Getting the perfect lighting for your workspace can be tricky—you don’t want it too bright, you need to make sure that it’s at the right height, and so on. But when it comes to desk lamps, figuring out the best position can be particularly challenging.
Whether you are looking for a lamp to provide ambient lighting or one that will help you see better while working, understanding “What Is The Best Position For A Desk Lamp” is key.
This article takes a look at different types of desk lamps, factors to consider when choosing the best position for your lamp, pros, and cons of various placements, how other objects in your room may affect positioning, different positions for different tasks, and more. With this information, you can find the ideal spot for your lamp and get the most out of its use.
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What Is The Best Position For A Desk Lamp?
Desk lamps are a great addition to any workstation, providing extra illumination and creating a more pleasant and productive environment. But what is the best position for a desk lamp? The answer depends on your individual needs and preferences, but there are some guidelines to keep in mind when selecting the right spot for your lamp.
Best Height for a Desk Lamp:
The desk lamp is a great human invention and has been innovated into several types, shapes, and purposes. But from the look of things, it seems like users of this technology are yet to adopt the best way to get the best out of it. The implication of not knowing the best way to position your desk lamp might lead to some health issues, the commonest being an eye problem – depending on what you use it for. On a more practical note, it will interest you to know that fewer than 2.2 billion people suffer from distance vision impairment. In contrast, at least 1 billion of these cases suffer from avoidable vision impairment issues.
Again, it has been recorded that most people who have vision impairment are within the 50 years age range. All these and more still resonate with the question: All these and more still resonate with the question of the best position for a desk lamp. That being said, in this article, we will be detailing the most critical information about the desk lamp for better user etiquette.
What are Desk Lamps?
Desk Lamps are those portable task lights that often sit on our tables, illuminating the user to accomplish tasks.
Desk Lamps are peculiar to those who engage in sewing, reading, writing, knitting, painting, etc. Some of these lamps come in a flexible format, while others come in single-pole (non-adjustable) formats.
But in all, they serve the same purpose. Before now, the desk lamp is known as the “Gooseneck lamp.” It was the only available design after it was invented 100 years back by British engineer George Carwardine. The design is not the only thing that has changed over the years; the illuminating pattern has also changed due to the evolution of light bulbs. Unfortunately, not too much emphasis has been placed on the standard height to position the desk lamp all these years.
This development has been responsible for the increased cases of eye problems around the 1950s but reduced around the 1980s (more than a decade) after Nick Holonyak, Jr. invented the Light Emitting Diode (LED) in 1962. This signified the first evolution of the desk lamp as we know it, as it has never remained the same ever since then.
Types of Lamp and The Recommended Positions
There are tens of desk lamps in the market today one can barely mention one without the other. Instead of randomly listing them, it will be rational to list and explain the major ones. This list is stated thus:
1. Incandescent Desk Lamps
This is one of the first desk lamps that made its way into the market. Because of the presence of filament whose glow is triggered by the current that passes through the bulb, it is considered harsh to the eyes, especially when it is used for reading or other close-range table activities. Though not necessarily in use anymore, but still very much available. It is recommended that users adjust it at 20.6 inches high for convenience, thus, not recommended for reading.
2. The Tungsten Halogen Desk Lamps
The type of bulb used in this lamp was developed in early 1958 by E.H. Wiley and E.G. Fridrich. The bulb used in this lamp is made with halogen gas, hence, the name: halogen desk lamps. Without the halogen gas, the filament slowly loses its light, and evaporates at a very high temperature. This is still harsh for close-range activities like reading and writing, but it is safer than the Incandescent desk lamps. But if there is a need to use it for such a purpose, a distance height of 18 inches is recommended.
3. Mercury Vapour Lamp
This lamp works with the least amount of energy from colliding electrons. It can work effectively with 60% less energy than either the tungsten-halogen or the incandescent desk lamps. Unlike those mentioned above, you can make closer contact with this type of lamp. It is recommended you place it 15-18 inches high.
Different Lamps for Different Folks
Each desk lamp is built according to its purpose. While desk lamps are peculiar to students, welders, technicians, medical practitioners, lab scientists, etc., they have a specified desk lamp recommended for them. Below, they are listed thus:
Industrial Desk Lamp
This is used mainly in construction industries like welding factories, furniture-making factories, etc. This lamp comes with strong brightness and is not recommended to be looked at directly. Because of the strong illuminating capacity, it is advised that you stay 23 inches high on the table.
Domestic Desk Lamp
This is the most modern desk lamp; it comes with LED bulbs that number 200-500 depending on the size of the lamp. It has a very mild illuminating capacity yet is very friendly to the eyes and doesn’t have a stipulated range of closeness. You can have direct close contact with it, and it is very recommendable for students.
Old and Modern Lamps
Many things have changed since the invention of desk lamps. Everything, ranging from the bulb used, amount of electricity, and energy consumed, has witnessed some modern innovation. Today, unlike the traditional incandescent bulbs, modern lamps now come with LED bulbs that have been considered healthy to humans and environmentally safe. Its ability to maintain a cleaner environment through its non-greenhouse emissions has been scientifically proven very safe.
The good thing about modern LED desk lamps is that they can easily be used domestically and for industrial purposes. This means that it can substitute for industrial lamps, and the adjustable height doesn’t really matter anymore. For more brightness, all the manufacturers need is to add more LED bulbs and increase the cell capacity. It is also important to add that most moderate desk lamps now come with rechargeable cell batteries that retain power for hours when fully charged; this is unlike the conversational AC-powered desk lamp as we know it.
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LED Bulbs, Halogen, and CFL Desk Lamps: What You Need to Know
The compact fluorescent (CFL)-enabled desk lamp is a product of one of the many evolutions that have taken place in desk lamps. In fact, this bulb is one of the reasons why the adjusted heights in modern desk lamps are not relevant because whichever height it attains is useful to the user. The bulb you find in this lamp is specifically designed to substitute the incandescent light bulb. And unlike the incandescent bulb, CFL bulbs radiate a spectral power distribution.
The Halogen bulbs come with a tungsten filament just like you have in incandescent bulbs. Unlike the incandescent bulbs, it contains halogen gas that carries evaporated tungsten particles and re-deposits it back to the filament. LED is the most used, most environmentally friendly, and the most healthy for human eyes. The LEDs are illuminated by the movement of the electrons, which travels via a semiconductor material. But whether it is LED Bulbs, Halogen, or CFL Desk Lamps, their energy consumption is deficient.
Advantages of LED Bulbs Desk Lamps
The advantages of LED bulbs desk lamps over their counterparts are numerous. But there are few major ones which include:
• Ability to use up to 75% less energy, unlike incandescent.
• It is 25 times stronger and lasts longer than halogen and incandescent.
• It lasts three times more than compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps.
• It is very calm no matter how long it works. This is why it always serves no matter the adjusted height.
• No breakage in filament: it is robust.
Advantages of Halogen Bulbs Desk Lamps
Halogen bulbs desk lamps also have similar characteristics with LED Bulbs desk lamps. Some of its advantages include:
• It is 10-20% more energy-saving than incandescent bulbs.
• Comes with an “instant start” function, unlike the CFLs.
• Totally dimmable.
• Illuminates crisp light, so users don’t even need to heighten it for better performance.
Conclusion: A Little Remark
Ideally, experts have set the recommended height of desk lamps at 26 -34 inches (for a living room desk lamp). But we believe that this assertion depends on the type of bulb the lamp uses. As in, the harsher the illumination, the higher it should be adjusted.
A bit of DIY: sit on the sofa next to the desk lamp to determine if you have the correct height. Should the bottom of the lampshade be at the same level (not higher) as your eye, then you have the perfect height. Again, make sure you go for lamps with a stable base.
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