Why are 4" can lights so much more expensive than 6&quo

[joelpat]

I was at HD last night pricing can lights. The 4" new construction IC cans were $23 each. The 6" NC/IC were $10.

Why the extra cost?

I think I'd like to do more 4"er's rather than 6", but not for double the cost!

[giddonah]

There must be something to it, I'll try to remember this weekend when I'm walking around there.

[Rich]

Demand??

[dhill]

I put in 2" mini cans. They were about the same as 6". I bought them at a lighting store, not Lowes or HD.

[Tom R]

I agree with Rich, - - sizes other than 6" are shorter on demand, - - requiring production-line down-time.

[VALENT]

down here I paid less for 4 inch kits (with everything included) than the recessed can and fixtures(baffle) for 6 inch would cost.

[joelpat]

Hmmm. Maybe the 4" I saw were kits, not just cans?

For general lighting throughout a house (10' ceilings) would you use 4" or 6"? I was planning on using 6" cans, but I'd like the lighting to be a little more subtle. The 6" seem really large, but that's just looking at the can, and so it might be a little deceiving.

Interior will be a modern craftsman feel, with some asian flavor. 10' ceilings, lots of woodwork, simple lines.

[Tom R]

It is deceiving, - - I would definitely use the 6", - - especially with 10' ceilings.

[joelpat]

I'll listen to anyone that responds so quickly and definitively. :) Thanks.

[VALENT]

you can always use subtler bulbs. Low wattage, cool light or any of the others they sell.

[joelpat]

Yeah, my bigger concern was that in an old house with relatively small rooms, the 6" housing might dominate the ceiling a little too much. I think I could use a baffle to couteract that though.

[VALENT]

By all means, if you are worried about the size dominating the ceiling that is a whole other concern.

[sleepy hollow]

I am using 4" cans in my basement (8 ft ceilings). I have 10 of them in my 35 X 13 rec room. 6" would look too big in my opinion. I am using 50W halogen lights and the deeper baffles. They really look much better than larger lights. I also put them on the electronic dimmers. Very nice results.

As for the cost, my local electrical distributor/lighting showroom wanted over $65 per fixture with trim for 20 of them. I could not get a straight answer as to why they were better than HD, so I went to HD and got them for less than $35 per can plus trim. I saved over $600. I really wanted to not buy from HD, but just could not justify it. I did not bother to even let them price match since they claimed I was getting a 30 percent discount in the higher price already. No way they could have matched the HD price. [Or if they could, they would have revealed how disingenuous they were being with me from the outset.] The HD cans (Halo brand I think) seem just fine. They have all of the appropriate certifications, meet all the standards, and appear to be well constructed. I mean how badly can you screw up sheet metal boxes anyway?

One slight downside is the box is a bit smaller so you can only fit 8 wires in there (I am using all 12 guage wire) if I recall correctly, which is basically 4 2-wire cables, or, more importantly, two 2-wire and one 3-wire. Make sure your circuit plan works with this.

[bkrahmer]

you can only fit two 2-wire and one 3-wire I'm curious, why would you see this as a problem? I'm not a pro electrician, so maybe there's a method I don't know about, so please fill me in if I'm missing something. Wire nutting more than three wires seems problematic, so I would only have one light feed two others anyway. (Not counting the flimsy wire the cans use.) If you want to connect 5 wires together in a box, don't you have to: A. Connect your supply hot to 2 small pigtails. B. Connect one of the pigtails to 2 of your loads. C. Connect your other pigtail to the other 2 loads. D. Repeat for neutral and ground?

If so, you may say that's not a big deal, which is true, but it seems easier just to run a few more feet of cable and have less wires to push back in the boxes.

[sleepy hollow]

Sorry, I was not clear. It was not the number of wires per connection, but the total number of wires that could be junctioned in the box at all. So, if I wanted to connect two lights in sequence, that would be one 12/2 cable in and one cable out - 4 wires, no problem.

If I want to run power through the light and/or run a three-way switch through a light then I may end up needing to make more connections than the box is rated for. Could be one 12/2 in and out (4 wires), plus one 12/3 in for a 3-way switch (3 wires). Total would be 7 wires to be connected. So, I could not bring any more wires into this box, like if I wanted to run unswitched power through to a receptacle, or run a third switched light from this light.

Hope this makes sense. I actually cannot remember what the limit is, I think it is 8, but the point is that there is a max. The max is different depending on the wire gauge since 14 is smaller than 12. I only use 12 or higher, so I have to stick with the limits for 12. 14 would allow more wires to be connected in the box.

[bkrahmer]

Ok, I follow you. Thanks for explaining that.

[joelpat]

FWIW: I called a large supplier here in DC. He says the cost difference for 4" is simply because of the tooling. It's just a supply issue.

[Sweep]

If you want subtle recessed down lighting in a 10 ft ceiling you should look for something like a Lightolier 3 3/4" dia. line-voltage halogen with white step baffle (#2005 WH). It uses a 50wPAR20 NFL or FL halogen lamp. For uniform general illumination in a 8ft ceiling they should be spaced 48" o.c. perhaps farther apart for a 10 ft ceiling, I'm not sure.

The last time I bought them from a lighting supplier with a professional discount they were $34 each plus $7 for AIC (before tax, no lamp). I'm sure they would be a bit more now.

For the best subtle small diameter lights that will throw light from a high ceiling you must spend considerably more for low voltage halogen fixtures with MR16 lamps.

A good fixture supplier will allow you to see different brands and models of recessed lights installed in a real ceiling so you can compare them.

Be careful and get it right the first time. A cheap light is no bargin if you need to repace it later.