PAR stands for either "Pressed glass Aluminized Reflector" or "Parabolic Aluminized Reflector," depending on who you ask. The 38 means it's 38 eighths of an inch, or 4 3/4", in diameter. They are available in a range of wattages and beam angles, depending on the application; unlike basic old-fasioned, bulb-shaped light bulbs, there are a lot of variables in the choice of reflector bulbs. Also, PAR38 will be the largest size these cans can take, not necessarily the right size. You can try other PAR-type bulbs to see if one will work better. You can also switch to a R-type lamp, but these will be a warmer color of light, slightly less efficient and will burn out about twice as often.

How high is the fixture off the floor?

I can NOT sell direct so please don't take this as a sales pitch. But, for lamp identification we have a pretty good lamp layout and breakdown on the last 4 or 5 pages of our lamp catalog. All lamps follow a standard and this makes a pretty good handbook for most brands. Again I am a distributor and cannot offer sales, just information. Go to the link below and look for the 'Download our lamp catalog' link in the top right corner, this may help with the many options. Tony

Here is a link that might be useful: Lamp catalog link on top right.

I have the same, or similar Juno sloped cans. I have Haze trims and want to avoid the overpowering "in your face" floodlight look. I'm hoping to find a bulb that gives more of a glow since there will be other lamps for task/accent lighting.

Mine are 14 feet off the floor. Max recommended bulbs are 75W par30, 90W par38 or 65W br30. The par38 bulbs look huge, so I'm leaning towards the par 30. A dimmer would probably be helpful as well.

Like hovegator said - any suggestions for bulbs that have a more subtle look?

I don't think I'd make my decision based on the fact that the PAR38s "look huge." At 14' off the floor, they won't look quite the same as when you're holding one in your hand. I'd buy a few different bulbs and try them out.

In the 'neither here nor there' department, I think recessed lights are overused in such situations. Their nature is to provide very direct lighting, unless they are pointed at a wall and bounced into the room. Soft, ambient lighting is not their strong suit.

Thanks Jon1270,

The architect spec'd them in the great room in the cabin we're finishing. I'm not sure how much they'll be used.

I was trying to avoid making multiple trips to the box stores since the cabin is an hour away from any shopping areas. (sigh) Of course I really know there's no definitive answer since a lot of lighting is personal preference.

Thanks for your reply - looks like I need an assortment to try out!