waste of time and money - LED kitchen light

[DogwoodTales]

Bought one of these less than two years ago with the recommended switch and within a year it started flickering and then quit altogether.
I Figured, "ok, no big deal, I just got a dud", so I brought it back to the store and got an even exchange for another. 
Now less than a year after that the second one is flickering.
I found there are several dozen other such complaints in the reviews since I did the exchange, not so much before and none before the first purchase.
Now there is one more such complaint added to their pile.


What a waste of money and MY TIME to have to return this thing AGAIN and then get up on a ladder to install another light.
This time it will not be this light and not ANYTHING from Commercial Electric.
If I'm going LED and having to climb a ladder for this, I'm paying for better quality and service.
Recommendations please.


This is the light I am griping about.

Thanks
Ray

[daddo]

Mine burned out. I just reached up and changed the regular bulb.

I've done that maybe twice in 4 years. Bet I saved more money using regular bulbs or the spiral type.

So much for innovation illusions.

If it needs a circuit or elect board to operate- I pass.

[Robert Adams]

Those fixtures that don't use a regular bulb are imo a bad idea. Also I have another nickname for CE products.

     The issue is in in the power supply design but mainly the capacitors used in them. They are pure garbage. Often unmarked etc. The most common and worst are the red ones.

       Just get fixtures that have replaceable bulbs and put leds in. Easier replacement and I have seen very few fail. I like the TCP brand. Also make sure to get ones with a color temp of 4k or higher to avoid the ugly dingy yellow that most bulbs have. Makes your house look like a smoke filled bar with that yellow, wall colors look bad etc.

[TomSegel]

oh no, I have one just like it.

[Patsfan]

uh oh. I just installed one of those for somebody this summer. (I didn't buy it.)

[EricU]

I installed one of those a couple of years ago.  Wonder how it's doing.  I try not to buy the CE stuff

[bennybmn]

I have a couple similar ones in my house, no problems yet... not s ton of use tho.

[TDKPE]

I've just replaced the 50W R20's in the track light in the MBR closet with these LEDs at 7W per.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart-50W-.../206702058

I can't tell the difference between the incandescent and LED bulbs as far as color and intensity.  With 9 bulbs in the unit, which get left on all the time if I don't go up and shut stuff off, that's a drop from 405W (45W each, I think) to 63W.  

Gotta think about the recessed PAR30 floods in the kitchen, which spend almost as much time on as the closet.  


But I'll probably use PAR30 style rather than the trim plus bulb kits.  I like to keep things generic when I can.

[Robert Adams]

For the kitchen I have around 7 can lights with led trims. They seal up better and spread light better than the par bulbs with trims. 
     
   Led strip lighting under and over the cabs that stay on pretty much all the time. They are actually the primary lighting as the cans are rarely used. I don't see a need for a conventional light fixture in the kitchen as it puts light behind you at all times.

         There is a dimmer on the cans because they provide allot of light... 1100 lumens a piece.

       The led strip lighting was about $60 total including the power supply and is cheaper to do now as the rolls of leds are cheaper now. I think I used 4 15' rolls.

[DogwoodTales]

I have plans for better lighting once I redo my kitchen, hopefully this year. In the meantime we need general lighting. With that in mind, I wasn't thinking of that before, I'll just get some cheap incandescent light to put in for now.

On top of this the shower shut off is acting up. Won't shut off properly. Ugh! Will this.crap ever end?