Luminara is the premier brand name is the flameless candle market. Their candles are high quality, but are they worth the high price? Where is the best place to buy Luminara candles? How much should you to pay? This brand review will answer those questions and more.
Overview
Luminara is a US based company headquartered in Minnesota that was founded in 2010. They specialize in high quality flameless LED candles, and are especially well known for their patented dancing flame candles that utilize patents from Disney Enterprises Inc.
Luminara is the most well-known flameless candle brand and they logically are also the most expensive, often costing 3x or more than similar candles from lesser brands.
According to their website, all Luminara candles come with a 90 day warranty from date of purchase that should be handled by the store the candle was purchased from.
Luminara Patented Dancing Flame Technology
The technology in Luminara candles is based on techniques originally developed for the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. Disney Enterprises, Inc. (a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company) owns several patents related to artificial flame technology and they signed agreements to license their technology for use in flameless candles to a company called Candella which eventually merged with Luminara.
The dancing / moving flame technology Luminara is most well-known for basically involves a magnet that moves a wick back and forth while an LED light is shining on it which creates the visual effect of a moving candle-like flame.
How Much do Luminara Candles Cost?
Individual Luminara Pillar candles range in price from ~$25-$60. Because of the higher price point they seem to most often be sold as individual candles rather than sets (like many other brands tend to do).
They also sell votives, taper candles, etc. which can often be purchased in sets of 2 for $40-$50.
Competing Brands to Consider
There are numerous brands of flameless candles, and many of them sell candles of good to very good quality. Our Brand Review Guide has detailed reviews of many brands and their products. If you’re looking for established brands that sell products in brick and mortar home décor stores, you may want to consider some of these brands:
- Sterno Home
- Homemory
- Lumabase
- Home Accents
- Lavish Home
- Northlight
- Serene House
- Stonebriar Collection
- Aquaflame
- Moonrays
- LumaCandle
- Brite Star
- Gerson
Where to Buy Luminara Candles
Luminara does not sell their products directly on their website. They seem to prefer to distribute their candles through somewhat higher-end home décor stores. Some of the stores that sell Luminara candles include:
- Home Depot
- Crate and Barrel
- Williams Sonoma
- Bed Bath and Beyond
- QVC
- Frontgate
- Brookstone
- Pottery Barn
- Consumer Crafts
- JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores
- Aaron Brothers
- Barnes and Noble
- Dillards
- Cabelas
- Tabledecor International
- White Barn
WARNING: Beware of counterfeit Luminara products on Amazon and other e-commerice sites. Luminara does not seem to sell their products directly on Amazon, but you can find Luminara brand candles on Amazon. Although it is possible some sellers are reselling genuine Luminara candles, many of the products are fake and overpriced Chinese rip-offs. Real Luminara candles should have a sticker on the bottom with the Luminara brand name and patent information. However, tt would not be difficult to create fake stickers, and so it would be difficult for an average consumer to differentiate real Luminara candles from counterfeit.
Top Luminara Candles
7″ Vanilla Scented Pillar Candle with 5 Hour Timer – Uses 2 D batteries and has ~500 hours glow time.
Set of 2 8″ Taper Candles with 5 Hour Timer – Unscented, ivory, uses 2 AA batteries.
Outdoor 5″ White Pillar Candle with 5 Hour Timer – Unscented, resin plastic, uses 2 D batteries, ~500 hours glow time.
Set of 3″ Votive Candles with 5 Hour Timer – Unscented, uses 2 AA batteries, ~500 hour glow time.