Can lighting versus canless? When searching for interior lighting options one can quickly become overwhelmed at the sheer amount of variatons and brands to choose from. We went with the NUWATT canless LED’s in our home for a variety of reasons. These include efficiency, ease of install, and aesthetics.
What are Canless LED lights?
If you know what a can lights looks like aesthetically, a canless LED is made to mimic the feel of traditional can lighting. One key difference is the entire light and surrounding ring is able to be clipped into your ceiling as one piece, and does not require a cavity, or “can” to house a lightbulb. This makes them extremely flexible in terms of areas they can be installed. The total depth of the NUWATT wafer is one inch. Impressive when you think of the fact that over half of that will reside in standard ceiling sheetrock. This opens the door to placing lights in dropdown soffits occupied by HVAC ductwork, areas with extensive plumbing runs, or closer to joists that would otherwise get in the way of your perfect lighting design.
Ease of Install
The NUWATT lights are about as DIY friendly as they come provided you have basic wiring knowledge. For new construction you can place the small metal junction box prior to hanging your sheetrock and drill your holes after hanging (don’t forget where you placed them). For a remodel you will need access above the ceiling via crawling in the attic, or, patiently fish wire between the space behind your wall covering.
Wiring is a snap as the boxes contain easy push in connections for your 14 gauge feeder wire and an out to run to the next light. If you are not confident in the wiring process, several videos exist online showing the basics of light fixture wiring. If you are still intimidated, call a pro. Of course, don’t forget to turn off the power at the breaker and test it before handling.
The hole in the ceiling can be drilled using a 6 inch hole saw that attaches to a standard drill. Safety glasses and a mask are strongly recommended unless you enjoy drywall dust in your eyes and lungs. Once the hole is drilled you can bend the wafer clips up and push into the hole for a tight fit.
The warmth of the lights can be adjusted directly on the junction box via a simple switch which is a huge benefit of these particular lights. We tested a variety of settings and landed on the warmest (more yellow) in our living areas and slightly cooler (more white) in bathrooms and laundry rooms. If you change your mind it is easy enough to pop the disc out and flip the switch.
Drawbacks
No product is perfect for all situations so it is important to think through any negatives you may encounter. The main negative of canless LED’s is that when the light is out, it is out. No bulbs to replace, only the entire disc itself. We ended up ordering some extras in case something happens but we can only hope they make replacements 10 years down the road or we will need to swap to a different product all together. Another possible drawback is that some of these can flicker on dimmers which is why we went with NUWATT as they had great reviews on this and can say after having several hooked up for a month are flicker free on our Meross dimmers.
Conclusion
Overall we can recommend the NUWATT canless LEDs for new construction and remodels where you have access behind the surface. They are crisp an clean, giving off a warm (or not warm) light.