Customer Reviews

LightWedge Reading Light

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

This is a great little gadget if you don't mind spending [money]on a light that isn't all that great for either bed side reading or traveling.

The way it works is two light emitting diodes are built into the black handle of the unit. They are powered by 4 'AAA' batteries. The light shines through the plastic screen. Thus, much of the light is captured (not really, but it is easier to explain this way) within the plastic panel. When placed over the pages of a book, the light captured in the panel is sufficient to read the page.

First, the Pros:
-Great Design and well engineered.
-Adequate light if you really share a bed with someone who can't stand even the smallest of clip on book lights.

Cons:
-Expensive. ...
-The light weight plastic screen will scratch, as the unit doesn't come with a case. Throw it in a backpack or a briefcase for a few business trips and you are sure to scratch this up. It's best left on the bedside table, ideally in a book as a bookmark or in the box it came in.
-Not great for mass market paperbacks. It is a pain to turn the pages and move the light. The smaller the book, as mass market paperbacks are, the more you have to juggle the book and the LightWedge. So, if you read primarily paper backed books or are a very fast reader, it will get annoying to use this product.
-The light is adequate; I would not say it is ideal by any means. This book light is not nearly as powerful as the classic Might Bright and thus you may find that your eyes are strained when reading for extended periods of time with this little gadget.

I decided to buy this book light after being unhappy with the Itty Bitty Book Light. I felt the IBBL did not light up the pages enough, especially if I was reading a hardcover. I have used the Lightwedge now for about 2 months now and I am very happy with it. I find it illuminates the entire page evenly, and it is definitely enough light to read in the dark. Some have complained about the cirlces of light it produces, I have noticed this but after you get used to reading with this product, the circles are no longer noticeable or distracting. Although, you do need to be careful with this because it does scratch rather easily, being plastic. I noticed it had a lot after only using it for a very short time (the reason I gave 4 stars), yet when held against the page, you can not see them except for maybe one or two which are very faint and are not distracting or make it difficult to read at all . It only becomes noticebale when you hold it in the air while it is on. I do recommend keeping it in the box because that is the best way to keep it from getting damaged. I am also looking forward to getting the paperback version- this version is a bit difficult to read with mass market paperbacks- and it comes out late November 2003. The Lightwedge website says August 2003 but I think it was held off. Some websites now have pre-orders for November 28 of this year. If you are looking for a new book light, take a chance on this one!

I do a lot of reading in bed and tried the Itty Bitty Book Light. I could never get it to stay right where I wanted it, and it seemed like the bulbs burned out all the time. LightWedge is really cool! The light is bright white (there's a low setting also), never needs replacing, and it doesn't get hot. Since it lies flat on the page, I thought it might be a pain to have to move it when flipping pages, but it's really light (in weight) and I hardly notice. Actually I kind of like it because when I'm done, I just leave it in the book as a bookmark. It's thin so it doesn't hurt the binding. I highly recommend it. Really neat.

I love this thing! I've been driving my husband nuts for years reading in bed after he goes to sleep. I've tried every other book light out there but they would shine right onto his face. (He's a cuddler.) This light is great because the room stays dark while the page is perfectly lit. Even better, there's no electrical cord or light bulbs to deal with.

I'm buying a bunch of these as Christmas gifts!

I think I've tried nearly every book light on the market, since I'm read in bed and my husband doesn't like the lights left on. The Lightwedge book light is the FIRST one that not only keeps his side of the bed nice and dark but illuminates the pages of my books without any harsh glare. It actually looks as though the book pages are lighting themselves, with a nice, even glow and NO distracting overly bright areas.
I'm giving these as holiday gifts to all the readers I know. Would be perfect for college students who have room mates yet need to stay up late studying.

If you read, you will love this high-tech but low-maintenance gadget. If you know someone who reads, it's a wonderful gift. It's perfect for anyone who reads in bed (while someone else is trying to sleep), on a train, bus, airplane, or in a dark car (while of course someone else is trying to drive). The side-lit pane lights up the whole page, not just annoying bits and pieces like other lights. It doesn't get hot, and it's light enough to use as a bookmark and carry around in your current book.

I've had my light wedge for about 9 months, and it's gotten pretty scratched up during that time, but the scratches don't distract or impede my reading at all. I've found the light to be plenty bright-- in fact I normally use it on the low setting. I've traveled with it and just stick it into my book & pop it in my bag. Unlike with clip-on lights, there are no little pieces to break off. I've taken it camping and found it really useful for reading maps in the car without distracting the driver too much. And so far I haven't had to change the battery, even with nearly nightly use.

I deducted a star because of the scratches-- although like I said they don't impede my reading-- and because it is a bit of a pain to have to keep flipping the wedge over to the next page.

The wedge is definitely designed to sit on top of the page, not under it as another reader suggested-- if you place it under the page you can read the writing on the other side of the paper, which would be distracting.

I've tried them all (book lights), and the LightWedge is the hands-down winner. Outstanding light, great battery life, solid design and construction. A few bucks more, but if I'd been able to buy this thing 3-4 years ago I'd be big dollars ahead given all those I've had to throw out.

I love this thing. I live alone, so I am not worried about needing to be courteous of someone trying to sleep next to me while I stay up all night. This serves another valuable purpose for me. I take it with me on the airplane. I travel a decent amount and I do my best to avoid turning on the overhead light. I find that it is too obtrusive to other people on the plane who are trying to sleep or enjoy the flight in relative peace and darkness. Cue my lightwedge. I can read with more than enough light and not bother the people around me.

I like it so much I got one for my mom for Mother's Day. She fits into the category of readers who have tried EVERY booklight on the market and thus are dissatisfied with them all. She loves her lightwedge. Good brownie points for me.

I do not like that the carrying case comes separately, though I do recommend you get one if you opt for the paperback-sized lightwedge and take it with you on trips.

As other reviewers have noted, this product emits a light that is too dim for easy reading. Also, the wavy pattern it produces is visually distracting. LightWedge customer service will NEVER admit that anything might be wrong with their products or that individual customers might find their products unsatisfactory. I recommend that you do not buy this book light.