4 desk lamps I would recommend for your back to school study setup

Back-to-school season means new notebooks, an organizer you’ll leave behind in October, and far too many hours spent hunched over a desk lit by nothing but your laptop screen. If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter or blinked through an assignment at 2 AM, you already know that a good desk lamp isn’t an option. Survival gear.

I went through a variety of options this year and chose four that find a place on your desk, whether you’re working on a bedroom budget or setting up the perfect home office.

Motumen LED desk lamp

If you want one lamp that does it all without costing a fortune, I would recommend this one. The Motumen has two lamp heads instead of one, so you get a wide beam of light on your desktop instead of one solid cone in the middle. But if you want a solid light cone, you can adjust the heads. It doesn’t blink either, which is more important than people notice when you’ve been staring at a page for hours.

You get five color temperatures and five brightness levels to play with, and the bulb remembers your last setting so you don’t have to reset it every time you turn it on. The gooseneck bends where you point it, and since it sticks to your desk, it won’t eat up your limited space.

That’s a real win in the bedroom. There’s also a remote control if you don’t feel like reaching for it, and a one-hour automatic timer for when you fall asleep mid-work.

Honeywell HWT-H2 LED desktop lamp

This is for someone who takes their lighting seriously. Honeywell packs 48 LEDs with a CRI of 94, meaning the colors on your page or screen look close to how they would look in real daylight. It also claims to stay at zero eye-safe blue light levels, so long study sessions shouldn’t leave your eyes strained.

You get four color temperatures and adjustable dimming based on the user, as well as a memory function, so it picks up where you left off. My favorite part is the built-in USB-A and USB-C charging ports on the base, which means it’s one small charger that covers your desk. It also folds flat, so packing it away at the end of the semester is painless.

Ikea Tertial task lamp

Product Title

Sometimes you don’t need anything fancy; you just need a lamp that works, and the Tertial has been that lamp for college students forever. It comes with an LED bulb already installed, so there is no separate trip to buy it. The arm has multiple joints, so you can point the light at where you’re working, whether that’s a textbook or a keyboard.

It won’t surprise anyone with smart features or color modes, but that’s kind of the point. It’s cheap, durable, and sticks to any desk. I also love its old-school look, which makes it stand out in a sea of ​​ordinary-looking desk lamps.

UpliftDesk E7 LED desk lamp

If you can spend the extra money, the Uplift E7 is worth the upgrade. It’s made of aluminum instead of plastic, so it feels solid and looks very compact. The clamp holds onto surfaces up to 2.25 inches thick, so even if your table is thick, it won’t be a problem. There is also a lamp base in the package, so you can simply place it on your desk or move it anywhere in your room.

You get three color temperatures to cycle through, as well as a press and hold fade that adjusts better than steps. Uplift says the split panels reduce glare and flicker, and the lamp is rated for 50,000 hours, so this is a buy-it-and-forget-it product.

Final thoughts

None of these lights will write your articles for you, but they will make the process much less painful. If you’re looking for something affordable, eye-catching, and simple, grab the Ikea Tertial. If you’re looking for smart features on a budget, Motumen is the one for you. With built-in eye care and charging, the Honeywell is hard to beat. And if you’re building a decent desk setup, the Uplift E7 is worth the splurge.