How to Select Best Natural Light Lamps for Reading and Writing

Buying a reading lamp used to be a piece of cake.  You’d go to the local big box store, browse around until you found something you liked and that was it.  Now there are thousands of lights available for a large variety of tasks.  Just about any lamp will do for the simple task of reading and writing, but we want to help and educate you so that you can purchase a lamp that will optimize your reading and writing conditions instead of one that will make you feel sleepy or strain your eyes in 45 minutes.  

Lets start with the quality of the emitted light.  There are a couple of important things to look for.  First, you want to have light that looks natural and brightens enough your reading surface so that all letters and numbers look crisp.  Avoid colors that are too cold (blueish) and nothing too warm (reddish or yellow).  The LED bulb should emit a nice natural hue so that your eyes feel comfortable.  This will allow your eyes to stay more relaxed and it avoids straining them from prolonged activities.  

Second a lamp should emit as little heat as possible.  Staying cool and focused makes your hobby work considerably easier.  Avoid non LED bulbs as those tend to yield a lot of heat.  

Third, you need a lamp that is easily adjustable and not blocking your view.  Look for craft light that you can place on your desk and easily move around depending on the size and scope of the project you look for.  

Some hobbies can be enhanced with a magnifier glass, but be sure you get a good size lens so that its easy to look at a larger project you’re working on.