While the perfect workspace would have ample natural light that would illuminate your desk all day long, the reality is that most of us need a desk lamp to help brighten our work areas. An appropriate lighting source is key to maintaining productivity and reducing eye strain while you work, and the best desk lamps will help keep you comfortable (and on task) throughout your workday — and even into the night, if needed.
We consulted with three experts — an ophthalmologist, an ergonomist, and an engineer — and tested various lighting options to find the best desk lamps available.
Best overall: Reading LED Desk Lamp
What we like
- Tall enough to illuminate desktop computers
- Modern design
- Numerous warmth settings with simple controls
- Wide range of motion
What we don’t like
- Large frame might not suit small spaces
- Heavy
Reading Desk Lamp recently got a new look: an updated version of this LED desk lamp comes in three attractive matte finishes and boasts a sleeker body design. It’s also compatible with several accessories, including a desk clamp and floor extension stand, for extra versatility. However, the updated BenQ lamp still boasts the same great functionality as the original version, and it remains our top choice among the desk lamps we’ve tested.
The BenQ e-Reading Desk Lamp can easily be arranged above a full-size computer monitor as it extends vertically up to 30 inches, making it significantly larger than the other best desk lamps we tested. The lamp’s head is mounted on a ball joint so that you can pivot it in any direction, and the arm rotates 360 degrees at the base, making this lamp extremely versatile. Despite its somewhat complex design, the lamp was quick and easy to set up and adjust.
9 LED Rechargeable Book Light for Reading in Bed – Eye Caring 3 Color
Stepless Dimming and 3 Color Modes: Adjust the brightness from 100% to 10% by long press button to suit different reading environment. Simple switch 3 color temperature lighting modes by clicking the button；mixed color (9 LEDs on), cool white (5 cool white LEDs on), warm (4 warm LEDs on).
- Eye-Protecting Reading Light: No flicker, no shadow, no dizzy light. Provide a natural and soft light which won’t straine your eyes even after long hours of use. Enjoy your reading time without disturbing your partner or roommate.
- 1000mAh Rechargable Battery: Built-in 1000mAh battery only takes about 2.5 hours to get a full charge and support up to 80 hours lighting at lowest brightness. 4 LED indicator lights will always show the remaining power of the light. [USB universal charging cable included]
- 360° Flexible Neck & Sturdy Clip: 360° bendable goose neck can be rotated to any angle you want. Anti-skid clip design makes it firmly clamp on an e-reader, books, shelf, etc.
- Portable and Widely Use: Lightweight and sturdy book light can stand independently with the anti-slip pad on the bottom. Free your hands to enjoy bedtime reading, working, traveling, camping etc.
LED Floor Lamps for Living Room
【VERSATILE & DIMMABLE LIGHTS】This lamp for living room allow to customize your favorable color temperature by choosing from 10%-100% stepless dimmable brightness and 3 colors temperatures (warm, warm white, white) from 3000K to 6500K. The floor lamp for bedroom has a memory function to remember your last brightness setting when you turn the lamp on. Floor lamp can be set timer to turn off automatically after 30 minutes /1 hour
- 【BRIGHT LIGHTING & EYE PROTECTION】Using the high quality lamps shades, the special lamp head design of living room lamps could provide average, bright, no flicker, no strobe and no blue lights. Long durable LED energy-saving bulb, great to save your electrical bill.
- 【RF REMOTE & TOUCH CONTROL】Add-on touch control in the pole of the led floor lamp, you can adjust the brightness directly. The magnetic remote(with a 50ft range) attracts the iron-made LED lamp poles firmly, easy to be found and handy to be used. Just press a button, get the right brightness and color temperature for reading, working, leisure, makeup, crafts, sleeping, etc.
- 【MODERN DESIGN】 The weighted base and sturdy design of the modern floor lamp makes it safe around children and pets because it will not easily tip. With rotation head design of living room lamp which can increase light range and adjust the light angle to meet your need.
- 【EASY INSTALLATION】 The package of led standing lamp for bedroom contains 1 lamp head with pole, 3 iron poles, a heavy anti-tipping lamp base, a power adapter and 1 remote controller. Assemble the iron poles of LED lamps by spinning clockwise, connect the power adapter with the lamp, then plug in. The installation of the tall lamp is simple and easy-operated.
Best budget: Work Lamp
What we like
- Wide range of motion
- Lights a large area
- Domed shade prevents eye strain
- Sturdy metal construction
- Affordable
What we don’t like
- Bulb not included
- Unable to adjust brightness/color temperature
The best option I tested for an inexpensive desk lamp was the FORSÅ Work Lamp from Ikea. It’s technically an architect lamp, a style easily recognizable by its multiple hinges along the arm and more concentrated task light. In addition to the turquoise color I tested, it’s available in beige and a shiny nickel-plated option.
Unlike most of the lamps I tested, the FORSÅ required a bit of assembly — I had to attach the arm to the base, set up the springs that control its movement, and connect the dome that holds the lightbulb. Additionally, this lamp doesn’t include a light bulb, so you have to purchase an E12-style bulb (often called a chandelier bulb) separately.
While it took a little more effort to set up, the FORSÅ is impressively sturdy once it’s all assembled. The base is heavily weighted, so I was never worried about it tipping over, and I loved that the lamp has three hinges that let you move it into virtually any orientation. Of all the lamps I tested, this one offered the most range of motion.
For testing, I outfitted the FORSÅ with a standard 40-watt E12 light bulb with a “soft white” hue (2,700 K). I assumed it would create a fairly narrow field of light due to its domed shade, but the lamp lit up a surprisingly large area. It provided enough light for my whole desk surface, and it was ideal for both task work and general computer work. The dome also helped to prevent eye strain, as it keeps the light bulb covered so you’re not looking directly at it.
Best for small spaces: Honeywell Foldable Modern Desk Lamp
What we like
- Affordable
- Highly compact base
- Adjustable brightness and color temperature
- Built-in charging ports
What we don’t like
- Easy to knock over
- Not tall enough for larger desktop computers
The Honeywell Foldable Desk Lamp offers a wide range of functionality in a compact form, making it well-suited for smaller desk setups. The base of this sleek lamp is just 2-by-4 inches, and it has one fixed arm that extends up from the base and a second arm that hinges up and down 180 degrees. The lamp retails for about $40, making it another budget-friendly option, and it comes in three finishes.
Because this lamp is only around 13 inches, it wasn’t tall enough to use with my desktop computer, but it was great for working on my laptop. It has one simple dial that controls all its functions — if you press the knob down, you can choose between the three light temperatures, and twisting the dial in either direction will turn the brightness up or down. To turn the lamp off, you have to press the dial down for a few seconds. It’s easy and intuitive to operate.
The Honeywell lamp has a frosted piece of plastic over the LED nodes to diffuse the light a bit, but I still found that the lamp caused eye fatigue at higher brightness settings, especially if I was working for long periods. However, I was able to prevent it from bothering my eyes by turning the brightness down or angling the arm away from my work area a bit more.
In terms of special features, this desk lamp has two USB charging ports on top of the base: one for USB-A plugs and one for USB-C plugs. I liked that they’re easy to access (some lamps have these ports hidden on the back of the lamp), and they came in handy when I needed to charge my phone during the day.
Best for eye strain: Dyson Solarcycle Morph
What we like
- Wide range of movement
- Automatically adjusts warmth and brightness based on your location
- Can be controlled via Dyson Link app
- Turns on/off automatically when you leave or enter the room
What we don’t like
- Very expensive
- Physical controls are tricky to use
- App needs your location for full functionality
Few lamps with auto-adjusting dimmers came up in my research, but the Dyson Solarcycle Morph (formerly the Lightcycle Morph) met our criteria for testing. This Energy Star-certified smart desk lamp automatically adjusts its warmth and brightness throughout the day based on your exact location.
During testing, I was impressed that the lamp optimized its settings to suit my environment, and I never experienced any eye strain. Its near-constant micro-adjustments happen every 60 seconds. However, you have to give the Dyson Link app permission to access your location for the lamp to do this.
The Dyson Solarcycle Morph has the sleek, modern design you’d expect from the brand, though I was surprised at its 7.7-pound weight. The vertical stem of the lamp offers a 360-degree range of motion, and you can also twist the upper half of its horizontal arm to point the light sideways or upward for ambient lighting. When the arm is placed back over the lamp’s base, it lights up the stem, creating a gentle ambient light that reduces blue light.
You’re able to adjust both the lamp’s warmth and brightness from the top of its arm, but frankly, these controls are a bit finicky to use. I found it significantly easier to adjust the lamp via the Dyson Link app, which allows you to save custom brightness and warmth settings for specific situations and even your age. The Solarcycle Morph also automatically turns itself off and on when you leave and enter the room.