Customer Reviews

Alvin G2540-D Swing-arm Lamp, White, 32in extension

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I bought this lamp about 1 month ago and have been using it regularly since then.

Pros:

The lamp has a lot of reach and flexibility, can be easily clamped to the end of a table. The tension in the springs is good and each joint can be tightened further to lock motion. The electrical components like the switch and wire seem to be of a good quality and should last.

Cons:

There is no handle to move the head of the lamp when the lamp is on. When it is on, the head gets really hot because of the bulb, and moving it to a new position becomes difficult because of the temperature of the head. The work around is the use the black plastic baffle to move the head, but this is inconvenient.

Overall a it is a good deal especially compared to other similar products that are priced much higher.

I'm an architecture student. We were required to buy lamps for our studios and most of the students bought this one. Most of them didn't last an entire semester. The bases often broke, switches didn't work, the works.

I actually still have mine because 1) it was installed in a corner and rarely moved (which is not the point of this type of lamp) and 2) I saw the quality of these lamps so when I did move it I was super careful.

Regarding the heat and moving the lamp: I'm using my lamp with a 25 watt fluorescent daylight bulb. It doesn't get too hot to move and I like the whiter light. It didn't screw into the lamp easily though because the socket was at an angle so the ballast wouldn't fit. Angling the socket, by moving the switch, solved that problem.

In general I find all of Alvin's products to be subpar and do my best to avoid them.

The arm of the light seems to be well built, however the clamp is made of cheap plastic. The clamp snapped apart within 1 month of my purchase.

I purchased this lamp about 4 months ago. At first it didn't seem to fit properly on the drawing table (definitely a piece had to be missing), after a few days the plastic base broke when I turned the lamp. And now, after just 4 months, the switch to turn the light on doesn't work. It has been a very poor product. Would not recommend at all!

This lamp works very well and is priced right. It stays in position without any problem. The clamp is a bit cheap and may not last, but it appears that it can easily be replaced with a sturdy metal clamp. For the price, this lamp can't be beat.

It is all-metal, but don't confuse that with rugged. The metal is thin.

The base-clamp is almost worthless. The bottom of the base is covered with some sort of slippery microfiber/felt material which makes the clamp want to slip off anything you clamp it to. You're gonna wanna drill a 1/2" hole into your workbench to drop the arm base peg into and fling the clamp. It should've been covered in rubber on both sides and with a deeper throat.

It's only 32" reach, so unless you have about a 3 foot workspace, you'll probably end up wishing you'd gone with 48".

It got tiny little plastic thumb-screws to adjust the tension and the one up at the lamp head can't seem to be tightened enough to keep the lamp head securely locked in place.

This is a $19.95, bargain-basement, look-alike lamp. Don't confuse it with the real thing or with Professional quality. It'll only just barely do the job, if you baby it.

I usually do not leave a harsh review on any product. However, I cannot but leave negative feedback on this swing lamp.

I ordered two of them about 2 weeks ago. They arrived on time. They worked fine for the first few days, and then both started having problems

One of them: the on/off switch (of the head) is broken. I cannot switch the lamp on. I have to plug/unplug it to turn it on/off

The other one: the one/off switch does not work well. I have to carefully touch/manipulate the switch for it to turn on.

In short, I feel terrible. What are the odds that I happen to have two "consecutive" defective products from the same factory? Am I just unlucky? or is it because of their poor quality control?

I would not buy this product again. I want to return them, but I threw the boxes away. What should I do?

We all know about light fixtures that are made to last a year, and break and toss it and buy another.Are we all sick of this yet? This Chinese copy of a quality light is the same. American quality is the same.(now). Most of the joints in this light work. But you cannot fix them if they don't. The base clamp is wrong. It should be stronger. It is ABS plastic. It should be metal. It should be redesigned so as to clamp in other directions as well. The base clamp should accept the light arm so that the arm will swing without moving out of place after it is set over the drawing or writing table. It does not, if the table is at an angle,used by many for drafting, drawing, writing, viewing. Will designers/corporations,etc ever understand what quality means? Don't they get it yet that people need quality, and will go anywhere to get it? Don't these management idiots see what happened to American cars, for example? Is there a better lamp than this? Can't find one, because it seems that corporations can't bother when all is junk, anyway.

The lamp is very good but the mounting clamp is way too small and too flimsy for the lamp. I mounted it to a smooth maple work table but it came loose several times and fell in my lap or on the floor. I finally drilled two holes in the base and screwed it to the table.

This lamp is a great buy for the price. You have to tighten the hinges a lot to keep it steady after you've bent it a lot, but like I said, the inexpense calls for that. I recommend this! Looks cool!