I am looking for a nice book light that can also last me a while. I have one by energizer, and while it’s not bad, battery time isn’t too great for my liking.
Any recommendations?
I use a pair of 19 led cheapo ones from amazon (the more led they come with, the brighter). They seem to last quite well (more than 2 years for those models and the battery still holds for hours of reading, so far). Why two of them since I can only read one book at a time? So I can keep on reading, when i need to charge one. Also, just to be sure I still have one if I ever damage the other: it’s really useful (even more getting older ;).
Provided they have enough LED, most will be decent (I’ve used a few models along the years) but most of them share similar issues/limitations:
- the twisty arm is never long enough to accommodate larger, taller, or thicker books (it’s even worse with non-twistable models).
- Battery maybe be meh. I’m quite happy with those ‘ZYRIVON’ ones I use.
The arm being a tad too short means I constantly need to adjust the lamp position to focus the light on one page or on the bottom part of that page when the book is taller. Still, they’re really incredibly useful and I use them every single day.
One day, I will craft my own to fit my specific needs (aka a longer arm, and a tad more led to get a larger coverage without having to twitch the lamp). I already customized mines by adding a small DIY lampshade to prevent the light to spread to widely and risk blinding my partner while we’re sitting one next to another, or when in bed reading late at night.
Light is a direct consequence of energy. So the more LEDS, the less time you’ll get from the battery, but one led can also be brighter than a dozen, so that doesn’t tell you much either.
If you want bright and lots of light, you’re always gonna be having battery issues.
I’m fine with charging them regularly. It’s just kinda… shortsighted they all use the same-ish type of battery instead of a larger one (hence offering more energy). The few added grams would not be an issue, at least not for me.
I am kinda tired of that constant adjusting too, so looking for something where I don’t have to constantly do it. I understand it may not be possible to completely avoid it for taller books, but atleast it should work good enough for your average paperback.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’re devised for your standard paperback. I’m serious about making my own, but time… What really bugs me is that they all use the same length for the arm, like nobody was actually using those on a daily basis without feeling they could easily be much better without spending much more to make them.
If you ever do get around to making yours, do let us know, would like to try one out.
I got two USB rechargeable ones. One clips to the book and angles down, but the light drops off too hard so you have to keep adjusting it as you read towards the bottom of the page.
The other is my favorite. It’s an adjustable neck ring model. Lots of brands online, all looking the same. Has a lamp on each end of the ring that can be pointed. You can adjust the color warmth and brightness. There’s very little light spill so it doesn’t disturb anyone else. There’s also a 30min auto-shutoff timer in case you fall asleep.
USB charge on both have lasted for 20+ hours each.
Yeah, the one I have is similar to your first one (about light angle).
Just found out about neck ring lights, didn’t even know they were a thing. How comfortable is it?
If you sit up while reading, no problem. It just rests on your collarbone. If slightly inclined and on a pillow, it presses against the neck. But it’s not uncomfortable.
I haven’t fallen asleep with one yet. Entirely possible it can destroy the vertebrae, lead to full paralysis, and incontinence. I’d be sure to keep the receipt.
Entirely possible it can destroy the vertebrae, lead to full paralysis, and incontinence. I’d be sure to keep the receipt.
Heh, I will remember to keep the receipt.
I’ve been using a ‘Glocusent USB Rechargeable Book Light’ that works pretty well for me, it manages to light both sides of larger books without much fiddling and doesn’t get in the way as much of the bendy wire ones too
I’m not sure how it compares to the one you are using but I use mine for a few hours at night in bed and only have to recharge it every few weeks
if you need a really long runtime and can’t recharge easily maybe just buying multiple is an option?
“Glocusent USB Rechargeable Book Light” seems to be pretty highly recommended, leaning towards getting that one.
I use non-rechargeable one, it takes 2 CR20232 batteries, and while it does last a long time, the “optimal brightness” phase doesn’t last long, most of the time it’s just dim light where I have to squint my eyes a bit to properly read.
Have you considered using a headlamp? I find they make better book lights than anything that clips to a book. It doesn’t get in the way of turning pages or weigh the book down. Plus the light is more even, and it’s generically more useful since it’s a headlamp.
I have a good rechargable one with several brightness settings and a beautiful warm white LED. It lasts a very long time on the lower settings that are good for reading. Read on if you want to know why I chose the specific one I did, buy honestly, and headlamp will work. The one I have is not cheap.
On the other hand, some book lights have multiple color temperatures, and using one that limits the blue light can help with sleep when used near bed time.
Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Nichia warm white headlamp.
Price: $99
- The battery is an easily swappable, super common 18650 Li-ion. If it stops holding a charge, you can easily replace it very cheaply, but it should be good for years. Plus you can swap it out for a freshly charged one if you have spares and a secondary charger.
- It has a custom, durable magnetic USB charging cable, not some tiny USB port that’ll just break. It literally plugs itself in. You just hold the headlamp base near the cable and it jumps on. (After twisting the base CCW 1/4 turn.)
- The color temperature is a warm white with 95% color rendering index. (That’s really good.) If you read a magazine or comic with it, the colors really pop! Seriously, I was blown away when I first looked at something colorful with this headlamp. Cheap headlamps often have a blueish tint which is terrible. Same with cheap booklights, too.
- The lamp pops off and you can use it as a flashlight, plus the base is magnetic so you can stick it onto things.
- It’s a flood light, not a spot light, and has a wide beam with very even illumination.
It makes a superb book light while also being an excellent all-around headlamp.
I just thought I’d mention a headlamp as a choice, and a good one is worth the money, IMO.
The biggest downside is it’s not super comfortable for more than an hour of use. I took off the top strap, and that makes it even worse I imagine. If I really needed to use it for a long time, I would wear it over a bandana or something.
Someone recommended headlamp to me few years back, but I haven’t come across a one that works good as book light, most of them are super-bright for the purpose.
Just looked it up, it looks more like a normal torch attached to head strap than like your average headlamp, and it’s a bit above my budget for a book light, but the reviews look good so can be a good long term solution.
Thanks for the recommendation!
