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How bright is 2100 lumens? Just what is that level of light good for? We give you real life applications and comparisons to help you understand what levels of brightness certain quantities of lumens will deliver.
Table of Contents
A Lumen is a measure of the total amount of light emitted from a source.
2100 lumens means the light has an intensity of 2100 lumens of light.
When you are looking for how bright a certain light bulb or lighting product is, the number of lumens is what you need to use as your comparison.
LED light is directional and very efficiently delivers light compared to most other light sources. This amount of light is distributed with minimal wastage and creates a brighter intensity on a surface than 2100 lumens from other technologies.
Lumens is the unit measurement of brightness, with 1 lumen equalling the brightness of 1 candle, so 2100 lumens has the brightness of 2100 candles.
2100 Lumens is a very good level of light from all types of lighting. It’s more suitable for commercial recessed lighting, commercial downlighting and up lighting and for exterior security and flood lighting.
The brightness of a flashlight is rated in lumens. A standard flashlight will have around 50 to 100 lumens. For general use, a torch with 400-600 lumens should be bright enough but if you are looking for a more powerful flashlight for outdoor activities then 2100 lumens is very good.
For more information on choosing, see our full guide to how many lumens is good for a flashlight.
The brightness of a 2100 lumen torch (UK for flashlight) is the power of light of 2100 candles. This level is regarded as a very bright level of torch suitable for most outdoor tasks.
A head lamp with an output of 2100 lumens is extremely bright and would be overpowering for most situations unless you are riding at night on unlit roads or trails where there are no streetlights. When you need to see clearly, it’s logical to create the brightest light possible and this would be a strong choice..
To compare how much light you get with different lumens levels, imagine a one by one meter room. If the room has light bulbs that emit 2100 lumens, then it can illuminate that area to roughly 210 lux (depending on the reflectivity of surfaces in the room).
An LED light with a cool white color temperature of 4000K to 6500K will look and feel brighter when compared to the same amount of light that has a warmer tone of 2700K or 3000K, warm white or soft white coloring.
When looking for a LED light source with a lumen output of this level you can expect something that is strong and bright and could be too bright for some applications.
For example, it would be too harsh for general room lighting where a more subtle level of illumination is required. In these circumstances, it’s worth considering an LED bulb with a lower lumen output such as 1000 lumens which will still provide more than enough brightness for most tasks.
A 2100 lumens LED flood light is bright enough for some applications. It is powerful enough to fill a large area with light and can provide excellent lighting for outdoor activities such as security, sports or letting your pet out into the garden at night. It’s also great for illuminating the exterior of your property or driveway.
A bike light with an output of 2100 lumens is very bright and most useful for riding at night on unlit roads or trails where there are no streetlights. In these circumstances, it makes sense to have the brightest illumination possible so that you can see everything in front of you.
If you want your main ceiling light to provide a moderate amount of brightness for activities such as reading or working on a computer, we recommend using an LED with 2100 lumens. However, it would be best to supplement this with other lighting at lower heights within the same room.
Be aware that although 2100 lumens may be a lot of light, some output will be lost in the light fixture so you may have to compensate with a higher output or find a fixture with multiple bulbs.
We have more on How Much Lighting Do I Need for A Room?
A 2100 lumens head lamp is extremely bright for this head worn application, so perfect for any outdoor activity that requires a lot of light, such as camping or hiking. With a penetrating throw of light, it will suit most applications and be greatly appreciated in totally unlit trail areas.
A camping lantern should be bright enough to light up your surroundings, but not so harsh that it’s blinding. 2100 lumens is very bright but not overpowering.
The 2100 lumens security light is a great way to effectively and brightly illuminate any outdoor areas around your property. Do keep in mind that this security floodlight is still on the lower end of the brightness spectrum for exterior LED flood lights so you may need to install more than one.
The brightness of a 2100 lumens LED bulb is very bright and requires a good level of heat management to ensure the LED chip is protected from heat build up and potential early failure.
A 2100 lumens per metre LED strip is a very bright light source and will be perfect for use in areas where a lot of illumination is required.
You can use this brightness of LED strip to uplight onto ceilings or as task lighting over countertops.
An LED recessed ceiling light or downlight is very bright at 2100 lumens for residential applications. Unless for ceilings around 4m high and above it will be too bright from a single source as it provides an intense beam of light.
By installing a recessed light, you can increase the brightness in your room without multiple Light sources. However, beware that a stronger light may produce more glare. be sure to select a recessed light with built-in protection from glare.
Although wattages are often used when describing how bright a bulb is, lumens are a better and significantly more accurate measurement.
When comparing lumens to watts you need to consider the type of light source being used as the greater the efficiency the higher the lumen level created per watt of power used.
Useful comparative measurements often asked:
Lux can only be measured by knowing the distance and the area the lumens have to travel to.
2100 lumens is 2100 candles.
A degree of kelvin is the unit of measurement for color temperature, therefore there is no direct comparison with kelvin to lumen. However, an impression of brightness will increase with a high degree of kelvin as the light is colder and consequently seems brighter.
Lumens and Candela. Lumens is the total amount of light from a fixture. Candela is how much of that light from a fixture shines in one direction. So 2100 lm would be less than 2100 candela with the candela only quantified if the angle of beam width is known.
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