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Introducing the L16We built the L16 specifically for the purpose of lighting retail store display windows and it has also found use as a rugged architectural fixture. The story of this light is told in detail further down the page along with information about how to order it.
This is what an L16 looks like. It screws into the wall at the top of a store window so the light is coming from a direction similar to the viewer's eyes. This causes much more natural shadowing and improves the look of the display. The L16 uses less electricity than CFL bulbs and much less electricity than incandescent or halogen bulbs, and the manufacturer says that the LEDs will last for at least 50,000 hours. Initial projections indicate that the L16 will save enough electricity to pay for itself in three to four years of use, and will keep saving you money after that. When their time is up, LEDs just start to dim instead of burning out so you'll have time to choose from lights which should be even better.
This is a picture of the L16 in various colors. These lights are made specifically for you and the range of colors is nearly unlimited. Depending on the color, there may be a minimum order quantity. The story of the L16 Our company started in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a city with a large downtown retail area. Over the years we noticed that there was room for improvement in the way that store windows are typically lit. Usually a contractor puts a few recessed lights in the ceiling or installs a piece of track lighting and it's done. This is nicer than a dark window, but it could be so much better. The first problem is that the lights are typically in the wrong place. They shine down on your window display like an interrogation is about to begin, casting shadows everywhere and glaring in the eyes of window shoppers. The second problem is that the bulbs burn out frequently and they can be hard to replace without disturbing the window display. Finally, they use too much power and produce too much heat. If you're paying the electric bill, you understand the cost of lights which are typically on all the time. Many store owners have tried switching to floodlights with compact fluorescent bulbs inside, but CFL bulbs don't always produce a pleasant light, they're usually installed in the same poorly placed recessed light fixtures, and they need to be treated as toxic waste when they're thrown out. We designed something better. We looked around to see if there was a good product already out there, but we couldn't find one. Then we thought that the new generation of under-cabinet LED lights (the nice ones, not the blue ones) would do the job, but they weren't nearly bright enough. Ultimately, we decided to build our own. We talked to many of the store owners and managers in town. We found the best LEDs, designed our own fixture, and created a heat sink which was extruded just for us so that the light could be ideally positioned. Then we spent a year getting the whole thing UL listed (file number E348810). Based on feedback from store owners, we made these lights portable so you don't need an electrician and you can take them with you when you move your store to a new and better location. We were successful in lighting up a number of those storefronts in downtown Portsmouth and we think that the L16 has made a real difference. We've now moved to Biddeford, Maine, another city with many storefronts that could benefit from better lighting. How to order the L16 for your own store windows:
* These colors are approximations. All monitors are different and none can really capture the vibrancy of the colors. home/products - about - contact Copyright 2010-2015 Aptilite LLC. All rights reserved. Information in this document is subject to change without notice, and all guesses as to brightness and power consumption are very approximate. Trademarks of the products of other manufacturers are the property of those manufacturers. |