I used 6" - LED. I'm pretty sure 6" is usually much less expensive, and I read that the 4" lights just don't cast a wide enough beam - they are more like spotlights, so you would need a lot more lights.

I love my lights!

I used 6", also. Based on recs from the Lighting Forum, I used the Home Depot 6" self-trimming, fully-dimmable LED's that are made by Cree. I think they're called Eco Smart. Essentially, they are the Home Depot version of Cree CR-6. I think they're cheaper now than when I got them in 8/11. I love them.

I also have the HD cree/ecosmart 6" LED. They were down to $25 each near me when I bought them. They do cast a wonderful light in both color and brightness. I originally wanted 4" LED recessed, but it was just not worth the cost for us.

I'm so glad you are asking about this Hedgehoggy. I've been trying to figure out lighting for our kitchen project, too.

Does anyone know if the 6" dimmable LED lights dim without any buzzing or humming sounds? (Hope I'm not hijacking, here.)

I've had traditional dimmable lights in the past that almost drove me batty with the humming noises.

I have the Cree from Home Depot also. They are dimmable (and it works beautifully for me), but you need to make sure you get the correct type of dimmer. Check the Cree website or the Lighting forum for specifications. The dimmer they require is not cheap.

One other good thing about the Cree lights from HD - you do not need to buy a separate trim for it- it's all built in. And the housings are very inexpensive (check those too to make sure they are compatible).

I have 4" and I am happy with them. I have some on dimmers and I don't hear any humming. I am guessing you need to space 4" closer than you would 6" lights, but I'm not sure. Good Luck!

We also have 6" ones from HD (Ecosmart made by Cree). I learned about them on GW lighting. We put them in our hall, family room and kitchen. Our local HD has them at $25 each right now (unfortunatly they were $35 when we purchased them). They are a warm light and very easy to install.

I put in 5 inch cans but wish I used 6 inch cans - so many more possibilities.
I ended up putting in a brand that works with 5 inch cans and fortunately DH likes them. They are 3000K vs 2700. I think they were Cooper. The good news, I did not need a transformer but only a Lutron dimmer.

Thanks for posting about the lack of humming on the dimmable LED's. They sound wonderful. : ) Er, they don't "sound", which is even better!

I think the size of the cans is related to how tall your ceilings are. The taller your ceilings, the bigger the diameter of the cast light. So a 6 inch can gives way more light for those ofnus with 8 foot ceilings than a 4 or 5 inch can. The smaller cans throw plenty of light for those lucky folks with 9 or 10 foot ceilings. I stand ready to be corrected by people who know morenabout this than me :-)

We have 8' ceilings and we plan on going with 4" cans - because of having the lower ceilings, the 6" seem so large. We plan on having a few additional cans put in because we are going with darker floors and cabinetry, so the extra lighting will help bring the light level back up. We're using the HD EcoSmart by Cree - those come in both 4" and 6".

IMO, 3" would be too "beam" like and wouldn't cast out the light in a wide enough area. Those seem to be more geared toward spotlighting something that you want to draw attention to, but not so much general lighting.

The 5" seem to be harder to find bulbs to fit, so those aren't a consideration for us.

Andrea (and hedgehoggy)

We also think standard 6" looks too big, but the aperture in the Cree CR6 is smaller than in a regular 6" can -- it is more similar to a standard 5" aperture, so they worked great for us. Remember the CR6 comes with the reflector and trim built in, and it results in a smaller opening than using standard reflectors in a 6" can.

The light and dimming are fabulous. A neighbor just switched out their lights to the 6" Ecosmart after they saw ours, and they are very happy.

Billy

We have 18-year-old 6" cans in the foyer, and they look very large to me. So we went with 4" for task lighting in the kitchen (Cree/Ecosmart LED bulbs), and 3" for ambient lighting around the perimeter of the kitchen and dining area (Philips LED bulbs). Our lighting designer said that smaller is more on-trend, but what I care about is the light. With the nice LED bulbs, I get way more light from the smaller cans than I did from the big ones.

This one ... ECO-575L ?

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/R-202240932/h_d2/ProductDisplay

Hi hedgehoggy, I just installed (13) 4"LED"s in my kitchen remodel and I"m mostly happy with them. I have 8 foot ceilings, dark countertops and darker red bamboo flooring. The 4" LED"s are spaced about 40" apart.
(8) 4" lights are over the counters and stove and light the area very well. The other 5 are over the floor area (8 foot high) are not as well lit as I"d like. DW disagrees and says it fine, so....

I like the looks of the smaller recessed lights and would do it again but just over the countertops. Over the floor area Id go with the 5 or 6". As a matter of fact, I will be removing one and replacing it with a 5" and add 2 additional cans in a connecting area today. A lighter color floor may have produced better results with the 4" ones.

But you gotta love the LED's, with all 13 lights on it only draws 127 watts With the old kitchen turning on the lights spun the electric meter like a 45 RPM record.

I used Sylvania Ultra 4" LED 3000K 500Lumens. I hope that helps in your research.

I have the 4" Eco-575 with GU24 base.