LightFair International ’08 Innovation Awards

May 28, 2008

With the kick-off of the Exhibit Hall at Lightfair 2008, the Innovation Awards have been announced.  Some of the products that we feel have potential in the Downlights, Wallwashers and Accent Lights category include:

  • Focal Point | Mini-Grazer - featuring a  T5 lamp with a very narrow beamspread.
  • Philips Solid-State Lighting Solutions | eW Graze Powercore – exterior-rated LED fixture with high-quality white light.
  • Focal Point | ID - Square and round MR16 halogen and metal halide downlights.
  • GE Consumer & Industrial | LED Cove Lighting System – at 6.5 watts/linear foot.

More to come on these fixtures as we check them out live at Lightfair 2008.

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Notes on New Lamp Technologies at LightFair ’08

May 28, 2008

Jerry Cassel, a specification engineer of GE Lighting made note that the GE had a full 1/3 of their show space dedicated to their LEDs.   Questions from visitors to the GE Booth strongly focused on LED technologies with a steady flow of visitors all day.   Of note, GE is now shipping their high power white LED called the VIO.    

Ardee has just released a new downlight using the GE VIO.    We think Ardee’s downlight has a lot going for it: small size, quality construction, excellent cut-off,  acceptable halogen-like color temperature, smooth beam distribution, low glare reflector, affordable price point.   Downside, it’s still a little underpowered.  It would be great to use this product instead of a 20 watt MR16 but it doesn’t have enough punch for the majority of applications with just one 4 watt LED.   No one really wants to add more fixtures to compensate.  We’re hoping the 2-lamp version is already in development.    We’ll share more on this product later.

Beyond LEDs GE also launched new ceramic metal halide (CMH) lamps.  A new 39 watt ceramic metal halide MR16  and a 70watt ceramic metal halide with a G8.5 or G12 bipin base.   Both have 12,000 hour life but the 70watt lamp, dubbed “next generation”  has 90% lumen maintenance over it’s life compared to other low wattage CMH lamps at 60%.    Ceramic metal halide technologies are not dimmable unless the lamps wattages are over 150 watts.   Green Color shift is still limiting dimming of lower wattage CMH technologies according to GE.

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LightFair ’08 floor opens to crowds.

May 28, 2008

The Light Fair 08 trade show floor opened today in the Las Vegas convention center with people packing the aisles. 

Over the past few years the conference has been loosing popularity among some manufacturers who have declined to exhibit due to the costs for exhibiting, competition for their attention with other trade shows and their preference to be at the alternating year LightFair shows in New York.   

You wouldn’t know that from this year’s show.  It’s crowded.

Perhaps it’s the overwhelming interest in new LED technologies that is the driver behind waits as long as 2 hours for entry badges and lines leading into sold out seminars.  Light Fair organizers appear to have addressed some past issues with changes to the Trade Show organization and offerings.  

Seminars continue untill 12:00 Noon on Friday and the trade show floor is open until 3:00PM.

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Sneak Preview from the floor of LightFair 08

May 27, 2008

The trade show floor of Light Fair officially opens tomorrow 5/28  but Light Right Blog got a sneak preview today.  

Pure Lighting is showing two fixtures that we think have potential. 

Their “Genna” MR16 wall wash which produces a smooth wash of light up to within an inch of the ceiling line.   We’re told this product will be available in both Halogen MR16 and Metal Halide versions.  It’s a trimless so it requires a bit more work coordinationg on the installation.   The MR16 Genna preliminary cut sheet  shows a maximum of a 75watt lamp.   

The second fixture is a re-design of a slot product Pure introduced two LightFairs ago in Halogen.   The halogen fixture has been discountinued and this LED wall grazer is in it’s place.   It’s called the Stratus linear wall graze.  Besides the lamp change a new shielding system has been introduced to reduce glare and correct some bell bottom like flare they were experiencing in shorter runs.   According to Mike Donovan, National Sales Manager of Pure Lighting, Pure is calling new optical system a “louflector”  (louver/reflector) because a rouver sounded too Scooby Doo.   First glance, we like it,  and Pure tells us they have tested it as effective grazing 30ft walls with low ambient lighting.  Stratus Cut Sheet

To be sure we know the real case scenario we’ll be testing both of these products off the trade show floor out of the high ambient fill conditions.

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