Tom Beckett and some colleagues in his side of lighting spent three years setting up an ANSI certification for flashlights, and once they were done they turned that team into the Portable Lights American Trade Organization to maintain standards across seven metrics as the industry moved into LED.

We talked over testing procedures, the issue of enforcement versus advising members, and learning to work with color-rendering as a relevant metrics in the world of portable and battery powered lighting as well as other trends he’s seen in the field like the rise of high-end handhelds, the complexity of the retail space, and the disposability of some products.

All of it ends up sounding familiar to us dorks putting light in ceilings.

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