I read a book a week

Searched and found: I was impressed by this reading lamp. (Image: Magicbeans – adobe.stock.com)

A shadow on one side, an annoyed girlfriend on the other: If the light in the bedroom isn’t right for reading, everyone involved is unhappy. For years I have been looking for an ideal reading lamp that would allow me to read properly in bed without lighting up the entire room.

Now I have found it: with the Moses. libri_x touch clamp light (I know, complicated name) I can happily pursue my hobby again at night.

When the world goes to sleep, Martin starts reading. Actually, he always reads, in every free minute. For him, books are not just a hobby, but a passion.

Reading in bed in the evening is a must because it’s the only way he can really switch off. But the bedroom is not his alone. Your partner has a say in the lighting at night – and she likes it dark when she goes to sleep.

A compromise has to be made. Unfortunately, many lamps turn out to be a disappointment. Has he finally found the perfect solution?

I’m a bookworm through and through. That’s why it’s important to me to start my day reading and end my day reading. In the evening in bed, however, this is a bit difficult because my girlfriend wants to sleep and I don’t want to have to leave the room.

For some it’s a luxury problem, for me it’s a challenge. There must be a solution for this, I thought and tried out a wide variety of lamps – with mediocre success.

My pedometer started sweating because I was running up and down the furniture stores so often. Among other things, a large, beautiful floor lamp for 50 euros should be the solution. But you thought wrong, because like many lights that stand next to you, this one also causes your body to cast an ugly shadow on the sides.

Most recently I used a less aesthetic construction from the home-made brand. A desperate attempt to keep the light over my shoulder in my book.

Necessity is the mother of invention: However, it neither looks good nor does it have the desired effect.

The reading lamp must shine directly into the book

Here and there I stumbled across clip-on lights on the internet. These are small lamps that are attached directly to the book. If you google clamp lights, you’ll quickly come across a lot of cheap products.

Amazon and Temu offer a large selection of such clip-on lights, but should you buy from the latter? You can find out why you should avoid ordering from Temu in the article by my colleague Maxe.

Cheap reading lamps look as if their wires would break just by looking at them. Many also still work with batteries. It’s 2023, and the only thing I can forgive using a battery for is the remote control for my TV.

And suddenly the solution was there

In a bookstore, of all places, I came across clip-on lamps from Moses. Publisher attentive. There are a variety of them in their online shop, but I particularly like the one: the Moses. libri_x clip light Touch.

These are the technical data of the light:

• 16 LEDs
• 3 brightness levels
• 4000K (color temperature)
• 80 lm (luminous flux)
• CRI: Ra>80
• approx. 4 hours of battery life
• rechargeable via micro USB cable

The light from the reading lamp is pleasantly white, neither too bright at the highest level nor too dark at the weakest. With a price of 23 euros, the lamp is definitely on the higher price level compared to other providers, but within an absolutely reasonable range.

The internal battery is a highlight

The battery lasts as long as it promises. I don’t know whether this is because I read at the lowest brightness level, but it’s to be assumed. I’ve been using it every evening for almost two weeks and haven’t had to charge it yet.

But does the lamp keep what it promises?

Hardcover vs. paperback

The reading lamp works perfectly on hardbacks. It can be clipped directly to the book cover and provides light on both pages of the book.

The lamp has not yet left any traces on the hard book cover.

Things get a little wilder with a paperback: The lamp weighs 56 grams, which stays on the soft book cover but bends it. Here it is better to have read a few pages first and then use the clamp light. That stabilizes.

Attention: Danger of kinks!

Moses has prints on the sides. Do not leave libri_x clip light touch yet. This is due to the rubber rings that are located between the two hooks.

Everything has been thought of here.

Conclusion: Small device with a big impact

I can read in peace in the evening while my girlfriend can sleep in the semi-darkness – win-win for everyone involved. The sides are illuminated so that no shadows are created and no light is reflected. In addition, the lamp is always in the right place. That’s how I like it.

Nice additional effect: the moses. libri_x clip-on lamps Touch can even replace a small bedside lamp. The large clamps serve wonderfully as a stand. So I can take my ugly construction off the wall again.

Small but mighty!

An eBook reader provides enough light on its own and is of course a good alternative. I like to pick up my Kindle again and again, but I don’t want to be without the classic book.

My colleague Peter is also a bookworm and lover of printed books. Here he talks about his experience from 13 months on Kindle.

Do you like reading in bed in the evening or do your eyes close after the first page? Where do you prefer to read? Be your team printed book or eBook? How much time do you spend reading? Or would you rather use a gamepad instead of a book? What are your favorite genres? Do you know any books about video games? What is your favorite book adaptation?