08/27/2025
As mentioned before, Winbeam Light Labs at the signature "Skylighter fluorescent lamp" have ceased production.
Update: As of August, 2024 it has become unlawful to manfacture new fluorescent tubes, Existing stock may be sold off.
If you want an excellent color correct fluorescent lamp, check if Lumichrome still has any 6500 Kelvin lamps in stock, otherwise it is time to go LED.
At this time, there is not an LED I can endorse as doing all the things which "The Skylighter" did, primarily a function called "The Daylighting Initiative". Worth a Google.
What I CAN say is to look for two ratings on any LED lamp.
CRI, or Color Rendering Index.
and
Color Temperature in Kelvins (how yellow or blue-white the lamp will emit.
For color accuracy, and to not appear as a co**se as we did under the old "cool white" lamps (4100 Kelvin with a CRI between the upper 60's and low 70's) , always look for a CRI of 90 or above.
As for color temperature, the higher, the closer to outdoor light.
Thus, for indoor table lamps and such, go with 2800-3500. (warm whites)
For true color accuracy such as kitchens, dental and medical offcies, labs, and overall color matching look for 5000-6500 Kelvin. (daylights)
At the hardware store, color chips should be examined by two or more color temperatures. Warm, to see how the paint will look indoors, especially at night. And carry that chip to the store window, or outside to see it's true color.
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On a different but important note for business owners. The brighter your store, the more you will sell. Especially in the front window. It is called "The Moth Effect", where shoppers gravitate towards light.
Studies were done. One was observing one intersection with three gas stations. Two were either dim, or had low lighting, but cheaper gas. The other was brightly lit, but their gas was more expensive. People opted for the brighter gas station.
If you would like to know more, or have questions, I can be reached through my website, mattlocker.net (which has nothing to do with lighting!)
Send a message to learn more
