The Main Parameters in A Book Light

Book lovers or avid readers may crave a suitable LED book light to do some general reading or read in bed before sleep. So, what is a suitable book light for reading in bed? We discussed the primary considerations when choosing your book light: brightness levels, color temperatures, and CRI. On top of that, you may need to consider other factors based on your commonly used scenarios to maximize reading experiences.

This article will suggest other product parameters you should consider when selecting book lights for reading. But one thing to remember: knowing what makes your eyes comfortable and least fatigued is the key.

Here's a roundup of the 4 aspects you should think about before buying a book light: power source, attributes, style and design, and safety certifications.

 

Power Source

1. Is it rechargeable?

While some consumers are willing to replace the batteries in devices very often, some may find it very troublesome and prefer the more sustainable option of charging the rechargeable batteries regularly.

Therefore, before picking your book reading light, you should decide on what types of power sources you like. For those replaceable AAA batteries, if they empty their charge, you need to buy some replacements. Most importantly, replaceable batteries are not environmentally-friendly and eco-friendly or bring you more expenses on batteries.

In particular, the Glocusent clip-on book light is an exception. The clip-on book light is usually powered by household AC power, which causes a relatively large electric power consumption with brighter lighting, reaching more than 200 lumens. Hence, people always prefer plugging it into household AC power.

Oppositely, other types of LED book lights tend to be more portable and lightweight. So you have multiple choices of power sources to charge them, which is highly convenient and time-saving to have a rechargeable LED book light.

Provided you are on a short trip, and you are having a pleasant reading time with your book light. It will be annoying if your LED book light has no electricity and you don’t have some AAA-replaceable batteries. On the contrary, if you have a rechargeable book light, you can charge it with any power source, such as a power bank, laptop, or car charger.

It will be ok if you are not an all-time reader and just read occasionally; replaceable batteries won't be a problem. However, if you are an insatiable reader, who reads day and night, then a rechargeable book light will be a real boon.

2. Micro-USB or USB-C rechargeable?

The latest rechargeable LED book lights usually have a USB-C charging cable, while some other LED reading lights have a micro-USB cable. There are 3 primary differences between micro-USB and USB-C.

The first distinction is about appearance, they look different.

There are 3 significant forms of micro USB interface: micro A, micro B, and micro USB 3. It is easy to identify the Type-A Micro USB from the 3 forms. Micro USB 3.0 looks similar to the Type-B micro USB, but it has an extra pin group on the side used for twice the wires.

While USB C (also known as USB Type-C) is a connector system with a 24-pin group, the two-fold rotationally symmetrical design (horizontally and vertically) is the most distinctive feature.

 

The second difference is the charging speed. USB-C is more flexible and faster than micro-USB. Specifically, USB-C has a rapid pace of charging phones at 18 watts and charging laptops at 100 watts. Moreover, USB-C is gradually becoming the worldwide charging standard as a new charging port.

The most significant comparison is about physical compatibility. Micro-USB was initially designed to make devices slimmer, so consumers could connect them to computers. But micro-USB had an important limitation, which is the plug-in method. If you don't plug it in properly, it won't work because a micro-USB can only be inserted with a specific orientation. Otherwise, the micro-USB will be damaged.

On the contrary, a USB-C is a "one-size-fits-all" design. It allows you to plug it on any side you want. Because the upper and lower ends of the USB-C port are symmetrical, it won't cause any damage if you plug it in the opposite direction, unlike the micro-USB.

In our opinion, a good LED book light should have a USB-C charging port for a better user experience. From 3 differences listed above indicate that USB-C is superior to Micro USB, though they each have a part to play. While it used to be USB-C was only for larger, higher-power electronics, we are now seeing devices with modest power requirements using USB-C (keyboards, Kindles, etc.). It's best to think of Micro USB as legacy technology, although it has its place. For ease of use, nothing beats USB-C.

3. Battery Capacity

Battery capacity is defined as the total amount of electricity generated due to electrochemical reactions in the battery and is expressed in ampere-hours. A battery's capacity is usually rated in Amp-hours or mAh for small-scale batteries, like the rechargeable batteries in some LED book reading lights.

It's good to know the product's battery capacity in advance because it directly impacts the working time of your LED book lights.

You may wonder, how much battery capacity do you need? It depends on your energy demand. Some people are used to reading daily with an average time of 30mins; thus, for two weeks, it will be 7 hours of reading time in total. It will be a good idea to pick a rechargeable book light with a battery capacity of 800mAh at least to meet your 2-week reading needs. That means you don't have to worry about charging your LED book light within two weeks. Ideally, a book reading light with at least a battery capacity of 1000mAh can meet all your reading needs.

Take Glocusent neck light as an example, it has a rechargeable built-in 1000mAh massive capacity battery to provide brighter & longer light for you. Moreover, after a full charge, it will last 14 - 22 weeks at the general reading level, 3.5 - 6 weeks at the brighter reading level, and 1.8 - 3.5 weeks at the precise working level if you read for 30 minutes per day. The battery life is up to 80+ hours at its lowest setting.

In addition, LED book lights are normally permitted to be taken on a plane. Because LED book reading lights are always rechargeable and portable with lightweight, and the standard battery capacity of a small book reading light won't exceed 1000mAh, which is permitted according to the FAA rules.

4. Is there a power indicator?

The power indicator is a subtle but necessary function that many consumers ignore. There are usually two types of power indicators. Specifically, the original power indicator only shines when it’s connected to a power source. But the latest power indicator can show you how much electrical power is left. 

It will be much more convenient with multiple power indicators, you can notice the charging progress and approximate time left to finish charging; you can also know the suitable time to charge your book light before it runs out of power. Provided there is only one power indicator on the book reading light, you can recognize whether your book light is fully charged via the red/green light of the indicator. (Green means fully charged.)

As if you are a bedtime reader, you may need to pay attention to the brightness level of the indicator. If the indicator has an intense light, it will influence your reading time or disturb your partner.

With a small power indicator, you can make your life more well-organized and have a better reading experience.

 

Attributes

1. Is there an auto-off timer?

Take Glocusent new neck reading light as a typical example. It has an auto-off timer with the upgraded version. The timer can automatically turn off your book reading light in 30mins when you forget to turn off your light and fall asleep accidentally.

Research shows that blue light from screens shortens overall sleep time and can also interfere with the production of melatonin. As a result, it's better to have some reading time before sleep with an amber book light. Avoiding blue light for at least 30 minutes before dozing off is recommended. So some neck lights are equipped with a 30mins auto-off timer. 

For instance, some people are fond of reading books in bed before sleep and reading with an amber book light. Amber book light will stimulate your body to produce more melatonin naturally and improve your sleep quality(to know more about amber book light, check our previous article about How To Choose Book Lights from 4 Categories); In this case, you can set up the auto-off timer on your LED reading book light in advance. Therefore, you can fall asleep quickly without worrying about the book light.

2. Is it user-friendly?

The vast majority of the heavy users of neck reading lights are aged knitters or crafters, mainly seniors. Taking this into account, it’s reasonable and acceptable to have a book reading light with only 3 buttons, 1 button for a power switch, 1 button for adjusting brightness levels, and 1 button for adjusting color temperatures.

The usability of a product can be determined by its features, allowing the user to do what they want to do with it. The environment in which they perform these tasks determines their usability level. Consumers would be indecisive and stressed and prefer to leave instead of dealing with a wide selection. Thus, it's of vital importance to make products user-friendly.

 

Style and Design

1. Is it portable?

It would be best if you determined which types of reading light you want based on your needs. There are 4 categories of LED book lights: neck lights, clip-on book lights (headboard reading lights), amber book lights, and book lights for kids.

Apart from the clip-on book light, other LED book lights are usually rechargeable and portable with lightweight for better convenience.

For instance, the Glocusent amber book light is 1.4OZ only, much lighter than 5 one-dollar coins, and with mini size. It has the most compact and foldable design for carrying around with you anywhere.

Consumers prefer to use clip-on book lights as a fixed illuminant, to light up the entire bedroom instead of traveling with a clip-on book light. Because the clip-on book light is usually powered by household AC power, offering brighter lighting with higher lumens. So, a clip-on book light is generally bigger and heavier.

2. Clip and gooseneck (arms)

For clip-on book lights, amber book lights, and book lights for kids, clips play an essential role. Clip-on book light differs from other book lights because a clip-on book light is usually heavier and bigger than different types. Therefore, the clip must be sturdy enough to firmly clip on any headboard or desk board.

For other types of book lights, it should have an anti-slip pad on the inner side of the clip to hook on planes, such as books, papers, or bedside edges. But the anti-slip pad is designed with unique material, usually silicone, to enlarge the fraction force, and there will be no scratch left on your planes, even with book pages.

The other point is about the durability and flexibility of the arms or goosenecks. A flexible and adjustable arm means you can move the light's focus and shadows to any place you want. You can control how much light falls on your book and if you wish to shine on a specific spot or the full two-page spread.

 

Safety

1. Battery Certificate

Consumers can ask the sellers to provide them with the battery MSDS (material safety data sheet) to confirm the safety of the book light's batteries. MSDS contains key safety information about the batteries, and buyers will get to know how to handle, care for and deal with safety issues.

It is vital to check the battery certificate of your book lights because some poor-quality batteries might be overheated after a long time of use and lead to incidents.

2. Book Light Certificate

There's a broad range of product standards worldwide; the following certificates are some examples.

FCC: Federal Communications Commission, a marking indicates the electronic item is approved for use in the US.

CE: European Conformity marking indicates the product is affixed to comply with all relevant European requirements.

RoHS: Restrictions of Hazardous Substances, the product was made without certain hazardous chemicals (European standard)

TICK: The C-tick is an identification trademark used to make sure that the product and the supplier are connected by placing it on the product's outer surface.

PSE: Mandatory safety approval for electrical products sold on the Japanese market.

On top of that, if you want to buy your kids some book reading lights, you should know about the CPC certification of the products. For example, the Glocusent book lights for kids have CPC certification, providing you with product safety for kids. If you try to buy your kids some products or toys, you should know the products' authentication from CPC (Children's Products Certificate). Since all the manufacturers and importers of children's products must certify in a written Children's Product Certificate based on test results from a CPSC-accepted laboratory( Consumer Product Safety Act), their children's products comply with applicable children's products safety rules.

Smart Chip in Batteries

The advanced book lights all have smart chips in batteries to prevent batteries from overcharging and short circuits, causing unfortunate accidents.

 

Conclusion

You should be rewarded with the best book light on the market if you read regularly. Don't forget to consider all the vital factors when choosing the most suitable one.

Hope this article will help you find out more related factors when choosing the best book reading light for yourself or as a gift. If you have any questions, please leave your comment below or feel free to contact us at service@glocusent.com.