Choosing a table lamp (lamp) for your desktop

The workplace must be properly organized. This section is even in the standards, but not all of these standards are ideal. We all have our own peculiarities and it is better to take them into account, in any case, where possible. For example, the right desk lamp for your desktop will reduce fatigue and increase productivity. The right lighting will help keep your eyes from being overstressed.

Mounting method

To choose a lamp on your desktop, you must first decide how and where you prefer to install it. There are many options. A desk lamp for a desktop can be:

• On a stand that stands on the table top. This is the most common type, known since people started using electricity. The stand should be heavy for best stability. There are no restrictions on the choice of color - you can choose to match the walls or the desktop, any other interior details. The only wish is that lacquered, polished, mirror finish is not recommended. It glares, reflecting light, which makes the eyes tired.
  

  A desk lamp can be very unusual

• With a clamp. The clamping screw allows fixing the lamp to the edge of the table, to the shelf. This method of installing a table lamp is convenient and reliable. The disadvantage is that not all clamps look attractive. They will perfectly harmonize with modern styles and do not really fit into the classics, the decor, decorated in a romantic or ethnic style.
  

  The best way to attach a lamp to a table is to use a model with a bracket

• Pin. This method of fixing a table lamp is also not bad. A table lamp with a clothespin can be attached to the edge of a desktop or shelf. The disadvantage is that the elasticity of the clothespin depends on the spring, and high-quality metal is not always used for its manufacture. After a while, the fastening weakens, the lamp may fall and be damaged.
  

  Clothespin - easy to install and remove

• Wall mount. The smallest group, but not the worst. If the table is usually busy, it is better to attach the lamp to the wall - it will definitely be safe. This is not the most popular option, perhaps because moving a table lamp with this type of mount is a problem.
  

  If the table is constantly littered with papers or you are not sure that the lamp will not fly

As you can see, there are not many options. But this is the very beginning, there are many other factors that need to be taken into account. If we talk about "popular" preferences in choosing a mount for a table lamp, then the most popular are two methods - on a stand and a clamp. They are more convenient. Clothespin fixtures are usually inexpensive, but they quickly lose their "grip" and hold on less well over time. If you need an inexpensive lamp, for about a year or a year and a half, this is your option.

Design

In addition to the stand, you should decide which lamp leg is more suitable for you - the lamp holder. It's not just about materials or shapes, but about construction too. Table lamps can be:

• With a stationary leg. The classic version, which is suitable if you always work in one position, in one space. Any material can be - metal, wood, plastic. Combinations of them or some exotic materials such as bamboo, wire weaving, forging, etc. can also be used. The height is usually fixed, but you can find options to make it higher or lower.
  

  Interesting models - the flight of imagination of designers is limitless

• With a flexible leg. A more convenient model if you need to change the position, height or direction of the light. The flexible leg of a table lamp is usually made of metal corrugation, which holds a given position well. Less often, there is a flexible rod inside, covered with a plastic corrugated hose on top. This is a very inexpensive option.
  

  Flexible leg in a cheaper version - a plastic corrugation, in more expensive versions - from stainless or blackened steel

• With a telescopic base. Several movably connected sections of metal tubes allow you to adjust the height and position of the lamp relative to the table. Inexpensive models use springs to hold the lamp in position. After a while, they stretch, the lamp begins to lower, move. Another option is hold-down bolts. Such lamps are more durable - the bolt can be tightened, but also not indefinitely.
  

  The more joints, the more precisely the light source can be positioned

By this parameter, choosing a table lamp for your desktop is not too difficult. If you need to illuminate the same area all the time, a fixed leg is your option. If you need to change the position or size of the light spot, it is more convenient to do this using movable models. They are usually attached to a table (bracket or clothespin), but desktop or wall-mounted options can also be found. But a telescopic or flexible base is your choice. To whom that seems more convenient and reliable.

Light bulb type, illumination, light temperature

According to generally accepted standards, the illumination on a desktop or on a computer / laptop keyboard should be 400-500 Lx (Lux is a unit of illumination measurement in the International System of Units). Illumination depends on the power of the light source and on the height of its location. Comfortable brightness is an individual parameter. Someone needs a very bright light, comparable to the midday light of the sun, someone warmer, slightly yellowish or pinkish. So you need to select lamps individually for a table lamp.

You need to choose a light bulb for a table lamp

If you need different lighting - for different people or for different jobs, there are several options. The first is a variable height lamp. This allows you to change the brightness of the light within a small range. If you need more drastic changes, look for a model with a dimmer. It can be stepped or smooth. If the lamp has a dimmer, it can have either an incandescent lamp or a dimmable LED. Other bulbs do not support this function. Here are just a table lamp for a desktop with a dimmer is not so common. It is necessary to search purposefully, but it is convenient to use.

Types of plinths and lamps for table lamps

A desk lamp can have two types of socket - with a conventional threaded base and with a pin. Pin-base lamps: fluorescent, halogen or LED.

One of the most common options for table lamps

The threaded base can be of different sizes - both for a standard incandescent lamp, and smaller - for mini-pieces. In such desktop dumps for the desktop, you can use not only Ilyich's bulbs (incandescent lamps), there are LED and fluorescent ones, you can also find halogen ones.

Whatever type of lamp is, it must be completely covered by a shade. That is, the entire bulb must be covered. This is very important to reduce eye strain.

Glow temperature and no ripple

To keep the electricity bills from being intimidating, it is common to try to buy a desk lamp with an LED or energy saving lamp. It is understandable and not bad, but you need to know what to look for when choosing.For fluorescent and LED lamps, it is imperative to monitor - the "color" of the light and the absence of "blinking". Color affects perception, indicated on the packaging with the llama. The color scale is in the picture, but you will have to select it individually. In fact, usually preference is given to a bright (white) glow, they also buy a soft (yellowish) one.

The glow temperature must be selected individually

If there are several different bulbs in the house, try running one bulb for a few days, then switch on another. Compare the sensations, performance. With one lamp the eyes can get tired faster, with the other it can be "better seen". According to the results, and stop at a light source of a certain type and "color" (correctly this parameter is called color temperature). With the right light bulb, a desk lamp can even increase your productivity and help your child complete assignments more successfully and quickly.

Different styles, installation methods

The effect of the pulsed light can be tracked using the camera on your phone. If you look at a luminous lamp through the camera on your phone, you can see changes in the light intensity. It is not tracked by our eyes, but it makes them tired very quickly. So look for lamps that don't flicker. Unfortunately, they are not cheap, so you can be guided by the price. The packaging is usually labeled "no ripple" and these claims can usually be trusted. But, if possible, check with the camera on your phone - you never know ...

Plafond

The plafond is very often selected "for the interior", but do not forget that an incorrectly selected table lamp can quickly "plant" vision. If a desk lamp for a desktop plays mainly a decorative role, you can, of course, not pay much attention to it. But if you need to work for at least half an hour with its lighting, it is better to choose the plafond correctly.

There are several requirements, compliance with which will help you choose the right lamp for your desktop:

• Dark or neutral color. A color that is too bright attracts attention and increases fatigue.
• Material without high glossy sheen. Light is reflected from shiny surfaces, glare contributes to the fact that the eyes get tired faster.
  

  Not all of these lamps are of the same design suitable for the desktop.

• In order for the plafond not to warm up, it must be quite large - the distance to the bulb is at least 4-5 cm.
• The walls must be thick enough. It is generally not recommended to use bulbs exceeding the wattage rating. It is indicated in the instructions for the table lamp. If there are no instructions, you can pick up a light bulb empirically: screw it in, let it run for at least half an hour, then evaluate the temperature of the plafond. The second way out is to use lamps that heat up a little - housekeepers and led with good heat sinks.

A desk lamp with a plastic shade is a potential hazard when using bulbs that get very hot during use. If you forget to turn it on for a long time, the plastic may melt. Therefore, when choosing a light bulb for such a lamp, one must be very careful.

By the way, you also need to be careful with metal shades. If they get hot from the lamp, they can cause burns. This is also very unpleasant and painful.

Table lamps for computer desk

In addition to all the options described above, for a computer or laptop, you can use lamps that are connected not to a 220 V network, but to a USB port. If you have a USB extender / extension cable, the USB desk lamp for your desktop can be connected to it. It can also be connected to the corresponding output on a laptop. There is the same exit on the system unit, but it usually stands under the table, and there is nothing to light there, so a USB extension cable is needed.

You can connect a small LED lamp to the laptop

Usually these are small LED luminaires on a miniature flexible leg. The height of the leg is about 10-18 cm, the plafond is also long and narrow. In length, it can be comparable to the leg. But small size doesn't mean a bad choice. When working at a computer, it is usually necessary to illuminate the keyboard, and for these purposes these lamps are more than enough. The YUSB table lamp for the desktop is convenient, as it illuminates exactly the area that is needed.

USB cable connects here

USB lamps do well with lighting the working area on the table. But this area is small - a book, a notebook of the usual "school" format - they are able to provide a light spot of this size. Since the luminous element is long, the illuminated section of the table has an oblong shape. It fits very well just for an unfolded book or notebook. In general, a convenient option for schoolchildren and students.

There are also tabletop options, with attachment to the table

In addition to small USB lamps for keyboard lighting, there are quite large table lamps. They connect to the same port on a computer or laptop. Usually a cord several meters long goes to them. It provides ample mobility. The mounting methods are all described above, but only the light source is exclusively LEDs. After all, only LED technology gives a bright glow with low current consumption and low supply voltage. Such a desk lamp for a desktop gives enough light, does not take up much space. But it can only be powered from reduced voltage.