Artemide Showroom

We had the opportunity to visit the Artemide showroom in Soho for a private viewing of their collections. Artemide has an extensive catalog ranging from floor lamps, ceiling fixtures and table lamps. They are transitioning some of their fixtures to incorporate LEDs but it depends on the family. Some new fixtures that are available or are in development are only going to be available in LED.

We noticed that the most successful fixtures from Artemide are the ones that have a larger family with several sizes and mounting options. Castore is one of those families that Artemide does well. Hand-blown frosted glass with a halogen lamp. We also saw it with a retro-fit LED lamp and was almost as good as the original in terms of even illumination.

The Mercury is another line that Artemide has become known for. A group of pebbles as Artemide likes to call them, are grouped together in configurations either suspended or surface mounted. LEDs are integral to several of the pebbles and allows light to reflect off the surrounding surfaces. Artemide has even installed the pebbles on projects without the illuminated pieces for a purely sculptural effect. One thing we did notice is that it works better as a ceiling piece with the LEDs because the diodes aren't as noticeable and in your face like when it is a wall mounted installation.

Artemide also has a collection of exterior rated fixtures including in-ground pavers, step lights, bollards and wall sconces. Some of their fixtures were pretty impressive and comparable to other manufacturers we have seen. One highlight in their exterior lines which they also had a sample of installed in their showroom, the Tolomeo Xxl. The Tolomeo Xxl is a large scale version of their interior fixture of the same name.

Zaneen

Zaneen stopped by the office with some of their architectural and decorative fixtures. The L3 collection has a lot of their architectural fixtures from an Austrian company; Prolicht.

The Never Ending fixture is surface fixture that can be specified in short segments or continuous runs. available in fluorescent or LED and can be dimmable with either version.

Glorious is an LED product that can be recessed, surface or pendant mounted. It can be customized to be combinations of curved and straight pieces. The largest circle they can provide is 42'.

Zaneen has now made several of their decorative fixtures that feature blown glass to have LEDs. We took a look at the small version of the Kubic. It has an integral dimmable driver with 0-10V dimming to 5%. There was a minor dark spot on the side but is not noticeable in the larger versions.

They also have a couple of new fixtures that are considered more budget friendly. They are offering a recessed downlight and a surface cube downlight. Both are dimmable.

Another thing we learned about Zaneen is their overstock system. They offer some of their fixtures that have either been discontinued or are previous versions of current fixtures. These fixtures are discounted up to 60%.

Feelux

Feelux made a visit to our office with their new kit with their latest LED fixtures. The MonoRail system uses Super Slim fixtures on a powered track. The linear components are available in 3", 11" or 22" segments that can be run end-to-end or spaced out based on your design. There are also lit corner components as well. You can use the MonoRail to power other fixtures as well with a connecting cable. The system is dimmable.

We also got to look at the Diva2 Spot which can be specified as recessed or surface. The fixture has a wide beam spread which allows you to have them further apart while still getting an even illumination on the surface.

The TuneLite2 is a slim profile under-cabinet light with an asymmetrical beam spread. It has a built in power supply that is dimmable which would make it a good option for when remote power supplies are not an option.

Bover

Bover stopped by our office to check in with us and show us some new products. They have several exterior rated decorative fixtures that come in varying sizes within each fixture family. Bover has a series of woven fixtures that are all wet location rated. The Amphora is one of the fixture families with the woven shade. It's a floor lamp that ranges in size from 20" to 35" in diameter.

We also took a look at their fixtures that incorporate a poliethylene shade. These fixtures when illuminated appear to be very similar to their ribbon fixtures. The benefit of these fixtures is that the poliethylene is nonporous and is rated for exterior locations.

Bover is open to modifications for most of their fixtures and are very willing to find unique solutions.

Prism Projections

Prism Projections is an LED manufacturer specializing in theatrical fixtures. We took a look at the RevEAL Profile Junior. There are several features to the adjustablilty of the RevEAL that make it unique from others on the market. You are able to manipulate the white color temperature as well as the black body curve at a the local level as well as globally on multiple fixtures. The fixture has real time calibration for the color and temperature. This allows the fixture to keep the same temperature throughout its lifetime even as the components age. It is only dimmable via DMX currently. The fixture has a liquid cooled heat management system.

Hera Lighting

Hera gave us a refresher on some of their existing fixtures as well as some new ones they have recently developed. All fixtures are class 2 and come with a UL listing. Some of their linear fixtures can come with a closet rating. Hera can do customizations on finish and color temperature, but only for large quantities. We looked at the linear fixture the Stick. It can come with either a flat lens or round. The flat lens spreads the light out further while the round is more focused. However, with the round lens we did notice some yellowing on the edges.

The Stick 3 has a much tighter spacing than the original Stick so you don't see any visible diodes.

There are several versions in the Stick family with different outputs and price points. One thing that is important to note is not all the Sticks within the family use the same LED boards so there is a potential for different binning.

Hera has an LED T5 fluorescent replacement. There is no visible dark spot when the fixtures are connected end-to-end.

Flos

We had the opportunity to visit with Flos when they came by our office the other day. There were several new fixtures that we were excited to get a better look at. The first of the fixtures was their system called the Running Magnet. It's a recessed track system that incorporates linear light strips as well as adjustable spots and connect to an electrical profile in a recessed slot. The spots come with a 20° or 38° beam spread and have a 650 lumen output. The linear LED components are 375 lumens per foot. The Running Magnet system requires remote drivers every 100watts. They can do corners; inside, outside and horizontal. Right now the system is non-dim so it is best suited for commercial applications.

Another fixture we saw was the Moon Linear fixture. It's a cove system that can be installed in either the ceiling or wall. There is also a 90° option for the corner so that either surface would appear floating. The standard lengths come in 5" or 20" segments. The fixture is field cuttable so it can be customized to precise lengths.

The FINDME MONO is a small adjustable spot fixture that can be adjusted to be fully recessed or completely below the ceiling surface. It comes with a 28° beam spread and is available in either 27K or 3K. With an output of 560 lumens the fixtures are dimmable standard.

Revelite and Cerno

HTA Lighting stopped by with some fixtures from Cerno and Revelite. Revelite offers LED picture lights. We've seen a couple of LED picture lights but this one was the best so far. It offers either one or two rows of LEDs that can accommodate different size pieces of art. When two rows are used, one row is clear and the other is frosted to help with glare control. It is available as a standard in 3K, but for large orders they can provide 27K. We noticed that the 3K did not appear too cool and rendered the colors of the sample painting really well.

The longest standard length is 60", but they can do custom runs for an added cost. When the fixture has two rows, they can be dimmed separately or together at either the fixture level or a control system.

We also got a look at a couple of fixtures from Cerno's lines. Their sconces are made with a dark walnut standard but can also come in natural wood and can be stained by others. All of their fixtures are dimmable standard. They had some nice fixtures that incorporated reading lights into the wall sconces.

Luminii

Luminii stopped by the other day with Stan Deutsch Associates for us to look at some of their latest linear LED fixtures. Some of their fixtures come as complete fixtures and some can come as components that can be run in custom run lengths. One fixture we took a look at was the Zoom, which is one of their complete fixtures. The Zoom is a small profile linear LED strip that has a walkover rating without the need for an extra housing. It is also rated for damp or wet locations. It is only available in 29K.

We also had a look at the Kendo-S. It's a thin profile also at set lengths. With a frosted lens, this fixture is completely node free. They can also make this available for wet locations.

The Kendo 45M is in the same family as the Kendo-S and has a 45° extrusion. With the frosted lens, it is potentially node free. We would need to see a sample before specifying, but they are pretty confident they could achieve the look we are usually interested.

Within the Kendo family, they have a closet rod fixture which is smaller in profile than other closet fixtures we have seen but can still handle the weight.

We got to see a preview of a new product that is scheduled to be released in the next month. It's a back lighting product. The nodes are close enough together that you can have a minimal depth of 3/4" - 1" with the diffuse material from the panel. It's nice when you have limited recessing depth for backlit details.

All of their products are dimmable as a standard. They recommend using their power supplies because they are better at dimming than other remote power supplies that we would normally use.

Vision 3 Lighting

Vision 3 Lighting is an exterior fixture manufacturer that stopped in to show off some of their fixtures. They offer their fixtures as whole pieces or in individual components. We took a look at three of their flood lights they have available which come in different wattage's of 10, 12.5 and 17. The 10watt is an MR16 replacement fixture and comes in 27K, 3K, 4K and 57K. The beam optics are field replaceable and each of the three diodes can have different optics if needed for 12°, 21° and 41°. The 12.5watt fixture is a single optic fixture also field replaceable in 19°, 34° and 60°. It comes in 27K, 3K, 35K and 4K. The 17watt fixture is intended for a PAR20 equivalent. It also has a single field replaceable optic in 15°, 23°, 35° and 51°. It is available in 27K, 3K, 35K and 4K.

One important thing to note is that because each fixture has an LED chip from different manufacturers, so even at the same color temperature throughout, the fixtures will appear differently. They recommend using one fixture type throughout to maintain consistency on the project.

They have a patent on their knuckle system that snaps together and then only requires a set screw for extra strength making it secure for adjustability.

Ledalite and Enlighted Controls

Ledalite stopped by our office to show a few new fixtures to us. We took a look at the TruGroove line which is a recessed line of fixtures in both fluorescent and LED. It can be run in custom configurations for both vertical and horizontal applications as well as corners, both inside and outside. The aperture is 4 1/4" wide. There are two versions of the TruGroove, Performance and Definition. Performance is at a higher price point, but is better fro office type of applications. Biconvex lenses located at the diodes reflect the light for a batwing distribution for either a symmetric or asymmetric application. The Definition version is better for diffuse applications with only a symmetric distribution available. We also looked at the BoldPlay fixture, which is a pendant direct/indirect fixture. The distribution is very wide and provides for spacing up to 14 feet apart. It is available in a 20/80, 70/30 or 0/100 distribution ratio.

While Ledalite was visiting us they introduced us to Enlighted which is their preferred control system. Enlighted provides fixture level controls with a simple setup for occupancy sensors and daylight harvesting.

They either provide 1 sensor for all the fixtures or 1 per fixture depending on the size and layout of the space. The sensors can either be located in the ceiling or the fixture. You can also control the light output and wattage of the fixtures as well as time control. Enlighted boasts an easy installation and minimal commissioning required as well as a low cost compared to their competitors.

Ledalite incorporates Enlighted controls through a majority of their fixture lines as well as several other of Philips companies.

Lilibend

Lilibend is a linear LED strip manufacturer located in Long Island City. Their linear product is sealed with an IP68 rating, and field cuttable in 6inch increments with an optional 3inch connector for custom lengths. Each 6inch piece comes with a male and female connector and once separated can be reconnected for longer lengths without having to solder it back together. They control the color temperature by altering the color of the gel encasing the LEDs. The color temperatures available are 2200K, 2700K, 3000K, 3500K and 4000K. We noticed when looking at the samples they brought in that the color temperatures are a lot warmer than we are used to. We would probably use their 3K version in place of 27K from other manufacturers.

The best things about Lilibend are that they are a local manufacturer and have a very competitive price point. They have some extrusions but also comes with 3M constructive adhesive on the back for easy installation. Dimming is available int 0-10V, magnetic low voltage or triac.

Forum Lighting

Forum Lighting provides their standard products with a 4-6 week lead time, and 8-10 weeks for custom fixtures. For 85% of their products they use Fortimo boards, but for the smaller profiles they have another manufacturer providing boards for them. For the sake of continuity on a project, they are able to provide the smaller boards on all of their fixtures. Dimming is standard on all LED fixtures with 0-10V. We took a look at the Alumina Series and their direct/indirect fixture fixture with fluorescent or LED on the indirect portion and track on the direct. They can incorporate most track from other manufacturers.

They also showed us their Ring LED fixture which is edge-lit. The Ring comes in sizes of 18", 24", 36" and 48". The mounting options are pendant, surface, recessed and surface standoff. The pendant version can be specified as direct, indirect and bi-directional. The power is integrated to the cable for the pendant so no extra cables are required.

A big highlight from the fixtures we saw was their Klean Edge fixture which is a cove fixture that provides the housing for the cove rather than having the contractor build it. With a clear lens for protection from dust, we could not see any pixelation from the LEDs on the wall. They can price the fixture separately with the extrusion and the light engine individually. This is a great aspect when it comes to VE stages. They can also accommodate both inside and outside corners.

Coronet

We got the chance to look closer at Coronet the other day since it’s a new company to us. They have a line of linear LED fixtures for recessed, surface and pendant installations. Dimming is standard for all of their fixtures and come with programmable drivers for custom output. The highest is 9.5 watts per foot. Standard lengths come in 1’ increments starting at 2’. We also got to look at their TRX fixture, which is a suspended direct/indirect fixture with track installed on one side. They are now providing it with global track to accommodate more fixtures from other manufacturers.

They have a surface LED stair fixture that comes with an occupancy sensor and bi-level function per code requirements. They also offer an emergency ballast which can fit inside the housing, whereas most stair fixtures that we have seen needs to remote the emergency ballast.

Dulanski Showcase

The Dulanski Group held their 10 year celebration last week by hosting a showcase for a majority of their lines. We were able to visit and see some new products from some manufacturers we are familiar with as well as a couple new ones. Finelite: we took a look at their E1 fixture which is a slim profile pendant fixture that can come in standard configurations of a single line, a ssquare or a rectangle. They can also do custom corners of not just 90˚. All fixtures come with standard 0-10V dimming.

GVA: we got a refresher on GVA and their products. A highlight of their fixtures is the long runs they are able to do, 264m. Their technology for their diffusers is also impressive and reduces yellowing and deterioration that normally happens over time with exterior fixtures.

Iguzzini: one new addition we looked at was the inclusion of the Laserblade fixture into Systemalux track creating a unique combination system.

Oxygen Lighting: a new company to us that offers decorative options in LED. Both surface and wall sconces were available for us to look at. The larger fixtures can be customized to incorporate dimming.

Tegan Lighting: we took a look at their micro track system and their 1 watt spot. It produces a decent amount of light for such low wattage. It comes with field changeable optics of 18˚, 25˚ and 35˚. They also provide a monopoint version that can come with a flangeless installation.

Tempo Industries: the have a new fixture that is similar to their other linear high output lines. This fixture has 3 beamspread options as well as a frosted lens which makes it a good option for coves and wall grazing.

Vision Quest Lighting: was a new company for us. They do custom decorative lighting and manufacture all of their fixtures themselves. They seemed to be able to do a wide variety of products.