Shop smarter for a new LED desk lamp by cutting through the tech talk, and looking at these six important tips that will make-or-break your relationship with your desk lamp.
Wait... Relationship with your desk lamp? Yes, an LED reading lamps could be part of your desk-scape for 20 years or more. With decades of commitment ahead, it’s important to know what you are looking for from a lamp, and if the lamp has those features to offer you.
So, whether it’s time to gear-up for back-to-school with new dorm décor or increase the quality of light at your workspace, here are some basics of buying an LED desk lamp, along with a couple pretty inspiration images from Houzz.
Light Quality
The reason why a desk lamp is categorized as a ‘desk lamp’ is because it's a good source of direct task lighting on an elevated surface. Most tasks require quality light output to help us excel at our work, from crafting and sewing to typing and writing. So here are two acronyms to look for: CCT and CRI.
CCT tells us the color temperature. It’s expressed in degrees Kelvin. Below 3000K, the color of light is considered warm. Above about 5000K, the color is described as cool, becoming more blue as the numbers increase.
CRI is the color rendering index, which measures color accuracy and is on a scale from 0 to 100. Lighting with scores closest to 100 are better at reproducing colors in reference to an ideal source, like the sun. It means that the color looks like you would expect on a clear, sunny day.
The Kryss Beaded Crystal Shade LED Desk Lamp has a CRI of 80 and a color temperature of 5000K, meaning its light is clear and cool like a clear sunny day.
The Koncept Gen 3 Equo Warm Light LED Orange Desk Lamp has a color temperature of 3200 to 3700K and a CRI of 85, which means that it's a warmer light with a bit more accurate color rendering. This desk lamp also has the bonus feature of earning LEED credits.
Dimmabilty
Although light quality may be the most important feature when considering a new lamp, when it’s Monday morning and I’m not quite ready for the workday,I like to use my desk lamp on a dimmer setting. Not all LED desk lamps can dim, so make sure to look for this spec in the description. Usually LED desk lamps dim by a touch sensor.
The Cerno Silva Black Walnut and Beech LED Table Lamp is fully dimmable without any of the flicker that you may have experienced with dimming fluorescent lighting.
Lumens
LED desk lamps require less power (wattage) than incandescent desk lamps to create the same amount of light, so the wattage number will be lower for an LED desk lamp than an incandescent lamp that creates the same amount of light. The light output, called lumens, is the important number to look for in a lamp description.
The more lumens, the more light output.
The Theo Industrial Dark Bronze LED Desk Lamp has the traditional spring feature as the first desk lamp created in the 1930s by George Carwadine, but is way more efficient. Its 3-watt LED has a comparable output to the 35-watt incandescent at 320 lumens.
Size
Size can matter when it comes to a desk lamp. The base size, length of the extension arm and light area can vary widely. And so do the work surfaces where we place our desk lamps.
When you are looking at LED desk lamps, keep in mind the amount of space you have for a lamp, the amount of extension you need, where your sightline may fall (if it’s not adjustable) and whether you want the light to be focused or spread out over a larger area.
The Vusion2 Silver 6-LED Magnifying Craft Light has a magnifying light, which can be a helpful feature for making tiny crafts. But you’ll need to make sure you have the space for it.
Adjustability
No matter the artistic interpretation, pretty much all desk lamps have the same arc shape, but that doesn’t mean that all are adjustable.
Whether you're looking for a desk lamp that will be in a fixed position, or hoping to be able to use it in several positions, there is an LED lamp made for you.
If you're looking for extreme adjustability or just an eyebrow-raising lamp, the Cameron Chrome LED Desk Lamp might be for you. It has two heads that are each adjustable in at least five different positions.
This sleek LED desk lamp may not adjust, but the Element Arc Touch LED Accent Desk Lamp turns on-and-off by touching anywhere on the base!
Style
While all of the above is important, if the lamp doesn’t fit your style, it probably isn’t going in your shopping bag.
So, while the practical side of me says to search for the other five features first, I know me. I shop style and see what has the best features to fit my needs. There are LED desk lamps that range from traditional to whimsical, and in materials from metals to wood.
The Maximize Your Potential LED Desk Lamp might be my favorite LED desk lamp design. It features a metal man pushing a spotlight on wheels.
If you haven’t shopped for an LED desk lamp in a while, go ahead. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the options available.
Image credits: Houzz