How to Replicate Full Spectrum Sunlight Indoors: The Ultimate Light Bulb Test! (with data) ☀️⛅️

[KING REIDYZ]

As you’re probably aware, most light sources don’t come very close to mimicking the Sun’s full spectrum of light:


The typical LED spectrum has a large blue spike with a dip in the turquoise region, also very little red. Also, it's clear that no single light by itself can easily emulate full-spectrum sunlight.

Light, especially bright full spectrum light, is necessary for all kinds of things, not least of which is our circadian-dependent processes like sleep, hormone secretions, and mood.

Since many of us spend most of our time inside in our homes or work offices, I wanted to know how close we could get to mimicking natural light indoors.

As of right now, I've tested over 100 lights in this endeavor. And since I’ve run out of lights to test, I can now happily share with you the data from those tests as well as my thoughts, findings, and advice on how to go about using this information.

Here's the database for your viewing pleasure:

Light Bulb Database

I also have a write-up post on The Best Full Spectrum Lights if you wanna cut straight to the best!

Inside you’ll find some parameters you might not be familiar with, so here’s what I tested for:

• CRI: This is the Color Rendering Index and compares how well an artificial light source reflects light from 15 color samples when compared with a natural light source. I've calculated my CRI based on all 15 indexes while many only use the first 8.
• TM-30 Rf/Rg: This is basically a newer version of the CRI standard and uses 99 color samples (this time from actual real-world objects) to calculate a “Fidelity” score with a max of 100, similar to CRI. However, it also gives a “Gamut” score with 100 being identical to the saturation of sunlight, the gamut score can go over or under 100 for this reason.
• Flicker Metrics: Waveforms, risk graphs and more can be found and the information for these is on the database page as well.

The entire database can be sorted filtered and searched though! So have fun.

I’ve also written a guide on this as well if you’d like to check that out. It contains all the links for the best lights, as well as ideas for implementing light setups of your own.

How to Mimic Full Spectrum Sunlight Indoors: The Guide

Here are some of my thoughts on the lights I tested:

• The Shanpu Z0850/55Pro and the GE Sun-Filled bulbs are the best on the market right now. Here’s a comparison of these lights compared with the spectrum of natural sunlight:

• As you can see, the Shanpu Z0850/55Pro are spectacularly realistic LEDs. However, they're kind of a pain to buy as 3rd party TaoBao agents aren't super user-friendly. They're also expensive and the lumens per watt is lower than most other LEDs, so you need more of them to achieve a better lux level, which of course just raises the cost more. *sigh*
• All in, you're looking at something like $600 to put out 10,000 lux from these. However, this is very high-quality light, with no noticeable flicker. If you like paying for the good things in life, this is it! To my knowledge, these are currently THEE LEDs to buy.
• The cheaper and more accessible alternative is the GE Sun Filled lights. At $8-10 a pop, higher luminous output and available on Amazon, they're a great option for someone looking to fill their home with more realistic light. A potential downside is that they do have invisible flicker a bit in the 120Hz range, which could potentially cause sensitive people issues. I personally use these lights and haven't noticed any negative effects, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.
• NorbSmile also uses the SunLike diodes in their bulbs (at least the premium ones), but their offerings cost more than GE and flicker more as well, so I don't really see any reason to purchase their lights. I did email them about the flicker, and they said they'd be looking into it.
• I was initially very excited about the Sylvania Natural bulbs using their "TruWave" tech, given the claims and price point, however, I encountered several issues. They’re outright lying about the SPD these give off. The 8w, 11w, and 13w 5000K A19 bulb all have a generic blue pump phosphor blend SPD, as you can see below. I’ve emailed Sylvania asking for an explanation, and have yet to hear a response.

• I also measured 16 of the 8w 5000K bulbs, and found each one had a flicker rate of 12%. None of the other Sylvania bulbs had flicker, as advertised, so this was unexpected. This shows a pretty severe lack of quality control in my opinion, seeing as how one of the big advertising features of these lights is the low flicker rate and dimming capabilities.
• I tested several of the leading contenders for the low-blue light bulb market. I think dim, low-blue lights in the evening are important. However, I’m not a fan of red and orange lighting, I find them unnatural and uncomfortable personally.
• All the warm low wattage LEDs I tested had insane amounts of flicker, so these were a no-go.
• The Bedtime Bulb is an interesting product, however I think they’re too bright for nighttime use, even the lower wattage version, and the custom phosphor spectrum they accomplish isn’t really that special.
• In the end, the low wattage incandescent bulbs are the best evening light option in my opinion. The 7w bulbs for example don't exceed 10 lux even at a distance of 2 feet, which is perfect for evening use.

My Setup:

Alright, I'll end this with my current office setup.

1. I've built two large DIY chandeliers with six GE Sun Filled bulbs and one 53w halogen each. Though I think I'd like to make another... This gives the room most of its lux.
2. I also have a floor lamp with three halogen BR30s pointing toward me for more full-spectrum infrared exposure, it gives off a pleasant warmth at around two feet.
3. And finally, I have a 48" UV reptile light mounted to the corner of my ceiling molding, spraying the room with a trace amount of UV light.

Here's what I've ended up with:



And here are the spectral graphs from this setup:



Here's the info from the UV light output for those interested:

1 ft: 3.5 UVI

2 ft: 1.5 UVI

3 ft: 0.8 UVI

4 ft: 0.5 UVI

5 ft: 0.2 UVI

Well, I think that's about it!

Hopefully, you found this information useful! Have a great week!

 

[BrahminBoss]

You do NOT want to be replicating midnoon sun spectrum.

 

[funkyflamingo]

didnt read but looks good so I bookmarked

 

[sportsmogger]

bros trynna get BOTB

 

[KING REIDYZ]

bros trynna get BOTB

 

[hiwasuwor]

Interesting, but the only lights I ever have on are the computer screen lights.

 

[hopecel]

As you’re probably aware, most light sources don’t come very close to mimicking the Sun’s full spectrum of light:


The typical LED spectrum has a large blue spike with a dip in the turquoise region, also very little red. Also, it's clear that no single light by itself can easily emulate full-spectrum sunlight.

Light, especially bright full spectrum light, is necessary for all kinds of things, not least of which is our circadian-dependent processes like sleep, hormone secretions, and mood.

Since many of us spend most of our time inside in our homes or work offices, I wanted to know how close we could get to mimicking natural light indoors.

As of right now, I've tested over 100 lights in this endeavor. And since I’ve run out of lights to test, I can now happily share with you the data from those tests as well as my thoughts, findings, and advice on how to go about using this information.

Here's the database for your viewing pleasure:

Light Bulb Database

I also have a write-up post on The Best Full Spectrum Lights if you wanna cut straight to the best!

Inside you’ll find some parameters you might not be familiar with, so here’s what I tested for:

• CRI: This is the Color Rendering Index and compares how well an artificial light source reflects light from 15 color samples when compared with a natural light source. I've calculated my CRI based on all 15 indexes while many only use the first 8.
• TM-30 Rf/Rg: This is basically a newer version of the CRI standard and uses 99 color samples (this time from actual real-world objects) to calculate a “Fidelity” score with a max of 100, similar to CRI. However, it also gives a “Gamut” score with 100 being identical to the saturation of sunlight, the gamut score can go over or under 100 for this reason.
• Flicker Metrics: Waveforms, risk graphs and more can be found and the information for these is on the database page as well.

The entire database can be sorted filtered and searched though! So have fun.

I’ve also written a guide on this as well if you’d like to check that out. It contains all the links for the best lights, as well as ideas for implementing light setups of your own.

How to Mimic Full Spectrum Sunlight Indoors: The Guide

Here are some of my thoughts on the lights I tested:

• The Shanpu Z0850/55Pro and the GE Sun-Filled bulbs are the best on the market right now. Here’s a comparison of these lights compared with the spectrum of natural sunlight:

• As you can see, the Shanpu Z0850/55Pro are spectacularly realistic LEDs. However, they're kind of a pain to buy as 3rd party TaoBao agents aren't super user-friendly. They're also expensive and the lumens per watt is lower than most other LEDs, so you need more of them to achieve a better lux level, which of course just raises the cost more. *sigh*
• All in, you're looking at something like $600 to put out 10,000 lux from these. However, this is very high-quality light, with no noticeable flicker. If you like paying for the good things in life, this is it! To my knowledge, these are currently THEE LEDs to buy.
• The cheaper and more accessible alternative is the GE Sun Filled lights. At $8-10 a pop, higher luminous output and available on Amazon, they're a great option for someone looking to fill their home with more realistic light. A potential downside is that they do have invisible flicker a bit in the 120Hz range, which could potentially cause sensitive people issues. I personally use these lights and haven't noticed any negative effects, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.
• NorbSmile also uses the SunLike diodes in their bulbs (at least the premium ones), but their offerings cost more than GE and flicker more as well, so I don't really see any reason to purchase their lights. I did email them about the flicker, and they said they'd be looking into it.
• I was initially very excited about the Sylvania Natural bulbs using their "TruWave" tech, given the claims and price point, however, I encountered several issues. They’re outright lying about the SPD these give off. The 8w, 11w, and 13w 5000K A19 bulb all have a generic blue pump phosphor blend SPD, as you can see below. I’ve emailed Sylvania asking for an explanation, and have yet to hear a response.

• I also measured 16 of the 8w 5000K bulbs, and found each one had a flicker rate of 12%. None of the other Sylvania bulbs had flicker, as advertised, so this was unexpected. This shows a pretty severe lack of quality control in my opinion, seeing as how one of the big advertising features of these lights is the low flicker rate and dimming capabilities.
• I tested several of the leading contenders for the low-blue light bulb market. I think dim, low-blue lights in the evening are important. However, I’m not a fan of red and orange lighting, I find them unnatural and uncomfortable personally.
• All the warm low wattage LEDs I tested had insane amounts of flicker, so these were a no-go.
• The Bedtime Bulb is an interesting product, however I think they’re too bright for nighttime use, even the lower wattage version, and the custom phosphor spectrum they accomplish isn’t really that special.
• In the end, the low wattage incandescent bulbs are the best evening light option in my opinion. The 7w bulbs for example don't exceed 10 lux even at a distance of 2 feet, which is perfect for evening use.

My Setup:

Alright, I'll end this with my current office setup.

1. I've built two large DIY chandeliers with six GE Sun Filled bulbs and one 53w halogen each. Though I think I'd like to make another... This gives the room most of its lux.
2. I also have a floor lamp with three halogen BR30s pointing toward me for more full-spectrum infrared exposure, it gives off a pleasant warmth at around two feet.
3. And finally, I have a 48" UV reptile light mounted to the corner of my ceiling molding, spraying the room with a trace amount of UV light.

Here's what I've ended up with:



And here are the spectral graphs from this setup:



Here's the info from the UV light output for those interested:

1 ft: 3.5 UVI

2 ft: 1.5 UVI

3 ft: 0.8 UVI

4 ft: 0.5 UVI

5 ft: 0.2 UVI

Well, I think that's about it!

Hopefully, you found this information useful! Have a great week!

tldr just tell me what is this for? like what are potential benefits of this stuff bro?

 

[schizo echochamber]

Actual BOTB level thread can be used for bio hacking and regulating circadian rhythm indoors when you have to work on a computer or just rot.
Bookmarked.

 

[PseudoMaxxer]

You know it’s over when incels start studying ways to get sunlight without coming out of their mom’s basement

 

[Debetro]

Why would you want this.

 

[Deleted member 21712]

no lights for your face

also Chad doesn't need to replicate full spectrum sunlight index CRT data target CRI vale

also not a molecule read

 

[Deleted member 26859]

but i wanna get whiter not darker i avoid sun like the plague

 

[Debetro]

but i wanna get whiter not darker i avoid sun like the plague

I swear the fucking summer tan doesn't go away no matter what. Or maybe it's lighting Idk.

 

[KING REIDYZ]

Why would you want this.

Why not ?

 

[KING REIDYZ]

no lights for your face

also Chad doesn't need to replicate full spectrum sunlight index CRT data target CRI vale

also not a molecule read

Except that you aren’t chad, you are ugly and poor and need to improve lol

you on a self improvement forum

 

[bradpittshairline]

Lol retard gonna photo age hus skin at home too

 

[KING REIDYZ]

Lol retard gonna photo age hus skin at home too

Suck à ma dick

 

[bradpittshairline]

Suck à ma dick

ur mama coochie got coins in it

 

[KING REIDYZ]

ur mama coochie got coins in it

Address ?

 

[lightskinbengali]

You do NOT want to be replicating midnoon sun spectrum.

Why?

 

[BrahminBoss]

Why?

Too much blue light wavelength. Incandescent replicates evening sunlight which is what you want

 

[SAQUIB66]

Just go out in sun for an hour. Everything will be solved without exaggerating.

 

[enchanted_elixir]

tldr just tell me what is this for? like what are potential benefits of this stuff bro?

@KING REIDYZ
I would have added this in BOTB but I have this same question.
If you could write a paragraph on why you wrote this, I can add it in and get it in BOTB.
Good work. but you're missing the final step.