A desk lamp lights the page and the keyboard without lighting the whole room. That is the entire point of it. Evening work becomes possible without a ceiling light behind you throwing glare across the screen, and without the rest of the house having to be lit.
It is also the lamp that gets used the most hours in a home, which is why the details matter more here than on a decorative piece. Where the head points, how low it dims and what colour it produces decide whether it is comfortable at nine at night.
What's in this range
There are 5 lamps in this collection, priced from $70 to $110 in Australian dollars. The one lamp that lists a height stands 31 cm. Listed wattage sits between 2.5 W and 10 W, which is enough for a task light because the light is close to the work rather than four metres away on a ceiling.
The bodies are metal and iron on three lamps, with glass or acrylic shades, and ABS on the rechargeable study light. Light sources are split: two lamps use an integrated LED, one includes its LED lamps, and two take an E27 screw fitting lamp that is not supplied. Power covers mains lamps, one rated for 90 to 260 V, and one USB rechargeable model running on DC 5 V. Controls are push buttons on two lamps and touch control with stepless dimming on another, while two product pages state that the lamp does not dim and two state adjustable or stepless dimming. Colour temperatures listed include a 3000K to 6000K range and a warm, neutral and cool white choice. Mounting covers desk and tabletop placement, and one lamp offers a base or a clamp. Reading and office work are the uses named most often, then studying, home offices and students.
How to choose
Clamp or base
A clamp frees the entire desk surface and lets the lamp reach out over the work, which matters on a small desk or where the surface is already full. A weighted base can be moved from one desk to another and needs no lip to grip. One lamp here offers both fittings, and the installation line on each product page states which it uses.
Where the head points
A task lamp should put light on the page without the lamp itself being in your line of sight. That means a head you can angle, positioned to the side of your writing hand so it does not cast a shadow over what you are doing. If the lamp is fixed and points straight down, plan its position more carefully.
Dimming
Two lamps here state that they do not dim, and two state adjustable or stepless dimming. A lamp that dims can be bright for study and low for reading in the same evening. A lamp with one output has to be chosen for one of those two, so decide which one you will actually be doing at eleven at night.
Colour temperature for the task
Neutral to cool white, from about 4000K upward, helps with study and detailed work. Warm white is easier on the eyes for reading before sleep. One lamp here covers 3000K to 6000K and another offers warm, neutral and cool, so a single lamp can do both jobs if the desk is also a bedside table.
Whether a globe is included
Two lamps here take an E27 lamp that is not supplied, which means ordering a globe at the same time or the lamp arrives unusable. The lamps with integrated LEDs need nothing. Check the light source line before you order, and see light bulbs for E27 options.
Frequently asked questions
Does a desk lamp need to be bright to be good?
Not especially. A task light sits close to the work, so it does far more with a few watts than a ceiling fitting does with many. Listed wattage across this range sits between 2.5 W and 10 W. Position and glare control matter more than raw output.
Which side of the desk should the lamp go on?
On the opposite side to your writing hand, so your hand does not shadow the page. For screen work, position it to the side rather than behind the screen or behind you, since both of those put reflections on the display.
Can I use a desk lamp as a bedside lamp?
Yes, and the smaller models here suit that well, especially the ones that dim and switch to warm white. If the lamp will mostly sit beside a bed rather than on a desk, see table lamps for shapes made for that.
Is there a cordless option?
One lamp here is USB rechargeable and runs on DC 5 V, which suits a desk with no power point nearby or a study spot that moves. Runtime is stated on its own product page. See rechargeable lamps for the wider cordless range.
Do any of these work with a smart plug or a dimmer switch?
The dimming lamps here are controlled on the lamp itself rather than from the wall. A mains lamp taking an E27 globe can be dimmed from the wall if you use a dimmable LED globe and a dimmer rated for LEDs.