Though I had never used an OttLite until recently, all of my sewing and crafting friends swear by them. They’re pretty much the gold standard for task lighting. The multiple settings, brightnesses, and color temperatures make sure you get the lighting you need for the task at hand. So when I recently got a chance to try a couple of their models, what did I think?
A pretty unassuming desk type lamp, the Cobra is stealthy in its usefulness. It has a flat base with a long arm, part of which is a sticky-ish rubber for easy adjusting. It has three color modes—warm light – kind of orangy yellow, cool light – very white, and natural daylight – a balance of the two, which is my favorite setting—along with nine brightness settings which you control with a touch-sensitive illuminated control arc. The lamp even remembers the last setting for each color option. The light goes to a maximum of 500 lumens, and the LEDs are rated to last up to 40,000 hours of use. The lamp also has a handy USB port for charging devices.
LED Desk Lamp with Color Changing Tunnel
This one had me scratching my head at first. What was the purpose of the Color Changing Tunnel? Is it a nightlight? Is it for adding ambient color to the regular lamp light? Was it to create mood lighting? Inquiring minds want to know. (I want to know.)
I’m pretty sure any of those answers would apply here. You can use the changing color for anything you want. It’s just a neat feature to set it apart from the other models. This lamp also has a USB port in the back for charging anything you charge via USB. And, less sticky than the Cobra, this lamp has a smooth silicone feel to its easy-to-grip neck. Also going to a maximum of 500 lumens with LEDs rated to last up to 40,000 hours, it’s another fantastic option for a desk lamp.
The only real differences that I found between it and the Cobra are the changing color base and the fewer brightness options. While the Cobra has nine brightness settings, the Color Changing Tunnel lamp has five. It’s all touch-sensitive, though, including changing the color. You can tap different parts of the color spectrum, or run your finger along it. The base will remain steady at one of 256 colors, or it can cycle through the spectrum. Your choice.
The Color Changing Tunnel, I think, is best used as a nightlight. But you can also use the main part of the lamp to read by or knit before bed. You know, whatever your thing is.
Assessment: Yeah, this one may just take the place of my bedside lamp. But both lamps are useful, flexible, durable, and versatile. I would definitely recommend them to people looking for lamps for any kind of task lighting.
Both lamps have very adjustable arms moving up and down, side to side, and swiveling, to varying degrees. Plenty of movement for task lighting, or even for aiming at a wall or ceiling to light up a room. Both lamps are also lightweight enough to easily move around, with most of the weight at the base to keep it stable.
Why OttLite? What makes it so special?
The OttLite lamps emit a “Natural Daylight” which allows you to see clearly with accurate color and without squinting. Reducing eyestrain is pretty important to those of us who end up staring at something for hours at a time. I’m sure I’m not the only one. There is a lot of science behind the advantages of OttLite, which you can read at the OttLite website.
We are giving away one Cobra Desk Lamp and one Desk Lamp with Color Changing Tunnel to our lucky GeekDad readers. That means there will be two winners total, each receiving one of the lamps. Enter today! Giveaway ends this Friday, June 3, 2016 at 11:59pm PDT. Sorry, U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec) only.
The LED Cobra Desk Lamp and LED Desk Lamp with Color Changing Tunnel are both affordable at about $60-75, depending on where you buy them. OttLite also sells other kinds of lamps, including floor lamps, lamps with cubbies, lightboxes, travel lamps, decorative lamps, magnification lamps, and more.
[Giveaway is complete!]
Note: I received samples for review purposes.
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thx for having a contest, love geekdad and ottlite
Ott lights suck once the switches go bad and usually long before the bulb. Great light, but their workman ship sucks.