One wonders why you would wish to install - in a Hallway - "Downlights" - which illuminate only a small area on the floor beneath them.
Recessed surface mounted wide-angle LEDs may be a better choice!
You beat me to it. I had a 65 watt fluorescent fitting in the kitchen, wanted the spread, but way over the lumens required, this went to a 58 watt, and then a 22 watt LED, house sold now 14 x 4.8 watts down lights and the lighting no better to the 22 watt LED tube.
I have looked at them and considered arranging as the great bear or some other star cluster.
However, it is all down to how it looks, And of course the existing wiring. Go to Turkey, and they went to CFL well before us, as they don't want to heat the house with the lights, it is hot enough already, they arrange their lights in two groups, 1/3 and 2/3 approx, so they have 3 levels of lighting. Some though is needed so it does not look as if lights have failed.
But the big problem with down lights is the cost, to convert a pendent light to smart lighting at a £5 a bulb, is £5 but to convert 10 down lights is £50.
The same GU10 bulb in a pod can give so much more light. I did an experiment, I fitted 2 pods with GU10 bulbs either side of the bed so we could read in bed, aimed basic down onto the bed, not really enough light to see around the room, turn them up so they reflect off the white celling and loads of light.
The wiring bit, get a lighting junction box with cable clamps, you can get them small enough that they will fit through the down lighter hole, and leave enough cable slack so you can do that, then no need to lift floor boards next time. I have wall lights in my hall, and one is a daft integral type, wife got it, works well, but means when it fails have to change whole lamp not just a bulb. And likely with need some decoration, as unlikely to be same as one removed.
I look at lights, and these
seem to now be the standard, and I want to be able to swap bulbs, looked at Screwfix as an example and the first 20 lamps were integral types. Loss of the fluorescent tube is a problem, as the only surface mount lamps for years were fluorescent, so all we have is fluorescent converter to LED, there seems to be no LED lamps with a renewable lighting bit any more.
