Tall Clear Pendant Light | Blackjack Lighting

Tall Clear is a five-inch rod of clear cast acrylic hung beneath a slim two-inch metal socket. The LED sits in the socket and fires down into the rod, which carries the light along its length much as an optical fiber carries a signal. The acrylic stays crystal clear, yet its edges and lower tip catch the light and glow. It is the most literal version of the light-guide idea that runs through Blackjack's Spec Series: light travelling through a solid piece of material instead of spilling from a bulb.

On its own it is barely there: a fine cable, a short metal sleeve and a column of what looks like glass, one inch across. Hung in a row over an island or a bar, or staggered at different heights in a stair void, the rods become a set of bright vertical lines that shift as you walk past them. The socket finish is the only accent. Matte Black gives each rod a crisp graphic cap, Polished Chrome adds its own reflections to those of the acrylic, and White lets the whole pendant read as a pale sliver of light. The guide screws into the socket and the LED source is replaceable, so the piece is built to last rather than to be thrown away.

Design notes

• Light carried, not cast: the LED in the socket sends its light down a solid acrylic rod, so the edges and tip glow while the body stays transparent.
• Slender proportion: a 1 in (2.5 cm) by 5 in (12.7 cm) guide under a 2 in (5.1 cm) socket, about 7 in (17.8 cm) from cable to tip.
• Clear cast acrylic: glass-like and crisp; the guide screws into the socket and the 24V LED source can be replaced.
• Quality of light: 133 lumens at 3000K with 90 CRI, a jewel-like accent that dims smoothly on TRIAC, ELV or 0-10V controls.
• Socket finish as accent: Matte Black, Polished Chrome or White on the socket and canopy sets how graphic or how quiet the rod looks.

Specifications

Downloads

• Tall Clear specification sheet (PDF)
• Light Guide pendant installation instructions (PDF)
• Tall Light Guide LM-79 photometric report (PDF)
• Tall Clear IES file (ZIP)

Stephen Blackman and Blackjack Lighting

Blackjack Lighting is the studio of industrial designer Stephen Blackman, its President and Chief Design Officer. Trained in industrial design at Syracuse University, Blackman began his lighting career in 1984 at Sonneman Design Group, then founded Blackman Design Associates in 1988, designing decorative and architectural lighting for manufacturers including Kichler. He launched Blackjack in 2013 in suburban Chicago, now based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, to build fixtures conceived for LED from the first sketch.

His argument is that the LED should change the shape of a light, not just its efficiency. Rather than hiding a new source inside old bulb-and-shade forms, Blackjack designs around the small, flat, cool-running LED: thin discs, slim rods, glowing rings and lenses that let the light itself become the object. In his own words, "Decorative lighting by its nature is not primarily about optimizing lamp efficiency, it is primarily about decoration!" Tall Clear is that thinking at its most literal: a clear rod that carries the light and becomes the fixture.

Questions

How does a light guide work?

The LED sits inside the socket and shines into the end of the acrylic rod. The light travels through the solid material and escapes at its surfaces and tip, so the rod itself seems to glow.

Who is behind Blackjack Lighting?

Industrial designer Stephen Blackman, President and Chief Design Officer, who has designed lighting since 1984 and founded Blackjack in 2013 to make fixtures conceived for LED.

Clear or frosted?

Tall Clear keeps the rod transparent, with bright edges and a glowing tip, and reads like a piece of crystal. Its sibling, Tall Frosted, diffuses the light so the whole rod glows evenly, like a small wand.

Which socket finish should I choose?

Matte Black gives the strongest outline against pale walls; Polished Chrome adds sparkle next to the clear acrylic; White recedes so the light is the main event.

What warranty does it carry?

Three years on the LED source and LED power supply, and one year on materials and workmanship, for the original buyer in the US and Canada.