Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
I have 2 lamps, one on each side of my desk, with daylight bulbs (full spectrum) in them. I also have a floor lamp when I need extra lighting; it has daylight bulbs also. The floor lamp uses 3 bulbs, all at different heights. When I have all the lights on, my craft room looks like a landing strip!
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
I have a wonderful desk lamp that I bought from Costco. It has three light "temperatures"--the equivalent of soft, bright, and daylight; 6 or 7 levels within each of those temperatures (modes); AND 2 USB ports on the back for charging your phones, fitness watches, MP3 players, whatever. It has an adjustable neck so you can angle it up or down or somewhat sideways to suit your needs.
Below is a link to one on Amazon. Same brand as Costco. The one I got at Costco was $29--a big savings over the one on Amazon. I don't know if Costco is still selling them or if they might be available at Costco.com. But the listing at Amazon will at least give you an idea of what it looks like and what it can do.
For me, the nice thing about a desk lamp as opposed to a floor lamp is that it is more portable and I can use it for other things in other rooms very easily. The downside is that it takes up a bit of space space on your worktop.
I am glad you asked. I am thinking on this too...
I have an old clamp on lamp I got from an engineers desk that was being tossed years ago with a regular and a florescent round. It is pretty bright but also harsh and not like daylight. It is clamped to the side of my drafting table so it does not take up room and is adjustable in height.
I dont like to color by it. I can die cut and so on fine.
A follow-up--I went to Costco after I posted the note about the lamp I bought there. My Costco still has them, for $29. Can't speak for other Costcos, but if you are interested, I'd get there A.S.A.P.
I work in my basement "studio." (A spot in the unfinished part of the basement.) I have fluorescent 4' light fixtures in the room and one is over my table with an old kind of yellowed cover on it. I seem to get pretty good light without harshness or glare - OR I'm just used to it.
I purchased my Ott light a number of years ago and had spare bulb. So far never replaced bulb. I like that it is small but has goose neck so I can raise, lower or turn bulb face up to ceiling or down to desk.
Another Ottlite fan here. I bought a desktop one at least 10 years ago and just replaced the bulb last year. I love that it is bright, natural light, just as if I was in daylight. I can't remember where I bought it, however, I found one at Tuesday Morning last week for $20! I bought it for my daughter's desk (she does a lot of drawing and painting). Love Ottlites.
I have a desk top Ottlite True Color that I got years ago. It only has one light level. I also have an extra bulb - not used yet. I got that when my light started blinking - loose bulb:( It takes up a bit of space but the bright light is worth a bit of desktop.
I have 2 floor Ottlites, one on each side of my table. They each have adjustable necks to raise or lower or adjust to one's needs. Plus I have 2 LED ceiling lights above my work space. I love my lighting and working in a bright well-lit area.
Some of the LED true lite bulbs are amazing and I have often thought that if I couldn't find an OTT replacement bulb or needed extra lighting I'd just use regular lamps with those kinds of bulbs. Am I wrong?
I just bought my first Ott light yesterday! I love it. I have great ceiling lighting, but I can't always adjust them to hit where I need them. The light I bought at Joann's (50% off for the rest of this month) has only a 4" footprint, an arm that adjusts and the light that folds down when not in use (during the day the light comes in the window my worktable faces) so is really not in the way at all. Why did I wait so long when I have heard good things about these for years?
We only have 7' ceilings in our basement so we have pot lights in all the rooms. They were the fish eye type that were installed 25 years ago. Last year we replaced them with LED's and there is such a big difference in the amount and quality of the lighting. I used to use a table lamp for extra task lighting on my sewing table but it's no longer necessary. I have a halogen lamp on the craft table and only turn it on during the evenings now that we have the new fixtures.
Some of the LED true lite bulbs are amazing and I have often thought that if I couldn't find an OTT replacement bulb or needed extra lighting I'd just use regular lamps with those kinds of bulbs. Am I wrong?
You can use LED bulbs in regular lamps. Just make sure the base of the bulb matches the base of the lamp. Also, if you have a 3 way lamp, a regular LED bulb will work but only with one output of light. So make sure the bulb fits the right application/lamp.
Thanks Pishposh, that part I have figured out. Has anyone done a comparison of Ott vs led for
Brightness and/or
True color accuracy
Funny aside when I first started buying true color and Ott regular bulbs, my husband pitched a fit because the color was weird, horrible, etc. For that reason I left a regular bulb in the floor lamp between our chairs on his side and put an Ott bulb on my side. It took very little time before he started wanting turning on my side instead of his to read the paper. Also suddenly the lamp across the room with the true light was the one he turned on in the evenings, mind you he had pitched a royal fit when I first installed that bulb. ( see above derogatories )
Just throwing in my two cents worth--again. I've had an Ottlite--hated it. The first bulb burned out within two months. Contacted the manufacturer. They said "so sorry, but we can't control the way you may use it or abuse it" (not in those exact words, but you get the idea). I have no young kids in the house and do nothing to "abuse" my belongings--especially something as expensive as the Ottlite was. I bought another bulb, which was almost as expensive as the whole lamp. It, too, burned out within just a few weeks. I threw it away. I considered donating it to a thrift shop, but didn't think it fair to have someone else end up with my problem lamp. I even went so far as to check the outlet I had plugged the Ottlite into with a volt meter and used other items in it. The fault was not with the outlet.
I LOVE the Ultrabrite LED lamp I mentioned near the top of this thread. When using the daylight mode, it is perfect for stamping. If you want something softer for other occasions, you can switch to one of its other two light modes. It is all controlled by touch--no mechanical buttons or knobs. No bulbs to replace. I used nothing but full spectrum (daylight) 4' fluorescent lights in my office for 20 years, so I am pretty particular about my lighting.
I am completely light sensitive my room is so dark compared to a normal room with ordinary light
But because u have to ser what i are colouring we had to do something so my husband got me a headtorch like what cyclists use was like $10 its a pain cos runs on 3x AAA batteries i dont just use for craft i am also musician and used to play viola and to a lesser extent piano and violin so now i cant di that so i took up the recorder (theres 5 type) the one kids generally learn me included for a year when i was 8 years old is the descant recorder im learning the next biggest - alto or treble recorder i have to see the music and recorder is not too heavy (cant go any bigger than alto though) and im also doing the descant as well but to be honest alto is by far my favourite anyways i have a lovely retired lady who teaching me and ages over 70 and really cant see without the head torch cos it points away im fine with it
I have a desk lamp for jeff he uses that on the table in our bedroom(which thanks to reno is the width of two rooms) so we have a big table at one end my craft table!
So probably not what u would use but it definitely works for me has 4 settings super bright bright red and flashing red as i said meant for cyclists!
For most situations, normal led lights are enough for me, and I do not need to use floor lamps. In general, I focus more on the color of the lighting than on the type of lamp. Firstly, because I grow plants, and it is very important for them how much light falls and how evenly. Long LED wall lights shall be perfect here. If we talk about everyday life, then I also use led bulbs, obviously to save energy. But at the same time, they provide pretty good light, and you won't be staring at the book while writing, reading, etc.
Last edited by catheshellman; 05-06-2022 at 12:36 PM..
Forget the standard table lamps and fixtures. I advise you to buy LED lamps or LED strips. LEDs have many advantages that make your workplace much more convenient and practical. First, you won't have to waste a lot of electricity because LEDs are very economical. Secondly, LEDs have a higher brightness, which is important when working at your desk. I switched to LEDs a long time ago and have never regretted it. My entire house has LED bulbs, and I recently ordered RGB tape for my car's interior https://www.amazon.com/car-lights-ca.../dp/B09L86JRRM. Based on my experience, I can safely recommend this type of lighting to you.