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Many lights on the market claim to be full-spectrum or flicker-free, like the sun…
But are they really? And what do these terms even mean anyways?
In this guide, we’re going to cut through the meaningless marketing lingo by testing and reviewing the best lights on the market.
WhatisFull-SpectrumLighting?
Full-spectrum light bulbs contain a natural visible spectrum similar to the sun.
These lights also have very good color rendering, meaning they reflect light very similar to a natural light source like the sun.
Spectral Power Distribution Graphs
In order to check how uniform a light source is, we have to shine it under a spectrometer. This tool gives us the ability to create an SPD or spectral power distribution graph.
These are the classic graphs you’ve seen of the rainbow of light given off by a light source.
Let’s compare three daylight colored 5000K LEDs:
As you can see, even though all of these lights emit a very similar “color”, the full spectrum LED emits a relatively even amount of light at all wavelengths, with no large unnatural peaks and valleys.
True full-spectrum LEDs also have very good color rendering, oftentimes better than “high CRI” lights that are made specifically for this purpose.
Color Rendering Index
The CRI or color rendering index is used to determine how well a light source reflects certain colors compared to a natural light source, like the sun.
Basically, the fuller the colors in a light source are, the higher the CRI score will be.
While CRI isn’t perfect, nor is it the only system of its kind, it functions just fine for our purposes in this article.
We do take specific note of one of the 15 colors in the CRI standard, R9 or deep red. The reason we take this one into account is that it’s usually what modern LEDs perform worst at, and a low R9 score means skin tones can look slightly off.
Light Flicker
Some LEDs and even some incandescents flicker imperceptibly due to the AC current powering them.
This “invisible flicker” can cause eye strain, irritability, and headaches in certain individuals.
- Tip
Record the room you’re in using the slow-motion setting on your phone. If the lighting in the room is dominated by low-quality LEDs or fluorescents, you’ll be able to see the cyclical AC dimming in your slo-mo video.
This invisible flicker may not impact you at all, but if it does, we have included metrics for each of the lights on our list.
The Best Full Spectrum Light Bulbs
Full spectrum LED lights that accurately mimic natural sunlight are becoming more and more commonplace.
Explore even more light sim our light bulb database!
Here are the best full spectrum lights currently available on the market today:
1. NorbSmile – Best Overall
Norb is one of the only US manufacturers to offer multiple full-spectrum LED lights.
The flicker leaves something to be desired, but the color quality of their lights is top-notch.
Norb has two premium lights available, both a 5000K and a 4000K option:
NorbSMILE
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 800
- CCT: 5000K
- Watts: 11w
- Shape: A19
- CRI: 97.3
- R9: 88
- Dimmable: Yes
NorbSMILE Soft
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 800
- CCT: 4000K
- Watts: 11w
- Shape: A19
- CRI: 98
- R9: 93
- Dimmable: Yes
Norb also sells a cheaper less premium model called EverydaySun.
These still emit a very nice spectrum and are worth picking up if you’re looking for more bang for your buck.
EverydaySun is also available in the 5000K and 4000K options:
Norb EVERYDAY-SUN
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 800
- CCT: 5000K
- Watts: 9w
- Shape: A19
- CRI: 89.9
- R9: 94
- Dimmable: Yes
Norb EVERYDAY-SUN SOFT
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 800
- CCT: 4000K
- Watts: 9w
- Shape: A19
- CRI: 92.3
- R9: 99
- Dimmable: Yes
2. GE Sun Filled – Best Overall Runner Up
Another light worth considering is the Sun-Filled line by GE, which uses the same SunLike diodes that Norb uses.
The advantage GE has is that their lights are a bit cheaper and they have less invisible flicker.
Unfortunately, at this time their 5000K A21 bulbs seem to be out of stock everywhere, so if you want one of those you’ll have to defer to NorbSmile’s options which are a bit more expensive.
GE Sun Filled
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 680-850
- CCT: 2700-5000K
- Watts: 10.5w
- Shape: A21/BR30
- CRI: 97.7
- R9: 88
- Dimmable: Yes
3. Yuji SunWave – Best Premium
Yuji is well known for its extremely high-quality low-flicker lighting, and its new SunWave lineup doesn’t disappoint!
These are currently the only full-spectrum lights I know of that have zero flicker. So if you’re looking for the best of both worlds, the SunWave lights are worth the cost.
The drivers and internal components of Yuji’s LEDs are of much higher quality than the other lights on this list. This ensures that they’ll last much longer and produce very little flicker, again, unlike the other lights we’ve linked to.
They come in 3000K, 4000K, 5000k, and 6500K versions. These color temps can be purchased in either a regular A19 or BR30 style.
Yuji also has some SunWave LED strips available for sale if that’s something you’re in the market for.
- More Info
It’s worth noting that the 5000K Yuji meets the ISO standard for “color viewing”.So this may be one of the best options for artists.
Yuji SunWave
Zero flicker, excellent sunlike spectrum, and great build quality make these our favorite premium light bulbs.
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 1100
- CCT: 3000-6500K
- Watts: 11w
- Shape: A19/BR30
- CRI: 97.7
- R9: 97
- Dimmable: Yes
Use code OYBYJ5 for 5% off!
4. Philips Ultra Definition – Best Budget
The new ultra-definition line of bulbs from Philips has a unique color spectrum that’s worth mentioning here.
While it has some large spikes, they’re all concentrated in the longer wavelength red end of the visible spectrum, which I prefer to see over large blue light spikes.
Here are three spectral graphs from three different 5000K ultra-definition lights:
Not too bad if you ask me! The average CRI for these lights is also around 95 which is very good! And the flicker isn’t too bad either, certainly better than Norb and GE’s sun-filled.
Just about all of the 5000K ultra-definition bulbs have similar spectral qualities, and vary in their flicker.
You can view all of them in our Light Bulb Database.
Philips Ultra Definition
These are the best budget-friendly full-spectrum lights on the market right now.
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 800
- CCT: 5000K
- Watts: 8w
- Shape:
- CRI: 94.7
- R9: 90
- Dimmable: Yes
5. Sylvania Natural Series – Honorable Mention
This one is interesting and I wanted to touch on it for a few reasons:
- Sylvania is outright lying about some of their claims and…
- Some of their lights aren’t too bad.
Sylvania recently came out with its Natural series which boasts its new TruWave Technology.
In their whitepaper for this spectral technology, they claim to output light similar to that of natural sunlight.
Well, we went out and tested 12 different models (all of which can be found in our Light Bulb Database) of TruWave lights to see what all the fuss was and we were a bit surprised with the results…
Allow me to explain, below are spectral power distribution graphs for the standard 8w and 11w frosted 5000K A19 light bulbs from Sylvania claiming to utilize “TruWave” technology:
Do these look like the TruWave spectrum advertised above?
No, they don’t. In fact, they look just like the “Typical LED Light” they compare their TruWave spectrum to.
It would seem Sylvania is lying about their lights. Tisk tisk.
But, as it just so happens, the 15w version does actually contain the fabled TruWave spectrum:
While there are a few other TruWave lights we tested that had decent spectrums, the 5000K 15W A21 is my favorite and my recommended choice.
The biggest drawback to the Sylvania Natural lineup is that they’re really lacking in the red light output, which many of the other options do a much better job of.
- Learn more
However, if you were to create a DIY chandelier as we show in our article on How to Mimic Natural Sunlight, you could easily make up for this flaw.
Sylvania Natural 5000K 15w
The best light bulb the Sylvania Natural series has to offer. A pretty nice spectrum that’s lacking a bit in the red department.
At $5 per bulb, this is one of the best full-spectrum high-lumen lights on the market.
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 1600
- CCT: 5000K
- Watts: 15w
- Shape: A21
- CRI: 87.3
- R9: 46
- Dimmable: Yes
- Info
I’ve had issues with Amazon sending the wrong bulbs for these. If that’s the case for you, Menards also sells TruWave LEDs.
Best Full Spectrum Smart Lights
While I’m not a huge fan of EMF-emitting devices, some people aren’t as concerned about this as I am. So for those of you looking for the best full-spectrum smart lights, Norb is the way to go here.
NorbSMART
The NorbSMART bulbs are available in A19 and BR30 styles and are adjustable from 2650K to 5000K.
The invisible flicker isn’t great, but if that doesn’t bother you then it’s not a problem.
These lights are set up and used through the Tuya app, which I had no issues using myself. The app has 4.5 stars on the Play store and 4.7 stars on the App store so it’s well done.
My only issue with these lights is that the app doesn’t provide the option to create a very natural color transition. It can be done, to some degree, but it’s a bit of a pain to set up.
As you can see, each color temperature, brightness, and transition time has to be manually created. Which to me, feels a bit “dumb” rather than “smart”.
But they do still emit a fantastic spectrum, and if you take the time to set them up how you like I’m sure they’ll satisfy your need for circadian lighting.
NorbSMART
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 800
- CCT: 2650-5000K
- Watts: 9w
- Shape: A19
- CRI: 95.3
- R9: 94
- Dimmable: Yes
Best Adjustable Full Spectrum Lights
An alternative to “smart” lights is the simple switch adjustable light. Simply flip the light switch off and on to change between color temperature modes.
The BioLight
Our favorite option for a full spectrum adjustable light is the BioLight from Block Blue Light.
You can cycle the BioLight between three different color temperatures:
This makes the BioLight a great do-it-all light!
The 4250K setting has fantastic color rendering at a CRI of 97.7 as well as low flicker, and the ability to quickly change it to a very warm and calming 2150K or 1800K light is pretty cool.
The BioLight
- Info
- SPD
- Flicker
- Lumens: 700
- CCT: 1800-4200K
- Watts: 8w
- Shape: A19
- CRI: 97.7
- R9: 97
- Dimmable: No
Use code OPTIMIZE10 for 10% off
Best Full Spectrum LED Strip
If you’re the type who likes to DIY things, this is the route to go!
I’ve found 4 commercially available LED strips that sport a nice high quality full spectrum light output:
1. AliExpress
This is the only budget-friendly fulls spectrum LED strip currently commercially available that I know of.
It comes in 3000K, 4000K, and 5000K options. If you’re looking for a morning light kind of feeling, go with the 3000K, but if you want the most effective one, go for the 5000K option.
AliExpress Sunlike
- Pros/Cons
- SPD
- Price: $
- CCT: 3000K, 4000K, 5000K
- Luminous Flux: 1135lm/M
- Voltage: 24V
- Wattage: 12W/M
2. Yuji SunWave
Yuji’s SunWave strips will run you exponentially more than the current budget AlkiExpress offering. However if you can afford it and are looking for a nicer light source, the SunWave diodes are better from a color rendering standpoint.
Yuji also offers a 2700K-6500K tunable SunWave strip, which is currently the only full-spectrum tunable LED strip that I’m aware of. So if you’re thinking you’d love to be able to change the color temp of your DIY SAD lamp throughout the day, this is the easiest way to achieve that!
Yuji also sells premade panels that can make this whole process a lot easier!
Yuji SunWave
- Pros/Cons
- SPD
- Price: $$$
- CCT: 2700-6500K
- Luminous Flux: 1100lm/M
- Voltage: 12/24V
- Wattage: 18W/M
3. LumiTronix SunLike
A third option and usually the most expensive is the LumiTronix LED strips. These look great! I just haven’t used one myself yet.
They utilize Seoul Semiconductors’ new TRI-R SunLike LEDs found in the Norb and GE light bulbs.
They offer single-color strips anywhere from 3000K to 6500K and claim 1700lm/M for the 5700K so this just might be the best option from a circadian effectiveness standpoint.
LumiTronix SunLike
- Pros/Cons
- SPD
- Price: $$$
- CCT: 3000-6500K
- Luminous Flux: 1700lm/M
- Voltage: 24V
- Wattage: 19W/M
Sorry, I haven’t tested these yet!
4. Waveform Lighting Absolute Series
Another excellent-looking LED strip comes from Waveform Lighting in the form of their new Absolute Series.
I haven’t personally tested these but the photometric reports and TM30 data provided by Waveform show that they produce a very lovely color!
You will pay for these bad boys though, to the tune of $350 per 5M strip! Yikes.
Waveform Lighting Absolute Series
- Pros/Cons
- SPD
- Price: $$$$$
- CCT: 5000 & 6500K
- Luminous Flux: 1250lm/M
- Voltage: 12/24V
- Wattage: 17W/M
Tools Used
- Royer M, Gorantla A. 2021. PNNL Applied Lighting Spectral Calculator [Web Application]. Available from:https://spectralcalculator.pnnl.gov
- Waveform’s SPD Graph Tool
- Opple Light Master Pro 3 for flicker measurements.
- Hopocolor HCPS300P photo spectrometer for all spectral light measurements.
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