I have completed my analysis needed to select the can lights I am going to use in the new house. I figured since I need 250 of them it was worth doing some testing. I have put text in the descriptions with each of the pictures below explaining the data and the conclusion.

A couple of notes – These are can light inserts, not bulbs. You can also put in reflector and a standard edison style bulb in a can light, but there isn’t any compelling reason to do that. I suspect the results would have be similar with bulbs.

The LEDs I tested were all available at Home Depot, and no doubt there are many more brands that could be tested. The CE brand is a brand manufactured for Home Depot (I believe by Cooper Electronics), and I think only available from them.

The prices for each insert are very close with the exception of the CE 4-pack, in which the lights are almost half the price of the rest.

Summary – The idea that ‘you get what you pay for’ does not appear to be true in this case. The performance of the cheapest CE light is on par, if not better, than most the other lights here. When considered on a value/$ scale it is even better.

Note this is not a test of longevity, and it is possible that a longevity test will reveal some yet to be detected weaknesses. I am skeptical of that, however.

The winner, at least for me is this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-5-6-in-Matte-White-Integrated-LED-Recessed-Trim-5-Ways-4-Pack-NS01aA11FR1-259/303780877

I ordered and picked up 250 of them from my local home depot, and they even had that many in stock. They did suggest that at this spending level I should sign up to be a ‘pro’, which reduced the price another $200.

Happy to discuss more and answer any questions.. and of course happy to take in any more data and observations.