To coincide with the official launch of Häfele's Loox 5 lighting range along with its new Lighting Design Service for designers, retailers, manufacturers, and installers, Häfele UK has started touring the UK in its brand-new Loox Van. Here Shaun Barker, assistant product group manager for smart lighting, security and media at Häfele UK, explains what the Loox 5 range has to offer.
Q: What’s new about Loox 5?
A: Loox 5 has had its internal components upgraded and distribution style changed compared to its predecessor, making it suitable for many more applications than previously possible. With Loox 5, wiring and connection capability has jumped from 3.5amp to 5amp; improved drivers mean the lighting can be used 24 hours a day for up to 50,000 hours – and in some case 70,000 hours – without any noticeable reduction in performance. The colour rendering index – a scale that rates an artificial white light source’s ability to accurately display colour – is above 90, meaning that during these 50,000+ hours there will be no difference in colour quality, making it a top choice for settings where colour accuracy is important, such as shop displays, or galleries.
Q: Who is Loox 5 targeted at?
A: The beauty of our Loox 5 range is that it’s technically more capable than previous offerings but is also designed to meet the tastes and needs of more people – from families working with installers and manufacturers to create modern kitchens, to hotel owners wanting to offer their guests a unique experience. While its predecessor, Loox 3, is still perfectly suited for the domestic market and small projects, Loox 5’s capabilities make it perfect for a wider range of commercial applications. However, the two can be used together, which offers endless possibilities when it comes to lighting design.
Q: How does Loox 5 work?
A: There is a plug-and-play Bluetooth mesh control system sitting behind Loox 5. While any typical Bluetooth-controlled fixture or fitting works from a one-to-one digital interaction, limiting control to within just a few meters, a mesh system creates more of a spider’s web of communication between all the components added to it, offering the user greater useability over a much larger footprint. For example, Loox 5 would be perfect for a hotel lobby which requires illumination at all times of day and night. But the system can also seamlessly interlink with lighting in hotel rooms, which would better benefit from our existing Loox products as lighting is required much more infrequently. Then, within a domestic setting specifically, this mesh control system can be managed by a remote that syncs up to all rooms in a house, working as a master key, rather than the user having to utilise different remotes for each area. The plug-and-play nature of Loox also means that in most cases, an electrician isn’t required for installation – another key benefit.
Q: What else is available in the Loox range?
A: We’ve improved our Loox offering further by adding some design-led products to the range. For example, our Nimbus collection is a range of high-end interior lighting for commercial settings such as offices and hotels and is only available via Häfele. Meanwhile, LED ribbon and strip lighting profiles are now available in a variety of slimmer widths and colour finishes to meet the trend of more minimalist kitchens and those with a darker palette. The products can also interlink seamlessly with charging hardware and speakers integrated into furniture to offer a complete technological suite. In 2022, we’ll also be looking to expand the Loox range further, so watch this space.
Q: What value added services are on offer with Loox 5?
A: We offer next-day delivery on Loox products and an automatic seven year guarantee. Plus, anyone looking for support with their lighting scheme can speak to our experts and utilise our Lighting Design Service to put LED lighting central to their project. Then, via our Häfele to Order service, we can preassemble products and pack in pretty much any way the customer wishes, helping reduce waste, time on site and in the warehouse when handling product. We also have the Loox Van, which was developed to provide a mobile, accessible facility for the industry to improve their understanding of how lighting can improve their projects, and how our products and services can help them achieve even more for their customers. We’ve seen demand for Loox products increase almost 20% in the last 12 months which – given trading conditions – is brilliant, and we expect that trend continue as we officially release Loox 5 to market and continue to tour the country with the Loox Van.
