Tom-- I'm going to add my 2cents on X10, just to make your decision more difficult.
Be VERY careful when you read information concerning the term "X10". This term commonly refers to the company (
www.x10.com) AND the technology used in the type of devices made by that company AND OTHER COMPANIES.
In my experience the vast majority of people who have had problems with the construction quality of these devices are
usually referring to the products produced by the X10 company. I will say that I have a couple X10-made devices, and I am (so far) satisfied with them. Some people advise that if quality is a major concern, then X10's "X10 Pro" product line (
www.x10pro.com) is a better way to go.
Now, as far as the other companies--- Smarthome (
www.smarthome.com), PCS (also available at smarthome.com or more info at
www.pcslighting.com), and Leviton make X10-compatible devices (in addition to others). I have been very happy with my Smarthome dimmers. My experience is that their construction quality and overall performance are excellent. I should mention that there are many people here, who rave about the PCS switches.
I should note that I previously owned a Lutron Spacer (not Spacer System) dimmer, which I have replaced with a Smarthome dimmer. I have had nothing but a good experience with the Lutron dimmer, but as you'll see below, it had limitations for what I needed once I began remodeling my original HT.
Now to my summary of the pros and cons (IMHO):
Lutron Spacer (not "Spacer System")--
PROS:
EXTREMELY easy and elegant control of a single load from one or more locations.
IR control can be easily learned on a learning/programmable IR remote.
CONS:
Can only control one load, so it's not "scene-capable."
Not expandable.
Unfortunately, it's easily confused with the "Spacer System", because of Lutron's short-sightedness in naming the product lines.
Lutron Spacer System--
PROS:
Very nice system for controlling several lighting loads across varying scenes.
IR control integration (same as above).
CONS:
Can become expensive for people who just want minimal control of a few, simple scenes.
Lighting design must be well planned-- once it's installed, you'll have to rip out drywall and expand the box, if you want to add more controls in the master control box. (NOTE-- This is really just a "given" as with ANY construction design, but it's important to know that X10 scenes may be expanded without ripping out your previous construction).
Lutron GRAFIK Eye--
PROS:
Allows exceptional control of preset scenes.
IR control integration.
CONS:
Expensive.
Same design planning issue as above.
X10-compatible Devices--
PROS:
Can be used to control more than just overhead lighting; e.g., screen, curtains, masking, appliances/components, or other plug-in lights.
Relatively cheap solution for simple scene control ability.
HIGHLY expandable.
CONS:
More control capability usually requires more investment.
Not as easily integrated into an IR-controlled environment. (Solutions ARE READILY available, but it's not as simple as programming a learning IR remote.)
Powerline carrier technology has some problems for some people-- in particular, line noise/interference. (Again, solutions are available).
Requires some device programming. The more complicated your scenes, the more complicated the programming (generally).
I'm interested in this too.
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