# what size can lights are you installing?



## JoeCav91 (Sep 15, 2014)

6" or 4" here as well. I don't recall ever putting in a 5" can.


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## Azspark (Jan 24, 2014)

6 or 4 the 5inch cans are saved for the "the special customers." Just my experience the people that pick the 5inch cans are a lot more complicated and difficult to deal with.


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## Azspark (Jan 24, 2014)

3D Electric said:


> Just like it says, what size cans are you installing. Here it's mainly 6" and some 4". I've heard a lot of guys are installing 5" but I haven't seen any.



6 or 4 the 5inch cans are saved for the "the special customers." Just my experience the people that pick the 5inch cans are a lot more complicated and difficult to deal with.


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## Azspark (Jan 24, 2014)

Sorry for the double post


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

Azspark said:


> Sorry for the double post


It's a great way to rack up your post count...:laughing:


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

6" or 4" here 5"cans are an odd ball..


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

6" is so 1994. It's mostly 5" around here now.


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

6" all the way


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## farlsincharge (Dec 31, 2010)

5" cans with 6" ecosmart led's from HD.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Lots of 5" here. I'm not complaining. I can buy trims cheap and stock up on them.


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

Mostly 6" until they lower the price on the 4" stuff.


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## 3D Electric (Mar 24, 2013)

wendon said:


> Mostly 6" until they lower the price on the 4" stuff.


Material wise you would think the 4" would be cheaper. Less metal. Of course a higher demand would easily outweigh that


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

3D Electric said:


> Material wise you would think the 4" would be cheaper. Less metal. Of course a higher demand would easily outweigh that


That's all I can figure out. I suppose there's a cheaper brand somewhere that are priced a little closer but the ones from my supply house are way off in pricing. Even the cans are more money.


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## crazyboy (Nov 8, 2008)

Almost all 5".


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## DesignerMan (Jun 13, 2008)

crazyboy said:


> Almost all 5".


Same here- mostly 5-inch...


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## Meadow (Jan 14, 2011)

Most homes here get a BR40 gulper. Custom jobs vary based on requirements.


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## V-Dough (Jul 22, 2014)

Almost always 4''. gives you flexibility of using PAR20 or PAR16 bulbs


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

V-Dough said:


> Almost always 4''. gives you flexibility of using PAR20 or PAR16 bulbs


Is that a good thing?


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## V-Dough (Jul 22, 2014)

Sometimes customers want 'small lights'. Plus more trim options.


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## The_kid (Nov 4, 2014)

Really? I never ever use 6" at all. 

Every here and there we put in 5" for the odd balls.

4" is somewhat common when we do kitchens or dormers i guess.

But its probably 90% of the time line voltage 3" gu.10's. Thats the "style" out here. 

They give off no light at all so you have to put so many in.


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## Dan the electricman (Jan 2, 2011)

Whatever the customer decides! Whatever they like, and can afford. 3, 4 5, or 6...I do em all!

Most homes, built here since 1980, have 6", so people often match those.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Can lights are just a light up in a hole in the ceiling to me.

Unless the element is chosen correctly & made flush w/trim, they have lousy photometrics 

~CS~


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

chicken steve said:


> Can lights are just a light up in a hole in the ceiling to me.
> 
> Unless the element is chosen correctly & made flush w/trim, they have lousy photometrics
> 
> ~CS~


They're sure nice to trim out though. The biggest challenge is, like you stated, doing the layout properly so you get an even light pattern. Those disc lights work great too. There's some areas where they aren't the ticket but since they're coming out with LED trims, I'm installing more of them.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

chicken steve said:


> Can lights are just a light up in a hole in the ceiling to me.
> 
> Unless the element is chosen correctly & made flush w/trim, they have lousy photometrics
> 
> ~CS~


Show me a directional lamp that will beat an old style alzak reflector and an A bulb for general illumination.


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## BuzzKill (Oct 27, 2008)

Just got done with about (25) 5" cans...this was after I talked the GC into 5" from 6"...I was shooting for 4" but they turned out great after I also suggested using LED trim outs....


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## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

DesignerMan said:


> Same here- mostly 5-inch...


 Waz up there friday. Talked to a real Amish guy hanging t-8s.


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## DiegoXJ (Jul 29, 2010)

Used to be 6 and 4

Now just 5 and 4, and Led kit.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Don't even _think _about establishing a can pattern under a bathroom or laundry room.....~CS~


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

99cents said:


> Show me a directional lamp that will beat an old style alzak reflector and an A bulb for general illumination.













~CS~


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

BuzzKill said:


> Just got done with about (25) 5" cans...this was after I talked the GC into 5" from 6"...I was shooting for 4" but they turned out great after I also suggested using LED trim outs....


4" should never be used for primary lighting. Accent only


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Our illustrious lighting lady has 2---4" led retro's in a vaulted bedroom ceiling here.

They do a great job of illuminating two areas below them

~CS~


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## ecelectric (Mar 27, 2009)

4 inch , 6 inch just seem dated now


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

6". With 6" you can use any conceivable bulb option and there are many trim varieties. The smaller you go, the more limited you are. I can put anything from a PAR16 to a PAR38 in a 6" baffle without it looking odd.


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## ecelectric (Mar 27, 2009)

Funny this thread popped up again , I just finished a house where we ripped all the six inch cans out lol. I guess it's all a matter of opinion


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## running dummy (Mar 19, 2009)

We see a good mix of 4, 5, and 6" but it seems like the 6" is on its way out.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

We used 5" for a short while but it seems now all we use are 4 or 6 and an occasional 3" in a cabinet


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## five.five-six (Apr 9, 2013)

I just did a garage in 5s deep boxes. living space above the garage and the customer wanted flush lights. There is a large (and growing) variety of LED trims that fit in 5s (and some in 4s and 4o) boxes.


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## five.five-six (Apr 9, 2013)

dspiffy said:


> 6". With 6" you can use any conceivable bulb option and there are many trim varieties. The smaller you go, the more limited you are. I can put anything from a PAR16 to a PAR38 in a 6" baffle without it looking odd.



The only light-bulb is an A19, everything else is a lamp.


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## MacmMini (Jan 12, 2015)

5" cans.


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## te12co2w (Jun 3, 2007)

BuzzKill said:


> Just got done with about (25) 5" cans...this was after I talked the GC into 5" from 6"...I was shooting for 4" but they turned out great after I also suggested using LED trim outs....


 Is there an advantage to 5" over 6" ? Price? I've never bought a 5".


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## BulbmartDepot (Jan 19, 2015)

Depends on how much light you want and how high your ceiling are. A lot of contractors buy 5" cans from me.


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## WantAndAble (Feb 19, 2015)

Almost every pot I do is 5... maybe a 4 in the shower or tub


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## sparky456 (Mar 23, 2009)

Almost always did 6 inch,,,, 5 inch were expensive and I thought had less choices for trims,, but the 4 inch ones are starting to grow on me now with the led trim kits. They are smaller in ceiling but give out just as many lumens as a 6 inch. Also some of the Led trim kits are able to be installed in a round box, so no need for a can in a packed ceiling, cheaper and get the same look as a recessed light


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

Here at the upolstered toilet all the cans I'm putting in are Juno 4" with the black/white baffle trims. The ceilings are low and sloped, so size def matters here.:laughing:


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

mxslick said:


> Here at the upolstered toilet all the cans I'm putting in are Juno 4" with the black/white baffle trims. The ceilings are low and sloped, so size def matters here.:laughing:


Black/white baffles?


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

I try to avoid 6" cans whenever possible. That 1" size difference seems to make all the diffference aesthetically speaking for general lighting. I havent done too many cans smaller than 5" though, so cant speak to 4s and 3s.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I just loaded up my sloped living room ceiling with 6" remodel cans and 13 watt LEDs. They were the only size I could find with the gimbal feature necessary for the sloped ceiling.
I have 4" cans with 9 watt LEDs in my kitchen.
Both are controlled with Lutron Caseta dimmers. 
The light output and the 3000k color is perfect for my house.

I don't see how using 5" would be any different as the trims are the same.


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

MTW said:


> Black/white baffles?



The trim rings are white, the inner baffles are black. 

The way I wrote it before made it sound the opposite. 

I HATE all-white trims...the white inner baffles rapidly discolor due to the heat from the lamp (and no I wasn't over-lamping) and the dirt that gets drawn through them.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

mxslick said:


> The trim rings are white, the inner baffles are black.
> 
> The way I wrote it before made it sound the opposite.
> 
> I HATE all-white trims...the white inner baffles rapidly discolor due to the heat from the lamp (and no I wasn't over-lamping) and the dirt that gets drawn through them.


Black baffles are totally disgusting. Dont push your weird taste on a normal customer


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

mxslick said:


> The trim rings are white, the inner baffles are black.
> 
> The way I wrote it before made it sound the opposite.
> 
> I HATE all-white trims...the white inner baffles rapidly discolor due to the heat from the lamp (and no I wasn't over-lamping) and the dirt that gets drawn through them.


I figured. I installed some black and white baffles for someone who wanted them…in 1998.


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

jrannis said:


> I just loaded up my sloped living room ceiling with 6" remodel cans and 13 watt LEDs. They were the only size I could find with the gimbal feature necessary for the sloped ceiling.
> I have 4" cans with 9 watt LEDs in my kitchen.
> Both are controlled with Lutron Caseta dimmers.
> The light output and the 3000k color is perfect for my house.
> ...


I've put a number of LED's in but not a lot on dimmers. An LED salesman told us the other day that when you dim and LED fixture is always dims to the brighter color. So a 3000k dimmed, might be 3500k (or something like that) has anyone noticed that?


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## BuzzKill (Oct 27, 2008)

I push for 4", aluminum lined baffles with white trim. 6" cans are so f'n 80's, they are butt ugly.


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

mcclary's electrical said:


> Black baffles are totally disgusting. Dont push your weird taste on a normal customer


That's your opinion and you are entitled to it..but this *is in my own house* so there. :tt2::laughing:

What would you do if one of your customers wanted these trims? Would you say the same thing to them? 



MTW said:


> I figured. I installed some black and white baffles for someone who wanted them…in 1998.


Since this dump was built in the early '40s and I am getting rid of the 70's paneling, some late 90's trims are a huge step up from what is here. :thumbup:

On and this *is in my own house* so there. :tt2::laughing:


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## BuzzKill (Oct 27, 2008)

It all comes down to a few things: ceiling height and square footage of the area; 4" cans will look weird in a high ceiling, and large cans will look stupid in a small space: you either have an eye for aesthetics and design or you don't.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

jrannis said:


> I just loaded up my sloped living room ceiling with 6" remodel cans and 13 watt LEDs. They were the only size I could find with the gimbal feature necessary for the sloped ceiling.
> I have 4" cans with 9 watt LEDs in my kitchen.
> Both are controlled with Lutron Caseta dimmers.
> The light output and the 3000k color is perfect for my house.
> ...


Cuz when you dont install Halo and Commercial Electric junk the trims are snaller on 5" cans?


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

mxslick said:


> The trim rings are white, the inner baffles are black.
> 
> The way I wrote it before made it sound the opposite.
> 
> I HATE all-white trims...the white inner baffles rapidly discolor due to the heat from the lamp (and no I wasn't over-lamping) and the dirt that gets drawn through them.


Uhhhh, no. The 90s are calling and they want their black baffle white trim rings back and their gold light fixtures. In 2015, white is right, unless bronze is in order


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

mxslick said:


> That's your opinion and you are entitled to it..but this *is in my own house* so there. :tt2::laughing:
> 
> What would you do if one of your customers wanted these trims? Would you say the same thing to them?
> 
> ...


I wouldnt make them an option. Plus, my customers and lighting desigbers have taste, so black baffles are a no go. I should have added brushed nickel in my color choices because lighting designers seem to love that on gimbal trims.

Ya gotta get with the times dude. You are like my old man. He loves ivory devices in general but his favorite is brown devices with brass plates. I cant win every battle I suppose, but at least I broke him of 6" cans, steel switch boxes with romex (got him on the smart box bandwagon) and taught him the magic of the multi tool.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

Going_Commando said:


> Ya gotta get with the times dude. You are like my old man. He loves ivory devices in general but his favorite is brown devices with brass plates. I cant win every battle I suppose, but at least I broke him of 6" cans, steel switch boxes with romex (got him on the smart box bandwagon) and taught him the magic of the multi tool.


Wow, that's electrician torture.


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

Tel ya what MTW and Going_Commando, if y'all are willing to buy me 4" Juno trims in brushed nickel I will gladly install them and return the black baffle ones. 

I need 28 trims. :thumbsup::laughing:


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

MTW said:


> Wow, that's electrician torture.


Oh, it gets worse. He likes: 
-uni-line plates

-requires "drip loops" aka Mickey Mouse ears on all panel/disconnect terminations

-Requires"drip loops" when entering boxes with romex (I'm OK with that one thanks to the drywall monkeys)

-He uses a hacksaw more than a sawzall and has never even run our portaband

-Doesn't like NSI/Polaris connectors and prefers split bolts with layers of varnished cambric, rubber tape, and finish off with Super 33+

-Still uses a big ol' Husky leather tool pouch that he never wears, and carries it and his other misc tools in a bucket buddy in a 5 gallon pail. The thing is full of random junk, tips over all the time, and he just tosses the tools and whatnot back in the bucket.

-He is only 1 step above MTW when it comes to LEDs. After tons of pressure, he is starting to give way on that one. 

-He immediately talks crap about any new technique, tool, or product that I bring up to him. He's done it with smart boxes, multi-tools cordless sawzalls, cordless rotary hammers using SDS bits, German handtools, stripping romex sheath AFTER it's been shoved through the cable clamp, etc.

-I talk to him about getting a new tool (laser level, multi-tool, cordless sawzall, hand tools, random power tools, work lights, tape measures, whatever) and his first response is "We can't afford that" or "That's a waste of money." I decide to buy it anyway, and after I show him he says "Did you charge it or put it on the business debit card?" I of course reply, "No, you said we couldn't afford/need it!", and he says "Keep being stupid and waste your own money, just charge it next time!" Phucking maddening. 


Holy crap that felt good. I feel waaay better now. Who needs a shrink when I can just make a wall of text on ET? :laughing:


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

wendon said:


> I've put a number of LED's in but not a lot on dimmers. An LED salesman told us the other day that when you dim and LED fixture is always dims to the brighter color. So a 3000k dimmed, might be 3500k (or something like that) has anyone noticed that?


No. These are rock solid and dim down within color.
They are Sylvania "Ultra" series. Really nice, I can't say enough positive about the quality of each unit or the quality of the light output.
I'm veery fussy about light color and used to only want crisp holagen in my cherry and slate kitchen until I discovered these puppies.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

Going_Commando said:


> Oh, it gets worse. He likes:
> -uni-line plates
> 
> -requires "drip loops" aka Mickey Mouse ears on all panel/disconnect terminations
> ...


Wow…just wow. :wallbash:


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## Voltron (Sep 14, 2012)

6" are most common here.


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