Customer Reviews

Zelco "itty bitty" Original Book Light

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

The first bulb burned out after about 10 hours of use. With second bulb the lamp itself stopped working with another 5 hours of use. Didn't work with several new bulbs. Now the lamp and bulbs are in the trash and I'm looking for a new little lamp.

This is the neatest little invention ever!
The Problem: How to read when others in the room say lights out? Also, How to read in the car after dark w/o bothering the driver?

The answer: The Itty-Bitty book light!
It clipps to the cover of your book shines a suprisingly bright splash of light directly on your page. No more aiming a flash light with hand and a book with the other!

Another importent feature is that the it won't light the whole room. It shines directly at your book and only your book.

Lastly, It works with batteries for the plane/train/car or save your $'s and run it off AC at home.

One Flaw that makes it only 4 stars, it uses a funky, hard to find special bulb. At least it comes with 2!

This a great booklight if it never leaves home!!! It produces a strong light but will NOT hold up to the jostling of normal travel. I have about 7 broken ones to prove it. Until this booklight is encased in a protective cover it is worthless. It also is quite heavy to carry the battery pack unit.

I was so pleased to receive the "itty-bitty" from my husband who knew how much I enjoyed reading in bed at night. Well, the poor man has not had much rest since because for the past year he's spent countless hours attempting to fix the thing or to find replacement bulbs!!!

The first thing to break was the plastic hinge that holds the adjustible light-fixture portion. It just simply cracked. I have not traveled with the booklight or subjected it to any sort of rigorous handling: just lifted the light to aim the focus, and the plastic gave way. The husband mended that with an apoxy.

Later, the portion of the cord that attaches to the adapter came undone, so the itty-bitty could not be plugged in until the dear huband went to a local circuit store and replaced the plastic thingy that attaches to the adapter and basically rewired the contraption.

But don't get me started on the bulbs!!! The illumination was great at first; however, within a few weeks the light started to dim, and it was dead within 3 months. Thank goodness it comes with two bulbs, one might think. But the second bulb also burnt out in record time (I only read for about a half-hour at night, so we are talking about bulbs that only last about 20-30 hours total.) Before my bulbs would cease illuminating completely, I'd spend a couple of weeks with a bulb that seemed to have a "short" in it: it would flicker on-and-off; other times it would beam high and then low -- like someting out of a horror picture! This is quite annoying as one is trying to read!!

The adjustment capabilities of my itty-bitty have never been first rate: the foot portion collapses so that the light is often lying flat on my book, and the hinge that holds the light portion also collapses often so that I can't aim the beam directly at the text I want illuminated. Ever-handy with tools and such, the husband has attempted to tighten these screws, but the grip never seems to last very long.

I've barely had my light for a year, but with problems like these I figure there must be something better out there (any ideas are welcome). I'm investing way too much money for little enjoyment. I wish the itty-bitty were a more sturdy, reliable product, but it isn't.

All of the reviewers say what is true, this is a piece of junk. I found a better alternative, it is called the Mighty Brite Book Light and it is much sturdier. Tip for replacement bulbs, go to Radio Shack. They are so much cheaper. Just bring the bulb so you can match the voltage. Get lower voltage if they don't have an exact match.

I received my book light as a gift, and it proved to be a remarkably useful tool. The light is bright enough to allow yo to read in a complete dark room without any eye strain. The jointed design allows the light to be adjusted to provide optimal illumination without being in the way when you turn the page. Its also nice to have both the battery pack for mobile reading and the AC adapter for reading in bed.

Unfortunately, the light was dropped on the floor from a hutch headboard (a drop of less than four feet) several months after I received it and it no longer works. I assumed that the light bulb was damaged in the fall, so I replaced it, but it stil doesn't work. I must conclude that the construction of this light is much too fragile if such a small drop can fatally damage it.

I've had my Itty Bitty Book Light for over a year and I do really like it since I do most of my reading at night. The light is nice and small and is lightweight. However, almost from Day 1 the cord has been sensitive in that I often have to jiggle it to get the light to work. Today the cord 'died' so I guess I'll have to buy another light or maybe try for a different brand of light since it looks like others have experienced cord problems with this light, as well.
The light does use four 'C' batteries, but these batteries don't even last me through one book. It was really a waste so I opted to buy the AC Adapter, which I really recommend if you're going to do a lot of nighttime reading.
I've only had to replace the bulb on this unit once, which is really very good, I think. (Bulbs are cheap.)
I've taken it with me when traveling and have not had a problem with it during travel, but I do make sure to pack it carefully.

I am a late-night person, my spouse prefers to go to sleep early. I often read quite late in bed and a booklight is very convenient for not disturbing his sleep. Unfortunately, in the last six years I've had five booklights, four of them this "itty bitty booklight". (I bought 3, one was a gift.) I've never had one last more than a year before going kaput somehow. On three of them the cord developed problems where it joined the body of the booklight, turning off the light at random. Two developed problems with the joints so that the light would not stay in position - one ended up as a mass of duct tape. The third's bracket broke and there's something wrong with the socket, I have to keep knocking it against the headboard because it browns out. The bulbs are kind of a pain to find, easy to lose, prone to burning out quickly, and a bit on the pricey side. (I bought cheap bulbs at Radio Shack and they didn't last any better or give better light.) I had kept trying with this brand because it was one of the few widely available booklights with a cord and plug instead of batteries to add weight to the booklight. I don't intend to replace this one with another "itty bitty" - I keep hoping that they've improved the design and every time I've been disappointed.

instead of buying this one, opt for a Rayovac booklight...they've got one with a pillow bottom, and another that had a string for around your neck...much better than it's itty bitty alternative

I've bought this light 6+ times. Maybe I'm insane for that, but I kept hoping the quality would improve. The number one problem is the cord failing where it joins the body. This has happened several times. Usually I could "reposiiton" the cord while reading, but after a while, all my attempts fail. The next most common problem is something failing where the bulb connects. The third most irritable problem is early bulb failure. I also had an AC adapter fail on me once. As with many others, I've had the neck of the light get "floppy" (falling unto the page of the book), requiring tightening. What I really like about it is the separation of the body from the power, keeping the part that attaches to the book really slim and light. What is so hard about designing a book light that is sturdy, light weight, and with good, focused lighting??