Hey guys,
I need some feedback from Lighting Designers.
I'll try to make this short.... New construction. New lighting plan. Looking for Pinhole downlights. For tasking areas only (not general or decretive lighting). High output. Key locations. ~25-35 beam. 9.5' ceilings. Static white.
With all that said, I'm trying to find a pinhole downlight with the best optical shielding (cutoff control / glare suppression).
I've done some research and found a handful of brands. They each offer a pinhole trim (approx. 1.5" pinhole size) in either a 2" or 3" fixture class
- Gotham — "Incito" 2 inch
- Aculux — "AX3" 3 inch
- Lumenwerx — "Aera" 3 inch
- Alphabet — "NU1" / "NU2"
- Elco — "Koto Architectural" 2 inch (cost control)
Which one of these fixtures has the best optical cutoff & shielding geometry? .... aka, how the aperture design blocks off-axis view so the ceilings read as extremely quiet?
Do any of these fixtures immediately stand out to you in terms of poor quality or being a mismatch?
And lastly — other than trying to some of them installed (store, airport, hotel lobby, etc) & observing how the light behaves in person— what else should I take into consideration when trying to make a decision?
I would also appreciate any insight on any brands that tend to overperform or underperform in real-world installs vs spec sheets (honestly).