Customer Reviews

LightWedge Original LED Book Light, Black

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I use the LightWedge to read in bed and bought it so the light wouldn't disturb my husband. We both think it works great; however, be mindful of the translucent versus solid colored casing in terms of light escape.

The translucent lets the light escape through its clear casing and scatter throughout the room. So, if disturbing others around you is an issue then buy a solid colored casing.

Overall, the LightWedge is a must buy for anyone who likes to read before going to bed and while traveling. I have 2 more suggestions: 1) buy the case covering to protect it when not in use 2) buy a LightWedge with different light settings, if possible: a high and a low. For example, when I wake in the middle of the night and can't fall asleep, I get out my book to read. The problem is that my current LightWedge has only one light setting. This can be so bright, it almost hurts to read and how I mumble and curse myself for not being a more mindful consumer.

THis lightwedge is fantastic. It provides a great source of light that is focused on your book, not on the person next to you. The light comes from the black handle, but because of the "wedge" shape of the glass, it is focused down the glass and onto your book. You can even take that focused beam and use it as an impromtu flashlight.

This thing uses hardly any batteries at all, unlike the other popular reading lights. I very rarely have to change the batteries and I use this all the time, for hours every night! I've even fallen asleep with it on overnight, with no noticable decrease in battery life. Because the battery life is so good, I've even let my son read in bed for awhile and then just set it down and use it as a nightlight for the rest of the night.

It is true that if you're like I am (rough with it) it will get scratches on the lens. Not a big deal though, when it's on the book, you won't notice the scraches. Much like small scratches on eyeglasses.

I like the larger size because you can use that with large books or with paperbacks with equal ease. The paperback one doesn't work as well with the hardcover books, but it's okay.

The lightwedge also doubles as a bookmark when not in use!

You won't be disappointed if you buy this. I wasn't. I'm actually buying two more for friends as Christmas gifts!

I bought this light based on all the great reviews. I love reading in bed and my husband can't stand the light on when he is trying to sleep. So, I thought I had found a good option for both of us. I find the design of this light awkward while reading--it's hard to move between pages and the light output is really faint. I am under 40 and have good vision--so think it is the light and not my eyes. I'm still looking for a better solution.

I read books at night, frequently, so I purchased this product so I wouldn't disturb my wife. This light source is simple in design: tiny LED lamps illuminate a thin piece of plastic (working similar to a fiberoptic lamp Lumisource LS-FO SPRAY Fiber Optic Spray). It is about the dimensions of a full sized book and the black handle which houses the battery/light source is somewhat bulky. A small button toggles the light intensity from low to dim to off.

USE

Place the item on the page that you want to read, push the button to the light intensity that you desire (allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness, which may take a minute or more), and flip the item to the other page to read. As you turn the page, you will need to take the item out, and place it back into the book.

In concept, this product is ideal. You have a light source that is limited to the pages that you are viewing. However, even on the highest intensity (let's call it dim and dimmer), the light is still somewhat low. What can you read with this item? Books that have high contrast paper (glossy pages are most ideal since the reflective proper of the paper allows for better view). Conventional novels are a bit more difficult to read. Magazines are impossible unless you read on your stomach with the magazine placed on the bed. Furthermore, pictures are difficult to see, at best.

DURABILITY

Like any screen on a laptop, I placed a SCREEN PROTECTOR on my lightwedge to prevent scratches. Any scratch with transmit uneven light (more than usual).

Given that LEDs have very little power requirements, I have had the same batteries in the unit for the past 3 years, and it is still running.

DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS

More LED bulbs along the 'spine' of the handle would improve the light intensity.

A thinner, scratch resistant plastic with a lighter handle would be a marked improvement.

VERDICT

Knowing the limitations and tendency for scratches, it is an innovative product that still has good uses. You will need to try this product for yourself, before you can decide if it works for you.

I bought my Light Wedge after seeing it on Oprah's favorite things last year. I was sure that this was the answer to wearing a headlamp during reading and I am definitely one to keep up with the latest tech. After using it for the last eight months a couple of things have irked me to the point where I am officially retiring the product and moving back to more conventional methods.

Problem the first!

This thing scratches beyond easy. I wish I had the foresight to purchase some large screen protectors or something of the sort. I don't mistreat it either, it just acts as my bookmark when I am not using it. In the time I have owned it it has become so bad that it's difficult to read and I have to move it around in order to read a whole page.

Problem the second!

The battery casing is a joke. I don't know what the hell the designers were thinking, but in order to get the batteries into the device you have to seriously wedge (pardon the pun) the suckers in. I use rechargeable batteries and the bottoms are ruined from how hard they have to press against each other inside.

All in all the concept is fantastic. I loved it for the first few months even despite the fact that I couldn't put the batteries in without help. Now that it is nearly unusable I wish that I had spent my $30 on more books instead.

If you are interested in purchasing one I would say wait until the next model comes out, but if you really must have it now make sure you get something to protect the screen on both sides.

I was very excited to get the LightWedge, having heard wonderful things about them, and having been frustrated with small, flimsy book lights that only light up parts of the page.

Well, it turns out it is no better than any other light, in fact it is worse. There are only two LED's at the top of the "wedge" and at the bottom. The light emitted seems to be quite a bit, but once it is placed on a page, it is very dim light. I found myself giving up on reading late at night because of constant squinting. It was horrible. I ended up pointing the end of the lightwedge at the text that I was reading instead of laying it down on the page so I could actually read the text without killing my eyes.

To make this a better product there needs to be an equal distribution of light over the page, maybe the addition of two more LED's would solve this problem.

If you want to have a good amount of reading light in complete darkness, shy away from the ligth wedge.

This is a great idea for an alternative to the gooseneck-type booklights: It spreads the light across the whole page rather than just a spot; the acrylic plate handily keeps the page open with little effort, and obviates the need for a cumbersome clip at the top of your book.

The main flaw is the same as with every other booklight: The LEDs they're using for the light source are at once too harsh and too dim. Given that this product's LEDs are pointing laterally into the acrylic rather than directly at (perpendicular to) the page means it's even dimmer. I would rather have some over-engineered industrial-strength incandescents as light sources (assuming that the bizarre, retro-fascistic 2008 law "banning" incandescent bulb manufacture in 2014 or whenever is not repealed *before* it can inflict its lunatic damage,) but a better lighting solution is clearly needed to do this excellent "transparent plate" idea justice. I don't know the physics of how light behaves when directed sideways into a transparent mass, but I'm thinking that some type of refraction grating or prism application would direct the light more efficiently? Mirror coating on the outer edges?

At any rate, it's too dim and fades too quickly in terms of battery power, even with Lithiums. Which brings me to the second flaw: The unit is only powered by AAA batteries, and the compartment has this little conductive metal clip that sits between them and...it's loose, as in: Detached from the rest of the product. I don't remember if it was ever attached, but right now I have to hold it carefully in place between the batteries, then sneak the lid shut before it all springs skyward. I assume it used to be attached, which since I've only opened the battery cover twice means it's intolerably delicate. Look guys, I'm happy to pay a couple extra bucks to cover the cost of the .01 grams of extra plastic molding it would take to secure that thing. If you won't build it to last, why build it? Doubling the battery capacity too would likely increase the life and quality of the light - or maybe it would be better to just integrate a compartment that will accomodate a 9V and adjust the circuit accordingly. Or maybe incorporate the same kind of rechargable lithium/nicad/whatever that our cellphones use?

The last drawback is that the acrylic plate apparently has no scratch-resistant coating of any kind on it, which means that in less than a couple of months of careful usage, mine already has an annoying network of Nazca-like runways and swirls all over it, and a bunch of little dust flecks/pits that can't be wiped off. Eyeglass manufacturers have used scratch-resistant coatings for decades that make plastic lenses virtually impervious even to demonstration scrubs with SOS pads. Application of that kind of coating to a product whose entire function is to be a window for text ought to be a no-brainer.

So I'll continue to use this, but hope beyond hope that they'll re-think the design and build some practicality and longevity into it. I can't claim to have done any marketing studies, but I personally would be happy to pay twice the price for something that was built like a tank and provided perfect, consistent lighting. IOW, I question the assumption that no market exists for a booklight that's better quality than minimum-function plastic but happens to cost more than $25 as a result.

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I've been searching for the best night lighting solution for my Kindle DX since I got it a couple of weeks ago. Odd to me that with all the new LED technology it is still difficult to find a portable reading light that disburses light evenly without noticeable hotspots. I ordered this on a lightning deal with the thought that I could figure out some way to add velcro tabs and use those to attach it to the Kindle DX for night reading. I haven't actually done that yet but I have tried it on the DX and it seems to work decently. The light is not completely even over the Kindle DX screen but it's not bad in terms of hotspots. It is close to being too dim in a couple of areas but it is ok. Also, the "handle" of the LightWedge prevents it from laying completely flat over the Kindle DX screen, The handle (the black part) needs to rest on top of the left border of the Kindle DX and this means the lighting screen portion rests at a slight angle over the Kindle screen. Not a big deal but it would probably light the screen more evenly if it laid flat. Bottom line is it works for my purposes. If I ever get ambitious I will post pics of it after I attach the velcro. One big, big downside to this device is how incredibly easily it scratches. I put it in a nylon laptop case one time and it already has annoying scratches. If you get one, I definitely recommend the companion protective sleeve and even then I would be really careful with it. I may look for a screensaver plastic cover type thingy that will work (you'd have to cover both sides) but it's already too late for this one.

I have tried itty bitty's, fancy space lights, and lights mounted to the headboard of my bed. This is by FAR the best book light I have found. It is a little cumbersome for small paperbacks but they have one for that too (maybe I will buy one one day). I take it on planes and it conveniently stays put in the book while in my bag. By the way...if you are like me and dont read directions, this goes ON TOP of the page.

Get it.

I was surprised how much I disliked this product. The light from this is quite weak and uneven. This would work well if you read in complete darkness, but in a room with some ambient light it does not help that much. Also, you have to read "through" a piece of plastic, and so any dirt or imperfections on the plastic will effect your reading enjoyment. It is an interesting idea that did not work for me.