Ignore words like artisanal and check what can be verified: whether it dims smoothly to 1% or lower, whether the LEDs are binned so two fixtures show no colour difference, how deeply the source is recessed, the published CRI and R9, the driver, and whether the finish sits on solid metal rather than pot metal.
A brand that publishes CRI, R9, UGR and minimum dimming level is telling you something. A brand that publishes only adjectives is telling you something too.
Two fixtures can photograph identically and cost ten times apart. The difference sits in places the photograph does not show — and in numbers a seller either has or does not.
The specifications that separate them
- Minimum dimming level. A good fixture dims to 1% or below; a cheap one steps under 50%. Rarely published, which is why asking works.
- Binning. Tight LED binning means six of the same fixture look the same. Loose binning means one is faintly green.
- Recess depth and UGR. You should see the light, not the source. That is why a good fixture feels calm, not bright.
- CRI, and R9 in particular. 80 CRI is trivially easy; 90 varies enormously with the R9 behind it; 95 means someone worked on the phosphor.
- The driver. Better chipsets separate a fixture that behaves on your dimmer from one that hums.
What the hardware itself tells you
Castings, stampings and joints
A canopy or hub is either cast and machined, or pressed from thin sheet. Cast parts have weight, crisp edges and detail that survives the finish; a stamping is light and softens under plating. Arms are either brazed and dressed until the joint disappears, or spot-welded and covered with filler. Look at the inside of a curve in the photographs — that is where filler shows.
Glass
Hand-blown glass carries slight variation, a visible pontil area and a fire-polished rim smooth to the fingertip. Pressed glass is uniform, often with a faint mould seam and an edge ground rather than melted. Neither is wrong, but one costs several times more, and a listing that does not say which is which is worth a question.
Wiring, sockets and balance
Ask about conductor gauge, strain relief where wire passes through metal, ceramic rather than plastic sockets on hot designs, and screw terminals that will still be tight in twenty years. On a multi-arm fixture, ask whether it is counterweighted — a chandelier balanced properly before it ships is not the same object as one shimmed level on site.
Plating thickness is invisible and decisive. A thin flash over pot metal looks identical to plated brass on day one and entirely different five years later. Ask for the plating spec, not the finish name.
| Check | Well made | Built to a price |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Dense castings | Light stampings |
| Joints | Brazed, dressed | Tacked and filled |
| Data | CRI, R9, UGR, min dim | Adjectives only |
| Packing | Fitted foam, mapped | Loose fill, one box |
Specifications mislead in one direction. A stated 0–100% dimming range describes what the driver supports; the usable range on a cheap wafer light is often 50–100%. Not false, just not what you thought.
What to take away
- Ask for minimum dimming level, CRI, R9 and UGR. Refusal is an answer.
- Weight for size is the fastest tell: castings versus thin stampings.
- Dressed joints, fire-polished rims, ceramic sockets, strain relief.
- Plating thickness matters more than the finish name.
More in chandeliers and living room lighting, or see the size guide.
How can you tell if a light fixture is good quality?
Check weight for its size, whether joints are dressed rather than filled, whether the glass rim is fire-polished, and whether the seller publishes CRI, R9, UGR and minimum dim level.
Are expensive light fixtures worth it?
For fixtures people sit or stand under, yes — dimming, glare and colour rendering show from the doorway. For back corridors, much harder to justify.
What does R9 mean?
R9 is the deep red test sample, usually left out of the headline CRI figure. At 90 CRI with R9 below 50, reds go orange or grey. Above about 70, they hold.
Ask us the questions in this article
This is the checklist we use ourselves when we decide which workshops build for us, and the answers — castings against stampings, joint work, plating, glass, wire gauge, weight — go on the product page rather than staying in a spec file. If a number you need is missing, ask and we will get it.
Explore custom designQuality indicators follow criteria lighting designers use, cross-checked against general manufacturing practice and questions raised in design communities.