Nordlux Ask 28 LED ceiling light 12 W white IP44 3000 K

Ask 28 is a round Nordlux ceiling light 28 cm across: a matt opal diffuser shaped like a flattened dome, set on a white metal base. The fitting sits flush against the ceiling and drops 9.5 cm below it. The LED is built in, and an IP44 rating allows it to go where there is water vapour in the air.

Where it can be fitted

IP44 means protection against splashing water from any direction. The manufacturer intends Ask for damp and utility rooms — bathroom, laundry, entrance hall, corridor. In a living room or bedroom the same fitting works as an ordinary ceiling light, simply without the moisture rating being needed.

A 28 cm diameter and 9.5 cm height are the measurements of a small fitting — compare them with the ceiling area of the room you are buying for. It weighs 0.6 kg and screws straight to the ceiling; the manufacturer notes that it is not designed to hang from a hook. Parallel connection is allowed, so in a long corridor one circuit can supply several of these fittings.

How much light it gives, and of what kind

The fitting puts out 1050 lm, slightly more than an old 60 W bulb. That is enough as the main light in a bathroom, hall or laundry room. At 3000 K the light is warm white — warmer than neutral 4000 K, but without the pronounced yellow of 2700 K.

A 120° beam angle and the matt diffuser spread the light widely, with no single bright spot. Colour rendering of Ra 80 is enough for everyday tasks, though not for matching shades at a mirror. The fitting is not dimmable: it runs at full output only and will not work with a dimmer.

Light source and wiring

The 12 W LED module is built in permanently. There is no bulb to buy for this fitting, and no way to replace the source once it is worn out — Nordlux states 30 000 hours of operation.

Ask is a Class I fitting, so an earth conductor is needed to connect it; in older wiring without an earth this is worth checking before buying. The body is metal, the diffuser is plastic, and the supply is 230 V mains.