We have a couple of dimmable downlight kit options when you are looking for a recessed downlight for any room of your house.
The main two options are the Elan dimmable downlights and GU10 dimmable downlight kits, both of white can be seen in our dimmable LED downlights category.
The main obvious difference is the price – the Elans kits are more expensive – but what are the differences between them?
Elan LED Dimmable Downlights
The Elan dimmable LED downlight has an integrated LED module in the fitting. It is not removable from the main body of the downlight. The Elan downlight requires less ceiling void space (height) as the dimmable driver (included) is attached by a fly-lead to the main unit and can therefore sit in the roof space next to the downlight. The Elan’s are IP65 (bathroom-rated) by default and have an interchangeable bezel which is useful either when decorating (just pop the bezel off, paint and then re-attach), or if you change your mind about the look of the downlight surround. (The tilt version is not IP65 and the bezel cannot be changed.)
The integrated LED module is of ‘COB’ design (chip-on-board) and is designed to look like a halogen spot bulb with the same look reflector surrounding the LED chip – once installed you won’t even notice you are using LED bulbs apart from the saving on your electricity bill!
They also come with a 7 year manufacturer warranty, 30,000 hour life and are the brightest option available with a lumen output listed at 560 lumens per downlight so you can install these and never have to worry about changing them.
So to sum up:
- 7 year warranty
- 560 lumen output
- only 10w per unit
- 30,000 hour life
- 40 degree beam angle
- 90 minute fire-rated
- Ceiling void depth required: 6cm
- Cutout diameter required : 6.9cm
LED GU10 Dimmable Downlight Kits
Our LED GU10 dimmable downlight kits comprise of some of the best options we have but also give you the most flexibility – and at the best price.
The kits comprise of a 90 minute fire-rated downlight ‘can’ which is designed to take a GU10 (mains voltage) spot bulb and we have matched the unit with a 6.8w dimmable GU10 bulb. The fittings are IP20 rated but if you wish you can pick an IP65 (bathroom rated downlights) or tilt downlight option from our site and then pick the same bulb we use in the kits (6.8w dimmable GU10 led spot bulb).
The fittings are a tried and tested unit (previously used with 50w halogen bulbs) which are wired up to the mains. The 6.8w dimmable GU10 bulb is the latest option from Ritelite which is a well-built, warm white, 24 degree spot bulb designed to replace 50w halogen bulbs for people who have existing GU10 fittings.
They are also rated at 30,000 hours and at 400 lumen output are a very bright, solid bulb.
That said, one of the advantages of these kits are that if you change you mind in the future regarding colour spectrum (warm, cool, daylight) or beam angle (24, 36, 60, 120 degrees etc) you can simply pop the bulbs out and change them – matching the lighting to your furniture and colour scheme can make a big difference! We offer quite a range of compatible bulbs, including the new COB GU10 bulbs designed to mimic the ‘look’ of a halogen bulb as used in the Elan downlights – Dimmable 5W COB GU10 LED (2700K).
So to sum up:
- 400 lumen output
- only 6.8w per unit
- 30,000+ hour life (with most LED bulbs)
- beam angle dependent only on the bulb choice
- 90 minute fire-rated
- Ceiling void depth required: 14.5cm
- Cutout diameter required: 7.2cm
Which one is best for you? That’ll depend on your requirements, but if you have any other questions please let us know!