What LED oyster lights are plug-in?

[otnimus1]

Hi all,

I am looking for options to replace my old oyster lights (which are circular fluoro). I want to replace them with slim LED oyster light but couldn't get clear indication which ones are hard wired (needs electrician to replace when they died) and which ones are plug-in (I can replace them myself).

Can you please give me the examples of those that are plug-in? Thank you.

[JacobZ]

Hi @otnimus1,

Plug-in options for LED oyster lights are a bit limited, but here are a few you can check out.

• Brilliant 22.5cm Plug in DIY Tri Colour Calle Multi-Fit Led Oyster Ceiling Light to Replace Downligh...
   
• Brilliant 30cm Plug In DIY Tri Colour Calle Multi-Fit LED Oyster Ceiling Light To Replace Downlight
   
• Brilliant 30cm Plug In DIY Tri Colour Calle Multi-Fit LED Oyster Ceiling Light To Replace Downlight.

You'll note that they all say, "to replace downlight". This is because the plug comes out of the top of the light, meaning it needs to pass through the ceiling, where it will plug into a quick-connect plug, which is usually used for downlights.

If you do not have quick-connect plugs in your ceiling cavity, then you would need an electrician to install them.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[otnimus1]

Hi @JacobZ , thank you for your response.

That confirms my thoughts that there aren't many of them. Do you have any insight why they are limited? Is that because they are new kind and the manufacturers are still trying to catch up or they are niche market? I need to know because I don't want to commit on this and then in the future I found myself having hard time trying to find replacements.

Thanks again.

[JacobZ]

otnimus1,

If you have concerns about the availability of plug-in LED oyster lights and you have the quick-connect facilities available, you could consider using plug-in downlights. They are easy to install yourself, are very common in modern homes and there are plenty of replacements available if needed.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[otnimus1]

Thanks @JacobZ 

One more question, the examples you mentioned above, would they have light distribution the same (as wide as) the fluoro based oyster light?

[JacobZ]

Hi @otnimus1,

Being lit by an LED rather than a fluro would have little to no effect on the light distribution, but having a flat diffuser, the angle would not be as wide as a domed diffuser simply because the light is restricted by the opening.

These lights would function in a similar way to a downlight.

Jacob

[otnimus1]

Uhm ... does that mean that the room won't be as bright as when it was still with the old oyster light? That might be a deal breaker. 

Do you have any suggestion on what I can replace old-fashioned fluoro oyster lights with? I once considered downlights but I thought if I replace oyster with oyster, I don't need to paint the ceiling to get rid off the mark left the old oyster light.

[JacobZ]

Hi @otnimus1,

Not necessarily. Brightness and the spread of the light, which is referred to as the beam angle, aren't really the same thing. 

Brightness refers to the amount of light the fitting produces, which depends on the bulb’s lumen output and how much light passes through the diffuser.

Beam angle, on the other hand, refers to how widely the light spreads once it leaves the fitting.

I can't really know if it will be brighter or not without knowing how many lumens your previous light was, but if your light had more of a domed cover than a flat one, I could say that the beam angle would more than likely be wider than the lights I recommended.

If you're concerned about the future availability of plug-in oyster lights, I would just get downlights and paint the ceiling. Painting your ceiling to remove the evidence of a previous oyster light isn't going to be that hard in the grand scheme of things.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob