Price for new recessed lighting/bulbs

[JDgreen227]

Yesterday's Menards sale flyer was advertising Thomas Lighting brand 6 inch new construction recessed lighting for $4.97 each. When we built on and remodeled our house back in 2002, My wife's brother was our electrician, he came over from Menards with ten of those fixtures for various rooms. I had never priced them myself, and they seemed so well made and sturdy I figured they cost about $20-25 each, and he told me he got them on sale for $6 each.

That was really pleasing to learn, but when the construction was done, I went to Menards to buy the trim and bulbs for the fixtures...and the trim was about $10-12 each, and the 50-watt halogen bulbs cost $5-6 each.

Made me think of the way the companies that sell inkjet printers practically give you the printer and ink free when you buy them new, and soak you for $25-30 for those tiny ink cartridge refills....I have been stocking up on the bulbs for the lights, buying a half dozen whenever they go on sale, because when they stop producing incandescent halogen bulbs in the future, the fluorescent type that are made to use in those recessed fixtures are not worth a darn. And every one I have seen sticks out of the bottom of the light fixture about 3/4 inch.
Very unsightly.

 

[dmccarty]

Were the $6 recessed cans IC rated? IC rated cans were more expensive when we bought ours years ago.

We have been using CFL bulbs since we built the house. Our cans take either R30 or R40 bulbs depending on the trim package. The first set of R30/R40 bulbs we bought were from Home Depot and they lasted for years. I still have a case of the R30 bulbs. The bulbs fit the cans just right.

Then a Lowes was built near us and we started buying R40 bulbs from them. The Lowes brand is scat. $12ish for two and they do not last. I started marking the purchase date on the bulb and keeping the receipt. When the bulbs burnt out after a few months I would take them back. The bulbs fit the cans.

Lowes started stocking GE brand R40s, three to a box and still about $6 a CFL. To early to say but they seem to be lasting. They stick out a bit from the can. Not a big deal to us. Longevity is what I care about. I think these might have been rated at 10,000 hours. They are at least 8,000 hours. The Lowes R40s were 8,000 hours and I doubt we got 1,000 hours from some of them.

I noticed that TSC had Westinghouse R30's or 40's at $6 a piece. I might give them a try.

We task lighting under the kitchen cabinets that use small tube bulbs. Those things have been running over six years almost non stop. They only time they get turned off is when we loose power. :thumbsup:

Later,
Dan

 

[JDgreen227]

Were the $6 recessed cans IC rated? IC rated cans were more expensive when we bought ours years ago.

We have been using CFL bulbs since we built the house. Our cans take either R30 or R40 bulbs depending on the trim package. The first set of R30/R40 bulbs we bought were from Home Depot and they lasted for years. I still have a case of the R30 bulbs. The bulbs fit the cans just right.

Then a Lowes was built near us and we started buying R40 bulbs from them. The Lowes brand is scat. $12ish for two and they do not last. I started marking the purchase date on the bulb and keeping the receipt. When the bulbs burnt out after a few months I would take them back. The bulbs fit the cans.

Lowes started stocking GE brand R40s, three to a box and still about $6 a CFL. To early to say but they seem to be lasting. They stick out a bit from the can. Not a big deal to us. Longevity is what I care about. I think these might have been rated at 10,000 hours. They are at least 8,000 hours. The Lowes R40s were 8,000 hours and I doubt we got 1,000 hours from some of them.

I noticed that TSC had Westinghouse R30's or 40's at $6 a piece. I might give them a try.

We task lighting under the kitchen cabinets that use small tube bulbs. Those things have been running over six years almost non stop. They only time they get turned off is when we loose power. :thumbsup:

Later,
Dan

The Menards flyer reads "approved for non-insulated, insulated, and vapor proof applications".

 

[dmccarty]

The Menards flyer reads "approved for non-insulated, insulated, and vapor proof applications".

Sounds like a good price. :thumbsup:

Later,
Dan

 

[Pilot]

Some CFL's are not supposed to be used in recessed fixtures--check when you buy them. I got one of those scare type emails saying CFL's can start fires and out of curiosity, I took a look at a few of my CFL's and found one all brown with heat damage on the insulation where the glass attaches. Actually looked loose, but didn't move and still functioned. Found a second one that was similar, but not as bad. They were in recessed fixtures.

Since I don't like CFL's, this was the last straw & I have pulled all but 2 of them and they are waiting for disposal.

Went to a lighting store and bought a bunch of long life, 130 volt rated incandescent bulbs for about $.50 each. I'm good for several years now.

 

[dmccarty]

Next time I am in Lowes I will check the packaging on their bulbs. I do not remember there being a warning about using in cans.

Find it strange that a low wattage CFL would have a problem in a can. The generate some heat but not much. I can't think of any other reason they would not work.

Later,
Dan

 

[Pilot]

Dan,

I was surprised, too and they didn't feel hot.

It seems the problems were mostly related to early versions. Out of curiosity about how long they would last, I wrote the installation date on the bottom of some of them. The problem bulb was installed in 2003. The other one was same make & model, but undated.

I read somewhere that because of fires the gov't wrote new standards in 2005 and that supposedly took care of the fire problem. But when I bought the good bulbs (incandescents) the clerk told me the ban on them had lots of exceptions because there are lots of applications where CFLs won't work.

I was looking forward to LED's but it seems they also have some nasty stuff; I don't know how much.

 

[grsthegreat]

im an electrical contractor, and its always been the way you describe. the recessed can fixture(ICT rated) run between $6-8.00 each, they nail you with the trim. A white Step Baffle trim may run $10.00, while an oil rubbed bronze trim can run $50.00.

We have been warned that incandescent lamps will stop being made soon. The biggest stopping point for their demise is the fact that the compact florescent lamp contains mercury, and this is proving to be a huge ecological disaster. Did you know that legally (according to strict interpretation of code) if you break a compact florescent lamp, its considered hazardous waste....

As soon as LED's become more cost effective, incandescent will stop being produced.

Also, if you have 8 foot High output florescent in your barns and shops, they have already began cutting back on the production of those lamps. ive stockpiled a bunch for my buildings.

Halogen lights are nice, but again they will be phased out.

As far as CFL's use in cans are concerned....ive never heard any problems using them. they burn cooler than incandescent, and even if they got too hot, the thermal cutout in the can should shut off the light. most people dont use them cause you cant dim them worth a darn...even the dimable cfls dont really work too well.

didnt mean to hijack your post..sorry for my ranting.

 

[JDgreen227]

im an electrical contractor, and its always been the way you describe. the recessed can fixture(ICT rated) run between $6-8.00 each, they nail you with the trim. A white Step Baffle trim may run $10.00, while an oil rubbed bronze trim can run $50.00.

We have been warned that incandescent lamps will stop being made soon. The biggest stopping point for their demise is the fact that the compact florescent lamp contains mercury, and this is proving to be a huge ecological disaster. Did you know that legally (according to strict interpretation of code) if you break a compact florescent lamp, its considered hazardous waste....

As soon as LED's become more cost effective, incandescent will stop being produced.

Also, if you have 8 foot High output florescent in your barns and shops, they have already began cutting back on the production of those lamps. ive stockpiled a bunch for my buildings.

Halogen lights are nice, but again they will be phased out.

As far as CFL's use in cans are concerned....ive never heard any problems using them. they burn cooler than incandescent, and even if they got too hot, the thermal cutout in the can should shut off the light. most people dont use them cause you cant dim them worth a darn...even the dimable cfls dont really work too well.

didnt mean to hijack your post..sorry for my ranting.

You are not ranting, your input is very much appreciated as an expert in the field. The problem I have with using CFL's in the cans is that the halogen bulbs have a reflector base that directs light downwards well, and the only CFL bulb I have seen that will do that sticks way out past the trim...looks like s---. I should have mentioned that in my original post that I was referring to those reflector type CFL's not the spirial type you use in conventional lamp sockets. Sorry.

 

[dmccarty]

You are not ranting, your input is very much appreciated as an expert in the field. The problem I have with using CFL's in the cans is that the halogen bulbs have a reflector base that directs light downwards well, and the only CFL bulb I have seen that will do that sticks way out past the trim...looks like s---. I should have mentioned that in my original post that I was referring to those reflector type CFL's not the spirial type you use in conventional lamp sockets. Sorry.

The first R40's we bought from HD did not stick out from the can. They are/were pretty flush. We still have a bunch of those in use. :thumbsup:

The Lowes brand of R40's that are scat were flush as well.

The new GE bulbs we are getting at Lowes do stick out of the can a bit.

I saw Westinghouse bulbs at TSC but I have not bought those yet so I cannot tell you if they stick out of the cans.

Later,
Dan