Desk Lamp Buying Guide: 17 Things You Should Consider

Your faithful sidekick partner is a good desk lamp. As a result, we show you how to pick the best desk lamp for you in this desk lamp buying guide. 

Desk lights are task-oriented and designed to offer adequate lighting and focused light for a variety of tasks. Purchasing a new light may appear to be an easy chore at first. That, however, is not the case. 

It's difficult to choose the best LED desk lamp that doesn't strain your eyes with bright light while also choosing the ideal ambient lighting. It's not an easy task when you have so many options. You must think about the type, design, size, and many characteristics that can help you meet your needs in your office or at home. Let’s learn how to buy a desk lamp with us!

Choosing the Right Desk Lamp

What separates a superb desk light from a mediocre one is what features you want the lamp to have so that it can make your duties easier. 

No product is the same as each other. When it comes to picking the proper desk lamp, we all have various requirements. Basically, which desk light is best for you depends on the task you want to perform and your eyesight demands.

1. What Is the Purpose of Your Desk lamp?

Here is the first question you should answer in your desk lamp buying guide. The most basic function of a lamp is, of course, to provide light. Overall, the desk lamp, on the other hand, serves a considerably more functional role. 'Task lighting' is a common term for desk lamp lighting. Because the correct job lighting can improve your mood and reduce eye strain, you can increase your productivity. 

2. How Much Light Do You Need?

There is no evidence that poor illumination has a long-term effect on your vision. Although there is strong evidence that low illumination can cause unpleasant side effects such as headaches and acute eye strain in the near term. 

This can be avoided by uniformly distributing the right amount of illumination across your work area. 

The light distribution on a flat work surface is measured in foot-candles, which is a unit of measurement for illumination. Between 30 and 50 foot-candles should be the most suitable range for most home and business desk lamp lighting. 

A Lumen is a different sort of light output measurement. 1000–1400 lumens are a common range for job lighting. Many good desk lamps have dimmer controls and a high/low switch to help you find the perfect match for your desk. 

3. Where Are You Going to Put the Desk Lamp?

The positioning of your lamp is also important in ensuring that you get the most out of your purchase. 

Depending on your demands, a reasonable rule of thumb is to set your light 15 to 36 inches away from your work area. Many desk lamps now have adjustable arms so you can get the perfect height. One thing we noticed during our investigation is that you should think about which side of your adjustable standing desk to put it on. 

Place the desk lamp on your left side if you are a right-handed person, and vice versa if you are a left-handed person. The number of shadows cast across your workplace can be greatly reduced by doing this. 

4. Is There a Power Source Where You Want to Place the Lamp?

"Obviously" some of you may be thinking. However, we want to highlight that you must double-check if your lamp cable can reach a wall outlet, or if the power strip you're already using at your desk for other gadgets that require electricity can reach a wall outlet. 

There are a multitude of cordless desk lamp options available nowadays. Some of these desk lamps have a USB port that may be used to recharge the lamp. 

5. What Are Some Other Characteristics to Look for in a Desk Lamp?

Before deciding on a good desk lamp, there are a few factors to consider. Lighting is obvious; numerous desk lamps provide several lighting settings. These lighting options can be used for ambient lighting or accent lighting. 

Some desk lamps allow you to choose from all three settings. What kind of lighting you need at your workplace is entirely dependent on what you are going to do there? 

Another thing to think about is the decor. It's true that most desk lighting is chosen for its functionality. It can be aesthetically pleasing if you can somehow find one that is both practical and matches your LED light desk setup. As a result, it may improve the feng shui of your home or workplace. 

6. Consider the Material

Here is another thing in our desk lamp buying guide. A variety of materials are used to create desk lamps. Plastic mold, ceramic, a flexible metal neck coated in plastic, wood, and other materials are the most frequent. 

The material you choose for your office desk lamp is purely determined by whether it is a practical fit for your present office. 

7. Consider the Type of Bulb

Many aspects of the light output of your desk lamp can be determined by the type of bulb you select. Knowing what desk lamp you’re going to use at your workstation should make choosing the right bulb a little easier. 

8. Consider the Size of the Lamp

Desk lamps, of course, come in a variety of sizes. What is the size of your desk or workspace? How large or tiny do you want your desk lamp to be? These are just a few easy questions to ponder. 

9. How Tall Should a Desk Lamp Be?

What’s next in this desk lamp buying guide? A desk light should be between 26 and 34 inches tall. Another technique to see if the height of your lamp is just right is to sit next to it on your modern desk chair. The lamp shade's bottom should be at the same level as your eyes, not higher. 

10. Desk Lamp Brightness

As previously stated, the brightness of your desk lamp is primarily determined by the type of bulb utilized. However, some desk lamps, such as the Full Spectrum, allow you to alter the brightness level to your preference. 

The brightness level you desire is determined by the type of work you do at your desk as well as what you consider to be optimal brightness.

Therefore, think carefully about what type of desk light you want, especially in terms of how bright you want it to be. 

11. Consider Power Type

Do you want a corded desk lamp or not? Lamps with cords that connect directly into a conventional wall jack are available in a variety of styles. 

Perhaps you want a cordless desk lamp? Many modern desk lamps for eyes with rechargeable USB connectors are available on the market now. 

Battery-operated desk lighting is also available. The type of power you wish to use to power your desk lamp is a personal and practical option that you should think about. 

12. Price and Warranty

What is your financial situation? This is usually a major consideration. Some lights are affordable; however, they may be lacking in features such as light adjustability. 

While some may be more expensive, they usually come with all the bells and whistles to allow you complete control over your desktop lighting requirements. 

We recommend that you always think about the warranty that comes with the desk lamp you want to buy. 

13. Organizer Compartments

Here is another notice in this desk lamp buying guide. Having distinct compartments for paper clips, pins, pens, pencils, and other items in a desk lamp can help you use and organize a tiny workspace. 

14. Digital Displays

Some lamps have a small display that shows time measurements, such as clocks, dates, and indoor temperatures, among other things. It's useful if your desk is small and you don't have room for a clock, or if you don't have a clock in the room at all. 

15. Desk Lamp Styles

Even though desk lamps are the most basic of home and office equipment, they come in a broad range of forms and varieties. 

Each one has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Desk lamps are divided into six categories: 

• Lamps with Adjustable Arms
• Clip-on Lamps Gooseneck Lamps
• Lamps that magnify
• Banker Lamps 

16. Desk Lamp Types

There are five different types of desk lamps based on the bulb types. 

Desk Lamp with Halogen

If you spend a lot of time reading at your desk, these lamps are ideal. They have a lot of natural light, which makes it easy to concentrate on the text. A halogen lamp's strong white light reduces eye strain. 

A halogen light bulb can last two to three times as long as a standard bulb. Halogen bulbs are distinguished by the fact that they consume 10% to 20% less energy than ordinary light bulbs. 

Desk Lamp with Incandescent Bulb

The heat of the filament burning inside the bulb provides light in incandescent desk lamps, which use a standard light bulb. This lamp produces a warm, somewhat yellowish glow. 

As a result, it's a fantastic light source for the evening! Although these desk lamps are less expensive than the others, the bulb does not last as long. 

Desk Lamp with a Broad Spectrum

If you're an interior designer, graphic designer, or have a job that requires you to perceive color in detail, then a Full-Spectrum desk lamp is the right choice for you. Because the light covers the electromagnetic range from infrared to near ultraviolet, these lamps make the color look spectacular. 

When our sun's light splatters across the planet, it essentially performs the same thing. The broad-spectrum light is also recognized for increasing both brightness and visual acuity. It is predicted that it can boost workplace productivity. 

Desk Lamp with Fluorescent Light

This sort of desk lamp is available in a variety of sizes and styles, making it easy to pick one that matches your decor. 

A fluorescent desk lamp provides a wonderful light bar for your desk with an equal spread of light across your desktop that looks very natural. 

Fluorescent bulbs are also more efficient than regular lamps, lasting nearly 11 times longer. Another advantage of the fluorescent bulb is that it only emits roughly 30% of its heat. 

Desk Lamp with LEDs

First, LED lights emit significantly less heat than all the other lights discussed above. The LED Desk Lamp heralds a new age in desk lighting. They are available in a variety of distinctive designs to create a more streamlined desk lamp. 

An LED is a directed light, which means that instead of emitting light in all directions, it produces a concentrated beam of light. 

LED lights have a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. These desk lamps are more expensive, but they also cost a fraction of what other types of desk lamps do in terms of energy consumption. If you’re looking for this, consider purchasing the Lumicharge LED Lamp with charger, Stella GO Portable LED Lamp, or Lumicharge LED Lamp with speakers. 

17. Which Is Better: A Swiveled or a Fixed Desk Lamp?

Aside from determining whether you want a conventional or contemporary desk lamp, another important element to consider is whether you want a lamp with a swiveled head or one with a fixed shade. The former provides you complete control over the light source's direction, but the latter requires less positioning effort and always directs light where you want it. 

Final Word

We learned a lot about what to look for in a good desk lamp thanks to the research that went into our desk lamp buying guide. 

If you're looking for a new desk lamp for your home or workplace, look no further. We hope that these desk lamp buying guidelines provided you with the information you required to assist you in selecting the best desk lamp.