they have any COB LED fixtures. Be prepared to spend 2 or 3 times as much for better lighting.

Is it more work for him in terms of wiring if I were to request for the typical housing/trim/bulb type of installation. The problem with me taking this to a lighting specialist is it’s all part of the buildout cost of this room addition. If he is installing a new housing why can’t he just buy a trim and bulb. I guess that’s a question I will ask him. Any other specific Halo recessed lights you can suggest?

I would choose LED any day over the old housing. It is also designed to save $ on future electric bills (not to mention, not having to replace bulbs in the can lights!).

The choice of fixtures should not change the cost of wiring. Is this an entire house or a room addition? To recommend different fixtures we need to know what you are trying to light. How high is the ceiling? What is the budget for the fixtures? Post a plan.

I never reccommend integrated fixtures there is always a chance the bulb does not last. Get simple 4” cans with proper LED bulbs in 4000K range these are not expensive and no there is no difference to the wiring for LEDs versus other lighting choices . We had all either MR16 or GU10 halogens in our whole house and just exchanged the bulbs to LEDs as simple as changing a bulb

There are no bulbs in integrated LED fixtures - that's what "integrated" means: the light engine is all one unit.

LEDs are low voltage and very sensitive to current fluctuations so they require a driver that acts as a step down transformer and current stabilizer and it can generate heat. Expensive, deeply recessed LED fixtures have a separate driver with a heat sink attached. Cheaper shallow recessed fixtures like the Halo LR56 are often designed to fit into housings originally designed for incandescent bulbs and have a driver built into the board close to the lens with no heat sink but they should last decades and the entire uint can be easily replaced, in this case for about $15.

LED recessed fixtures that use screw-in bulbs can use incandescent, halogen and LED bulbs. The housings must be taller. The LED bulbs have a miniaturized driver built into the base of the bulb where it can get hot inside a deeply recessed fixture and shorten the life of the bulb. Although the bulb and housng designs are getting better at minimizing this problem, I would not expect an LED bulb to last as long as it is rated for.

The bottom line is the integrated fixtures have the potential for providing a deeper recessed light source with a better cut-off sight angle, better light quality with less glare and different light beam configurations but they can cost 2 to 3 times more than the lamp-based LED recessed fixtures.

Lightolier LyteCaster L3 Integrated 3" recessed light fixture:

Halo LR 56 Integrated recessed trim that fits in a standard 5" or 6" incandescent housing.

Well my builder did integrated LED fixtures and now one year later we have a burned out bulb. I doubt we used the bulb even 200 hours.

Anything can fail prematurely. There are many kinds of integrated LED fixtures and some are easier to fix than others. In general, the cheap ones must be pulled down and replaced; the expensive ones can have the failed element replaced.

The Lightolier LyteCaster L3 integrated LED recessed light can be tilted and rotated and the light engine attached to the trim can be easily puled down and replaced. The LED chip design is COB (chips on board) which provides an amazingly soft low-glare crisp light with an exceptional 70 deg. visual cut-off angle which means you can't see the light source until you are so close to it you would need to be looking up. Its also available in a 1" diameter Pin Spot and a lensed wall washer. The light color is cleaner and crisper than most other LED lights.

When speaking of "integrated" LED fixtures its important to distinguish between this kind of modular design and one piece "retrofit" designs like the Halo RL 56 that is a general utility light rather than an accent light.

If you want truly excellent recessed lighting you won't much of it at Home Depot and you will need to pay 2 to 4 times the price for it.

I am trying to light up my entire first floor ceiling height 10’ new build). If the GC is using the Halo RL56 to light up my rooms I want to know:

1. could I use 4” Halo RL56 for all rooms? Perhaps some areas I would use lightolier.
2. specifically the family room 14x20 there will be 8 recessed lights, should I drop down to 2” and space them out further and add pendant? add a soffit? Would this take away from the high ceiling and open floor plan?
3. stay away from integrated lights completely and use traditional 4” can trim and bulb?
   
   

I'd be surprised if a builder is using the switchable Halos as a standard as they're 2-3x more than commodity LED recessed trims. The part number you last cited is non specific, but I would expect a fixed light temp of 2700-3000, sometimes 4000 unless you specify. If you're at rough stage, the trims are not installed at this time.

While the predicted life span is long, there is sometimes a small percent of early failures, easily replicable.

I too recommend a mix of light sources. Most clients listen. Dimmers are nice also.

While recessed lights at this price point are affordable, with install & circuitry it adds up for an entire home & there are many more complex and expensive recessed lights ranging up to a few hundred each.

It all depends on the priority and value one places on their lighting plan and the quality of illumination in their home.

If lighting is simply a utilitarian feature, then any fixture from a big box store or budget lighting source will do.

In the other hand, if the nature and quality of light are deemed important, then choosing quality fixtures which will provide the desired type of lighting is important.

For many architects and lighting designers, Halo is the beginning budget line of fuxtures, with other critical fixtures selected from higher quality manufacturers such as Lightolier, etc.

It all depends...

So I asked him why he chooses Halo integrated trim and bulb and he said it looks nicer. He went on to warn me that with 10’ ceilings it won’t be bright enough. I have 8 4” integrated halos at 915 lumens each. Please explain why he says so? I also have a pendant in the middle. I thought these will work great as utility lights? Room is 14x20.

The Halo RL 560 that you originally posted was the 600 Series with a lumen output of 665 lumens. Apparently the fixture that is specified is the RL 650 900 Series with 915 lumens. Both use an SMD chip array with a large frosted lens that spreads the light.

For lights of 800 Lumens or greater in a 10 ft high ceiling, you need a more deeply recessed light source that is less diffused and more focused.

A COB light fixture is best for this application.. Here is a simplified explanation of SMD vs COB LED lights.

The RL560 is not only an inappropriate light for you room, it is designed to be placed in an existing housing (retrofit) so it has a ceiling trim diameter is 7 1/4" instead of the normal 5 1/4" and the fixtures I use have a 4 1/2" trim ring.

Have the housings been installed yet?

Yikes!!!! He is going to take down the 6 inches and put in the 4’s as I requested. He is still going with the same brand. Is there another brand that you could recommend? Meeting with him tomorrow morning

I don't understand what you mean by "take down the 6 inches and put in the 4's". What is the make and model number of the fixture being proposed. What is already in the ceiling?

If you haven't seen the fixture in a lighting store display, you should do so immediately.

He initially put in housing for 6 inch integrated LEDS ( the one I linked) I told him I want 4 inch recessed lights and so he said he will purchase those halos in 4” in 915 lumens. He said it won’t be bright enough for 10 ft ceiling.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Halo-RL-4-in-White-Integrated-LED-Recessed-Ceiling-Light-Trim-at-Selectable-CCT-2700K-5000K-Extra-Brightness-915-Lumens-RL4099S1EWHR/305734707?keyword=halos+integrated+led+4”+915+lumens&searchtype=text&semanticToken=223t0000011_201910061634261159050_2qf1+223t0000011+>++cnn:{0:0}+cnr:{7:1}+cnb:{9:0}+st:{halos+integrated+led+4”+915+lumens}:st+oos:{0:1}+rt:{halo+integrated+led+4-in+915-lm}:rt+dln:{569835}+tgr:{Enriched+Product+Info}+nr:{halo+integrated+led+4"+915+lumen}:nr+qu:{halo+integrated+led+4"+915+lumen}:qu

Here is is

They will certainly be bright enough for a 10 ft ceiling but put them on a dimmer. They are intended for general lighting not accent lighting so put them on a separate switch. Use accent lights at the walls and in the kitchen.

How far out from the wall would you recommend for accent lights?

Can I use the 3” lightoliers you recommend

The LyteCaster L3 adjustable is about $150 and the wall washer is about $175. There are COB LED fixtures from Nora for about half those prices. If you are serious about good lights I will look at the catalog. They are usually placed about 2 ft from the wall even in a kitchen.

Nora makes two 4" Cobalt Series COB Cree LED fixtures that can light walls and kitchen counters.

1) An Adjustable Reflector: NLCBC 469 27X HZW (2700K color temp; Haze White reflector) about $80 with housing

2) An adjustable elbow: NLCBC 470 27x W (2700K color temp; White) about $70 with housing

Both can use a Nora new construction housing NHIC 4L MRAT

Aside from price, what's the difference between the LyteCaster L3 and Nora fixtures? Both are COB, but are there any other differences to justify paying more for the LyteCaster L3?

If you look closely at the photos of the fixtures, you will see that the Nora Cobalt is a "retrofit" type fixture (like the Halo the OP originally asked about) where the driver, heatsink and LED board are in one compact "trim" unit that is installed in a standard metal housing used for various kinds of fixtures. If the fixture fails, the "trim" unit would need to be replaced.

The Lightolier LyteCaster L3 is a modular design with the driver (step-down transformer and current stabilizer) mounted in the housing and the light unit and heat sink fits into the "trim". If the fixture fails or the color dims, the appropriate part can be replaced. The parts can also be upgraded.

These fixtures need a more substantial heat sink because the COB chips are more compact than the typical SMD chips.

The Nora Cobalt is intended for residential use and the Lightolier LyteCaster L3 is intended for residential and light commercial use.

I recommended them because they are both more powerful than typical LED recessed fixtures, are more deeply recessed, have an adjustable beam angle and use a superior COB LED. The L3 also has a great wall-washer for a more uniform light on a wall but it costs another $20+.

There are no bargains in good lighting.

I wish people would do some research into the damaging effects of LED lighting on the human eye before filling their homes/work places with them.

The first thing to do is limit the LED color temperature to 2700K in order to minimize eye damage.