V-TAC PRO VT-1207CCT Recessed LED Panel, Round 170 mm, 12 W, 1150 lm, 3000K/4000K/6500K, White

The VT-1207CCT is a round recessed LED panel: a white aluminium body 170 mm across and 12 mm thick, with an opal diffuser over the whole front face. The light source is integrated, and the colour temperature — 3000 K, 4000 K or 6500 K — is chosen with a switch.

Fitting it into the ceiling

The panel needs a 160 mm cut-out and its rim measures 170 mm, so it covers the edge of the hole all round. Spring clips hold it in place, which suits suspended ceilings and plasterboard linings with a void behind them. The panel itself is 12 mm thick, and the driver with its switch hangs on the lead and also disappears behind the board.

It runs on 220–240 V and connects to live, neutral and protective earth, so the installation at the mounting point needs an earth conductor. The whole unit weighs 0.3 kg.

How much light, and what kind

Drawing 12 W, the panel gives 1150 lm — more than an old 60 W bulb (about 800 lm). The 120° beam spreads the light wide without a bright spot under the fitting.

The colour is set with a switch next to the driver: 3000 K is warm white, 4000 K a neutral light suited to work, and 6500 K cool daylight. Once the panel is fitted the switch stays above the ceiling, so it is easiest to choose the colour before installation. The fitting is not dimmable, so it is not connected to a dimmer.

Colour rendering is Ra 80, and in the EPREL registry the manufacturer declares an R9 of 0, which means saturated reds and pinks look muted under this light. Fine for an office, kitchen or hallway; at a make-up mirror, where skin tone has to look right, a source with Ra 90 works better.

Service life and intended use

The LEDs cannot be replaced. The manufacturer gives a service life of 30,000 hours, which at three hours a day comes to about 27 years. The housing is rated IK06, meaning it withstands an impact of 1 J — roughly an accidental knock from a broom handle.

The manufacturer intends the panel for offices, studies, shops, kitchens and corridors. The flat round shape stands proud of the ceiling only by its thin rim, so a row of these fittings does not draw the eye and suits modern, minimalist interiors.