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cheryl_williams8145

Has anyone used LED bar lights as sconces?

4 years ago

I thought about buying an LED mirror to go over my vanity, but they are pricey and don’t put out a ton of light. Then i saw an LED bar light at a lighting store. i thought about using it like a sconce and putting one on each side of the sink, so it sort of mimics an LED mirror, but with more lumens. However, it is so bright that its blinding to use that way. i think theyre supposed to be mounted above the mirror, like a traditional bathroom light . Anyway, i was told i could put them on a dimmer, which seems counter productive. Has anyone mounted these LED bar lights, and mounted them like sconces? are they good? bad? similar to LED mirrors, in terms of properly lighting your face without shadows? So bright that theyre blinding? I‘m attachaing some pictures as an example of some of the bar lightsvp i saw




Comments (15)

  • 4 years ago

    Depending on the light fixture, there is no reason you can't get a lower lumen bulb if the fixture has a replaceable bulb such as the third one. In fact, that one is shown in the vendor's product listing as a sconce or horizontal. (I was recently looking for lighting and saw it)

    Why not do a dimmer if it's an integrated LED that you love an it accepts a dimmer? There might be a time when you want more light than others/

    CHERYL Williams thanked tozmo1
  • 4 years ago

    I have something very similar to cubby14 also with dimmer and I love them.

  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago



    Please, consider this variant. There is also in black color. 3 types of color temperature: cold light, warm light, neutral light.

    CHERYL Williams thanked MIRODEMI
  • 4 years ago

    I have three in a large mirror similar to the second picture you posted. They’re on dimmer, but I usually keep at max lines, but I don’t know the kelvin offhand. BTW, most of the LEDs this style are integrated and so not replaceable. That is the major pitfall, mine are 6 years old and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

    CHERYL Williams thanked Anne Duke
  • 4 years ago

    Used 3 in the guest bathroom with 2 sinks. Find a brand that gives you a choice of color selection (kelvin) and lumens. They are bright and we added a dimmer. Also added some recessed lights in the bathroom and shower, because I like to have choices!

  • 4 years ago

    *max lumens *

    CHERYL Williams thanked Anne Duke
  • 4 years ago

    We have overhead recessed lighting, plus 4 sconces, all on dimmers. We love the way we can control the amount of light we want. If they're as bright as ours,  you'll definitely want them on dimmers.

  • 4 years ago

    They make sconces in that kind of style - e.g. some kind of tube "shade" mounted into a holder.


    I know this because I had to get hard wired LED sconces for my condo remodel in order to get approved on final inspection. California had passed a "green" regulation which required it and since it had been recently implemented there wasn't a great deal of availability so I wound up with six of these installed until I could find sconces I actually wanted.


    If the lighting is too harsh for the use that you are contemplating then just get that style designed to be used in the manner you want. They shouldn't be hard to find at this point. The ones I used as placeholders to pass inspection were also relatively inexpensive as I think they were from Home Depot or some other mass market store.

  • 4 years ago

    If you plan to use them on a mirror, ensure they look good from the back as well as the front.

  • 4 years ago

    "However, it is so bright that its blinding to use that way...Anyway, i was told i could put them on a dimmer, which seems counter productive."

    A dimmer is not "counterproductive". Just make sure the light (or bulb if it has one) is dimmable and that the dimmer is compatible with it. I've had good luck with Lutron LED+ dimmers.

  • 4 years ago

    I need something similar to your mirror-mounted light fixtures. Can you tell me what they are? Brand, style, etc. Thanks.

  • 4 years ago

    I believe my mirror mounted lights are Vogue Bath Vanity Light by Modern Forms. I purchased the about 7 years ago and still very happy with them. Have them on an LED dimmer.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    They are bright, but with some LED lights, you can control the degree of brightness, so there is no problem putting them on each side of the sink. I did this a few weeks ago, and the bathroom now has a great cool light that I can change the brightness as needed. With the LED lighting, the bathroom is so much brighter and fresher, and in the evenings, I find it easier to take my lenses off because the lighting is so much better now. LED lights are the right choice in today's world. The old type bulbs are dangerous, which is why some home builders are overlaying explosion-proof wall packs https://lightingandsupplies.com/larson-electronics inside the house.

  • 3 years ago

    Great input here. We're about to remodel a large primary bathroom and have been struggling with vanity lighting. We prefer the look of traditional 1-light sconces that accept 100W LED bulbs, but the bar lights with integrated LED seem like they'll produce more spread out, bright light. Our lighting designer suggested the bar lights (dimmable), but seeing the pictures here and reading how much people like them, convinced us.