Methodology
Every rating on The Lightie comes from hands-on testing by a named reviewer using the same repeatable process. We buy products at retail, measure them with lab equipment, live with them for weeks, and score them against fixed criteria. We have never accepted payment for a review.
Our process
Our methodology is designed to eliminate subjectivity. Every product goes through the same four-stage evaluation process, ensuring fair and repeatable results across categories.
Every product is purchased at retail price or returned to the manufacturer after testing. We never accept payment for reviews, ensuring complete editorial independence from the brands we evaluate.
We measure lumen output using an integrating sphere, test colour rendering (CRI) against reference illuminants, and evaluate colour temperature accuracy with a spectrometer. Battery runtime is tested under constant load at the manufacturer's rated brightness.
Every product is used daily for a minimum of 2 weeks in real conditions — gardens, living rooms, workshops, and power outage simulations. Solar lights are tested through full seasonal cycles. Smart lights are stress-tested with 100+ daily commands.
Each product receives a composite score from 1–10 based on four criteria: performance (40%), build quality (25%), value for money (20%), and design/usability (15%). Only products scoring 7.0 or above are published as full reviews.
Our reviewers
Founder & Lead Reviewer
BEng Electrical Engineering · 8 years testing lighting
Imogen founded The Lightie after a decade designing LED fixtures in industry. She runs our integrating-sphere lumen measurements and leads testing across solar and home lighting.
Smart Home Editor
Matter & Zigbee specialist · 200+ smart devices tested
Raj has wired and stress-tested every major smart lighting ecosystem. He covers protocol reliability, app quality, and cross-platform Matter compatibility for The Lightie.
Emergency & Outdoor Editor
Former mountain rescue volunteer · DofE expedition leader
Tom evaluates emergency and outdoor lighting under the conditions they're built for — outages, storms, and the field. He leads our runtime and durability testing.