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.

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.

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.

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.

Ecosense

Stan Deutsch Associates stopped by with Ecosense to showcase the next evolution of their fixtures. All of their fixtures are now available with line voltage and ELV standard dimming to 1%. They implement a soft start that produces a nice gradual initial dimming. For the Linear INT as well as the Linear HP INT, they offer a frosted lens option that cuts off 25% of the light, but does a nice job of smoothing the light for a more even distribution. With the lens we were able to get the fixture about 1 1/2 inches away from the surface and not see the nodes. Louvers are not available for the INT and HP INT series because of the spacing of the LEDs on the boards.

A new dimming module is available that converts their standard ELV to 0-10V, for projects that require more coordination with other fixtures in terms of dimming.

All of their fixtures come with 80+ CRI, but a higher CRI is available. Although, with the higher CRI there is a longer lead time as well as a price increase. Another new feature Ecosense has added is a colored lens that turns 27K into 23K, and is available for all three fixture series.

Ecosense has a new fixture in the works which is a cove/under cabinet fixture designed primarily as a retrofit installation application. Like all of their other linear products, it is line voltage, but it will not be dimmable. It will be available in 6", 1' and 4' sections. They are hoping to have it out in the next 3 to 6 months.

They are using a new company to build their fixtures and it looks like some of the issues that we have seen in the past, especially with quality control in terms of construction and color temperature consistency seems to be resolved.

Aion LED

Aion LED

O’Blaney Rinker Associates stopped by to introduce Aion LED to us and see some of the products they have to offer. Aion is a linear LED company that titles themselves as a custom company. Each product is made to order and can be provided up to 1/8” in custom lengths. Aion does not recommend field cutting their product because they want to be able to verify the quality and provide a five year warranty.

Aion has four different color temperatures that they currently offer: 22K, 26K, 3K and 43K. The 22K comes with a 92CRI, the 26K comes with a 97CRI and both the 3K and 43K have an 83CRI.

All of their linear strips come in a single or double row. Aion currently offers an extruded housing that is an inch wide but will soon offer a smaller housing that fits better with the single row strips.

We also took a look at their RGBW which combines an RGB LED strip as well as a 22K strip which allows you to create any tone of white. The RGBW is ideal for indirect applications because pixilation is evident when it is in the channel with a lens. Aion is currently working on this technology to be able to provide dim to warm applications.

One thing we noted after looking at their fixtures is that you should not use the strips with wall box dimmer because they flash at the end as you are dimming to off. Aion’s fixtures are closet rated.

VLT

Visual Lighting Technologies

VLT stopped by with the Dulanski Group so we could see what they have been up to and the direction they are taking their company. They highlighted that they are now offering their linear LEDs with new Nichia boards that come with both a higher output as well as a higher CRI of 85+. All of their linear strips come in 4" increments.

They offer a mid-price point option now that comes standard with a clear lens. The lens snaps on to the aluminum extrusion as opposed to the extrusion that comes with the lens as a part of the fixture already. This helps keep the cost down.

Another new product they showed us is the 4SL which is a thin extrusion that comes with a frosted lens that does not show diodes. Their original version of this fixture came with an inch in height but their updated version is able to come with only a half inch hight while still not showing visible diodes when combined with the frosted lens.

A second product that piqued our interest was their Light Run which uses a board that has LEDs closer together allowing for an even smaller profile of 1/2". This fixture runs up to 4' in length. Originally it was intended for display case lighting.

The quarter round light strip is a good option for book cases and provides a wide throw of light in a 45 degree direction which is great for covering distances as well as vertical surfaces.

VLT has a 2-3 week lead time for all of their fixtures. They offer 2400K in all of their light strips. They also provide a closet rating for their fixtures and have it documented on their spec sheets. VLT offers more lens options that are available for some of their strips but not all of them. These options are: clear, three levels of frosted, 1/2 opal , opal and a 30 degree beam spread version. We were impressed with the quality of the light VLT is able to produce and the options that come standard. They are strong contenders in a market that has a lot out there already.

Edge Lighting

Edge Lighting

Enterprise Lighting brought Edge Lighting by to show some of their product to us. The first thing they went over was some of their LED light strip. The SS2P and the SS2C are two of their higher output strips they offer. The SS2P is an 80 CRI strip at 182 lumens/ft. and the SS2C has an 85 CRI at 268 lumens/ft.

They recommend using DC power for longer runs and AC for single fixtures. DC provides 25% more light output than AC.

The Soft Line LED is an indirect LED system that can run in lengths up to 40’. The system uses a tape measure like material and connects to two turnbuckles and can be connected to any surface. The Soft Line can be used with any of the light strips Edge provides. Edge also showed us their Light Channel which comes as a 90° surface, a 45° surface and a millwork recessed option. The light channels can all be specified to use the same LED strips throughout to maintain color uniformity between the fixtures.

The Micro Grazer is a higher output fixture offered in 7watts/ft. and has a 10° beam spread. Edge Lighting recommends mounting the fixture up to an inch away from the surface and offers a mounting bracket to achieve that.

The Cirrus Channels are a higher output fixture that can be used as a replacement to T5 strips. The Cirrus product mounting options are surface, suspended and monorail. With the monorail option the power supply is only offered with AC.

Edge Lighting also introduced their other line of products Pure Lighting. Pure offers fixtures for recessed plaster in applications. Pure’s fixtures are available in warmer color temperature than the other Edge light strips. The Reveal is one of their fixtures which provides an indirect glow and is good for toe-kick or cove lighting.

Edge Lighting is working on warm dimming which will be coming soon and will be made available across the board.

WAC Lighting

WAC Lighting

WAC Lighting stopped by with the Dulanski Group to introduce us to some of their products. Some of those products included their track lines. One highlight of the track fixtures they showed us is that all of the optics are field changeable. They also showed us their LED tape which boasts minimal diode image thanks to their diffusers. The tape also comes with corner pieces that would make lighting coves easier. The tape light is well thought out in terms of easy installations with considerations for channels and mounting clips. They also have RGB tape available. We looked at their under cabinet fixtures as an option for an economic replacement to others we have seen. The LEDme Light Bars come in various lengths and have both side or back conduit entry, which fits with our typical installation details for under cabinet applications. Another fixture they showed us was their mini LEds that are available on a mini track which will be available soon. For a 2watt fixture it produced a good punch of light. The size of the fixture would be good for display lighting applications. We saw a selection of their recessed LED lights available. Their sizes they have available are 1”, 2” and 4”. All of them are available as fixed down lights or adjustable. 27K, 3K, 35K and 45K LED modules are all available. WAC Lighting make all of their parts themselves and they are then assembled in the US. They are a good option for fixtures when the budget is limited on a project.