Customer Reviews

LightWedge Original LED Book Light

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have had one since they were first introduced a few years ago. My feelings for this product are mixed, hence my mediocre rating. This is the least obtrusive booklight on the market. For some situations, it is great, but it has some Achilles' heels. You look THROUGH this booklight, so focus is difficult for some people. My halogen booklight, compared side-by-side to this light, provides far crisper, more legible viewing.

The LightWedge works better for those below 40-45 years of age, those not cursed with presbyopia. Older people may find their eyes do not adjust well to looking through a thick focal surface and find that their eyes will try to hunt for the true focal plane. Another problem: you WILL NOT keep scratches and dust off of it. Don't consider using without the newly introduced soft case, and ALWAYS put it back in the case when not using it. Also, be careful of the battery cover. It is a bit finicky and easy to break while replacing the batteries.

Consider this a disposable product. You will want to get another one every few years because of the scratches. I wish they made one out of optical, non-reflective, tempered glass.

I hate to list so many negatives and few positives, because this light does what it claims and is more usable than a standard booklight in some situations. However, I recommend buying it along with a halogen booklight (crisper lighting). Each type has its advantages.

This product is far better than clip-on booklights, which illuminate only part of the page. This one fits "standard" hardcovers fine, but it's usable on other size books. It's plenty bright for my 50-year-old eyes, which don't work in dim light. In fact, if I wake up at 2 AM and need to read to fall back asleep, the "bright" setting is too bright, so I use "dim." Light is white (slightly blueish) not green as some have reported. Illumination is not perfectly uniform, but good enough. I've had it for 3 weeks, no scratches yet, but I notice that it works better if I clean off the dust every few pages. Turning the page and moving the lightwedge takes only a second, not a real problem. Overall, I highly recommend it!

The key to this product is SIZE. Unless you're willing to invest in both the small & large book lights, I would suggest you choose the right-sized light for your reading life style. If you frequently read hard-back books, you will want to get this larger sized book light.

I have tried to use the large book light on my paperback novels, but after a half-hour of reading, the muscles in my right thumb and palm would cramp because I had to balanced both the book and the light.

In regards to the smaller light - I had just as much trouble reading a hard-cover novel. It was extra work just to get through a page (I felt like the scanner on a copier machine - only able to see sections of the page at a time). It wasn't relaxing at all.

Once you have sized the light correctly, this really is a good buy. I have enjoyed my book lights immensely. It's not a perfect product (the glass scratches quite easily), but truly, I would be lost without them. I travel often, and read a lot at night. And in my experience, the book light is not distracting to those around me who are trying to sleep.

Not to mention, it doubles as a great book mark! For those of you like me who can't help but lose our bookmarks - you'll understand the benefit of this.

I bought both the original and the paperback version as gifts for my wife. She was very dissatisfied with both as the light they provide is marred by vertical shadows across the page which she found distracting. Evidently not everyone is bothered by these shadows, based on the positive reviews and the fact that in calling the manufacturer with the problem, I was told that that is how they worked and my only recourse was returning them to the place I bought them.

Since the packages had been opened, Amazon charged a steep re-stocking fee plus shipping and handling charges. I ended up paying about 40% of the price of the items for the total unstatisfactory experience.

I strongly recommend that you buy this item where you can try it first.

If I could give ten stars, I would. I LOVE these things!!! This is the first book light that actually does the job. I use it at home, in the van waiting at various after school events (better than overhead lights), on planes...everywhere the lighting is poor. When my kids were little and I'd sit with them until they fell asleep, this little wonder light kept me reading without straining my eyes!

With the exception of very large books, the regular size covers virtually all pages without having to shift the wedge around to see. I wouldn't bother with the paperback sized one, unless you only ever read small paperbacks. The book's page is illuminated evenly from top to bottom and side to side. I've given these as gifts to my book loving friends, and now they are giving them as gifts. Batteries last a very long time so you aren't spending a lot of money every time you use it. The "glass" does scratch, but only if you abuse it. My light is usually tucked inside a book so the surface doesn't get damaged. However, if you do scratch the "glass", it doesn't affect your ability to see through to the page to read.

After wasting money on Itty Bitty Book Lights, lights that clip on, etc., I can't rave about this product enough.

I was very disappointed in this product. There is only one functioning light setting (not two), the light is dim, and I notice waves across the page. The light is usable, but I was expecting something great. If I had bought it in a store, I would have returned it. Looking at the mixed reviews for the LightWedge, and based on my own experience, I would recommend that you buy the LightWedge where you feel comfortable returning it if it doesn't meet your expectations.

I bought this book light after reading the postings on this site, which means I was twice as careful not to scratch the glass. Didn't help. When I switched pages, the paper itself actually left a two-inch scratch on the glass, which now mars every page I read. This is with the first read! I can't imagine what continuous readings will do. The lightbulb also casts a halo effect across the page, which I didn't mind as much as others. My suggestion is not to buy this product until they find a scratch-resistent glass. It really does effect the read.

It works well, probably better than the other solutions available, but there are some disadvantages: there are 2 LEDs that illuminate the page, and illumination is not perfectly uniform. How could it be? In addition, a faint diffraction pattern resulting in concentric circles or arcs radiating out from the LEDs is visible on the page. Finally, because the "lens" is made of plastic, it accumulates static electricity and hence dust; pages actually stick to my lightwedge.

After a couple of years keeping my wife awake while i read in bed at night, I stopped. Either the nightstand light was too bright, or the clip-on light shone directly in her eyes while she was trying to go to sleep.

With my busy schedule, I literally never found another time to read. When I got my LightWedge (original size), all of that changed. Now I am able to read everything from magazines to hardcover (and paperback) books to (unfortunately) work documents without waking her or keeping her from falling asleep.

I've read a few of the other reviews, and as long as you keep the lens in a book (it keeps your place like a bookmark) or in the available soft case, scratches will be minimal at most. (Just follow the care instructions in the package. They're easy to find!)

Thank you to the people at LightWedge for rekindling my love of reading

This thing will be scratched to the point where you will be squinting and having trouble reading through the scratches after a week. No instructions come with it say to leave the plastic wrap on it. Also, as the battery fades the light dims imperceptibly and after months you may wonder what the *&%$ is going on. I won't be buying another of these.