Harlowe Avant Max 80W Bi-Color Led COB Light - Lab Review

Harlowe Avant Max – Technical Analysis

The Harlowe Avant Max is an 80 W bi-colour LED light. The measurements cover 2700K to 6500K at a distance of 1 m without modifiers, plus one measurement with the standard reflector, across a total of 10 individual measurements.

Scores and lab report based on the current version of our evaluation (October 2026). The power score refers to the output with the standard reflector (10,595 lux).

🔍 Key Measurements (White Light, 100%, 1 m)

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🔎 Performance Analysis

💡 Light Output

Unmodified, the Avant Max delivers around 3,000 lux in the daylight settings at a distance of 1 m (3,072 lux at 5500K, 3,036 lux at 6500K, EV 10.3). Towards the warm end, output drops: 2,683 lux at 3200K (about 13% less) and 2,455 lux at 2700K (about 20% less).

With the standard reflector, the light reaches 10,595 lux at 5500K (EV 12.0). That is only about 3.4 times the bare output, a comparatively small focusing effect. For high output at a distance, the Avant Max is therefore limited.

The dimming curve is lifted, especially at the bottom end:

At 10%, the light still delivers 14 to 15% of its maximum, at 50% around 54%. The colour temperature also moves: at 3200K, the 50% level measures 3,137 K and is therefore almost 10 MK-1 warmer than 100%. At 5500K, the variation stays within about 4 MK-1.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Even output in daylight: 3,072 and 3,036 lux at 5500K and 6500K
• ⚠️ Small reflector gain: 10,595 lux, about 3.4 times the bare output
• ⚠️ Lifted dimming curve: 10% ≈ 14–15% light, 50% ≈ 54%
• ⚠️ CCT shift at 3200K across dimming levels: up to about 10 MK-1

🎨 Colour Rendering (White Light)

Colour rendering is high: CRI (Ra) sits between 96.8 and 98.2, with a peak at 5500K. R9 stays between 93 and 95 at all colour temperatures, so reds and skin tones are rendered consistently. TLCI (for information) reaches 96 to 99.

TM-30 Rf reaches 95 to 96 from 3200K upwards, with Rg between 100 and 102. Only 2700K is weaker at Rf 92 and Rg 96, where colours look slightly muted.

The SSI is 87 at 2700K and 84 at 3200K, and drops to 73 at 5500K and 70 at 6500K.

Standout Features:

• ✅ High CRI: Ra 96.8–98.2
• ✅ Consistent R9: 93–95 at every CCT
• ✅ High TM-30 fidelity from 3200K: Rf 95–96
• ⚠️ Weaker at 2700K: Rf 92, Rg 96

🧪 TM-30 in Detail

TM-30 divides colours into 16 hue bins. The local chroma shift (Rcs) shows whether a hue is rendered more or less saturated than under the reference light, the local fidelity (Rf,h) how accurately it is rendered overall. Shifts of a few percent are barely visible; from around 10%, the affected hues look noticeably more intense or duller.

At 2700K, the Avant Max desaturates the yellow range: yellow-orange -7%, yellow -8%, yellow-green -6% and green -5%. Green tones also shift slightly in hue (up to 0.08), and local fidelity drops to 86 in green and 87 in yellow-orange. Warm, golden tones and foliage therefore look somewhat duller than in reality.

From 3200K upwards, the picture is much cleaner. At 3200K, all hue bins stay within ±5% and local fidelity at 92 or higher. In daylight, purple (+8%) and violet (+10%) are emphasised, but fidelity in the cyan-blue range stays at 90 to 91, which is better than usual for phosphor LEDs. Only 12 to 13 of the 99 colour samples fall below Rf 90 in the daylight settings.

Skin tones in the orange-red and orange bins (2 and 3) reach Rf,h 95 to 98 from 3200K upwards. At 2700K, orange drops to Rf,h 90.

The spectrum peaks at 636–637 nm in the warm settings and at 449–450 nm (blue pump) in the daylight settings.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Clean daylight fidelity: cyan-blue Rf,h 90–91, only 12–13 samples below Rf 90
• ✅ Skin tones stable from 3200K: bins 2/3 at Rf,h 95–98
• ⚠️ Yellows and greens muted at 2700K: up to -8%, Rf,h down to 86

🌡️ CCT Accuracy

The deviation in Mired (MK-1) is more meaningful than the raw Kelvin difference, since the Kelvin scale is not linear:

3200K is very precise at 3.29 MK-1. 2700K and 6500K are close to the threshold of around 10 MK-1 at which a shift becomes perceptible, and 5500K exceeds it: at 5,894 K and 12.15 MK-1, the light looks visibly cooler than set. All settings measure slightly cooler than their target.

The more noticeable issue is the tint. Duv is positive at every colour temperature, meaning the light sits above the Planckian locus with a green tendency. At +0.0058 (2700K) and +0.0073 (6500K), this can become visible on white walls and neutral backgrounds, especially when combined with other lights. At 5500K, Duv is +0.0054 to +0.0055 at 10% and 50%.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Precise at 3200K: 3.29 MK-1, Duv +0.0016
• ⚠️ 5500K too cool: 5,894 K, 12.15 MK-1
• ⚠️ Green tendency at every CCT: Duv up to +0.0073 at 6500K

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✅ Strengths

1. High colour fidelity → Ra 96.8–98.2, R9 93–95 at every CCT
2. High TM-30 fidelity from 3200K → Rf 95–96, cyan-blue Rf,h 90–91 in daylight
3. Precise 3200K → 3.29 MK-1, SSI 84, all TM-30 hue bins within ±5%
4. Even daylight output → 3,072 and 3,036 lux at 5500K and 6500K

⚠️ Weaknesses

1. Green tendency → Duv positive at every CCT, up to +0.0073 at 6500K
2. 5500K too cool → 5,894 K instead of 5,500 K (12.15 MK-1)
3. Moderate output and small reflector gain → Around 3,000 lux bare, 10,595 lux with the standard reflector
4. Lifted dimming curve with CCT shift → 10% ≈ 14–15% light, up to about 10 MK-1 CCT change at 3200K
5. Weaker warm white at 2700K → Rf 92, Rg 96, yellows and greens up to -8%

📉 Practical Applications

Ideal for: → Studio photo and video at 3200K: precise CCT, high fidelity, stable skin tones → Product shots with critical colours: Ra up to 98.2, consistent R9 → Interviews and portraits: skin tones at Rf,h 95–98 from 3200K

Use with caution: → Neutral, white backgrounds: green tendency at every CCT → Exact daylight matching at 5500K: visibly cooler than set → Large spaces or long distances: moderate output, small reflector gain → Precise exposure control at low levels: lifted dimming curve

📌 Conclusion

The Harlowe Avant Max is a colour-accurate LED light with high CRI and R9 values and notably clean TM-30 results from 3200K upwards. Its best setting is 3200K, where CCT accuracy, SSI and TM-30 come together very well.

The detailed analysis shows where compromises lie: the white point has a green tendency at every colour temperature, 5500K measures too cool, and the dimming curve is lifted. Output and reflector gain are moderate. For controlled studio work, interviews and product shots at 3200K, the Avant Max is a solid choice; for daylight-critical scenes or neutral white backgrounds, a correction or a different light is advisable.

Data Overview

📥 PDF herunterladen

TM-30-18

TM-30 Multi Report

TM-30 Comparison

Multiple Measurements in Direct Comparison

Report selection by CCT

All loaded reports are sorted by CCT automatically. The slider snaps to the nearest report.

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Color Vector Graphic

Reference and test as closed 16-bin curves.

Click a CES cell to view vector and detail values.

Normalized Spectral Power Distribution

TM-30 Dashboard

Local shifts and radial visualization as in the standard report.

Local Chroma Shift (Rcs,hj)

Local Hue Shift (Rhs,hj)

Local Color Fidelity (Rf,hj)

Click one of the three local titles to see a short explanation of meaning and visual impact.

Color Sample Fidelity (Rf,CESi)

Direct overview of all 99 CES samples with fidelity values.

Measure Comparisons

Additional comparison view analogous to the TM-30 reference representation.

Color Evaluation Samples

Highlighted skin-tone areas provide practical orientation for portrait colors. Click to zoom.

Click a CES cell to view the comparison in the popup.

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This product was provided free of charge by Perrot Image SA. However, this has no influence on my opinion or the evaluation of the product. I tested the light independently and shared my honest opinion.

Copyright © of product image in the title image are the ones of the respective manufacturers. All rights reserved.