Spotlights

A spotlight aims light at something instead of filling a room with it. A benchtop, a painting, a path, a driveway. The beam has a direction and an edge, which is why three well placed spots do more useful work than one bright fitting in the middle of the ceiling.

That directionality is also what makes spotlights the layer people add last and wish they had added first. Once the working surfaces and the things worth looking at have their own light, the main ceiling fitting can be turned down or left off.

What's in this range

This collection holds 11 products, priced from $40 to $110 in Australian dollars. Listed wattage runs from 7 W for a single adjustable indoor spot up to 100 W, and the outdoor floodlight in this range is offered in 50 W, 100 W, 150 W and 200 W versions. The one fitting that lists a diameter measures 11.5 cm.

Aluminium is the dominant housing material across the range, sometimes on its own, sometimes with a durable plastic body or an ABS shell. Light sources are split between high output COB chips, integrated LED chips and fittings built around a GU10 lamp, with one track system supplied ready for GU10 lamps and one ceiling spot supplied with its lamp. Mounting methods cover surface mounted wall and ceiling spots, flush recessed downlights, ceiling rail track systems and a 180 degree adjustable bracket. Colour temperatures listed include warm white, neutral white at 4000K, and two products offering a 3000K, 4000K and 6000K or 6500K switch. Weather ratings are unusually well represented here: IP65 on three product pages, plus one IP66 and one IP67. Kitchens are the room named most often, followed by hallways, living spaces, bedrooms, retail displays and commercial interiors.

How to choose

Fixed, track or portable

A recessed downlight is permanent and hidden. A track system lets you move and re-aim the heads later, which is the reason to choose it over separate spots. A rechargeable handheld spotlight is a different tool again, for a paddock, a shed or a camp site rather than a ceiling. Decide which of the three you are shopping for before you compare prices.

Indoor or outdoor, read the IP rating

The IP number is the only thing that tells you whether a fitting can face the weather. Several products here state IP65, one states IP66 and one IP67. A fitting with no rating listed is an indoor fitting, whatever it looks like. If the light will sit under an eave, on a wall or on a post, see also outdoor lights.

Integrated LED or a replaceable lamp

Fittings built around a COB or integrated LED chip have nothing to change, so the whole fitting is the unit. Fittings that take a GU10 lamp let you swap the lamp for a different colour temperature or beam later, and let you replace it when it fails rather than replacing the fitting. Spare GU10 lamps are in light bulbs.

Colour temperature for the surface you are lighting

Warm white flatters timber, brick and skin. Neutral white around 4000K keeps food and fabric colours honest, which is why it suits a kitchen bench. Cooler settings read as bright and clinical indoors but hold up well outside. Two products here switch between all three, so one fitting can be tried in both settings.

How much you can aim it

An adjustable head is worth more than extra wattage. If the fitting can be tilted or rotated after installation, you can correct a beam that lands slightly off, and you can change what it lights when the furniture moves. The installation line on each product page states whether the head adjusts and how far.

Frequently asked questions

Can I install these myself?

Recessed downlights and track systems are hardwired, and fixed wiring work must be carried out by a licensed electrician in Australia. The rechargeable and portable models in this range need no installation at all.

How many spotlights do I need over a kitchen bench?

It depends on the length of the bench and the beam of the fitting, so the honest answer is that a bench is lit in overlapping pools rather than by a single number. Look at the beam angle on the product page and plan for the pools to meet. See kitchen lights for the pendants that usually sit alongside them.

Are the lamps included?

Some fittings here include a GU10 lamp and others are supplied without one, while the COB and integrated LED models need no lamp at all. The light source line on each product page states which applies before you order.

Do any of these dim?

Two product pages state that the fitting does not dim. Where a fitting takes a GU10 lamp, dimming depends on both the lamp and the switch, and an LED needs a dimmer made for LEDs. Check the product page rather than assuming.

What is the difference between a spotlight and a downlight?

In practice, aim. A downlight sits flush and lights what is directly beneath it. A spotlight has a head you can point, so it lights what you choose. This collection includes both, and the installation line tells you which one you are looking at.