Customer Reviews

Z-Bar High Power LED Lamp- Metallic Black/Cool Generation 2

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had some concerns about a few things, just based on other LED products I've got. But this one has no LED issues and we're getting a few more for the office.

1: On max brightness this will light up an entire work surface. This new unit, with only 6 LEDs, is bright on max level. I'd say it's brighter a standard fluorescent desk light, and covers a larger area.

2: The Daylight White still looks like a high quality high Kelvin light source - it is not too "blue-ish" - I had been concerned about that based on cheaper led products.

3: On low brightness it does not have any flicker. As you may know, LEDs are usually dimmed by cycling them on and off, and as a result, many LED products have a high frequency flicker that I can usually see. I'm pretty sensitive to flicker, maybe due to my eye condition (albinism), and I can usually see the flicker in indirect tube TV light and cheap LED Christmas lights, but I cannot see it here at all on any brightness level.

Low brightness is also nice for generic background lighting. I tend to use just off, low and high, and ignore brightness levels 2 and 3.

4: The AC adapter is pleasantly tiny - you could mistake it for a cell phone charger - very efficient light source I guess. The light also returns to the same brightness level if you disconnect it from AC (at least for short periods, did not test overnight) This one thin wire is the only wire you'll see - all other electricity travels through the secure mechanical connections.

5: If you have a smaller workspace, like just a phone and notepad, you might want to check out the mini 4 LED version. This full sized one is for a larger work surface.

Very impressed.

My only suggestion, and this is tiny, is that the on and off press buttons could be a bit lower down on the neck. There's a slight wobble when you press the on button - any similar design would have that - and it would be minimized if they moved the buttons down an inch.

And I guess it could have buttons for each power level, but then that would be 5 buttons instead of 2, and that makes it more complicated, so never mind. Or just have 2 brightness levels, low and high, and off, requiring only 3 buttons. When you turn it on, you do need to cycle through the 3 lower brightness levels to get to max. And then to turn it off, you go back down through those 3 other levels. Not a big deal, this is a TINY and possibly bad suggestion.

While it may seem expensive, you are paying for the technology, design and quality of this fixture. It uses new generation high power white l.e.d. bulbs as opposed to older l.e.d.'s which put out fewer lumens. I also recommend you go with the bright white as opposed to the warm white bulbs which produce a less intense yellow light. This lamp goes together in minutes, is infinately adjustable and comes with a solid as well as bracket base. You have 4 levels of brightness as opposed to an on/off switch. It produces very little heat as compared to halogen or incandescent bulbs. If Porsche made a desk lamp, this would be it.

Electrically, there is poor contact between the LED bar plug and its socket, this causes the lamp to flicker a few times per hour - annoying. The flicker would have caused me to return the lamp, but being in the UK, I modified the lamp to fix it. Lack of electromechanical design skills are evident, LEDs take 900mA, all connectors need to be up rated for lifetime use. Design appearance is good. Mechanically the operation is a bit plastic and not 100% smooth, but acceptable. Works on 240V.

I did a whole lot of research on nice desk lamps before I ended up buying this one. What I found was that the desk lamps that you can find in Staples and Office Depot stores (at least around here) are sorely lacking in configurability, style, power consumption, and appeal. There is a large gap in price between the desk lamps I found at Staples/Office Depot/Target/etc. and the nice ones I found online. This Z-Bar LED light, was at the lower end of that price gap and I was happy about that.

In addition, I knew that I didn't want another halogen desk light, having had previous really bad experiences with energy usage, cost, and burns from the high heat. I wanted something stylish and classy-looking, so from what I saw, that meant that the old CFL/Incandescent lamps were out too.

I found some good online desk lamp reviews and it looked like LED lights were very long lasting, very low energy/electricity users, very stylish, and didn't get hot to the touch. Unfortunately, they're also the most expensive right now.

Having looked in stores, and done the research, I settled myself on spending more than $100 on a new desk lamp. I work 100% from home, so I viewed it as a good investment and another step in making my home office a place where I like to be for 8+ hours a day. My two favorite LED lamps were the Koncept Z-Bar High Power LED lamp and the Humanscale Element LED Lamp. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $340+ for the Humanscale Element, but the Koncept Z-Bar's $160 price was a little bit more palatable.

Next came trying to figure out whether I wanted the Daylight or Warm White LED lights, and I read a lot of differing opinions that didn't really help me decide. In the end, it seemed to me like the Daylight LED lights would offer the ability to be brighter, so I went with them. I was worried that the light would be blue-tinted as I'd read in some customer reviews, but if it is (I can't tell?), it certainly doesn't bother me at all. I also read people complaining about flickering LED lights at lower lighting levels, but thankfully I have not seen any of this and think that it's a problem that might have existed in older models.

Koncept does a really nice job on packaging and finish and attention to detail, and my first thought on unpacking and assembling the Z-Bar was that it was very much like something you'd get from Apple.

I am extremely satisfied with my Koncept Z-Bar High Power LED Lamp. The price was not too high, especially considering the current price range for other LED desk lamps, and the quality is truly stunning. I have no problems at all with it, no complaints, and haven't seen any flickering or other sub-par behavior. Would definitely buy again. The only other problem I found was that these lamps are extremely popular right now and hard to find available online. I think Koncept themselves are out of stock on these for at least another month. So if you can find a retailer who still has these in stock, buy one quickly, because chances are, in another hour they'll be sold out too. =:)

I find the light emitted by this lamp to be noticeably blue. I wish it were warmer. It's kinda creepy. But the very nice customer service person said the warmer-LED version doesn't shed as much light, by a considerable amount. I'm not completely satisfied with the amount of light even the cool-LED version puts out, so I'm not going to exchange it.

I also notice some flickering when the head is rotated on its long axis (thus tilting the LEDs toward or away from the desktop). The flickering stops when the rotation stops, so I don't find it worrisome.

And I wish the head swiveled left and right, not just up and down. The light swivels left and right only at its base, which limits where light can be directed.

If it lasts its expected lifetime, something better will have come along by the time of its demise.

(Hi Power)

I use this as a rough gauge for photo proofs before the lab does the final correction. It not as accurate as a true proofing station but those cost upwards of $500. The light output is good though at the fringes, it emits above the 5200-5500 Kelvin. Since the LED's are arranged in a linear row, the fringes from each emitter create high color temp banding. Can be annoying for purists but again, I didn't pay for a proofing station. As a desk lamp, I feel it is a winner.

The articulating arm isn't very precise so it will take a few seconds more fiddling to set to your preferences. Once set, it stays. The reach of the unit is good and being able to turn the LED head a full 360 is a nice feature. I can bounce the light off the wall or ceiling in addition to dimming it for the light output I desire. Actually, it works well bouncing the light off a white ceiling. Mine stays on 5-7+ hours a day and so far I've been pleased. The lamp comes with two bases, a desk clamp and weighted base. The weighted base is about 9.50" diameter so it does take up space.

Pluses:
Good extension of the arm and useful for wide-deep desks
Even daylight balanced output
Cool running
No glare
stylish

Minuses
High temp color banding. Most LED's have that fringe anyhow.
Arm isn't as precise, joints feel sticky

A bit spendy for a desk lamp and like many other lamps, there are various compromises. Overall, I would recommend this for general purpose uses.

I needed a lamp to go on a small table that does double duty as a place to eat and a place to work. The lamp had to be as unobtrusive as possible, yet still provide good task lighting and look good against the painting on the wall behind it, as well as the rest of the decor. This lamp covers all of that perfectly. Yes, it's expensive, but I think it's worth it. The quality is excellent and it puts out a good light for getting things done. It will not flood a wide area, but it lights up a reasonably good area for most tasks. It can be adjusted in so many ways that it's like a contortionist. You should have no problem setting it up for almost anything you need lit. It looks very cool and sophisticated, and is so thin and sleek that it almost disappears. You are surprised at how much good light comes out of the narrow head. You can also fold it pretty much out of the way. The base is nice and heavy, but still sleek looking. The little buttons at the bottom of the lower arm are easy to work and simple to use, and the wall wart is tiny. I got the cool white and agree with other reviewers that it avoids the blueish tint and comes across as pretty pure white; definitely not warm, but neutral. I'm very happy with the Z-Bar so far, and would recommend it if you need a stylish, unobtrusive, high-quality light that uses the latest technology and adds class to your space.

Not the typical light, But I love it! I use it to light up my keyboard on the low setting. I may be buying a 2nd light for reading. Can be position almost anyway you want and the arm is very lightweight.

Pros: 9 watts of power usage MAX; can be maneuvered to light virtually any surface; extremely simple assembly; heavy base and good table clamp; strong artistic value (subjective); small power supply; LEDs do NOT contain mercury; water based paint; all aluminum housing, some plastic (which means it CAN be recycled if need be)

Cons: Purchase price; a short power supply cord; packaging by Koncept (just a tad too much cardboard for me)

Other: 4-step dimmer buttons

Generally speaking, this is a lamp that tries to combine art with science. The science is using LEDs to adequately light a surface area while using merely 9 watts. The art is the use of angular pivot points to allow you to light a surface at seemingly any angle possible. The artistic value isn't merely for the lamp itself, but also applies to the box it comes in and how they packaged the items in the box. It's as if Steven Jobs had something to do with this (obviously he didn't, since it appears Mr. Jobs preferred having rounded edges, while this lamp distinctly goes for the straight edge look). However, even though the cardboard packaging form follows function, it almost seemed to me like a bit too much cardboard was used. Nevertheless, the cardboard packaging is supposedly made of 60% recycled material. And despite the amount of cardboard, I will say I'm glad it was there because everything came out looking gorgeous! The amount of protection is more than enough so that if any part of the exterior of the box gets dented or ripped, you won't have to worry about the fit and finish of the lamp.

As I said, the items are well packaged in the box, and taking out each item and assembling it took me a total of 2 minutes. Finding where to plug in the power cord was a minor hassle for me (it plugs at the bottom of the lower bar just above the base itself), but I personally had a more difficult time trying to position the lamp's base so that the power cord could reach from the wall outlet (for me, the 6ft cord was about 2 inches too short, so I had to move furniture around, but that's not Koncept's fault). The electricity is conducted via internal metal connectors...so there really is only plugging the power cord into the wall outlet and into the bottom of the bar. By the way, the power supply isn't all that big, so you can plug it into the wall WITHOUT having to worry about it being so big as to block the other outlet.

Once put together and plugged in, it is very stylish (artistically speaking, in my opinion) and can be maneuvered in virtually an infinite amount of positions. The LED bar itself is about 14 inches long, and the other 2 bars are both about 15 1/2 inches long each. So, it is a bit bigger in person than you would think it would be. Still, it's easy to place in your home/apartment and it can easily be placed out of the way without taking up a ton of space.

The lamp turns on and off using a 2-button styled dimmer switch on the lowest bar. To turn it on, simply touch the "+" button, and press the "-" button (that sits on the bar below the "+" button) to turn it off. To work between the lowest setting to the highest and back, simply depress the "+" button to the one of 4 intensities you prefer; use the "-" button to decrease the lighting intensity and to turn it off. For myself, most of the time, the lowest setting is plenty adequate for both typing on my computer, reading, and general low light ambiance (for watching movies or sporting events on TV. I would use the highest setting if I was painting or putting together the model cars that I work on. The dimmer buttons give a distinctive click, so there is plenty of tactile feedback without requiring an unusual amount of pressure.

The stand is very sturdy, and simple bumps to the lamp won't move it. In fact, the only time the lamp budged was when I hit the table it was sitting on while I was vacuuming. Otherwise, position the lamp as you like it, and the angular pivot points have enough play to allow for you to move the lamp where you need it, but once you have it in place, the lamp pivot points don't move and hold their position until you choose to move it again. In other words, you can...I can't believe I'm saying this..."Set it, and forget it." on the brightest light setting, i noticed a distinct white color, and I have not noticed any buzzing, hissing, or blue-ish tinge that others have claimed or that have made people skeptical of purchasing an LED lamp. My only concern thus far is will the LEDs last more than 2 years.

Now, 9 watts of use per kilowatt-hour is a great savings compared to the 60watt bulb lamp that it replaces: it will use up almost a seventh (aka 1/7) of the power than the lamp it replaces while on. In the off position, I don't know if this thing draws any power (my old lamp didn't). So...is it worth the price? Well, the way I figure it, the live of a typical 60w glass bulb is around $1, and lasts 2-4 years (on average for me). So, depending on what you're paying per KwH will determine if this lamp is one you want to have. While I don't know if it will ultimately save me money since the LEDs cannont be replaced once they burn out, it is stylish enough to have gotten me to buy it. And so far, after about 2 months of use, it's saved me $2 off my electric bill. If it lasts me 5 years, then I'll have saved $120...which means the cost is nearly worth it. The lamp comes with a 1 year warranty, but since most companies are claiming that LED replacement bulbs will last upwards of 22 years, I'd say that if this lasts a solid 10 years, you'll have easily saved yourself the cost of the lamp itself. It is rated at 40,000 hours at 70% brightness...well, if that does hold true, then this lamp, if left on for 8 hours per day, would last over 13 years!! That's some nice savings in my book ($2 per month * 12 months * 13 years = $312 in total savings).

Overall, it's a stylish lamp that not only looks good and modern, but also has some great built in technology that allows you to have your light and save money too. Time will tell whether it will last long enough, but I liked it enough to buy it. If you ask me whether it's worth it, well...I'd say get one. You won't be disappointed unless the lamp is defective.

I've had the Z-Bar High Power 6-LED lamp for about 8 months. It looks great and _mostly_ works great! But starting a couple of months ago, the lamp will occasionally slightly flicker (slightly change intensity) or entirely go dark, and occasionally will not illuminate when pressing the ON button. The "cure" is to slightly touch/tap/wiggle/move/nudge the lamp head, or slightly reposition the arm(s). This has been happening with increasing frequency since it started. I'm assuming there is a loose or bad connection inside the lamp head or one of the arms, and that slightly moving the head or arm "reconnects" the connection.

A side effect of there being 6 LEDs spaced over 10 1/4 inches, is that there are 6 shadows when there is something between the lamp head and the work/desk surface. This is not a defect of the lamp, but instead merely the result of multiple light sources illuminating the same area. Just reposition the lamp head to minimize or eliminate the shadows.