Spectrometer vs Solar Meter: the Number That Runs This Industry
The documented gaps
| Panel | Brand claim | Independent spectrometer |
|---|---|---|
| PlatinumLED BioMax Pro Ultra | ~292 mW/cm² (solar) | ~101 avg / ~120 peak at 6 in |
| BlockBlueLight PowerPanel Mega | 167 at 6 in (solar, disclosed) | 89 at 6 in |
| Rouge Care | 150 (solar) | 81 at 6 in |
| Hooga lineup | 115-189 (method not stated) | ~55-96 depending on model |
Attribution: independent figures compiled from published third-party spectrometer testing, principally Light Therapy Insiders. Two further traps: peak versus nine-point average readings differ 15-20% on the same panel, and readings at 0 or 3 inches are not comparable to 6-inch figures.
What the full dataset shows
The claimed vs measured study holds every panel in the database for which both a brand claim and a spectrometer reading of the same panel exist: 44 panels at the last build. Across them the claim runs a median 2.18 times the spectrometer figure, with a spread from 1.36 to 2.60; 29 of the 44 claims are at least double the measured value. 38 of the 44 claims are solar meter figures, which is the instrument effect described above rather than a rounding habit. In several cases the brand publishes both numbers itself, so the gap is on record without any third party involved.
What this site does with an unlabeled number
A figure with no instrument stated is kept in the record, shown with the label "method not stated", and excluded from any comparison with spectrometer figures. Rankings weight a method-stated figure over an unstated one of any size, so a brand that publishes a modest spectrometer number scores better on this criterion than one that publishes a large number with no method. The labels guide explains the three labels as they appear on device pages.
How to read any spec sheet
Demand three things: the instrument, the distance, and whether the figure is peak or average. If any of the three is missing, treat the number as marketing. In this database every irradiance figure carries its method label, and method-unstated numbers are flagged as such.
We also maintain the full dataset behind this page: every irradiance claim in the database that can be checked against a spectrometer reading of the same panel, with per-panel ratios and a downloadable CSV, lives in the claimed vs measured study.
Frequently asked questions
Is a higher irradiance number always better?
No. Dose is irradiance times time, and the biphasic dose response means excessive intensity can blunt results. A method-verified 70 beats an unverifiable 150.
Irradiance is not the only spec that decides how strong a session feels at a given distance. Beam angle, the angular spread of light off the panel's lens, changes how tightly that irradiance figure concentrates close to the panel versus how far it spreads to cover a wider area, and it is worth checking alongside the instrument, distance and peak-or-average details already listed above.
The peak-versus-average distinction matters even more on a panel with a pulsed setting. Our comparison of pulsed and continuous light covers why a pulsed diode's peak output during each brief burst is not the number to use for dosing, and why the time-averaged irradiance over a full session is usually much lower than that peak.
A panel's driver produces more than light. EMF, the low-frequency magnetic field from the driver and fan, is measured with a completely different instrument than irradiance and reported by far fewer brands, but where it is published it follows the same number-unit-distance discipline this page describes.
For a ranked shortlist built on exactly this discipline, see the highest independently verified irradiance figures in this site's database, which ranks only panels whose number names its instrument and distance.
"The instrument" almost always means one of two things: a solar power meter or a laboratory spectrometer. What a solar power meter actually measures explains why the two do not agree on the same panel, and why a figure with no instrument named at all is the one to be most cautious about.
Methodology: rankings weigh measured or method-stated irradiance, wavelength coverage and published density, buyer terms (trial, restocking, stand, warranty), and value per LED. No brand pays for a position. Full methodology.