This lamp can be useful, but you need to understand what it does and doesn’t do. It’s not a “smart lamp” that wakes you up with light, but is a manual light that you use to help “wake you up” after waking up. Think of it as another cup of coffee in the morning.
IN THE BOX
Pretty simple, the light which is approximately 8x9 inches and 1.5 inches thick, a power cord, and a small bracket that inserts into the back and acts as the stand.
SETTING UP
While it may not be “smart” it is easy to use and operate. I did have some difficulties fitting the stand into the back of it, there’s not much wiggle room, and I felt like it would break. It seemingly comes out (for storage/transport) but I’m hesitant to take it back out for fear of breaking it.
You simply plug the power cord into the wall and the back of the light, and voila, you’re done.
EASE OF USE
Again, a recurring theme is that this product is dead simple to use. There’s one power button in the front. It looks like it “clicks” in and depresses, but it feels mostly touch sensitive. Nonetheless, it’s extremely responsive. It cycles through 4 settings, bright, less bright, relatively dim, and off. That’s it.
In terms of using it, the instructions say not to stare directly at it (which is nearly impossible, it’s pretty bright) and to keep it 10-18 inches away from your face, directed off to the side.
BENEFITS
I want to pause and mention the instruction booklet. My take, and I may not be entirely correct, is that this light is meant to help wake you up and/or keep you up. The instructions say to use it in the morning for 30 or so minutes at a time (it suggests you start with a less bright setting in the beginning). You’re also directed not to use it 4 hours before bedtime. I haven’t tested if I’m able to fall asleep if I use it 4 hours before bedtime.
MY IMPRESSIONS
This device is extremely hard to evaluate, because while the idea seems practical and logical, it feels like pseudo-science; the idea that light therapy helps you wake up and sleep better. Again, it makes sense. But I have no real way to empirically prove their claims. What I can say is that I use it at my office when I get there in the morning, and after lunch when I feel like I’m ready for a nap. I can’t really say one way or the other if using the lamp for light therapy in the morning helps me sleep, but I can certainly say that it helps keep me awake. Imagine being drowsy in the morning, maybe a bad night’s sleep, I turn the light on off to the side of my desk and I feel more awake. It’s a weird thing to describe other than I’m not yawning. That’s not to say I’m hyper like caffeine, but I do feel rejuvenated. Maybe it’s “light therapy”, maybe it’s just having a somewhat annoying bright light shining near your face.
Whether you believe in light therapy or not, I can say that I use it everyday, and it helps me stay awake. I’m not going to say it makes me smarter or more focused, but it does help rejuvenate, especially after a bad night’s sleep.
CONCLUSION
If you live or work in a dark space, or just lacking in natural light, I would give this light a shot. It certainly “brightens” the room (pun intended) but it does a decent job at mimicking natural sunlight. It creates some interesting commentary from my work colleagues (as they walk by my office with this extremely bright light pointing towards me) but I do genuinely find some utility in using it. And, it looks like an attractive frame when off (an attractive frame with no picture) so it’s not entirely an eyesore when it’s off.