How We Test

Our promise is simple: if we recommend it, you can reproduce it. That starts with rigorous, transparent testing in the same kinds of spaces you use every day—apartments, small studios, and on‑location rooms with 8–9 ft ceilings and real‑world power limits.

Test Environments

Real rooms: white/neutral walls, reflective surfaces, and narrow working distances to stress spill control.
Power limits: 15A/120V or 10A/230V circuits; we measure inrush/current draw with a wattmeter and test multi‑fixture loads.
Noise floors: quiet rooms to capture fan and ballast noise at 1 m and 3 m (A‑weighted dB).

Color Accuracy & Stability

Metrics: CRI (R1–R15), TM‑30 (Rf/Rg with hue fidelity plots), SSI vs D55/D65 and Tungsten.
Tint & CCT drift: measured across 1%–100% output and at common CCT presets; we log green/magenta shift.
Metamerism checks: cross‑camera validation and product‑color stress tests with fabrics, plastics, and metallics.

Flicker & Shutter Safety

We probe PWM and ripple using high‑frame‑rate capture and a flicker meter, validating across 1/50–1/200 shutter speeds and 24/25/30/50/60p with 180° and 360° shutter angles.
We report safe ranges and note any banding risks when dimming or using special modes (HSI, effects).

Output, Beam, and Control

Illuminance: lux/foot‑candles at standardized distances (0.5 m, 1 m, 2 m) bare and with modifiers.
Beam quality: edge gradients, hotspotting, and spill with and without grids/flags; practical guidance for negative fill.
Consistency: output vs CRI/SSI trade‑offs, CCT integrity under battery vs AC.

Speed, Heat, and Reliability

Setup/tear‑down: timed builds to a working key+fill+hair or key+negative‑fill recipe under 15 minutes.
Thermal: surface temps and thermal throttling behavior over a 60‑minute run at multiple outputs.
Durability: connector wear, yoke lock integrity, and case/stand survivability over repeated cycles.

Audio & Fan Behavior

dB(A) logging at 1 m and 3 m in multiple fan modes; we publish spectrogram notes for tonal whine vs broadband noise.

Power & Runtime

AC draw with true‑RMS meters; breaker load planning for multi‑light kits.
Battery runtime by chemistry (NP‑F, V‑Mount) at fixed lux targets; low‑voltage cutoff behavior.

Skin‑Tone and Product Scenes

Diverse skin‑tone tests with standardized exposure, WB targets, and camera profiles for cross‑brand parity.
Product highlight control using book lights, diffusion ratios, grids, and polarizers; we document distances and angles.

The Recipe Card You Can Recreate

Every pick includes a diagrammed recipe:

Room map with subject, light, and flag positions.
Distances, heights, angles, power percentages, and ND/polarizer usage.
Exposure targets (lux/EV), WB, and camera profile notes.
Swap‑ins: compatible modifiers and cross‑brand alternatives.

Transparency & Updates

We publish raw data summaries, note firmware versions, and retest after major updates. If we find regressions or better options, we update guides and explain why. Questions about our methods? Email [email protected].