LEDs really shine as reading lights and desk lamps. LEDs have a directed beam, so they do not disturb others when used as reading lights (in bed for example). LEDs also do not get hot to the touch, so there’s no risk of burns, or excess heat in the summer. Because LED light is so focused, even a 100 lumen LED desk lamp will seem quite bright when it’s used as a task light.
Here’s a survey of what’s currently available:
Z-Bar LED Desk Lamp by Koncept
The minimalist Z-Bar LED Desk Lamp by Koncept has 66 LEDs that shine using only 8.8 watts of power. The newly released “high power” version of this lamp generates 240 lumens of light.
This is currently my favourite lamp. The design was good enough to help it win an I.D. Magazine “best of category” award. It comes in three colors, and is available from Amazon
There’s also a 40 LED version of the Z-Bar lamp– the Mini-Z LED Desk Lamp, but apparently it is not bright enough to make most buyers happy.
Ice Light LED Desk Lamp
The Ice Light LED Desk lamp is similar to the Z-Bar lamp, but the LEDs are clustered at the end of the lamp’s arm, so the light (112 lumens) is more focused (a 50-degree illumination area). It’s available from Amazon
Night Reader LED Lamp
The Night Reader lamp comes in two versions: a “warm white” version and a “daylight” version. It uses only 4 watts and outputs 100 lumens of light. It’s available from The LED Light for about $60.
Libra Desk Lamp
Another new release from Alliance Optotek is this classy Libra desk light, which illuminates with 280 lumens using only 12 watts. It’s available from The LED Light for $195.
Moppel Lights
Moppel lights are fun LED lamps, which can be bent into various poses, and stuck to surfaces using suction cups. They are available from Amazon
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http://www.abitgeek.com/money-saving/led-efficient-light-bulbs-electrical-saving.html
Here is a real life monetary analysis of the use of LED’s over incandescent or even CFL’s. I can only imagine how much money you could save by replacing ALL of your household incandescent lighting with LED’s.
L.E.D desk lamps are great for illuminating your desk surface, keyboard, monitor etc.
BML’s analysis is very skewed as his LED bulbs will only put out ~10% of a CFL’s light, but LEDs will soon be a good alternative to CFL. I tried to post that on his sight, but his posting does not work.
Incan bulbs should be carbon taxed out of normal use. They should be special use only.