Customer Reviews

Zelco "itty bitty" Fluorescent Book Light

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

 

 

On balance, I'm unhappy with this product.

I used it solely for bedtime reading with my wife asleep next to me.

Pros:

* Much dimmer light than incandescent, easier on the partner
* bulb never needs replacing

Cons:

* Batteries could never get inserted quite right. This meant the light could rarely be turned on without first jostling the batteries.

* Drains batteries pretty quickly, even when not used. Better get rechargeables.

* Dimmer light than incandescent, harder on you!

* Needs a hardback book to really work. It's too heavy for paperbacks.

* Particularly for bigger books, the light head doesn't fold enough to cover all parts of the page. So you will likely be reading parts of the page in dim light, and parts in bright.

As I said, on balance, this product needs work.

No way! this book light is great if you are reading at home or a passenger in a car, but as a seasoned traveler, I have to disagree about this advertised in "Travel Accessories". I own a three inch oval-shaped book light that is MUCH smaller. I can carry it in my tiny jean's pocket. There is just no way to convince me, after years of being squeezed in coach, that this light isn't going to be annoying to you and others. Pass on this one and look for a true traveler light. I hope Amazon will locate something more approriate for sale in the future. I still give it four stars, however, for being a perfect gift for the at-home avid reader. Never strain yourself to read at night. It's not healthy.

I've owned many different book lights, including the original "itty bitty" book light, and this is by far the best. I would have given it '5 stars' if it wasn't for one little quirk that others have noticed. The fact that it doesn't come on everytime. I did the battery switching, etc. to get it to light until I found out the secret. As long as it is in a lighted room when you switch it on (the brighter the better) it will come right on without a problem. If the room is completly dark it will not come on. I sent an email to the tech staff at Zelco, asking about this, but they never answered.

It does use batteries up quickly, but a AC adapter (or battery charger)will solve that problem. The origional "itty bitty" used up bulbs like mad, which were much more expensive. It lights entire pages, of the largest books, with a light that is very easy on the eyes.

Quickly became an indispensible part of my late night reading routine. I found it to be sturdy, bright, and able to handle soft and hard bound books of any size. Tip: get the ac adapter!

I have bought 2 Zelco Fluorescent booklights and had both
fail after several months usage. The product is unreliable.

This light is very good once it goes on. I've used a few book lights so have a basis for comparison:

Pros:
- Brighter than most, fine for reading in dark space
- Well directed light, so won't wake someone else in bed

Con (and its a big one):
- It doesn't turn on consistently. Once its on, it stays on and is great. But fluorescent bulb technology has a high start-up power need, then it runs on low power very well -- creates low heat too, very efficient. They just spec'd the thing wrong in its battery power. So it irritatingly won't turn on. Sometimes I just leave the switch on and a few minutes later it comes on. Other time jiggling. Has nothing to do with fresh batteries.

Note that the most positive review comes from someone who also recommended the AC adapter, which I suppose overcomes the problem.

Overall, take a pass.

Have tried to puchase both the fluorescent and the incandescent light and they both fail after about 8 weeks. The fluorescent's batteries get sucked up in a matter of days when they should last for a month. The light NEVER turns on the first time you always have to shake the casing to re-align the Batt's. The reason for the light in the first place is to not disturb your parter whilst they sleep. The incandescent one was even worse with all of the above mentioned problems with an electrical danger as well. The transformer in the wall adapter actually melted and it was plugged into a properly working Kingston surge protector. The light will not even turn on as the contacts wore out in just 7 weeks. Seriously, go with a normal flashlight and save yourself the money. These unweildy, unreliable, overpriced dangers should not be allowed to be sold.

This product appeared to be nearly perfect at first. However, the batteries don't seem to last very long and the light doesn't always come right on. You usually have to jiggle the battery case, or rearrange them. It makes it difficult to know whether you need new batteries or not. However, when working properly, it's a very nice soft light. I like the idea that the bulb will last a very long time, but I doubt that the whole apparatus will have as long a life. I hope they try to perfect this one just a bit more.

This is a great book lamp. Illuminates the book without lighting up the whole room. For those of you that are having trouble turning it on, try the following. Make sure the batteries are good, and then turn it on in a lit space. For whatever reason, it takes it much longer to turn on in the dark than underneath a lamp or in a lit room, where it turns on immediately. And the batteries last forever in this thing.

How good is it? I purchased one for my daughter nearly three years ago. I thought she might forget about it over time and that I would be able to claim it as it was tossed aside... Alas such never happened. She guards it with her life. I even tried using an immitation of this light that was terrible. I don't understand it as they both use the exact same fixture - but there is no replacement for the "itty bitty". It just works the way it should! Lights up the entire two pages, can be redirected as needed (rarely needed), gets better than expected life from the batteries....

What can I say?! - I had to buy another. I take it everywhere I go.