Customer Reviews

Iogear GCA158U 8-LED USB Flex Light

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had owned another USB keyboard light, but SOMEBODY in this house chewed on it (eh, Sparky?) and I needed to replace it. I would say that this light is better in one way but worse in another -- ie, it has three settings (off, low and high), which is nice, but the 13-inch cable is not as firm so it doesn't hold the light upright as well. The difference between low and high is one of degree -- 8 LEDs are lit rather than 4, but the area covered is about the same -- approximately a 6 inch ellipse.

Not perfect, but pretty good.

The best thing about this USB LED light is that it has an OFF switch. My previous light of this type didn't. I couldn't get one of my computers to power down its USB ports when the machine was off, so my choice was to either not use that old light or fiddle with unplugging/plugging the light every time I shut down/turned on the computer. With this Iogear model, I can leave the light plugged in all the time and only have to move the switch to turn it off on that one recalcitrant computer. The only slightly negative thing I can note (and the reason for my four star rating instead of a five star rating), is that the "shaft" of this light is somewhat too flexible: if you don't position the light properly, it tends to flop over. The flip side of that "problem" is that the shaft's flexibility makes it easier to reposition the light so that I can slide my keyboard drawer in an out without too much trouble (my light is plugged into my keyboard's USB port). Highly recommended.

This is my first USB light I have purchased. I originally purchased this for my laptop. Other uses can be for airplane use or any time you want lighting and privacy.

The 8 LED is very bright and should NOT be looked at directly. There are 3 settings on this device (off, low, high). Low uses 4 LEDs and High uses all 8 leds.

Pros:
Because it's using LED, it does not produce any heat.
Power consumption is low
Flex cable is very useful. Though, I have to adjust the light so it would not fall down.

Cons:
Flex cable is somewhat top heavy so you would have to adjust to find the perfect angle for lighting.
The top 'head' felt somewhat cheap but as long as it keeps on working, no complaints.
The light setting (on high) is bright, but seems more of a 'direct' spotlight than spreading the light evenly. This is more of a annoyance than a true con though.

Overall thoughts:
If you need a USB light (for traveling or whatnot) this is PERFECT. You will not be disappointed even with the 'cons' The price tag is reasonable.