I just did an overhaul on my kitchen lighting

[Major Nikon]

My kitchen has 6 canned lighting fixtures and although I've replaced the rest of my home lighting with CFL years ago, I hadn't done so with my kitchen. For one thing, I had a decent supply of 60w incandescent flood lights which I had no other use for and other was I really didn't like the quality and quantity of light that the CFL flood bulbs provided, so I returned the one I bought after trying it out.

One other problem I had was the newer bulbs didn't really fill the entire hole of the can. So the first step was to replace all the of the trim rings with these:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Halo-Air-Tite-6-in-Baffle-Trim-30WATH/100089636

These trim rings were a bit pricey, but they had a couple of nice benefits. One is they are air tight, or at least mostly, so it should prevent heat loss going up through the can. The other is it has a nice reflector surface inside and a light baffle which gives you a nice light spread, especially with the bulbs I went with.

The bulbs I used are these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16803105015

With the discount code I wound up paying pretty much right at $10 each for them which is a bit pricey, but they are rated at 40,000 hours and should last for many years. These bulbs use 8w compared to 60w for the old bulbs. I figure they should save me at least $50 per year in energy costs not counting sealing the cans better. The best part is my lighting situation in my kitchen is actually vastly improved. The new LED lights burn considerably whiter and brighter than the old bulbs and fixtures and you don't get the greenish blue cast from the CFLs which makes food look less appetizing. Even though the LED bulbs are 60w equivalents, they work a lot better with the updated fixtures.

If anyone has any 6" canned lights they are not really happy with, I highly recommend this combo of the trim and bulbs.

[Warpy]

1. When I redo my own kitchen, I'll leave the center fixture where it is.

I tend to throw light around via task lighting, under counter lamps and lighting near the stove and over the sink. I've seen too many fancy kitchen with pot lights making general lighting bright enough to sell jewelry by but deep shadows under cabinets making it unpleasant to work in.

I did stage lighting, does it show?

[Phentex]

2. Well, when I redo my kitchen, I will ask for your help!

Old kitchen with iron chandeliers. I do have under counter lighting and stove and sink lights but it's just not enough. If I ever remodel, I want to make one whole wall windows to the back yard and have pendants and a work space over there.

One day, one day...

[Warpy]

4. The one thing I insist on in any kitchen

and have left a legacy of jerry built counters in a lot of Victorian kitchens to get, is a landing space right next to the stove that is large enough for a big cutting board or a half sheet pan right out of the oven. I get that, it's a working kitchen. Without it, it's not.

[Major Nikon]

3. With the upgraded fixtures I get better coverage than before

It wasn't that bad before because my cans were strategically placed in the kitchen. I get a bit of a shadow 4" from the backsplash under the cabinets, but the new fixtures have better baffling so I get more fill from the opposing lights. What shadow there is isn't that dark and I'm not really using the space 4" from the back for work so it's not really an issue anyway. Mostly I work on my island which is the best lit spot in the kitchen. My ceilings are 10' and I'm guessing the area of coverage I get from each can is about 45 degrees now. The bulbs are diffused, so the light produced is pretty soft compared to hard lighting you'd get from something like a PAR or other type of spot. With the light coming from so many directions what shadows there are aren't very dark. The quality of light produced by the cans is also quite good. The bulbs are rated at 3000K but seem to be a bit whiter than halogen which are also 3000K.

[pscot]

5. Excellent post

You've done my homework for me.