Review, Home Depot/ CREE T47 LED Disk Light

T47 LED disk lights still are not sold at my neighborhood Home Depot. Another store in Portland, Oregon, had several on shelves and in a display, with no fanfare.

The T47 and T67 differ mainly in rim diameter.

Inside, they have identical LEDs with 2700°K phosphor.

Identical LEDs are confirmed by the power draw, each at 12.5 watts without dimming.

The lumen number difference is real, where more-foolish diffuser angle throws away more of the available light with the T47. If the T67 is Brightness Number 5, equal in brightness to 125 watt incandescent, the T47 is 600/650 times B5, or B4.6, 115 watt incandescent equivalence. The steeper diffuser (same depth with smaller diameter) throws away another 8% for total of 18% efficiency loss, in the vanity of recessing the diodes. I now call the alternative lighting, not recessed, Projecting Planar Lighting.

With identical diodes and drivers the lights have identical and unacceptable hum, where tried with a dimmer (Cooper D106P tried). I wonder how many T67s and T47s have been shipped from China, with such degraded value where their brightness calls for dimming in most installations. How stupid that we don't make these lights within local markets, where error may be correctable, in limited trial production. Stupidity is accused against investor forces welcomed by government, that reward, not punish, export of jobs. Perhaps there is an energy loss in all stupidity, here delay of conservation efforts.

I have no use for these CREE lights despite some cute features as noted in T67 review. I have a T67 installed for a customer, over a kitchen sink, where the brown color temperature is noticeable, and the greater brightness of a 6" Glimpse is needed while working. I do like the clips that grab the ID of the found 6" can light. This can is missing features to pull up a Glimpse. Replacing a can light with a junction box is a hard sell, where the ceiling is not an attic floor.

Like Glimpse, the CREE lights include some wasteful hardware and are in elaborate and expensive display packaging. With the CREE lights it is  difficult to reassemble in packaging for return with the humming complaint. We need to greatly reduce costs in Contractor Packs of better LED surface mount lights. If used in a noisy environment or without dimming, even T47 or T67 already are a better value than any light bulb, including any CFL. It is so important that we get this right quickly for a weatherization campaign, and we are so close.