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One would likely think that finding the best book light would be a pretty straightforward task. However, after we aggregated millions of actual customer reviews, and tested the top models – we found book lights to be surprisingly complex.
You have to factor in what kind of light quality you prefer (white or yellow), as well as where the light itself clips, and whether or not you want lots of settings, or a more minimal approach. Then there’s battery life – a whole other consideration.
But we did all this work for you, and after reading many pages – we can easily tell you the best book light to get. Whether you love e-readers (like Kindles), or you’re old school and love traditional print books – we’ve got you covered.
Our Top Pick
LuminoLite Rechargeable Book Light
We love this book light the most for a few key reasons. First, it’s backed by a ton of great customer reviews.
Secondly, it allows you to switch between white and yellow color temperature – a very valuable feature to include. Lastly, it performed great during all of our testing, and comes in at a budget price point – despite performing like an expensive model.
Other Great Picks
Energizer Book Light
Energizer is most well-known for their batteries, but this book light is a tremendous product. With a plethora of great customer reviews, our opinion on this product is widely shared.
Costing barely more than a cup of coffee, but working like a $50 (or more) model, it’s really difficult to beat the value being presented here. The battery life is also tremendous (as you might guess), making this one of our favorite options.
Qqappu Clip Book Light
This is another great pick, as it has multiple color modes, as well as a brightness dimmer. It even worked great for our laptop – a key feature that should not be overlooked.
Whether you want warm light or white light, either is perfectly displayed. The LED light put out by this model was also very easy on our eyes, which puts this particular model right near the very top of our list.
iVict Clip On Book Light
This unique USB book light has multiple color modes, and is backed by a plethora of great user reviews. We had no troubles at all with this model during our testing, and we think you’ll love it too.
The 360 degree flexibility is a nice added touch, and allowed us to use this light in pretty much any situation. The non-flickering light was also easy on our eyes, so there’s hardly any reason not to grab this awesome book light.
Glocusent LED Neck Reading Light
The blue light filter on this book light makes it extra easy on your eyes, and the portability makes it possible to take it literally anywhere. We even tried it right next to our spouse in bed – and it did not disturb them.
Since this cannot be said for all book lights, it’s an important feature to take note of. The battery life is claimed to be up to 80 hours, and in our testing, we never had to replace it. Definitely recommended.
Hooga Book Light
This is a great book light to get if you have a Kindle, and the thousands of five-star customer reviews all glow about how spectacular this book light is. We loved it during our testing, and the clip and adjuster feel very sturdy (not always the case with many book lights).
Since the amber light is easier on your eyes than blue light or white light, this model is a very good option for those who typically may have trouble falling asleep. We also loved how light it was, and could easily see ourselves taking this on a camping trip (or vacation). A great option.
Vekkia Rechargeable Book Light
With a 60 hour battery life, and thousands of great customer reviews this is easily one of the best choices out there. Book lights don’t have to last this long, but we never found ourselves having to charge this one – a true rarity.
With a budget price, and tons of other features (like adjustable color temperature and brightness), this is another stellar pick. Highly recommended.
Topelek Rechargeable Book Light
One of the most affordable options on our list, this book light is perfect for both kids and adults. With thousands of great customer reviews, it’s also hard to argue with the performance of this little warrior.
There are 3 brightness settings to choose from, as well as 3 different color temperatures – an insane value, considering the price of this model. This book light is also extremely lightweight – which makes it perfect for travel. A truly stellar choice.
Raniaco LED Clip Reading Book Light
This great USB book light is one of the best-sellers on the internet – and for good reason. We loved how easy it was to use, and how flexible it can be, in terms of use.
It also has a lifetime replacement warranty, and thousands of great customer reviews. There’s not much more you could ask for, from a book light that costs barely more than a large coffee from Starbucks.
Energizer Clip On Book Light
This highly affordable book light from Energizer comes with batteries included – and its performance is simply incredible. We found that the battery life was very good – especially considering how affordable this model is.
It’s also backed by a myriad of five-star customer reviews, which we agree with. The beam adjuster is also a golden feature, as it easily allows you to read in bed – without waking your spouse.
What Is A Book Light?
A book light can most easily be thought of as a small flashlight, which is specifically designed for reading. Often, book lights will clip directly onto your book (or your headboard).
This allows you to keep reading, but without the intrusion of all the lights in the room being on. Book lights are great for not disturbing your spouse while they’re sleeping, helping you wind down at nighttime, and even for traveling.
What Is The Best Type Of Light For Reading?
If you want to read during the day, with the most visibility, white light will be best. However, most readers will want to read at night, and they should know that white light should always be avoided at that time of day.
Yellow (or amber) light is best for reading at night. Additionally, keep the temperature to 3000K (ideally less), to maximize your own ability to easily fall asleep.
How Can I Read In Bed Without Disturbing My Partner?
This is a common question, and the best method is to choose a soft, warm light. Additionally, you want to keep the brightness as low as possible, and make sure you’re only pointing a narrow beam of light directly at your book.
If you follow these precautions, both you and your partner should be able to get a solid night of sleep. However, wide, white light will disturb your sleep – and likely theirs, as well.
Which Light Is Good For Reading – Yellow Or White?
Assuming you want to read in bed, yellow light will be preferable here. White light is the temperature seen during in daytime (you can think of fluorescent lights, if that helps you) – while yellow light is much warmer.
If you’re reading at night, not only is yellow light better – you’ll want to keep the temperature below 3000K. This will allow for the most melatonin production, and the least amount of sleep disruption.
Are LED Lights Good For Reading?
LED lights are typically directional. This simply means that they display light in one set path.
This means that they will work great for reading – as long as you have the light pointed right at your book. One concern with LED lights is that the color temperature and brightness can potentially disrupt sleep – so be sure to turn down the brightness, and make the color warmer, the closer you get to bedtime.
What Is The Best Book Light For Reading In Bed?
Warmer, amber (or yellow) light is the best for reading in bed. This is because it is not blue light, which is known to disrupt sleep and sleeping patterns.
In fact, this blue light disturbance is partially why shift workers have a hard time falling asleep during the day. Our bodies are meant to be awake when it’s light out, and asleep when it’s dark out.
How Many Lumens Do You Need To Read A Book?
Succinctly – not much. Only 50 lumens max – even 25 lumens should be fine – are needed to read at night.
This is measured per square meter, and the light should be focused directly on your reading area. Anything more than this, is unnecessary, and will only keep you awake for longer – without helping you read any easier.
Are Book Lights Bad For Your Eyes?
Book lights are not at all bad for your eyes. In fact, by turning off the room lights, you are minimizing your exposure to light before bed.
Make sure your book light is set to low brightness, as well as to a warm color temperature, before you start to read in bed. This will allow your body to produce the most melatonin – setting the stage for a perfect night of sleep.
Is It Bad To Read In The Dark?
In the long term, serious sense – no. Reading in the dark will not hurt your eyes.
However, if you read in low light for several hours, you may find that you have some slight eye pain. This is due to overworked eye muscles, but the pain will quickly subside once you stop reading.
One of the worst things for your eyes is prolonged, daily strain. This often comes not having your glasses or contacts in – or worse, not even knowing you need glasses or contacts.
Ultimately, reading should be a pleasurable experience – not a painful one. So be sure to take proper precautions whenever reading, and be sure to stop whenever your eyes might start to hurt.
Other Things To Look For In The Best Book Lights
There are still more features to look for in the best book lights. You should start by considering where the light attaches.
Many models clip right onto your book – but you may prefer a model that clips on your bed’s headboard, instead. If you prefer one place of attachment over the other, be careful to choose a model that clips in the right place.
Next, you should consider how important portability is to you. If you only plan on using your book light in bed at home, portability is probably not a top priority.
However, if you want to frequently take your book light on planes, camping, or even on exotic vacations – portability is a must. While most book lights are small enough to be easily transported – some work far better than others.
Next, you’ll want to consider battery life. Some people don’t mind having to frequently change the batteries of their book light – but we certainly do mind.
Therefore, we prefer models that have very long battery life. Some models are good for up to 60 hours of reading, before their battery needs to be switched out, so be sure to choose wisely.
The Best Book Light
There you have it – our picks for the best book light on the market. Whether you want insanely great battery life, different color temperatures, or adjustable brightness – we’ve got you covered.
We had a blast testing these book lights, and we know you’ll enjoy using them. The best models won’t wake up your spouse, come with non-white light options, and can easily be taken on trips or vacations.
While reading may be one of the oldest pastimes in the world – the technology has improved greatly. Modern book lights are far better than they were in the past 20 years – even if more and more people have switched over to e-readers and digital reading screens.
We hope you enjoyed our rundown of the best book lights on the market today. And if you liked this list, be sure to check out some of our other great product reviews.