How we test lighting
Our testing team follows the same sequence for every scored product. The steps below are the ones we use in the Portland booth.
Ordering and intake. We buy at retail or through standard wholesale channels, record the order date and price, and photograph the sealed carton before opening it. Each unit gets a bench ID that stays with it through every retest.
Packaging and setup. We note carton condition, documentation quality, whether tools are needed, assembly time with a stopwatch, and whether the included hardware matches the manual.
Output measurement. Illuminance is logged at 0.5 m, 1 m and 2 m on a matte reference surface, then converted to a beam profile. Uniformity is reported as the ratio of center to edge readings.
Color. A handheld spectrometer records correlated color temperature and CRI at full output, at 50 percent, and at the lowest dim step the fixture will hold. We also note any visible tint shift across the dim range.
Flicker and dimming. A photodiode rig records percent flicker at full, mid and low dim. Each lamp is driven from our dimmer wall, which includes leading-edge, trailing-edge, smart-bridge and low-load dimmers, and we report which combinations buzzed, dropped out or flashed.
Smart features. For connected products we time first pairing from power-on to controlled state, measure app response after a cold start, count how many attempts pairing took, and test whether schedules and scenes survive a router reboot.
Daily use. Scored products stay in service for at least 30 days in a real room — bedside, desk, hallway or kitchen — before we finalize a score. We log heat at the housing, dust buildup on open shades, and any color drift we can see by eye.
Comparison table. Each review closes with a table placing the product beside the two closest alternatives we have tested, using the same measurements.
Scoring
Scores use a five-point scale: 5 / 5 excellent, 4 / 5 good, 3 / 5 adequate, 2 / 5 poor, 1 / 5 very poor. Products ordered and handled on our bench can receive any score from 1 to 5, written as X / 5. Half points are permitted. A product loses points for measured flicker above our threshold, a CRI that falls short of its claim, dimming dropouts, unclear documentation, or a price that outruns the field. It gains them for stable color, clean low-end dimming, honest spec sheets and hardware that survives 30 days of daily switching.
What we do not do
We do not score a product from a spec sheet alone. We do not publish a number without a bench record behind it. We do not accept payment, gifts or travel from makers in exchange for coverage.
Records and comparison limits
A measurement record identifies the lamp or bulb, bench distance and dimmer or app settings. Manufacturer specifications remain attributed claims, and smart-feature results concern the firmware and network conditions recorded for that run.