ORA Local & Lit Show 2022

We stopped by the O’blaney Rinker Local & Lit showcase to check out some of their new and updated products and brands:

Convey Lighting (NEW!)

  • All LED is 90+ CRI Standard - most ranging from 95 - 98 (!) with high R9 values.

  • A variety of channels are offered. We noticed some unique extrusion forms. Not all are shown on the website, but that’s currently being updated. Also reach out for anything custom or unique because they may be able to find a solution. BE-2-8-KF: a great Knife edge channel.

  • Priced competitively, approx. $35 DN price for their TYP. LED tape + extrusion.

  • A optional potentiometer is available on their standard Universal Driver.

  • Looking particularly good was the FLEX family is twistable on a dual axis. Two output options: 3W & 6W, available as static, tunable, RGB, & RGBW. The 22K version produced a very beautiful hospitality color - and this warm CCT is not available from all competitors in this form factory due to color shift.

NY Ceiling

  • They are using their own stretch fabric and lighting extrusion.

  • A very fine thin metal edge on the perimeter. Easy installation and access. They do the installation (heat install) and provide maintenance as required.

  • Their Cloud and canopy ceiling is their affordable and configurable solution.

  • They are working on a new stretch ceiling & wall system, Modern. Great for covering existing ceilings and new construction. Easy installation, no visible trim around the edges.

Lumos Control

  • Integrated all-in-one smart wireless control solution. Dali mesh system. They offer a Trailing edge dimmer, Dali controller, two and single-channel DC & AC 0-10V, many sensor options, 4 & 5 buttons wireless switch, a switch interface for push button, and motion sensor wall station.

  • It's a simplified system with manual control and wireless dimming.

Lumenture Lighting

  • Quick shipping on most of their products, 3 to 5 business days from CT.

  • The 120V track head has infinite rotation. Small & large heads deliver 1100lm and 2000lm respectively.

  • We like their single canopy spot with easy installation junction box

  • Their Double side wall washer is a good resource to remember. Unfortunately not available as trimless.


FEELUX

FEELUX stopped by our office to show us new product last week.

We first went over the new FLT track is 24v with great affordable track heads, pendant cylinders (.5" dia.), and linear options.  

  • A new multicell with louvers that are very quiet will start shipping soon. Available in 4" and 12" segments. 

  • The DN for the cylinder trackheads is max. $100 and stepping down by $5 increments depending on spec. 

  • There are (2) track options a shallow rail and a deep rail, the fixtures lie flush on the deep rail (great for a semi recessed application) It is offered with mechanical and magnet connections for earthquake rating 

A few more updates on their linear products:

  • NDPro now offers a rotatable lit elbow 

  • NDFree is a line voltage, 96CRI, ELV Dim linear fixtures, great for undercabinet lighting. It can incorporate a 3rd party occ sensor.

  • VSSL is a closet rated line voltage with 0-10V dimming, diode free with high CRI under $35/ft DN. This is replacing the LEDBar.

  • Flexible Neon-style light strips have been upgraded with new material. The PVC is discontinued and they’re shipping now as a silicone material. Fixtures are offered with IP67 rating and an IP65 rating if cut in the field.

  • NEW FIXTURE NEON 3D – is bendable in any direction 

  • Tako – is a flexible fixture with TIR optics on the diodes. There is some color separation happening close to the fixture but would work well in a pocket where a higher output fixture is required.

One last fixture to remember - the DV Point is a tiny, punchy 125lm monopoint at <$100 DN (not including driver).

PURALUCE & TWICE BRIGHT

Today we looked at PURALUCE and TWICE BRIGHT linears. 

PURALUCE:

We liked their high-quality anodized finishes, solid brass, and copper options for their exterior fixtures! Typical shipping is 5 to 6 weeks. 

  • SMART: Inground fixture, walk over and drive over-rated. 

  • The ROUND and SQUARE are suitable for balcony & deck lighting. They have an easy installation, require only a hole for wire, and come in 27K up to 40K + warm-dim

  • GECO MINI: is ceiling and wall mounted, is IP 68, and is submersible. The cylinder option comes with a louver!

  • LAYER: Wall scone is $500 DN available in warm-dim.

  • FOGLIO: We LIKED the short bollard/ path light. Nice green finish, with the asymmetric distribution. One thing that should be noted is that the light source has a distinctive box shape and is partially visible when someone is walking from a distance (nothing bad but may not be preferred) 

  • ETNA 13: INTERESTING bollard, available in 3 heights. The acrylic portion is clear, but since it’s done in-house, perhaps it can be done as frosted.

  • COMING SOON (END OF 2022) A stick bollard with a glob shape light on top. Considerable option for landscape lighting.

TWICE BRIGHT:

This is a quality line, especially for commercial and hotel rooms where the contractor has long runs and wants to make connections themselves.

  • We looked at the neon-colored flexible LED tape, priced at $17 and goes up to 20ft. This can fit into their standard extrusions. 

  • Their LS-24HO is designed for use in the adjustable shelve with In wall power. The COB tape is a very delicate tape with phosphors over the entire strip, nearly diode free. Custom tunable white. Runs up to 75 meters, custom cut length. They ship the LED tape and extrusion separately for assembly on site. 

  • Their linkable linear has the option to add occ sensor component. Another advantage is that the tape can be cut and joined with solder-less connectors. 

  • Available dimming options are UNI, Phase, & 0-10V, all down to 1%.

  • TL24-NEON Offer warmer temperature without color shift

CSL

Today we had a quick visit from CSL to get an update on the newest products and prices:

  • We looked at a tiny cylinder that comes in round and square.

  • Warm-dim goes from 3000 to 1800 CCT.

  • They have a new trim (SILENT VU patent pending technology) that provides virtually no glare (99%) in the ceiling plane.

  • The Eco option is $65 DN, which goes from 1100 lm up to 2800 lm.

  • Acrobat is $180 up to $200.

  • Whisper is 2" aperture.

  • Gyroshift is $150 DN

  • Gyroshift with a remote driver is $185 which can power up to (3) fixture

  • 10 years warranty standard

  • 2.0 model is 3/4" with 1.9 " wide trim and decorative trims.

DMF Lighting

Today Rob from DMF Lighting visited our office to show their updated product.

  • DRD Series, a versatile modular fixture with TRI optic and driver on board. It comes with a variety of replaceable optics and is integrated into different housings, such as their signature fire-rated housing with distinguished red finish housing, available in the low profile option (NEW). The concrete poured is also available. A spring bracket is also an option for remote mounting. Here are the available options for mix & match.

    • Standard finishes are white, black, and brown + options for custom.

    • They use Cree LED chips unless otherwise listed.

    • The fixed and adjustable downlight with shallow housing delivers 1250lm and 1000lm, respectively.

    • Housing ships in 24-48hrs while the light engine ships within 5-7 days.

  • DRD 4 with 45° tilt, 360° rotation. It’s available as wet and impact rated.

  • They now also offer a wall washer trim.

  • Cost-wise, the standard fixed downlight with Triac dimming is $120 DN, and the fire rated with 0-10V dimming is a $10 add-on.

NEW:

  • Double housing two (2) module downlight. What's unique about this fixture is the capability to shift the fixture spacing within the housing.

  • Cylinder (dual cylinder): 3" to 96" max length. Ip65 has a 4" aperture, hyperbolic trim, and an acrylic lens. This fixture is mounted on a 6" j-box and has a field cuttable cord. Available as down and up/down options.

  • They have a nice warm-dim option, using Bridgelux LED.

  • 2" aperture

  • Leadtime is 5 days to build + 5 days to ship for up to 200 fixtures that are not stocked. For qty of 200+ lead time will be 2-3 weeks

JUNIPER LIGHTING

We closed the month of August with a great visit to the JUNIPER factory for a comprehensive tour and did a short presentation for their team about "the importance of lighting and who is a lighting designer" by our fab studio director, Kelly Roberts!

During the tour, we witnessed the complex up-to-date machinery and technology used in making their products.

They manufacture everything in-house, allowing flexibility for various modifications in length, shape, finish, custom corner, etc. The only thing that is outsourced is the LED board. We noticed that many of the production steps are done manually, from corner welding to unique patina finish baths to achieve various oxidation levels.

A couple of upcoming updates that we are excited about are the surface mounted MULTIVERSE track system and the new LED light and diffuser in their THIN linear family that would give a completely node-free look even when dimmed very low!

AND, the current lead time is about 2 weeks which is excellent!

In the end, many thanks to the whole team for the excellent presentations and warm welcome!

Q-TRAN Factory Visit - 2022

We had a great time visiting the Q-Tran factory with Sighte Studio and MOXIE in early August! Alongside the factory tour, the trip included an overview of their existing fixtures - with highlights on new offerings and a sneak peak at what’s coming up, and an educational session on drivers and transformers (we were visiting Q-Tran after all!). Many thanks to the whole team for the excellent presentations and warm welcome!

FIXTURE UPDATES:

OPTI-OPTICS Fixture: Price-efficient alternative option of VERS ($50~$60 per ft)! The smallest beam spread is 40 degrees, but no louver option yet!

TIPS:

Use static white (SW) tape for projects that require high red rendering.

When specifying Dynamic White tape, use the wattage listed on the cutsheet under “Circuit Wattage”. Dynamic white tape lights have (2) chips that are different color temperatures that are programmed to never pull more wattage than the circuit wattage lists (the chips will never be on at full output at the same time).

Most of their LED tapes are done offshore for cost efficacy. Ones done in-house are more expensive (SMT models except for the Micro family) but allow compliance with the Buy American Act, etc.

NEW:

Dedicated pool & spa rated power supply + FLEX family fixture for use in pools & spa.

UPCOMING - 2023:

An encapsulated millwork fixture designed to be silicon mounted.

Designing magnet and track mount, butterfly bracket for plaster ceiling installation. 

DRIVER UPDATES:

Typically the drivers can be used up to the max wattage, except the DMX driver that needs derating.

Driver selection for Dynamic/Tunable White:
DMX is 3-channel and requires derating for 2-channel control.
The best would be: 1) QTM (large ones, single channel pre-programmed) and 2) QTM-eLED+AW (the two-channel driver) 

Their dedicated warm-dim LED tape is fundamentally different. It has the same price as the dynamic LED, BUT it goes with the QZLP driver with 0-10V & phase dimming (down to 10%). The driver is small and goes up to X2 96W. The single X96W is around $175. 

QTMD driver is the go-to when doing fixtures with runs far from the source. This has taps that allow different voltages high mid low to avoid voltage drop and visible difference in brightness between the ones closer to drive via ones further installed. 

For Landscape: Q-SET-mLED power supply provides up to 300W and has AC and DC together in an inground cap.

App & Smart Control System Compatibility:

QZ Driver is compatible with Casambi Control. 

The QZ Non-Dimmable driver is the Eco option for use with Casambi and requires a separate add-on Casambi component. 

QZ-DMX is for indoor application with up to 4channel, programmable with MLFC app, up to 96W fully used. 

UPCOMING:

New DMX for 4-channel, comparably small size, priced around $240. EldoLed driver is also available but is more expensive 

ASTRO

ASTRO LIGHTING

Today we looked at the new and updated products in 2022.

PARMA: plaster, flexibility in finishes, modifiable on site. Available in up/down.the We looked at small size

KOS: Round cylinder, outdoor rated, natural concrete finish.

HALFTONE: Integral LED, in 2 sizes of 16” and 24”. Smaller one has more light projection! Retail for$702 and $502 . ADA compliance. We really liked the look! Interesting when installed as a group to create a pattern with overlap.

READER: NEW*. Unique in terms of mounting both horizontally and vertically. Up/down and adjustable to sides. Beautiful finishes. Great optics with regressed lens!

Ascoli light: Different mounting. Mono point with extended arm option, round and square canopy, single and multi canopy, track style mounting bar is also available in 2, 3, 4, 5 arrangements. Lamping: 6W max GU10* we are concerned with the dimming.

Magnifying mirror: Around $200 - Rocker switch in the bottom - X5 times magnification

Another new one: Catina, will be folded back into itself.

AVINION: Nice looking retro led glass rod sconce. Replaceable lamp. Up/down option Good option for decorative sconce

EDWARD family has a nice simple design, seamless with interesting finishes

Eclipse 300: one of the always interesting

Aquina: retro-fit lamp

MIRROR LIGHTING:

VARENNA: Intreating round mirror light. Also available in square and oval shapes. What' was unique about them was the curved edge.

RIVA is another beautiful sconce with a matte glass shade

Coming soon: picture light coming soon from UK! Excited to see this!

LEDucation

It was great to see everyone and everything at LEDucation 2022! Below are some of our notes and photos of the exciting product we were finally able to see in person!

LITES ON WEST

Promotech: Cutting sections of any length. No shorter or extra, cut to exact length. CCT options: 1800to 3000k - dim to warm. We really liked their slim bendable strip that was node-free - great for tight spaces and the bendable wall washer.

B Light: Inground uplight fixture with adjusting capability from the outside! - One of the smallest wall-washers that we’ve seen in the market, very powerful considering the size, with a remote driver. Also a nice modern table lamp with stem length made to order

LOUPI LIGHTING: Framer: A tiny track heads, all lenses are magnetic and in field changeable - Zoom fixture: Round and square, comes in a small size as well

O’Blaney Rinker Associates

Lucent Lighting: New TubeLED mini zoom adjustable track head 7deg-38deg $200DN

Cast Lighting: Has a line of backbox-less wall fixtures. Power supply available 75w-1200w

Scout Lighting: Provide shop drawing for every project. Power feed available anywhere on chip. LLF calculator on website.

SATCO: Expanded offerings. Commercial downlight well under $100 DN. Over 13,000 SKU of product on Long Island

Forum Lighting: Only manufacturer to offer curved step light and in RBGW

Lumino: Linears provide great optical control. Exterior rated with sleek aesthetic.

Lumenture: New dim to warm offering. Track heads and downlights. Modifications welcomed - 120V spotlight available as track and mono-point. On average 1100 lm - 360 degree rotation - Compatible with 2circuits global track - Accepts shielding media and optic - Dimming options: Triac & ELV

Bover: New portable fixtures

ELA

CSL: New 1.5” aperture delivers 1100lms

Glint: Adjustable track inside of the housing with an exterior dial for hot aiming

Precise: New 1” housing recessed downlight

Kurt Versen: New line for recessed downlights and cylinders

ELS

Extent: Lens with optic forms light, a thin secondary film comes in 600’ rolls that slide in for the run of the fixture to hide seams

Tech Lighting: New IC remodel from below. New one-step binning

Wagner: New Cuff series with wraparound shields for posts

Meyer/Elliptipar: RGBW window fixture. New extruded post top fixtures with very high output

International Lights

NERI: Weatherproof steel - special paints are used, even better than normal marine

ATEA: Linear Light - UL listing taking place in the factory in France

The monopoint option comes with a conduit entry and flushed canopy.

Lumenwerx: Available as single straight down or amiable angled double puck heads - 8 different optical distribution - There is a full spectrum RGB light around it - Magnet backing allows tilt and moving around.

iGuzzini:

Updates to laser blade family: Warm Tunable white with 2 channel control through a dual driver.
Scratch-resistant regressed uplight.
Newly launched mono-point: Surface mount, everything below the ceiling. The flat plate is semi-recessed, all low voltage
For Track: They do their own 48V track with a snap-in system instead of a magnet mount. The track heads are constant voltage.
The track is single-channel, but use DALI to make them addressable.
New: Recessed track system, running ceiling to wall & Micro Zoom fixture
Linear small track: fixed placement of components- reduced track height to 2 5/8”. Combo of laser blade track and linear - The low voltage track can be integrated into it.
*Nice feature is an integrated driver in the track - Pendant version has uplight component

DAY-O-LITE

Today we looked at DAY-O_LITE and the following two (2) new fixtures could be useful for some of our projects.

EQUATOR SR Series: Round low profile luminaire for semi-recessed applications in plaster ceilings. It has a 3″ reveal, or it may be locked into a 5 degree aimed tilt. Available in 2’, 3’, & 4’ diameter.

* A less expensive alternative (flanged) to PRUDENTIAL’s semi-recessed fixture.

MATRIX: Retro-style linear fixture with square lens surrounded by a wrap-around cage - ADA compliant - RGBW and RGBWW - The occupancy sensor is an option but not integral and should be mounted off to the side.

USAI Showroom

The WALD team stopped by the USAI showroom in SoHo to check out their latest developments.  

We started with the Little Ones Series, which includes the Micro and the Zepto. They can be installed in the same space to create a uniform lighting aesthetic. For both Little Ones series, the white trim disappears in the ceiling when off and the black trim is a little quieter when on but more noticeable in a white painted ceiling when on.   

Micro  

  • 7w 650lm  

  • fixed bevel downlight,  adjustable accent light, and wall washer 

  • form factor allows it to be used as retrofit option 

  • gimble ring adjustability  

  • The adjustable and wall wash version have a shielding tilt accessory that protrudes from the ceiling plane 

Zepto   

  • 9w 1000lm , 15 w 1475lm 

  • fixed bevel downlight and wall washer only 

  •  2-3/8” diameter creates a soft scallop on the wall 

  • Requires a housing 

  • Maintenance from below with proprietary orange cylinder tool 

  • Available accessories hexcell louver, linear spread lens, and 1/4 CTO lens 

Remote Power Supply: 

  • Driver enclosure option can be prewired from manufacture. USAI will lay it out per lighting designer  zoning, while the EC will connect to power and ditribute accordingly  

  • Available 1 to 1 or up to 4 per driver 

Next up we toured updates and additions to USAi’s existing lines:

BeveLED Mini  

Tiers: Good=Primary NXT, Better=Basic, Best=Complete 

  • Complete now offers pancake housing 2.5”, TIR optics, and .1%   

 USAI + Armstrong Woodworks 

  • Fixture are now mounting to grid instead of suspended from ceiling 

  • Micro light fixture can sit flush with slats  

 Beveled Mini cylinder  

  • Provided as a fixed down, adjustable with ratchet tilting, and a wall wash option  

  • Remote driver required for 6” body, Integral power supply for 8”-10” 

 True ZERO 

  • New patent wall wash optic re-directs light to perform the task wall washing 

  • USAI has a few different trim options recently installed and asking for designer feedback  

Rosco Lighting

Rosco stopped by our office to review their latest offerings in the Cube Series.  

  • Miro Cube 2 is the medium size of the three available cube models. The family includes Braq (100w, 5in), Miro (50w, 4in), and Pica (25w, 2.5in) 

  • The (3) models are available in color tuning and RGBW/RGBA with the amber lens providing warm 2200k CCT. 

  • The Miro and the Pica have a UV light option as well. 

  • There is an option with the RGB fixtures called Ludicrous Mode that redistributes the fixture's power maximizes the output for any color providing highly saturated colored light.  

  • There is a DMX connect with 8-channel control. There is also a dongle, mymixconnect, that allows the fixture to be DMX controlled and programmed wirelessly using Rosco proprietary myMIX app. 

  • DN pricing for Miro 2 is $600 for tunable white, $700-$800 for RGBW/RGBA.  

  • Accessories range between $40-$50.  

  • It is not available with snoot AND egg crate louver, only one can be provided. 

  • MixBook, is a handheld digital swatchbook that enables users to pre-visualize gel and LED colors. It is controlled with mymix app 

Q-Tran

Q-Tran dropped by our office to go over their new fixture and driver offerings. Manufactured nearby in CT, boards are created in-house for better control of color and ability for customization. One of the best reasons for selecting Q-tran is that a tape light family of different outputs will all dim at the same rate because of the in-house designed boards programmed to utilize the same dimming curve.  

NEW WARM DIM tape light with QZ driver: electronic components are built onto the boards allowing for an affordable warm-dim ($30/FT DN) option with a universal dimming 

NEW QZ driver: affordable ($196 DN), multi-protocol (reverse/forward phase, 0-10V), 0.1% dimming (flicker free), interior/ exterior,  meets WELL criteria.  

NEW QZLP driver: same specs as QZ but smallest universal driver (by wattage 60W max and size) offered by Q-Tran.  

NEW  OPTI: Tape + Linear extrusions kit with optics on the lens that offer different specialty optics such as batwing, asymmetric, etc. ($40/FT DN) 

Micro 5 series is being developed to be a full mini series of the standard tape light and extrusions. 45deg extrusion with diffused lens provides virtually no diode imaging.  

Kicker – fixture is internally mounted at a 30deg tilt in a rectangular extrusion. Interesting option for vertical millwork details 

Q Scene- a dongle adapter to power supply for color changing options programed by Q-Tran proprietary phone app. An affordable for very small scale application of color changing fixture.  

NOWATT Lighting

Today we were introduced to NOWATT LIGHTING for the first time. They make autonomous, intelligent light fixtures operating with solar power. 

We looked at the 4.6" dia. CRYSTAL STUD, an inground uplight, and the ONYX family, which comes as a projector, wall, bollard, and pole mount. Available in RGBW ($800 retail) and with Mesh control ($1000 retail) as options.

Standard finishes are argent and graphite. They offer custom RAL and monochromatic ($720 retail) finishes. 

What's interesting about the CRYSTAL STUD is that it requires NO CABLING! Available in Amber, 3000K, and 4000K.

In the ONYX family, the adjustable exterior rated wall mounted fixture is not ADA compliant and is not lockable*. Available beam spreads are 5, 20, 40, 50, 40X60. It can run up to 60 hours without charging (solar).

The bollard option has the same specification as the wall-mounted, but it is lockable. 

In general, what we liked about their products was the light source's aesthetic, discreet solar panel placement, and finish options. 

Lead time: The Projector is available in under 2 weeks and wall & bollard in 2 to 6 weeks. 

Near future plans: Façade lighting fixture ( Light Fair 2022) and Power Bank.