SORAA recently debuted SORAA BRILLIANT HL (high lumen), the company’s first highly efficient and high-lumen range of lamps designed to meet California Titles 20 and 24. 

The anticipated halogen replacement provides lighting designers new opportunities to illuminate spaces with an energy efficient, high lumen and color quality light source.

Nick Kalfayan, Director of Sales for North America at SORAA, helps us understand what the release of SORAA BRILLIANT HL lamps means to the lighting community in the state of California and beyond. He also dives into the technology behind SORAA’s latest innovation while discussing use-case scenarios, the importance of energy efficiency and cost considerations for specifiers and lighting designers. 
 

1. INTRODUCING A NEW LIGHT SOURCE ACROSS CALIFORNIA

What are the positive impacts SORAA BRILLIANT HL will have on SORAA’s ability to engage with clients in California? 

To start, it allows customers to continue to experience SORAA’s color quality while meeting California’s high efficacy standards. Furthermore, our unique SORAA Snap System™ and best-in-class Point Source Optics™ provide flexibility with clean beam control.

What are some common challenges lighting designers in California face, and to what extent does SORAA BRILLIANT HL technology help solve those challenges?

A challenge that customers often face is considering between more lumens or better color quality for an installation.  The benefit of releasing SORAA BRILLIANT HL is that customers no longer have to choose between the two options. This family of lamps offers 90-92 CRI, beautiful red rendering along with 100 more lumens over our existing Brilliant lamp line.

How does this product reinforce SORAA’s mission as a California-based company?

Over the past 7 years, SORAA’s growth has been tremendous as we continue to push the boundaries of LED technology. We started as a company that developed MR16 lamps and built a reputation and brand that today is recognized worldwide. SORAA BRILLIANT HL contributes to this reputation while providing customers in California the ability to experience SORAA light that meets the states rigorous energy standards. 
 

2. SORAA BRILLIANT HL IN ACTION

What are some interesting new applications customers can consider with SORAA BRILLIANT HL?

SORAA BRILLIANT HL opens the door for applications with high ceilings or specific requirements on light levels, such as stadiums and airports. Given these lamps offer 100 more lumens with crisp beam control, customers have more options when considering SORAA for a project. 

How would you recommend SORAA BRILLIANT HL be used most effectively in combination with other SORAA products, such as SORAA VIVID™ and the SORAA Snap System?

The beauty of SORAA BRILLIANT HL is that it offers 40% more lumens than our flagship VIVID products. Additionally, customers still have design and control flexibility to utilize the SORAA Snap System while maintaining 90-92 CRI. 

What are some practical considerations for lighting professionals interested in specifying both SORAA BRILLIANT HL and SORAA VIVID in a space?

Lighting professionals who are familiar with SORAA may naturally gravitate to SORAA VIVID because of the color attributes that come along with that particular lamp line. The nature of a project or application will drive the specification of SORAA VIVID or SORAA BRILLIANT HL. I could argue both product families will meet the needs of a project so, knowing the specifics of a space as well as what’s most important to the client is critical in determining which lamp type is ideal. 
 

3. MASTERING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

SORAA’s founding visionary, Dr. Shuji Nakamura, is a pioneer in LED lighting history—which associates SORAA with energy efficiency in lighting. How would you articulate the energy efficiency factors of SORAA BRILLIANT HL as being a logical solution offered by SORAA?

The inception of SORAA through Dr. Shuji Nakamura’s leadership was focused on providing the best quality of light the world could experience. As the lighting industry evolved and produced better, more efficient products, so did we. Thus, SORAA BRILLIANT HL is a result of hard work combined with the company’s quality of light to surpass new efficacy standards.
 

4. MORE LUMENS, MORE OPTIONS

How does the lumen output and overall light quality still deliver SORAA’s light quality despite removing the violet pump in SORAA BRILLIANT HL? 

Removing the violet pump from SORAA BRILLIANT HL may take time for SORAA aficionados to accept as it does not offer our signature full-spectrum light source. However, not all applications will require it. Brilliant HL means you will be able to experience similar light quality, more lumens, along with SORAA Flicker Free™ technology. Bottom line, there are benefits SORAA BRILLIANT HL offer from an efficacy standpoint that SORAA VIVID simply cannot meet.

How does SORAA BRILLIANT HL bring new value to what customers already felt positively about in the prior iteration of SORAA Brilliant?

If customers enjoyed the value SORAA Brilliant provided, the introduction of SORAA BRILLIANT HL will garner astounding excitement. SORAA BRILLIANT HL offers 20% more lumens and a higher CRI while being competitively priced over the current SORAA Brilliant lamp line. The applications for the SORAA Brilliant category have opened up and we feel strongly that lighting professionals will look to these products to solve their needs. 

What are some of the technical differentiators in SORAA BRILLIANT HL’s driver technology that would impress lighting professionals?

The driver technology for SORAA BRILLIANT HL is identical to the current SORAA VIVID and SORAA Brilliant products today. Thus, the two-stage driver that provides flicker-free dimming is standard and a foundational attribute to the product.
 

5. COST CONSIDERATIONS

Would you say SORAA BRILLIANT HL is a competitively-priced solution to more fully—if not completely—specify SORAA for an entire space?

Absolutely. Over the years, we have remained competitive from a cost standpoint while still maintaining our high-quality standards. SORAA BRILLIANT HL gives customers the ability to purchase products at a lower price point than our other lamp lines. 

Do you believe SORAA BRILLIANT HL offers a new on-ramp for lighting professionals to utilize SORAA lighting?

A common complaint we hear from lighting professionals is that they have a difficult time using one manufacturer to illuminate an entire space. Given SORAA has expanded its product portfolio from SORAA VIVID to SORAA BRILLIANT HL to all in one luminaries, we now offer more complete solutions to the lighting community. We’re really excited about SORAA BRILLIANT HL’s possibilities and the future of LEDs as the team at SORAA continues to grow and evolve our product portfolio.