Best 6 Over Desk Lighting: Hanging And Standing Models 2022 (2023)

FAQs

What is the best lighting setup for a computer desk? ›

In general, it's best to have natural light in front of or next to work surfaces and computer screens to avoid glare and maximize your outside views. You can also position your workstation facing north or south so that the sunlight doesn't throw a shadow at any point in the day.

For large, open spaces like most office environments, fluorescent or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs are the best option, but halogen and incandescent are also available. Fluorescent bulbs are the most common because they are the older technology, but LED bulbs have several advantages over their elder sibling.

The optimal level of lumens for your desk lamp will depend on its purpose. 450 lumens (40 watts) – This level is enough for some everyday purposes like writing and reading. 800 to 1100 lumens (60 to 75 watts) – It is the recommended level for delicate tasks like heavy-duty drafting or working with small pieces.

Brightness. If you want your floor lamp to add brightness to the entire room, look for options with LED bulbs, as these emit the most lumens per watt (i.e., are the brightest bulb).

To prevent glare, the task light should not be placed behind you, as it will shine directly on the screen. The best location is either resting on or mounted just above the desk. It ought to be positioned on the same side as your paperwork.

Your eyes must work hard to adapt to this, which is very tiring. Therefore, it's better to place lighting with higher color temperatures (3000 - 4000K) or cold white light (more than 5000K) in workstations like a desk, office or restaurant kitchens.

Cool or neutral color temperatures (somewhere between 3000 K & 4000 K) are usually deemed appropriate for office spaces. Lighting with cool tones (3500 K - 5000 K) is suitable for hospitals and medical facilities as such color temperatures promote focus and alertness.

Soft white has more warm tones and is often in the yellow color range. Daylight however, is far more cool and has more white and even blueish tones to it. Soft white is ideal for residential environments and has more earthy tones. Daylight is ideal for commercial environments and has more blueish tints.

Some people can read comfortably in dim lighting, while others need bright light to see the words on the page. Typically, 450 lumens are sufficient for reading, writing, or general work, but the 500 number holds true as a minimum. For more intricate tasks, 800 to 1100 lumens may be necessary.

Lumens Quick Guide

Kitchen work areas: 7,000 to 8,000 lumens. Bathroom: 7,000 to 8,000 lumens. Home office: 6,000 to 8,000 lumens. Dining room: 3,000 to 4,000 lumens.

How many lumens are good for a desk? ›

To achieve office lighting of 300 lux, an LED lamp should be at least 600 lumens. You can achieve 500 lux for your workspace with a 1,000 lumen desk light. By comparison, a bright, sunny day outdoors is up to 100,000 lux.

LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs are the most energy efficient lighting option available, and can therefore save you the most money on your electricity bills. They produce 40-80 lumens per watt, and offer several other benefits, including longevity and brightness.

Since the power is proportional to square of the current, the low resistance bulb will glow brighter.

CFLs are the most efficient, and they're available in spiral or traditional shapes. The bulbs last much longer than traditional incandescent, and they use less electricity too.

Set up your monitor so that the top line of the screen is at or below eye level. This should align your eyes with the top of the viewing area of the screen. You should not need to tilt or bend your neck forward to properly see the monitor. Set up your monitor directly in front of you, at least 20 inches away.

Getting into the numbers of it all, your screen should be placed anywhere between eye level and thirty-degrees below your line of sight. This range is determined based on the fact that our eyes naturally trend straight ahead and downward when at rest.

Should the light be in front or behind my laptop? To avoid glare, the light should not be behind you and instead placed at an angle that covers your screen. The best place for your display light would be either mounted just below or over the desk.

People tend to look the best when illuminated by light bulbs that measure around 2700 kelvins. Most bulbs, whether incandescent, LED, compact fluorescent or halogen, are labeled “soft white/warm white” (2,700-3,000 kelvins), “bright white/cool white” (3,500-4,100 kelvins) or “daylight” (5,000-6,500 kelvins).

The greatest advantage of an LED desk lamp is its dimmable color temperature, which enables any combination from warm yellow to cool white. Other advantages include power savings and longevity.

The best type of light for good eye health is warm light sources, such as natural light. Many modern windows can allow natural light while blocking the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. These windows will flood your home with natural light throughout the day, which is beneficial to your eyes.

What is the best color light for a desk lamp? ›

In conclusion, proper lighting can make all the difference in studying and reading. Warm white or soft white lights in the 2700K-3000K range can help you relax and get a good night's sleep, while cool white lights in the 5000K-6500K range can boost your productivity and focus.

Use a 40 to 60-watt light bulb for tasks such as reading and writing. Use a 60-watt light bulb for tasks such as using a computer. Use a 60 to 80-watt light bulb for detail-oriented tasks. Avoid cool fluorescent bulbs that emit harsh lighting that can strain your eyes and make you feel tired.

LED lighting can last up to 20 times longer than standard forms of lighting such as incandescent or halogen lamps. LED efficiency and length of life is better because the lamps waste very little energy on heat, concentrating electricity on the production of light.

When watching video on a PC, users should set the LCD monitor's color temperature between 6500 K and 9300 K, checking for differences in color reproduction.

If you want task lighting in the living room, a bright white bulb is the best option for most settings. Ambient lights are often soft white, while daylight bulbs are nice to use in darker spaces where sunlight doesn't enter often. Table lamps play a critical role in your overall scheme.

Cool white light contains more blue light and looks brighter to the eye (this is why cool white bulbs have a higher lumen output when compared to the equivalent warm white bulb).

Daylight offers better brightness and energy. Soft white on the other hand offers better coziness and warmth. Keep in mind that the lighting of the room can actually change your mood. Size of the room –Often the size of the room decides what type of light you require.

80 lumens is considered bright enough for most walkways — including commercial properties. For garden lights used as accent lighting, 50 lumens is generally sufficient to add safety, dimension, color and interest in your yard.

The number of lumens you need for a good work light can range between 100 and 5,000.

Is 1000 lumens bright enough for a work light? ›

A 1000 lumen flashlight is an extremely bright flashlight that is very efficient for most tasks. Remember that the number of lumens you require in a flashlight depends on your use and the applications.

Either way, it is in part because of this difference in "Usable Lumens," that a traditional light rated at 20,000 Lumens would be observed to be less bright that a 10,000 Lumen LED light under the same conditions.

The Definition of Lumen

In other words, lumens measure the amount of light your LED light puts out. The higher the lumens, the brighter the light will be.

A 5000-lumen LED bulb is a very bright light source, and if you are using it in a relatively small room, it can be very harsh. In this case, it is recommended that you use a 1000-lumen LED bulb. Under normal circumstances, garages, utility rooms, and warehouses are more suitable for 5000-lumen bulbs.

Summary: Calculating Total Lumens Needed for a Room

Multiply your room square footage by the footcandle requirement. For example, a 100-square foot living room, which needs 20 foot candles, will need 2,000 lumens. A 100-square foot dining room, which needs 40 foot-candles, will need 4,000 lumens.

Below 3500 lumens, our eyes feel comfortable. When the brightness of direct or reflected light reaches 4000 lumens, the human eye starts to struggle to receive light.

The light-emitting diode (LED) is today's most energy-efficient and rapidly-developing lighting technology. Quality LED light bulbs last longer, are more durable, and offer comparable or better light quality than other types of lighting.

Perhaps the biggest drawback of LED light bulbs is that they emit more blue light than incandescent bulbs, which are more on the red end of the spectrum. Blue light can cause a disruption in your circadian rhythm, negatively affect your ability to fall asleep and the quality of your sleep.

Direct lighting:

This scheme is more efficient but it suffers from hard shadows and glare. It is mainly used for industrial and general outdoor lighting.

Here is a breakdown of traditional watt light bulbs and the amount of light they produce in lumens: 40-watt bulb produces 450 lumens of light. 60-watt bulb produces 800 lumens of light (most widely used in households) 75-watt bulb produces 1,100 lumens of light.

Which bulb will glow brighter 60w or 100w? ›

The correct option is The 60-watt bulb will glow more than the 100-watt bulb. When the bulbs are connected in series then the electric current in both bulbs is the same. Voltage is different in both the bulbs as they are connected in series. A 60-watt bulb has less power value than a 100-watt bulb.

So 40 Watts bulb glow brighter. The trick is that a bulb is essentially just a resistance so 40W60W can only consume that kind of power when it is available.

The best kind of light for a dark room, such as those with few or no windows, is an LED — they're not just energy efficient, but they can produce much brighter light than incandescent bulbs.

As a result, the incandescent lamp is widely used both in household and commercial lighting, for portable lighting such as table lamps, car headlamps, and flashlights, and for decorative and advertising lighting.

LEDs are the longest-lasting light bulbs, lasting for years longer than their counterparts, with lifespans of up to 50,000 hours.

XED or Xenon Energy Saving Discharge Lamps are superior to the most popular LED or Light Emitting Diodes in many ways. XED lights are better in terms of spectral contents, power consumption as well as total running life hours. They produce less glares and are clearer under foggy weather.

Lighting for a study or home office should be at least 4,000 Kelvin. Bright light with a high blue content keeps you alert, active and supports your concentration.

Cool or neutral color temperatures (somewhere between 3000 K & 4000 K) are usually deemed appropriate for office spaces. Lighting with cool tones (3500 K - 5000 K) is suitable for hospitals and medical facilities as such color temperatures promote focus and alertness.

Warm white is softer and particularly well suited to evenings, where you are relaxing and winding down after a hard day. Cool white is the best light for task lighting, so particularly good for (most) kitchens.