I have spent the last 8 hours reading online reviews and different lighting threads here. I give up! Appealing to the Houzz lighting experts to take pity on me and provide much needed guidance.

PROJECT: Kitchen renovation (includes under-cabinet lighting, pendants over island and eating area, and 4" recessed lights).

GOAL: recessed lights that go on instantly, are as dimmable as my current incandescent, and give off a nice soft light (not glaring). Please help me choose recessed light/dimmer combo to end up with a good end result.

STATUS: Halo recessed housings have been installed in the ceiling so I have to stick with that (contractor put HALO H99ICAT housings in the ceiling already).

DILEMMA: Electrician gave me 3 choices for the lighting that will go inside those housings.** Of the options presented, he recommended CREE DR4 .** Options below:

a) Commercial electric 4" White Baffle Recessed Light Trim T19. Looks like you put in this housing and trim ring, and then buy and add a bulb separately.

b) Ecosmart 4" LED 1000064749 - Lamp module & housing unit - box says it's 9.5 W, a 65W equivalent soft light replacement, 2700K. Light is almost flush with surface (ie, not very recessed looking, don't really care for the look).

c) Cree DR4 Series LED Downlight (Model # DRDL4-05727009-12DE26-1C100 ) -- Lamp module & housing, 65 W replacement, uses 11.5 watts, 2700K. Light sits up in the housing about 2".

Concerns based on research --

1. ONLINE REVIEWS: most reviews of the CREE CR4 series LED are very positive, but a good percentage say that the light is very bright and dimmers don't dim them enough. This is a big concern for me. Don't want a kitchen that's too bright w/ lighting that's not dimable enough. Can't find much about the newer DR4 vs. the CR4 series ... but I think they are similar.

2. DIMMER COMPATIBILITY? CREE specifies their lights should only be used with approved dimmers. Dimmers not yet purchased or installed yet ... I was thinking about LeGrand dimmers, outlet covers & switch plates ... but LeGrand is not on their approved list! Should I switch to a different brand dimmer? Started reading about Lutron dimmers and others, very confused. Abandon the LeGrand option and choose a different dimmer ... or choose a different (not CREE) LED light?

3. QUALITY? Less of a concern, but the CREE and ECOSMART trim/housing look a little cheap (to me). Anyone else familiar enough with the brands in question to say whether it's a quality finish? Seems crazy to spend all this $$$ on marble, quality cabinets, etc. and then put lighting that looks cheap. Are there other, higher quality alternatives that should be considered? What is the style trend?

QUESTIONS:

The reviews about incompatibility of various brand recessed LEDs and dimmers is making me nuts. Is there a better option, beyond contractor's list? Am I good going with recommended CREE DR4. (and if so, which dimmer)? And since I am attempting to upgrade, what style/qualtity indicators should I be aware of?

THANKS IN ADVANCE for any help you can offer on this decision.

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