Review on 💡 TORCHSTAR UL Listed Recessed Downlight Junction: Perfect Industrial Electrical Lighting Solution by Jose Haskin

I bought these because they were not intended for existing retrofit applications like many LED hi hat lights available today. (It was a new installation in an already finished living room). They're also UL listed, which some say isn't a requirement, but I personally don't trust the origin of non-UL listed electrical products. To be UL listed, a product goes through a very active process that tests devices well beyond what they would normally encounter. This process can take many months and is expensive, so many cheap one-day growers don't invest in this process. I work in the electrical industry and will give some honest reviews based on installing 6 of these in my own home. Sorry for the long introduction but I want to provide a lot of details and make a few points for those interested... Overall I like them and would buy them again if the need arose, but they had a few qualities that made them a bit fiddly to install . . I liked that they are compact and don't require junction boxes. They emit a lot of pleasant white light (without the typical blue cast of LEDs). I used 6 of these for a 12ft x 18ft open plan living room with a 9ft ceiling. I had two rows of four with each fixture in the row 5 feet from the center and 4 feet between rows (and 4 feet from the walls). They make a lot of light - unless someone is reading or entertaining, we usually set the dimmer to around 80%. The light is evenly distributed and there are no dark areas - maybe that's because of the interval I chose. I like the energy-saving and heat-free properties of LEDs and don't have to worry about the light accidentally staying on all night and spinning the meter wheel (about 0.19 cents per kWh, six conventional 60W bulbs can be used instead of six 9 - Watt bulbs). As for the setup... I drilled six 5-1/4" holes with a hole saw and traced the wiring to each light. I then dry installed the lantern and traced around it to mark the slots for the spring clips I cut the slots on drywall with a hacksaw.This isn't necessary, but I suggest taking extra care not to damage the large piece of drywall when installing the bracket in the hole.The overlay ring allows for approx 1/4" forgiveness but I'm a bit obsessive and wanted a perfect fit. Wiring was easy thanks to quick disconnects. I noticed someone mentioned the cable compartment door kept bouncing. If you cut the wires to a reasonable length trimming you don't have to pinch them and the door will stay in order.It just takes a little finesse (experience helps) You also need to insert a Romex plug after You've punched out the connector for each light (don't miss this - they're less than 10 cents each at any hardware store). Some people seem to have overlooked this, but it's an electrical requirement and also helps prevent the wiring from moving and the landing door from opening (cause of the previously mentioned problem?). Due to their design and electrical isolation, these lights also do not require a ground wire, but it is strongly recommended that a ground wire be run through the entire circuit from source to light source - ground should always be connected to ground. As for the spring clamps...they could be stronger. Most of mine held up well once inserted but 2 of them had to be slightly twisted and/or reinserted and the lights then stayed firmly in the cutout. As for the suggestion of having 4 instead of 2 - I think that would make inserting very difficult as you have to hold them open when inserting the headlights. Slightly stronger springs would be better. This probably isn't a problem if you're installing them on a ceiling tile as you can access the lights once installed and rearrange them easily, but with inaccessible drywall ceilings like in my case they were a bit finicky, but I haven't needed to pad, glue, or seal them (glue or silicone are a quick fix, but if you ever have to remove them, you'll be sorry). Again, I think a lot of this has to do with the general experience of installing electric lights and being careful to "sweep" the Romex into the ceiling so it doesn't put too much pressure on the lights. One final note... When I checked my order and wrote this review, I noticed that the price of a 4-pack has increased by $20 compared to buying it 3 weeks ago (at $5 each!). Although I'd probably still buy them, the $20 increase is a big jump. While the LEDs themselves have a very long lifespan, I hope the entire assembly and built in driver will last as well. I will definitely update this review if needed. I have 2 left out of 8. I will probably use them in the laundry. Update: after 1 year of installation they still work perfectly and meet all expectations. I installed the remaining two in a small laundry room. Very happy with the purchase. I've also found that flashlights now come with compression fittings (grommets that fit into a cord hole), but I still prefer Romex fittings. A NOTICE. I bought this item from Revain at full price. I try to write helpful, unbiased, and insightful reviews because I read reviews before making my own purchasing decisions. I've found that many reviews lack useful information, are poorly written, or give bad reviews because they didn't read the instructions or read the product information before purchasing. Writing valuable reviews helps pay in advance.