It was only a few months ago that we had a good look at the Foldi Lamp from Daylight, a very handy small desk lamp with natural daylight LEDs. We were quite impressed with the difference it makes if you need to do colour matching. And in the good tradition of the Mythbusters, we need to upscale the test! So today we are reviewing a much bigger Magnifying Lamp from the Daylight Company.
If you need to illuminate a large part of your desk or work area one of the more common solutions is to clamp a lamp at the edge of the table so that you can swing it into position. Particularly if you are doing some fiddly work, like fixing electronics or sewing and quilting, having good light on the area makes an amazing difference. And if it is fiddly work having a magnifying lens incorporated in the lamp head makes a lot of sense. Add to this the absolute necessity of using natural daylight on your workspace when you need to distinguish between colours, and we are talking about the very item under review today: the ultra slim Magnifying Lamp from the same Daylight Company.
Two first impressions: the lamp assembly is fairly heavy, indeed much heavier at nearly 4 kg than the standard lamps of this type you can buy at a Target or Big W, you know, the ones with the springs at the joints. The build quality is very impressive, down to the clamping mechanism which is often a weak point when you extend the lamp too far. So here we have a much heavier construction that needs to have an absolutely strong clamping mechanism, and it does. Everything about this unit tells me it is a professional unit which you could find in doctors surgeries, sterile areas or electronic workshops. But it is for home or small business use this lamp is particularly suited as well.
It throws out a lot of light (1900 Lumen) with the 28W circular energy-saving tube, which is the equivalent to 150W. Imagine the heat a conventional lamp of this power would generate on your hands or subject! Instead, the work area remains quite cool and there is no flickering of the tube as the electronic ballast doesn’t require a starter.
The lens is pretty large at 17 1/2 cm and has a magnification of 1.75. If your work requires a greater magnification there are three optional lenses available which are easily swappable. If you work does not require any magnification at times, it is better to keep the lens cover on which also protects it from any dust or any direct sunlight (with could be a fire hazard).
We checked it out in our office but figured that my wife would be happiest to test it out further as she put the Foldi lamp to very good use over the past few months. And indeed, after replacing her old magnifying lamp with this heavy duty model, she was extremely impressed! Having a circular lamp also minimises any shadows that a conventional lamp would throw, she said. The power of the bulb and the reach of the arm were also great benefits for her sewing and quilting work.
This ultra slim magnifying Lamp cost around $320 but to show you that you can have the benefits of natural daylight in any room, Daylight also included a 20 Watt bayonet bulb that you can mount in any ceiling light.
If you are after warm, yellowish mood light, this is not it. But it is perfect for any sewing room or workplace area such as an artist studio. And these light bulbs cost only about 25 bucks.
Both solutions are highly recommended!
