Modern Forms

Modern Forms is a performance decorative manufacturer that makes all of their own fixtures in their factory in China. All of their fixtures are designed for LEDs from the ground up. The fixture cuts will list the standard color temperatures but any color temperature is also available as a custom.

The Blade is a slim profile sconce for exterior and interior applications and is driver-less. 

The Kinetic is a series of discs that can rotate within each other to make unique forms.

Modern Forms is a subsidiary from WAC Lighting and keeps all of their fixtures in stock in their warehouse. Their fixtures offer a high quality in a low-mid price point. 

LEDRAbrands and Birchwood

Last week SDA (Stan Deutsch Associates) provided an in depth look into LEDRAbrands and Birchwood with a trip facilities located in Los Angeles, CA. Thank you SDA for the opportunity! LEDRAbrands currently has three (X3) main lines: Alphabet, Bruck and Molto Luce. Alphabet is the new recessed family including down lights, adjustable and wall washers. It comes in 2",3",4" and 6" apertures with pros and cons to each. Within the 2" line, which seemed to be the most attractive, the down lights are available in restricted beam spreads that are sealed by the manufacturer (ie. cannot be changed in the field). It has a small, bevel, regressed trim. The adjustable down light is open, without a trim. Although the reflectors are interchangeable in the field, there are no accessories currently available. There is a possibility that accessories will be introduced in Phase 2. The wall wash has a small overlap trim and a flat lens. When illuminated the wall wash and down light look similar although a small shadow from the bevel down light regress can be seen. When off, the difference is much more pronounced. The wall wash was effective at 1:1-1/2 spacing (1:2 was installed but did not look perfect). Given pricing between $150-200 DN, a mix of the down lights and wall washers might be useful in an office setting.

  

The 3" through 6" look similar, with an overlap flange and small bevel trim. The down light, adjustable and wall wash all have the same trim appearance, which makes them a more viable option for use in larger projects. In addition, emergency backup is available in all of the larger sizes. The adjustable fixture includes interchangeable media and 40° vertical and 360° horizontal rotation.

The Alphabet family is available in a few different modules: standard XICATO (80+ CRI) , XICATO Artist Series (90+ CRI), BEAUTY (enhanced skin tones), and Vibrant (enhanced retail), XICATO XIM (Bluetooth enabled), LUMENETIX Araya (color-changing), and BIOS (circadian rhythm). The XIM and BIOS are larger and only available in the 4"-6" trim sizes.

The XIM and BIOS modules are most likely the future of LED. The XICATO XIM  module is intelligent and Bluetooth enabled. As an example, in can monitor and accommodate lumen depreciation. LEDRAbrands is also looking into how it can be used with iBeacon. IBeacon is a protocol which can be used to follow clients based on their GPS location. For one example, it could monitor guests in museums to control how long lights are on a piece of artwork. This is especially important when the work of art can be easily damaged due to light exposure. The BIOS module is a new adaptation for circadian rhythm. New studies are showing that CCT and lumen level do not affect biological rhythms - we are more affected by the spectral distribution of light instead.

  

The Bruck family is a mix of glass pendants, track and sconces. Some notable fixtures are the VIA factory-bendable track which looks great in curves and rings. The hand-blown glass pieces incorporate a brass ring that makes them no longer gravity dependent and able to be used as either a pendant or a sconce. Custom glass is available, although the lead time can be quite long. The standard sconces (in families with both interior and exterior ratings) are neutral yet beautiful. They are available in 3000k and 3500k as a standard with a 2700k available as a custom. A gold interior is available which creates a nice hospitality look without shiftingthe CCT. A special note, the exterior QB (square sconce) is open throughout to avoid the typical snow melt issue -  and this might be the only sconce like this on the market!

MOLTO LUCE is a great brand that LEDRAbrands is introducing from Austria. Their products offer minimal and beautiful aesthetics that range from PMMA acrylic (UV stable and impact resistant) to concrete. Products are offered in 3000k and 3500k as standard, with reasonable DN pricing for a European brand. LEDRA worked with Molto Luce to ensure UL list compliance on all their products and even made some tweaks for the US market. They are currently working on the AFTER 8 pendant to remove the chunky power cord and provide low voltage power only through the circuit suspension cables.

 

The engineering department at LEDRAbrands was most impressive. The have a darkroom and machine that allows them to test any fixture and receive the IES file, TM-30 report, and any other information that a designer might need. They also have some fun fixtures in the works, including a variable beam track head (currently in Bridgelux, but working on XICATO) to match. They are also working on a new 48V system for track and Bluetooth enabled fixtures.

Overall, LEDRAbrands has some nice products and is making a good effort to step up their game in terms of production and quality. The new down lights are competitively priced and the amount of interest they have in researching new sciences is impressive. LEDRAbrands is certainly a company to watch.

BIRCHWOOD is a family owned linear LED company with the majority of their materials made in the USA. We know Birchwood well and are continually impressed with their quality and care. They are extremely custom-friendly and cost competitive. Some unique features are the curved acrylic lenses and the special attention paid to light leaks, cutting their lenses shorter to allow for typical heat expansion and providing gaskets on ends.

 

Birchwood has a new custom output calculator available online which can be determined through wattage or lumen output requirement. The highest output they recommended to reduce glare is typically listed as the standard HLO option. But the boards they use can go up to 1000 lumens which is significantly higher. On bi-directional fixtures lumen output can be selected individually and there is no restriction when adding the two together (unlike some of their competitors). Birchwood is consistent with their boards and drivers, choosing OSRAM for all. They do also offer ELDO and Lutron but the OSRAM driver can accomodate 10% or 1% dimming.

  

Some of the new ideas being kicked around at Birchwood are a wall wash perimeter slot (also available as a grazer) . This must be built to exact measurements - and is not available with telescoping ends. They are also working on a down light for integration into their linear product, which will make them more competitive. And finally they are playing with new acrylic panels to reflect light.

Birchwood is a quality manufacturer with good values. The factory was impressive and the new fixtures in development will be an exciting addition to their family.

XAL

We had a visit with XAL to see what they have been developing for their US product line. One of the great things about them is that they populate their own boards which allows them to adjust them to ensure that there is even distribution and no pixelation. They also allow you to determine the amperage of the driver to adjust the output during the specification phase. XAL has the new Hex-O LED fixture that is available in three sizes; 14", 26" and 38" and can be used alone or together to create patterns in the ceiling. A nice feature to the Hex-O is that it can be provided with an acoustic panel in the same shape that allows you to create patterns of the fixtures while also providing added sound absorption to a space. This added sound absorption can also be achieved with their Hex-O absorber surface accessory fits over the LED fixture for added sound protection.

The Tubo series is a linear tube area light which is currently available in two sizes; the 100 and 150. Eventually they will be phasing out the 150, however there is a partnership with Ketra in that XAL will provide the body of the fixture and Ketra will supply their linear tuneable light module.

We also took a look at the Sono LED fixture. It is similar to their other surface round area light the Vela, but has some changes in the way the body is designed. The Sono has an IP50 rated lens that is adhered to the body of the fixture and cannot be removed. The whole fixture can be removed from the mounting plate to access the driver. There is also an indirect version with a ring of LEDs at the top to provide a soft halo effect on the mounting surface.

The last fixture we took a look at was the Lena which is a collaboration with Armstrong tile ceilings. It is a linear fixture that is edge-lit to allow for a shallow housing. The housing is the same depth as the ceiling structural grid. The fixture comes in lengths of 2', 4', 6', and 8'. The special grid that the fixture mounts into is provided by Armstrong so it requires some coordination between the two manufacturers. They are working on developing a gypsum version.

VLT

VLT has been in the process of updating their LEDs so that they now have 1 bin tolerance as apposed to the 5 from their previous versions. All of their LEDs come from Nichia. They also have a new pich-less board that is fully diffuse with their frosted lens even in their smallest extrusion the 7SL. They also have a new series of extrusions that are thinner and lighter than the previous versions and have a new lens design. This new extrusion and lens allows for longer runs whereas the previous was limited to 12'.

VLT has updated their backlit panels. They now have two diodes per node. The diodes can either be the same color temperature for a higher output or can be different color temperatures for a tuneable system. The nodes are also spaced closer together, this allows you to have the material you are backlighting closer to the panel.

Another new product VLT is offering is their LED driver power panel which can house up to 14 drivers. This panel makes housing multiple drivers easier since you are able to bring in one power input for all of the drivers. These panels can be stacked up on top of each other to make organization easier.

Big Ass Light

Big Ass Light stopped by the office to introduce us to their new architectural light fixture. They are known for their sturdy industrial light, but are starting to make their way into the residential and commercial market as well. The Haiku is a surface mounted area light that has many features built into it. The main feature is the control aspect. The fixture comes with its own remote or can come with a wall control or a phone app. You are able to control the dimming, color temperature ranging from 2200K to 5000K and grouping the fixtures on different circuits. There are also integral sensors; an occupancy sensor, a daylight sensor and a temperature and humidity sensor that will work with their HVAC system that is currently in development.

Another feature is the active dimming which allows the fixtures to sense other light sources and dim to accommodate for the additional light, and the dynamic brightening setting which lets you set certain maximum levels for different applications such as a general light or a nightlight.

The Haiku is available with five finishes and can either come with the dynamic color temperature or a static color temperature of 2700K.

Amerlux

Amerlux is introducing their newest fixture line, Cynch. It is currently available for purchase but will make it's debut at Light Fair. The Cynch product line is a 7watt, 1.5" aperture available as an adjustable accent or a pendant that connects magnetically to a flush mounted or semi-recessed housing. It is available as a monopoint, double, or triple openings for housing. It has field changeable optics including (3) beam spread options spot 13º, narrow flood 18º, and flood 28º. The accessory options include a dichroic film and hexcell louver to be used with the larger snoot. There is The color temperature options include: 83 CRI (2700K, 3000K, 3500K, 4000K) and 92 CRI typ. (2700K, 3000K). Should you prefer a different color temperature they are able to provide that as a custom change in house. The dimming options include ELV to 5% as well as 0-10V. They are also Lutron and Dali compatible. They currently do not offer a cap but should be developing it soon. The fixtures are assembled and shipped out of New Jersey. This fixture is standard with a 5 year warranty. It is a cute fixture that has the potential to expand and offer larger fixture sizes.

Amerlux also has a series of down lights. We saw the mid-range line called the Hornet which is a 3.5" aperture that comes in at $150 DN and the Essenza comes in at about $105 DN. The trimless version of the Hornet creates a 4" aperture. The Hornet is available in damp location ratings but not wet location.

Alva Lighting

Alva might have a small list of fixtures that they offer, but what they do have are well thought out designs. They specialize in ADA compliant fixtures across the board. All of the fixtures are standard with 0-10V dimming or lumen select, which allows you to select the lumen output on the fixture in the field or in the factory. Two of the fixtures, Betty and Bob are available with an integral emergency battery option while still maintaining the ADA requirements of being under 4". They can also have an integral occupancy sensor added to the fixture.

Most of the fixtures are in stock but they also have a quick ship program. They list their current stock on their website to aid in the ordering process.

For the interior fixtures there are available with six variations of fabric encased resin shades are available as well as a white opal acrylic shade. The two exterior fixtures they offer, the Beau and the Tex are available with three standard finishes. On orders over 500 they are able to provide custom finishes.

These compact decorative fixtures are a great option for energy efficient corridor lighting. All of the fixtures are offered with a 10 year warranty.

Rubik and Impact Architectural Lighting

We stopped by the Acuity showroom to get an introduction to two of the lighting lines in their arsenal; Rubik by Mark Architectural Lighting and Impact Architectural Lighting. The Rubik system is a of light cells in a 2x2 grid. The cells can come in configurations of 3 cells, 5 cells, and 9 cells for a linear, corner and full grid arrangement. There are four different versions of Rubik with tunable white, static white, gray scale and color accent. The gray scale mode can operate at different speeds to change the level of certain cells to manipulate the contrast ratios and add interest without effecting the light levels. With the different speeds you can add interest by speeding it up or slowing it down for a more subtle effect depending on the application.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ba1ID3GxZ0[/embed]

With the color accent mode, you are able to specify certain cells as colored LEDs that can change to be pastel and vibrant colors. In the demonstration that we saw the visual appearance of the colors were altered by the relative brightness of the surrounding cells.

Right now the system is only available in an acoustic ceiling tiles but they are working on a gypsum application.

Impact Architectural Lighting is a decorative lighting company based out of St Louis and specialize in industrial aesthetic fixtures. All of the fixtures are now available as LED, either with dedicated LEDs or retro-fit lamps. Dimming is standard with 0-10v. There are 20 standard finishes available but they are also able to do custom finishes. Some of their fixtures have exposed heatsink in the design which they are able to provide a different finish for as well.

The Tiki and the Bullet are two pendants we took a look at. They can both have an additional diffusing lens at the bottom of the fixture that smooths out the light so you do not get a harsh line if it is not wanted for the application.

Typically they have a four week lead time but for some orders depending on the size and what they have in stock, they are able to do 1-2 weeks.

ELS Showcase

PureEdge Lighting has updated their Truline products. Truline is a recessed linear LED that is available in (2) different widths, .5" and 1.6". They offer ELV or 0-10V dimming without an extra control package, with an option for warm dimming. The Reveal RGB is also a recessed linear with RGB addressable LEDs.   

Contrast Lighting is a Canadian based company with that manufacture, in house, all of their glass components. The glass reflectors in the recessed down lights , Ardito, have dichroic filters to mimic traditional MR16 lamps. They offer an option to include emergency ballast as well as warm dimming and color tuning with luminetics.  

BK Lighting is an exterior lighting manufacture that introduced Teka- a product line with copper finish. The Denali series is compatible with luminetics board and wireless controls. There is the capability to do color tuning via Bluetooth. 

Structura is a company that specializes in custom luminaries. You can specify any luminaire and they produce any housing. They mostly work with custom wood installations.

Edison Price introduced a new down light fixture, SQUAREDL, with a shallow 3.5" housing. They are available in 3" and 4" apertures. The newest addition is the partnership with Minebea to supply SALIOT (Smart Adjustable Light for the Internet Of Things), Minebea's new track-mounted lighting fixture. It can wirelessly control light distribution angle, from 10° to 30° beam spreads as well as light levels, correlated color temperature, and vertical and horizontal orientation. It can all be controlled by a smartphone or tablet, using Minebea's mobile application and a Bluetooth® wireless mesh network. You can control up to 100 fixtures in one terminal and have groupings of up to 8. 

Soraa is introducing trophers in a barrel and gabled form. They are offered in 3000k-4000k and in 2x2 or 1x4 dimensions. They have lowered the price point for the brilliant line of LED lamps. 

ACDC Lighting  are rated for applications in China with CLL labels. All of their downlights, accents and the Blade product line. 

Coronet showcased the Loop a circular pendent. They are nice to look at and produces a lot of light. 

Q-tran lighting have released a new LEDs and extrusions. They have designed new extrusions and are using polyurethane instead of acrylic or glass. It can be offered in clear or translucent finish and is rated for wet location, IP 67 and IP 68. They are also UL listed.

LOTO Lighting also provides motorized track fixtures that can be controlled via remote control. It has warm dimming capabilities and comes in at about $150-225 DN.

BOCA Flasher  showcased their linear series. They have the option of 0-10v dimming and phase dimming. They use nichia lep chips and are line voltage that do not require a driver.

CSL introduced shallow downlights that were available in trimless with 1",2",3" and 5" aperatures. They are able to be mud in. The price point is $150-$200 DN.

Nulux introduced a canopy mounted spot light and adjustable downlights. 

Lumino Lighting

Lumino Lighting stopped by the office to update us on some changes they have been making to their Vector family line. One of the great new improvements we liked is that starting with the V12 extrusion size they will now offer the strips with a fully diffused lens as standard that will be similar to their previous fixture the V20 Super Linear.

All of their Vector fixtures can be dimmed to 1% as standard but they now offer a component from eldoLED that will allow for 0.1% dimming. The interface uses 2-wire connection and can be incorporated to existing installations as well. All of the extrusions can be run up to 26ft without a voltage drop and are available in 2" increments.

The V36 fixture has been updated to incorporate optics instead of just a clear or diffuse lens. The options available are 45°x18°, 18°, and 37°. Unlike the rest of the Vector fixtures, the V36 Optic runs with constant current as opposed to constant voltage.

Product of the Day: Plugging Box from COLE LIGHTING

Kreon

Kreon Lighting is a lighting manufacturer based in Florida with products for hospitality, commercial and residential applications. We saw the recessed down lights that are available in 1.5",3",5" and 6.5" apertures sizes. They also have the options of trim-less, trim-less shadow and with an accessory flange for gypsum application. Depending on the fixture, multiple down lights can be connected to a single remote driver. There is a maximum of 60' distance from the remote driver to the furthest fixture. We saw the Aplis 120 recessed down light with the wall wash optic. The price points for these fixtures are between $150-$225 DM.

The Holon is cylindrical, directional spotlight available in 1.5" or 3" aperture. It is available as recessed or surface mounted. It has an accessory for junction box connection and is priced at under $300 dm. The Mini Up is an ingrade up light for exterior applications. It is IP 67 rated. It is walk over rated but not drive over rated. It has a flange for flush mounting and sits in a gear box.

The linear fixture lines include the Doma, Nuit, Prologe and Rei. The Doma is an linear open channel. It is IP 67 rated for exteior use. It has built-in weep holes that drain around the lighting module. It can also be installed in bathroom showers and on bathroom vanities.

The Nuit is a linear module that contains 5x1.4W LEDs. The 5 LEDs can be positioned anywhere along the channel and uses the 1.5" or 3" aperatures. It can be suspended, surface mounted or recessed. The pendent has the option of integrating an uplight.

The Rei profile is a linear wall wash system. It is available in standard 2' or 4' and can be ordered in 2" increments. They can also do continuous runs.

SDA SHOWCASE 2016

LumenPulse has added 4 new optics on all their linear fixtures including a 10 degree narrow flood, asymmetric wallwash, wide batwing distribution, and typical wide flood. The images show the wall washer and wall grazer.

Baselight has a square, mason-jar, jelly lamp.

Ecosense has launched a new line called Rise. It is an exterior floodlight with field changeable optics that are water resistant anc can withstand colder temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius. The fixture come in single, double or a quad head. The most unique quality is the ability to add multiple heads on a single arm and be able to focus them individually. Four quads can deliver about 11,000 lumens. It is available in 2500k-6000k. It dims to 5%.

We also took another look at the TROV L50 linear for cove applications. It is available with an asymmetric optic that allows for deeper light distribution for coves that closer to the ceiling. The TROV series dims to 1%.

Intense Lighting released a new product to their Gravity family: a 4" downlight that can be field adjusted to thickness of the ceiling material. It is also available as a pendant or track light. The Gravity products are also available as tunable white light or dynamic warm dimming. The other products that were showcased were the MXLEDMR16 and the V-rail. The MXLEDMR16 is available in typical MR16 sizes with changeable optics from flood to spot. The V-rail is a light integrated hand rail.

The Lighting Quotient The eliptipar outdoor line is IC and IP rated. They have field serviceable divers to maintain lumen output and in the future they plan on having tunable white. They also launched a desk light that delivers 35-50 fc on the task surface and 15-20 fc on the ceiling.

Reggiani

Reggiani stopped by our office to introduce us to a new fixture they have designed in collaboration with Spiers + Major. Cells is a surface mounted fixture with 16 individual cells. The fixture can be configured multiple ways with a transparent or opal diffuser as well as optics for each cells. By using two rows of asymmetric optics facing away from each other, the fixture makes a good option for a double wall washer in a corridor. Various finish options are also available for the face plate as well as the body of the fixture. It comes standard in 3K or 4K with 0-10V dimming or phase-cut dimming and is IP66 rated.

Eklipse

Eklipse is a lighting manufacturer based in Montreal. Their lead time is about 5 weeks for most products, depending on availability they can accommodate to expedite orders for an extra fee. The NIXE series can usually ship out in 3 weeks. The first product lines we saw was the Horizon (1.125" x 1.125") and HorizonMini (.75" x .75"). We saw the wall grazer at 3000k. The fixture comes in minimum 3 watts/ft and can be raised in .5 watt increments to 12 watt/ft max. The fixtures can be ordered in miminum 8" up to 72" with 2" increments. It comes in 3 different finishes, anodized black, anodized clear and painted white for an extra fee. Both of these lines are offered in the flex edition. The Horizon edition is available in 4" and 8" segments. The HorizonMini flex is available in 2", 4" and 8" segments. These can be damp and wet location rated.

The NIXE series is a family of linear lights that among the smallest in the market with a profile of 3/8". It is nodeless and built with a 12 degree tilt for millwork. This allows for virtually no reflection on surfaces. The NIXE flex is a flexible linear that can accommodate curves. They were able to achieve 1" segments in the NIXE Flex line with no gaps or light loss. This family is available for damp locations but not wet location. They have 5 different optic types and we were shown the 70 degree asymmetric.

Finally one of the most interesting products we saw was the Lifeline tracklight series. The Lifeline is a tiny tracklight that can accommodate both tiny spots (PIXIS) and tiny linear lights (MILLI). The PIXIS are mini LED spotlights that have a magnetically assembled head which handles field-interchangeable optics of 18°, 24° and 41°. Completely independent from one another, each head can be fully rotated horizontally and allows for an 80° pivoting angle for maximum light control. They can be mounted to a stem or the track system of up to 15 feet away. The application for this is millwork, display cases and shelf lighting. The track requires a single wire to be installed in the mill work and all of the luminaries are attached and activated by a magnet. This allows for easy manipulation and interchanging of different luminaries. They have several different finishes such as gold, chrome, black and satin.

The Adena is a light bridge for display cabinets and provides a unified coverage while minimizing glare.

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