'Serious readers' lights - are they worth it?

[WobblyLondoner]

Both DP are sadly getting to that age where we are struggling with our eyesight for reading or sewing etc.

I've seen adverts for these lights but they are so expensive - £400 for a floor light (though I think sure I've seen ads with discounts to that price). www.seriousreaders.com/products/high-definition-floor-light

Has anyone tried one and if so are they really worth that outlay? Any thoughts about less costly alternatives very welcome too.

How about a kindle? You can adjust the brightness and the font size

Thanks @CurlsLDN. Afraid not - we've lots of books and part of the challenge is sewing!

I'd recommend the jml magnifying glasses with the light on them my mum uses them for sewing and not that expensive there like £30-£40

I'm fairly sure the lights they have at academic libraries aren't £400 each so I think this sounds like a rip-off and it's unlikely to be much better than a standard desk lamp.

Have a look at SAD lights. I have a cheap one which was about £30 but has several settings.

Looks like marketing bollocks to me.

Surely you can get a bright light from b n q/ IKEA etc?? And not for £400!!

We got one because my DH had cataracts. He’s had them done now but it’s a nice lamp, quite compact. We didn’t go for the heavy duty one. It brightens up our slightly dark dining room corners

Bought one of these some years ago, so it was a bit cheaper then. It’s brilliant, use it for evening reading or crochet, lights up just where you need, floor standing is great as I can position next to whichever chair I’m sitting in and goose neck means it can be angled over your shoulder and onto whatever you’re working on. Haven’t needed to change bulb yet and it gets a lot of use. Totally recommend

Look at craft lights. You can get very good ones for around £100 - £150. Often come with magnifiers too.

I have one. The light is really great, significantly better than a normal light for reading real books (particularly old books in small type on yellowing pages). BUT beware it gets you on some register of the old and infirm. Since I got mine I get weekly mail offers for funeral plans, stairlifts, and retiirement villages.

@butterflyfox please could you explain how it is different from an ordinary floor lamp with a strong light bulb?

I have been wondering about these for DM & DF but they are so expensive.

@fernsandlilies i find the light very clean, not blue or yellow, and bright, and strong without being harsh. but to be fair i never had a floorlamp with a strong bulb standing in exactly the right place to compare it with.

It'll be the bulb that makes the difference rather than the lamp. Having said that £400 for a floor light is about the same as brands like Anglepoise or BTC or Tala and the top end of the John Lewis range so while high it's not ridiculously high (e.g. the arco floor light with uts base of carerra marble).