Total Track Lighting Blog

Specular lighting is a reflective light which causes highlights upon the object(s) it is lighting-that bright spot that you see on the object from the reflective light is what is known as specular light.

OK, so now you are asking me, "why is this important to me?".  You might not care about the fact that specular lighting falls off of the surface faster than diffused lighting (as my son used to say when he was a teenager, "who cares, mom?"). But, you will want to know that it does add significant detail to the object. Whether or not your application has to do with retail, design, or just making your living space look better, this is certainly relevant information (if it isn't, it should be!).  Even in computer graphics, using the principles of specular lighting is important because it "provides a strong visual cue for the shape of an object and its location with respect to light sources in the scene" (Wikipedia). If specular lighting principles were not used in computer graphic design the images would appear to be very flat, lacking detail and dimension.

Hold on to that thought.

Now, take it and apply it to real life surroundings. A good way to illustrate specular is to point out examples of what isn't specular lighting. Diffused light sources are NOT specular. Take the image of the sparkly necklace pictured above. If it were lit with diffused light source, it would not have the depth, dimension and more importantly (in this case), the SPARKLE that it has. There would be less detail because the light source does not give a good separation from the background to the foreground. So, if you wanted to light a room so that it had depth, detail, and drama, would you use a single light source such as an overhead fluorescent fixture? Absolutely not. Fluorescent light sources can never be specular-nor any other light bulb that is coated. Light bulbs that are coated create a diffused light-therefore the object that it is lighting will not have as much depth and detail. Any light bulb that is clear would be a specular light source. The sun is a specular light source (it is not diffused light unless it is very overcast).

Shadows are just important to good lighting just as much as the light source is. Shadows create depth. When viewing an object, the eye automatically goes to the brightest spot in the light field. Very much so like the effect a spotlight creates in theatrical lighting.

specular lighting example

Pictured above is a dish of foil wrapped chocolate-notice how you can see all the details in the image (if you can't, then find your reading glasses and put them on, for heaven's sake!). The corrugated edges of the paper, all the folds and wrinkles in the foil, and the distinct edges of the glass-it is this depth and detail that I am referring to that a specular light source will yield when used properly. In this example, the image was lit with a very small lighting fixture: our LED under cabinet light strip.

So, if you want depth, detail, attention to what is being lit, go with a specular light source-which is any light bulb that does not have a coating on the glass. Be sure to check out our other blog articles for more helpful information and visit and subscribe to our You Tube Channel (which has even more helpful information than you could ever imagine). "Like' us on our Face Book page-which will help you keep track of what's new at Total Lighting Supply.

And, as always, we welcome your comments-we love hearing from you!

We have all waited a long time for technology to catch up to our expectations of the perfect LED MR-16. The wait is over as the SORAA team took performances issues head on in their design and development of this bulb and conquered them all, we might add.

Here are the top ten reasons why the SORAA LED MR16 lamp is on the top of our list:

1) Perfect fit. SORAA conforms to the ANSI standard, so they do fit standard lighting fixtures (MR16) when used as specified.

2) No noise. Performance, performance, performance. These bulbs do not blink, they do not buzz. SORAA lamps turn on and operate properly with both magnetic and electronic transformers.

3) Fully UL listed. What does this mean to you? It means that you can trust them to work safely as a retrofit lamp in UL listed fixtures.

4) Dimmable-SORAA lamps work properly with many commonly installed leading-edge and trailing-edge dimmers.

5) Flexible. The SORAA LED MR16 works in both NEC Class 1 and Class 2 transformers. While most LED lamps are designed to work only with Class 2 systems, SORAA lamps are UL listed for both systems.

6) Single source light output. Why is this important? The SORAA design allows for a high lumen density which in turn gives you more light output from a single source. Which in turn, gives you more design flexibility and control. Isn't that what you want? A Halogen MR16 lamp have multifaceted reflectors which in turn, do not project crisp shadows as does the SORAA single source light.

(left) SORAA single source (right) other LED MR16 multi source

7) More natural light. SORAA lamps are designed to replicate halogen illumination with one color and one shadow.

8) Elegant (and smart) design. The thermally optimized heat sink (all LEDs are designed to have heat sinks) mimics the Halogen counterpart:

9) Lightweight. SORAA lamps are the same weight as standard halogen lamps.

10) Energy efficient. Are you thinking green here? Green as in energy efficient and green as in the money you will save on your utility bill-not just by way of this bulb requiring less energy, but lowering the cost of cooling your space. Here is a chance to make a difference on your carbon footprint.

Still not convinced? Check out our video here that does a side by side comparison of the SORAA MR16 lamp against the Halogen MR16 lamp:

Total Recessed Lighting currently carries the SORAA Premium and Vivid bulbs.You can find the selection of lamps under our "bulbs and accessories" section in recessed lighting.

The premium lamp line is the choice for when you want a quality, 'no compromise' LED solution for a 50W halogen MR16 lamp. If you need a high quality output for interior applications that is energy saving, choose the SORAA premium lamp.

When high color rendering is of utmost importance, the SORAA Vivid lamp line is the lamp of choice. With a CRI (color rendering index) of 95, it will yield rich, saturated colors along with color stability. These lamps are designed to replace standard 50W MR16 Halogen lamps with a savings of up to 75% of the energy that halogen lamps require. Now you not only can choose a superior light quality as well as save on your energy consumption.

At long last. The perfect LED MR16 lamps has arrived."

Questions. We get lots of questions. When we get a lot of questions in one particular area, this always prompts us to address it in a more global manner. Such as, the questions we get about LED Par 38 versus Halogen PAR 38-and which one is the better bulb. People want to know if  the LED PAR 38 is brighter than the Halogen PAR 38. Is the LED a good option? Folks are taking a good, hard look at LED as an alternative to Halogen because they know they are energy efficient and last longer, but they are not sure if they will be happy switching over. Does this sound like you?

Our team here decided to take it to the test-what they think is a real test-not a fancy, scientific test. We'll just call it an empirical test since it is based on actual experience instead of an experiment. In plain language, it was a shootout:

In this video, our team did a side by side comparison of a 24 watt LED 5000K PAR 38 against a 90 watt 2800K Halogen PAR 38 which should will help you decide if the LED bulb is the one for you and if it will save you money.  We cover wattage issues, color temperature, which one puts out more foot candles (a measurement of light intensity),  and more!

We welcome your comments and hope that they are presented to us in a constructive manner so that we can incorporate it in future videos and blog postings. Send us your 'before' and 'after' project pictures! We'd love to be able to talk about your process so that others can benefit from it too.

See how easy and simple it is to have the right tool for the job when installing the GripLock track lighting suspension system.

The GripLock cutting tool makes cutting the track suspension cable a breeze! It makes such a quick an clean cut you'll wonder why you haven't added this tool to your tool bag sooner!

Get one today!

We get a lot of questions on what those strange three letter words mean that always seem to be designated to MR 16 light bulbs. You have seen 'em. They go something like this: EXN, BAB, FMW . . .

So we decided to write-up a brief explanation to demystify these strange words and show you how they relate to Multifaceted Reflector lamps or MR 16 light bulbs. Those three letter words are ANSI codes assigned to the MR 16 used to designate what type of beam spread and wattage of a particular MR 16 lamp.

Below we have listed many of the popular MR16 lamps including the wattage and beam angle characteristics.

BAB - 20 watt, 36 degree, 12 volt
ESX - 20 watt, 10 degree, 12 volt
EXN - 50 watt, 36 degree, 12 volt
EXT - 50 watt, 15 degree, 12 volt
EXZ - 50 watt, 24 degree, 12 volt
FMW - 35 watt, 36 degree, 12 volt
FMY - 35 watt, 24 degree, 12 volt
FNV - 50 watt, 60 degree, 12 volt

As you can see the ANSI codes are simply just codes to help standardize the MR 16 light bulbs so that when you go to purchase this type of light source you will have a pretty good idea on what you will be getting.

We here at Total Lighting Supply are on a mission to demystify lighting aspects one bulb, one fixture at a time.

Want to be demystified even more? Go to our You Tube Channel and check out the informational videos that we've made for you.

Now you can utilize pendant lights on your 3 wire H style track lighting system with this easy to install track lighting adapter. Learn how it works by watching the video below!

Lighting Chocolate in a showcase

Now, you can get an energy efficient showcase lighting that will not melt chocolate. Really? Really. This LED light fixture is ideal for many applications-it is perfect for all around showcase lighting needs and better still for those glass display cases that are difficult and limited in space.

Remember that saying, 'dynamite comes in small packages"? This fixture has a slim, low profile (it is SMALL!) and has a high output.

LED showcase lighting: slim profile

Here are some of the product details provided by the manufacturer:

According to recent studies LED lighting consumes about 75% less energy than incandescent lighting and lasts much longer than incandescent and longer than fluorescent lighting.

The LEDs used in the LED under cabinet strip are rated to last an average of 50,000 hours. By comparison, incandescent lamps are rated for about 2,000 hours and fluorescent lamps are rated for around 20,000 hours. 24-hour operation for 6 years will require incandescent lamps to be replaced 13 times.

Fluorescent lamps will have been replaced once while the LED under cabinet strip will continue to operate for 5 additional years.

Applications:

LED applications and uses continue to grow. At first, LEDs were used in direct view applications, such as traffic lights and billboard signs. Today, LEDs are used to light coves and accent pathways.

Product Features:

• Maximized performance, specification grade, LED strip in custom anodized housing
• Available in pre-cut sections allowing field assembly to every 6 inches ½', 1', 2', 3' and 4'
• Standard Engineered to eliminate 'dark zones'
• 3,000 K warm white, standard CRI = 80
• VWF - Very Wide Flood. Distribution of 120°
• Chip spacing - 1" on center
• Uses 24v AC/DC input
• Dimmable on standard Lutron dimmers
• 48' max run length Life rated at 50,000 hours
• Built-in circuitry protects against short circuits.
• No UV, No IR, No mercury, No lead, No PCBs, No Asbestos

Jewelry lit by the LED showcase light fixture

The LED showcase light fixture produces a wonderful specular light which makes it ideal for lighting jewelry as you can see by the image above. That sparkle was produced by the light fixture alone-no gimmicky filters or post production things were done to the image (in fact, this image has not been edited at all-it is truly a what you see is what you get kind of thing).

Talk about a sweet spot, this fixture is energy efficient, comes in different lengths, color temperatures, produces virtually no heat and lights your display case in a way that you were never able to achieve before.

 

 

We've provided a video here so that you can see for yourself how simple and easy this is:

The fixture is attached to the glass with two small strips of double stick mounting tape.

The team here at Total Lighting Supply are on a mission to demystify lighting aspects one bulb, one fixture at a time. We hope that we also presented you with some appealing options by way of this exciting product. Be sure to visit our You Tube Channel to find out even more ways to demystify lighting.

Many of you are familiar with the "KISS" method? Keep it super simple (well, there is another version out there-the "keep it simple s-----", but we won't use that language here!) Sometimes simple is the best. One of our clients that does large trade shows in the fashion industry came to us with a dilemma. They had three days to light a huge color banner of one of their models for a trade show in Austin, Texas. The trade show facility vendor wanted to rent them $1800 in LED lighting for the three days they were there- which was way outside of their budget. They needed the banner to stand out and be seen, but the quoted rental fee definitely put it out of reach. The owner of the fashion company called and talked with our lead lighting designer, Mark Scott. Mark has been in the lighting industry for 30 years and has wonderful and creative solutions to just about any lighting dilemma. His simple solution got the banner to stand out with even, bright light all for under $300 total. The client also got to keep the lighting fixtures for their next upcoming show too. Sometimes a simple solution is the way to go. So, what was the simple solution? They used two 500watt wide flood Par64 fixtures with bulbs, and one PAR64 flood to highlight the banner on the top left so it would be slightly brighter there.

Easy solution, and boy did that banner stand out-it was easily seen from the other side of the convention center. No matter what your project is, from kitchens to landscape lighting, good lighting can make all the difference in the world. The staff at Total Lighting Supply are not about just selling part numbers on box, they are about getting you the light you need to make your project sparkle.

Looking up at the par lights above the trade show booth

Full view of the poster (well lit, we might add!)

We here at Total Lighting Supply are on a mission to demystify lighting aspects one bulb, one fixture at a time.

Want to be demystified even more? Go to our You Tube Channel and check out the informational videos that we've made for you.