Best Desk Lamp

This Old House Reviews team

Desk lamps brighten your workspace, help reduce eye strain, and keep you productive no matter the time of day. While the main function of a desk lamp is to brighten your work area, many modern desk lamps are equipped with features like outlets and charging stations to centralize all your working necessities.

To help you select a desk lamp that fits your workspace and meets your lighting needs, the This Old House Reviews team researched the best desk lamps on Amazon and delved into the factors that influence each lamp’s user experience. Here are our top picks.

1 Most adjustable
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00APAQSP6

TaoTronics LED Desk Lamp

Pros

  • Contains a USB output for charging mobile devices and tablets
  • Offers a one-hour sleep timer that automatically turns the light off to help you save energy
  • Comes with a cleaning cloth for maintaining the lamp’s black or white finish

Cons

  • Many customers felt that the lamp was too tall, blocking their line of sight while working
  • Some customers said that the touch buttons on their lamp malfunctioned after continued use


2 Best design
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AJ7F14I

Aukey Table Lamp

Pros

  • Its base lets you manually change color, brightness, and lighting modes
  • Is lightweight at just over one pound
  • Minimalist design fits well with just about any decor

Cons

  • Doesn’t contain a USB charging output
  • Requires you to manually cycle through an RGB color spectrum to select your lighting preference, which can be time-consuming


3 Best basic lamp
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078W61H9P

LEPOWER Metal Desk Lamp

Pros

  • Equipped with a metal lampshade and base for increased durability
  • Its sleek design fits in a variety of settings, including offices, bedrooms, and dorm rooms
  • Holes in back of lamp help to dissipate heat

Cons

  • Doesn’t come with a lightbulb 
  • Isn’t dimmable


4 Best charging lamp
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WLQ2BTY

AFROG LED Desk Lamp

Pros

  • Includes two timers that can shut off the lamp after 30 minutes or an hour of use
  • Its lamp head folds up or down for easy angle adjustment
  • Available in white or black

Cons

  • Its lamp head doesn’t rotate
  • Many customers were disappointed in the lamp’s brightness, with one customer saying the lamp was dim even at its brightest setting


5 Most mobile
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NKRPZXN

iVict Clip-On Desk Lamp

Pros

  • Equipped with a simple brightness and color control attached to its USB power source
  • Weighs under one pound and can be easily clipped anywhere
  • Utilizes eco-friendly LED lights to reduce energy consumption

Cons

  • Only offered in one color
  • Doesn’t come with a USB-to-AC power adapter


 

 

The This Old House Reviews team provides overviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, hands-on testing in select cases, and other objective criteria unique to a given product line. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for DIY or other non-pro users only. Editor’s picks are made by members of the This Old House Reviews team.

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