About Desk Lamps

Posted on May 24th, 2010.

The decision to buy your desk or study lamps is so personal that you may almost compare it with buying your reading glasses. This is because of all of the lamps that you could possibly purchase these lamps must be easy on your eyes. The type of study or desk lamp that is best for you is probably dependent on your reading and study habits and also how good your eyes are.

As you might notice, many study lamps and desk lamps on the market have halogen bulbs fitted in them. But halogen bulbs, which are one of the brightest bulbs around, are not the most suitable type of light for everyone. For one thing halogen bulbs are so bright that they can cause contrast and glare to be a problem when you are studying print. This can be very tiring on the eyes and even cause you to see spots of green and red if the glare on the page has enough contrast. This is not good for your retinas over the long term and subjecting yourself to this type of eye strain could cut your study time in half. Also some people find that the halogen lamp has a subtle, barely discernible flicker that also strains the eyes.

Yet another problem with study lamps that have the halogen bulbs is that the light is very concentrated and is only really good for shining on one page of a book and not necessarily the contents of your entire desk. However proponents of the halogen lamp say that having a lamp like this helps you focus on studying and helps to visually black out other distractions.

For those who find the glare of halogen bulbs to be hard on their eyes, numerous study and desk lamps with ordinary incandescent bulbs or even the energy saving ones are available. But if the bright light is welcome but only the halogen bulb doesn’t agree with you, then you can fit a full spectrum of light bulb in your desk or study lamp. That way you get the brightness of daylight without the headaches that can be caused by halogen light.

Desk and study lamps with regular bulbs are also available in numerous styles. The design element that seems to mostly define a study lamp or desk lamp is the bendable neck or adjustable arm that is usually made out of plastic or metal. This helps you focus the light where you need it most, however unlike halogen lamps, these more old fashioned lamps also have a bit of a soft glow that helps light up the rest of the room.

Desk lamps or study lamps may sometimes come with adjustable arms. One very classic style that can be found in almost every lighting or hardware store has a squat, curved neck. Usually an oblong shade, made of brass or green glass, sheds light on the desk top. You may remember the crime writer Raymond Chandler’s office and consider that this type of desk lamp to ideally fit into such a classical setting.

At Clip On Light, you’ll learn all about clamp on lamps, magnifier lamps, and clip on reading lamp.