How To Choose Desk And Study Lamps
Buying desk or study lamps can be almost as personal as choosing a pair of glasses. This is because of all of the lamps that you could possibly purchase these lamps must be easy on your eyes. Your ideal type of desk lamp would be dependent on the condition of your eyes as well as your study or reading habits.
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. You might even see spots of green and red if the glare on the page highlights too much 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. But the supporters of halogen lamp cite the advantage that these lamps provides in facilitating focus on reading area while visually blacking out other areas that might distract.
If you find that the glare of halogen bulbs is hard on your eyes then there are thousands of study and desk lamps on the market that take ordinary incandescent bulbs, or energy saving bulbs. If you like a really bright light when you study but don’t like halogen bulbs, you can also try using 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.
Not all desk lamps or study lamps have adjustable arms. A commonly found traditional style that is available 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 surface of the desk. This type of study or desk lamp is reminiscent of something that belongs in crime writer Raymond Chandler’s office and definitely has a classic air about it.