Downlights are a popular choice of ceiling lighting, and rightly so. Suitable for both homes and commercial properties, they can be used throughout a building, giving a seamless flowing effect from room to room.

They provide practical lighting and can be as subtle or obvious as you wish, complementing other features of the space. In this blog we review some of our best downlights and go in to some detail about why you should and shouldn't buy them. 

Things to Consider Before You Buy

We've written a detailed article on all the things to consider when buying your downlights, which you can find here, however there are a few key points we'd like to recap if you're ready to choose your downlights.

Only Buy From Quality Brands Backed with Warranty

This is possibly the most important thing to take note of. There are 1000's of different downlights on the market today, with many being cheap imports. It's important to only buy from leading brands that back their products with warranty. That way, in the unfortunate event your downlight fails, you know you are covered with the manufacturers warranty.

💡 Note:

Some downlights on our list come with a 5 year warranty with most of the others coming with a 3 year warranty. Wherever you purchase from, be sure to check the warranty policy of the specific product.

Choose Something That's Low Glare

Cheaper lights can do the job, however, the amount of glare that is produced can strain your eyes and even flood the room with light, creating in result, no mood.

We highly recommend our customers choose a low glare downlight with the light source recessed in the fitting. This will produce an anti-glare light output. Some downlights have the light source so far back into the fitting that it can be hard to see the light, even when standing right underneath of it. This design will output an impressive pool of light around the area. Having small pools of light will create a better ambience than having an area flooded with light.

The image below shows 2 downlights side by side displaying the negative affects of glare.

An image of 2 downlights side by side displaying the negative effects of glare


Consider A High CRI

The next big selling point is to have lighting with a high CRI. This will allow all objects lit to expose their true colours and not dull colours. Most of ours will have a CRI of 75, whilst higher quality lights will be 85+. Below is a diagram illustrating how CRI works.

LED Downlights CRI Example

💡 Continue Reading:

If you need more information on downlight spacing, beam angle and energy efficiency etc. You can read our in-depth guide on how to choose the right downlight

The Lighting Outlets Best 10 LED Downlights 

Our list of best LED downlights is in no particular order, ranking downlights through 1 to 10 is impossible as some may not be suitable for certain applications. We've been selling downlights for years and we've seen many downlight brands come and go. The below list reviews not only some of the best downlights we've seen but also some of the best downlight manufacturers that have built their reputations from years in the industry.