LED desk lamps have a lot going for them. Besides being energy efficient, LED lamps run much cooler than conventional desk lamps, and you can expect the LEDs to last for 10-15 years. Watch out for poorly made LED lamps though — I have an Adesso Lamp that lost 7 of its 20 LEDs in the first year, and other Amazon buyers had the issue.
Here is our round-up of the best led desk lamps:
Best Overall – The Softech DL-90 Multi-Function LED Desk Lamp
This lamp was just released this year by Softech, and it has a lot going for it. The lamp incorporates 27 high-power daylight LEDs. The Color Rendering Index of the LEDs is rated at 90+ (excellent).
The lamp has four distinct lighting modes and 40 brightness levels in total. The first two modes are for desk work: a reading mode with mid-range colors (4300K-5300K) that are easy on the eyes, and a study mode which has a high range color temperature (6000K-7000K). The lamp can also be switched to a relaxation mode and a sleep mode — these have softer, warm color temperatures.
This lamp uses 10 watts or less of power to provide light equivalent to a 100 watt incandescent bulb. It is said to last about 40,000 hours or 20 years of normal use.
A handy feature of this lamp is the “auto off timer”. The timer will turn the lamp off after one hour, saving your power if you forget to turn it off. It has a USB charging port.
The Softech DL-90 lamp is available from Amazon for about $159. There’s also a version that incorporates an iPod/iPhone dock for $179.
Award Winning – The Z-Bar High Power LED Desk Lamp
The minimalist Z-Bar High Power LED Desk Lamp is an attractive lamp that features the latest LEDs.
It has six daylight white LEDs that use only about 9 watts of electricity at full brightness (the LEDs generate about 240 lumens of light).
The Z-Bar has a built-in 4-step dimming function that will take the light down to save even more on electricity or it can be used to create softer lighting for the task at hand. The adjustable joints can be placed in almost any position without tightening or loosening knobs or screws, simply move the light to where you need it and the lamp will hold to form.
The Z-Bar received an I.D. Magazine “best of category” award a few years ago.
The Z-Bar LED Desk Lamp is available from Amazon for around $170. It comes in three colors: red, silver and black.
A Magnifying Lamp: TheFulcrum Magnifier 12 LED Floor Lamp
The Fulcrum Magnifier is an illuminated magnifying lamp has a 5-inch diameter lens has 2x magnification power with a 6x inset for fine details. This lamp gets an average rating of 4.2 of 5 from 44+ reviewers on Amazon.
It has 12 glare-free LEDs and a flexible gooseneck that allows you to position the lamp exactly where you need it. It comes with an AC adapter, but may also be operated wire-free with three alkaline D batteries (see our article on The Best D-Size Rechargeable Batteries).
The Fulcrum Magnifier is available at Amazon for about $75.
The Best Lamp with Yellow & White LEDs – EcoLight LED Table Lamp
The EcoLight LED Table Lamp receives great reviews from owners (see the comments on this post and on Amazon). Made by IMG Lighting, this lamp has a unique feature: a touchpad that allows you to adjust the brightness and warmth of the light. This is possible because the lamp has both yellow and white LEDs. The lamp uses just 12.9 watts of power at maximum brightness, and produces 600 lumens.
The EcoLight is available from Amazon for around $219.
The Budget LED Lamp – LED Extended Gooseneck Lamp
This is a new LED lamp that is getting good reviews on Amazon (four reviewers have given it 5/5 stars). Reviewers like the weighted base. It runs on just 2 watts, producing 100 lumens of light.
The LED Extended Gooseneck Lamp is available for about $100 at Amazon.
I do not understand why LEDs use power when turned off. Is it like a sleep mode?
When you turn off the light you turn of the main switch so there is no electricity to waste.
There is no need to put a light to sleep mode.
This is just a marketing gimmick to confuse the consumer.
@ EfficiencySeeker,
LEDs are not perfect diodes (actually, there’s no such thing as an ideal diode). So, as long as there’s some voltage on the LEDs, there will be some current drain. Also, I’m guessing that a lot of the power drain while the device is off is coming from the power supply (LEDs are DC components, so you have an AC->DC transformer burning up some power) and the electronics driving the LEDs.
is it auto turn of? amazing products..
I would figure LEDs would be fine as long as you actually switch them off… An incomplete circuit is all one needs no?
My concern is AC->DC conversion as well. Cheap powerbricks are a big problem everywhere and I’m sure there are stats somewhere about how many coal plants we waste each month… Even a good powerbrick is going to drain something all the time.
What we need is progress on DC powered devices; I like that google is working on a standard for DC. What about something along those lines? Or perhaps a Energy Star for DC devices? To get certified for the label, you follow rules such as placing the SWITCH on the AC instead of the DC line– which cuts the drain from the transformer in those ‘bricks’…
Perhaps a standard for AC-DC transformers?
How about all these lights using 48V DC with 2 AC wires for switching off the brick– standardized with the same plug. This means DC wired houses and standard power bricks could be used instead of the custom bricks for each DC device that we currently have.
Oh– would be nice if you included material use and packaging into consideration. A great metal (recyclable) lamp could have a stupid package…
The last lamp looks like its plastic (what kind?) and it contains a battery… what kind?
I think as time goes on you’ll see LED’s that will run on 120 volt AC . This will get rid of the inefficent transformers that are currently used. On the other hand induction technology may by that time make LED be the “betamax” of our time
I would like to know if you can get LED-lights in a rose colored hue? I found out by accident that I can concentrate on text much better in rose colored light.
You could always try rose coloured glasses.
Or rose colored paper may help? Then again, maybe not.
There is a led reading lamp available at Ikea for $40.
It draws 4W and is bright enough to read by.
If the power switch for the light is on the AC side, before the transformer/DC power supply; then I would think ANY light could not draw power. Someone please correct me if i am wrong.
Hey,
What about that new desklamp from Finelite? You should review it!
It is awesome!
You can buy it from their website here:
http://finelite.pinnaclecart.com/products/PLS_6_Watt_Desk_Lamp-36-1.html
Jeff
There’s been plenty of work on power supplies; see ledsupply.com for various LEDs, lenses, and drivers. Most of the new drivers are based on switching power supplies and range between 85% and 95% efficiency. (I am a satisfied customer, otherwise no affiliation.)
LEDs are either of a specific color (royal blue, blue, green, cyan, amber, orange-red, red) or are “white”, which is obtained by mixing a blue LED with phosphors that lengthen the frequencies provided. “White” LEDs are commonly available in “cool white” (which has looks like a welding arc), “neutral white” (to my eye, very nice, though it can be greenish), and “warm white”, which looks similar to a “warm white” fluorescent tube. In each case, the light is better-looking that what you get from a fluorescent tube, and the new white LEDs are as efficient (or better) than good fluorescents, but provide better directional control of their light. To get “rose” light, you would probably mix red and orange-red with some flavor of white. I read, somewhere, that mixing several cool whites with a red gives a nice-looking light, but I have not tried that myself. A typical modern power LED (Luxeon III, Luxeon Rebel, or CREE XRE) draws between 350mA and 1000 mA at 3.3 volts, and costs about $8 mounted on a puck. Cooling is an issue; too much heat shortens their life, and they are more efficient at cooler temperatures anyway.
If you were doing do-it-yourself, you could assemble a really ugly lamp that produced in the neighborhood of 700-900 lumens of light, drawing 11 watts, for about $120 (I have exactly that under my kitchen cabinets, so the ugly is hidden from view, but the light is not. Having all the LEDs spread out across the bottom of the cabinets is also beneficial to the cooling). LEDs are still blessedly expensive; I currently use them in places where the efficiency and/or durability matters (bicycle), or where they are on often, and their low profile is beneficial (under cabinet).
Check out this interesting product with LED bulbs ,,,, really interesting
http://www.studylite.in/intro.html
check out this interesting lamp by BPL
http://www.studylite.in/intro.html
Nice article! just what I’m looking for… wonder where the on/off switch is.. a link to the manufacturer’s website for more detailed specs: z-bar LED desk lamp
I found a nice little LED lamp in Lowes Lighting Dept. as part of Lowes’ “Portfolio” line. Only 29.99. This is a goose neck design about 20″ high. The base and lamp head are black plastic. The center shaft is metal or aluminum with a flexible point near the lamp head. The paperwork mentioned you will get approximately 10,000 hours of use. Connects to wall with an adapter. I am looking for a battery pack that could run the lamp when traveling. As with most LED lamps this one burns very cool. I’ve been running mine for about 24 hours and it is just slightly warm to the touch. One negative is that the lamp has limited adjustability but I think most consumers could live with it. Sorry, I could not find a picture of the this lamp online.
these lamps are very interesting
Nice to see home lighting fixtures taking advantage of the low-profile/compact quality of LED lights. No more bulky desk lamps!
nice design.
Shutting off the AC power would, of course, be 100% off. Unfortunately, the cost is prohibitive because people prefer to shut off power at the device rather than at the wall socket. This would mean putting the transformer inside the device, which would also require larger switches to meet UL standards. Perhaps the solution is a “brick” which could be shut off via an RF signal generated down the DC wire. That would require a battery in the device to turn it back on. So it goes.
As mentioned, the 120VAC LED is the “holy grail” of lighting design .
wildcat:
yeah, yeah and yeah.
Or put the brick in the lamp base, maybe?
I actually like IMG Lighting the best. It has both cool white and warm white light and a ipod like touch sensor. I see them on Amazon (here) and they are priced much less than these other products. Here is a description I found off of the website.
EcoLight by IMG Lighting
Description
IMG Lighting luminaries bring high brightness, lower power consumption lighting to the home and office. From accent to task lighting, there is an IMG Lighting luminary built to suit your needs.
EcoLight employs clean, stress free lighting LED technology that eliminates the harsh whites of fluorescent and the yellow glare of incandescent lighting making it ideal for reading, computer lighting, and general office task illumination. Employing power saving technology, EcoLight is an environmental friendly light that uses a fraction of energy required by traditional lamps. With the energy saved, EcoLight is a lamp that pay’s for itself. Touch sensitive controls effortlessly control lighting brightness and warmth. EcoLight is engineered with innovative OSRAM LED technology that provides a comfortable warm, clear lighting source.
High-efficiency, ultra-bright LEDs require no more than 13 watts of power.Unique touchpad allows for adjustments in brightness and warmth of lights.Clear, crisp, bright light is ideal for reading, computer lighting and office tasks.Durable design engineered to last for over 50,000 hours of operation. No light bulbs to replace.
Specifications
- Five year warrantee
- Touch sensitive controls: Power On/Off, Light Brightness, and Light Warmth
- Lumens: 600 Lumens Light
- Source Life: Rated for over 50,000 hours
- Weight: 2000 grams / 4.4 pounds
- Dimension: 240mm × 240mm × 544mm / 9.5in x 9.5in x 21.5in
- Color Temperature: 3500k – 6000k +/- 500k
- Fixture Efficacy: 70-80 Lm/W +/- 5Lm/W +/-50lm
http://www.imglighting.com/Home/Consumer.html
the MOST efficient electric lamp is the orange-yellowish sodium vapor lamps used on some highways.
I would have to say that IMG Lighting has the best touch sensor and color quality. Having both warm and white LEDs in in ONE light make a huge difference. The Koncept lights the quality was either way too yellow or way too white.
Switching off the A/C
I had such a device which I used to switch off the Christmas tree. It plugged in like a 3-way outlet expander, and the tree lights were plugged into it. The wires from it were run along the wall to a point where we could reach the switch on the end. Voila! Turn lights on and off without crawling behind/under the tree!
Someone should produce the thing in a low-profile form, and the switch could be taped onto the lamp’s power cord, near the lamp, where it would be handy.
I bought my son a remote-switched outlet adapter for an oscillating fan, but it did involve a battery or two. I’m for the hard-wired ugly gadget! Functional is beautiful!
awesome led table lamps.
I bought the The Flip Rechargeable LED Desk and Travel Light. The neck is too short so it doesnt put light over the center of the desk. The light is also a wierd blueish color that I can’t get use to. I’d have to say having more lumens would have also helped.
they are really charming and nowadays it’s not only technology that makes the world go around but also design, i’m happy to see more and more innovative gadget emerging like the one below:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120559435645&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
Impressed by IMG Lighting. I got the black one after reading this review. The finish is just really impressive its super glossy and very finely done dual tone paint. Almost as good as my mercedes benz paint job…
Its bloody bright too. I like to dim it does well to backlight the TV (you can adjust the ecolight’s color mix to give it this nice blue color). Great lamp.
I can only find two of these LED Desk lamps on sale. IMG Lightings and Koncept. A friend has Koncept he uses it for accent lighting and say’s after six month the head started drooping =(
i think led light is chelenging procut with comper with electric bulb&tubes because of power seving &long life. i intrested for circuit for 6/10/14/60 led lamp in series conection in put power is 230volt/50to60 Hz suply wher i got from net sight
thanks
prakash
For the “light on a stick” lamps (aka these bar type lamps), I’ve seen quite a few of these types of lamps that have strange patterns that mimic the pattern the LEDs are set in. So I get like 6 circles of light on my desk…. Its ok for like accent lighting or to set the mood for a room. I just find it a bit difficult to work by as they are quite distracting. After about 30 mins it just get annoying….
I bought the Tri-L Rechargeable lamp. I like it but its more of a portable lamp and less so of a desk lamp. I use it when Im traveling good for portable light.
WoW WoW …. I just got sent the new IMG Lighting Lamp their Beacon LED Light. It really as bright as people say it is. This is the absolute workhorse of the LED lamps out there. I think if you need a functional lamp that is super bright this is it.
Metaefficient has pretty spot on reviews. I picked their water filter and flashlight for camping trips and they really work well!
me like! =) which of these lamps are the brightest?
The best I have seen was the DL-90 by Softech LED. Uses 27 high power daylight LED’s and has four modes and 20 levels of brightness. I saw it at the CES show in Vegas and they said amazon will have it by Feb 2011. supposed to be about $150 with touch controls and USB charging port.
Link: Amazon.
Cool I like these lamps . Which one to get for xmas gifts =)
Nice would be good to see a comparison of how many lumens each of these LED Desk Lamps lights throw out? Like a table? The Koncept High Power didn’t seem that bright I needed like two of them to get the same light as a 100 w incadecent….
Just cause I really am in the market to buy one. I though I would share what I learned on their websites. How many lumens they are producing, the cost and the cost per lumen.
1. Koncept Z- Bar 240 Lumens (the big high power one one, not sure how many for the mini) at $165 on amazon. That is $0.69 per lumen.
2. Finelite produces 363 lumens at $268 on amazon. That is $0.74 per lumen
3. IMG Lighting’s Beacon 600 produces 600 lumens at $129 on amazon.com. That is $0.21 per lumen
WHat is the the lifespan of these lamps?
Very niceeeeee lamps. There are some really nice LED desk and task lamps.
Like these lamps alot!
Z-Bar High Power LED Lamp- Silver/Cool
The light is REALLY concentrated, as in only 1 foot of space receives 90% of the light. This light is sufficient for up to the width of an open text book, but not enough to light up more than that text book or your whole desk. Also, I can see dark spots on the lit area that correspond to the gaps between the LEDs of the bar. It’s a little nauseating when I’m trying to study, and it’s apparent enough that I can’t ignore it. The z-bar is really light and mobile, but I don’t move it much from my desk. It doesn’t emit any noticeable heat, but the bar gets really hot if you touch it (duh). Did I regret buying it for so much money? Yeah, as you can see I’m pretty dissatisfied with the illumination and those dark spots.
LED are bright….. =) What is the best value for money?
I bought a remote switch extension cord at Ace Hardware. I’m sure similar products are available elsewhere. I can plug it into any outlet, then plug in the device I want to control. The switch can be up to 15 feet from the outlet.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1286129
I recently bought an LED lamp at my local college bookstore. It’s similar to the Softech lamp shown here, but it doesn’t have as many features. It has three brighness settings, but no timer or USP charging port. I paid ~$80 for it. It’s from a company called PlanLED, although their website doesn’t show the lamp. For the money, I think it’s a good lamp.
I got a koncept Zbar after looking at this review. Im a bit disappointed because its really not that bright enough to be a desk lamp. You should look at how bright they are before you buy it. Lightinguniverse (they sell koncept) here is how bright they are Koncept Tech LED HL3100A Bar Mini LED Desk Lamp $164 with only 200 lumens, Koncept Tech LED HL1001A iBar LED Desk Lamp – 6 High Power LEDs $200 with only 300 lumens , and even the really extensive Equo $300 is only 250 Lumens. Bottom line Koncept Ibar looks cool, but with only 200 lumens or 300 lumens for their top of the line lamp it is not bright enough. The main reason why I bought a lamp to well light up my desk. =( shame cause when I returned it the online store hit me witha bunch of return fees. A desk lamp needs to be bright bottom line. Koncept isn’t.
I think these LED lights are very interesting and many are extremely attractive. However, I have a question about replacing the “bulb.” All the sales clerks I’ve talked to tell me the lights last 50,000 hours or more so I shouldn’t worry. That’s a cop out , as far as I’m concerned. What if the dog knocks the light of the table and lighting module breaks? There are any number of accidents that can cause the lamp to malfunction. Can these “bulbs” or lighting modules be replaced or do you have to get rid of the entire lamp?
LEDs are not prone to breakage, that’s why they are used in hiking/sailing flashlights.
Thanks for the response but it really didn’t answer my question. Regardless of how the lamp might be damaged, how do you replace the bulb or light section of the lamp? What I want to know is whether or not one can replace that part or whether one has to get rid of the entire lamp? Thanks.
“Regardless of how the lamp might be damaged” is sort of a hard qualifier. LEDs are absurdly durable; I mount them on bicycles, leave them out in the weather, and let my kids use them. On my bike, which gets more use than any of the kid’s bikes, I have not had an LED failure. I HAVE shaken the whole thing enough that a wire elsewhere in the lighting circuit simply cracked. I once hit a pothole hard enough that the shock cracked my front fender in half, but the front LED was not damaged.
If you manage to damage the LED, you will need to replace the entire lamp for two reasons. #1, they’re not designed for replacement, #2, it’s hard to damage the LED without also damaging the lamp, unless there is some electrical screwup.
Love the LED art lamp. Its really cool to have modern stylish art but its also a very functional lamp.
LED Desk lamps bright and stylish.
I have the Koncept Zbar when it came out. I wanted an upgrade cause the Z-bar’s buttons were dying on me so I got a Softech DL-90 Multi-Function LED after reading this review. On amazon it said Softech DL-90 was 1250 Lumens and Lamps Plus also said it was 1250 Lumen…. that is like 5x as bright as my Z-bar. The DL-90 is really only 1100 LUX (that is what the Softech Brochure says) not the 1250 LUMENS that was advertised (which is a huge difference, because the metrics are way different). I’m eyeing the DL-90 now and I saw its perhaps a bit brighter than the Koncept Z-bar’s 240 lumens, but not five times as bright. At least with the Softech they get rid of the LED rings /shadows that everyone complains about in the Koncept.
any one notice when companies use a bunch of LEDs their lamp just gets really really hot? with so many LEDs packed together it puts out brightness, but the trade off is lots of heat and less efficiency per diode. the lamps that are the best are the ones that use high efficient diodes. which is the whole point of LED desk lamps getting more light out of less energy. dl90 28 LEDs isn’t that just similar to a reskinned, old generation koncept lamp where they packed tons of diodes in the bar. i remember that koncept got flak because there were so many diodes they got super hot resulting in lots of dead diodes or diodes that would fade out.
i think its just a cost issue. the high-end diodes by OSRAM and Cree are still expensive, but they score best in terms of lumen per watt consumption, lumen and lux output, and color rendering index.
On the point of LED quality. Many LEDs are generic, unbranded LEDs made by local manufacturers in China and Taiwan. In the past 2-3 years, there’s still been huge quality control over the diodes – different brightness in the same batch of diodes, off set colors, etc…. They’ve also infringing on the patents of the big OSRAM and Philips LED makers.
By far the OSRAM, Philips, or Cree LEDs have the best diodes and tighest quality control. They’re alot more expensive. Too bad so many companies don’t use them more because if you don’t start out with good LEDs, you don’t get a good lamp.
The OSRAM LEDs are the most expensive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNYHB7dMGEE