Lamp comparisons

Have been trying out full-spectrum lights and discovering some interesting side effects.  Checked a sunlamp type thing, an LED Ott-light mini, and a full size fluorescent Ott-light bulb.  Each of these I gauged against actual winter daylight, both full sunshine and (more usual here) bright but overcast, as well as a standard mini fluorescent fixture.

The sunshine-type lamp just does not cut it.  The light is decidedly yellowish and surprisingly dim, barely showing up against overcast morning light.  End up getting sleepy under this light, and trying to do needlework is a lost cause.  Just can not focus clearly enough.

The Ott-light folding mini LED starts out very bright when I open it, then fades somewhat over about 10 minutes.  Still bright enough for reading, but I end up having difficulty reading colour charts.  On the other hand, found it passing strange that the actual stitching is fine, and so are black-and-white charts or books; it's just the colour chart that is difficult.  The light itself I find is a clear white, brighter than overcast but less than full sun, much better than regular fluorescent, with what I can only describe as a "wake-up" quality.  I stay more alert under this LED than under a regular lamp, and the effect is stronger if the light is shining on me rather than in front of me onto my stitching, even when the overall brightness is not much different.

The full-size Ott-light fluorescent is really helpful.  Lighting levels better than overcast, similar to sunshine but whiter.  Stitching is going much faster and easier, with less eyestrain.  There is none of that irritating background noise that standard fluorescents produce, so none of the slowly-building headache either.  It's bright without glaring, clear white light shows true tones, and it wakes me up nicely.  In fact someone who seems to have a mild case of SAD has been sitting under it a couple of hours a day and is a lot more civilized. 

Really, the only down-side I see is that these bulbs are so expensive.  Otherwise there would be one in every area where I sit to stitch.  Oh well, have to see how long a lifespan they have with the wiring and use here.

Over all, the Ott-light folding mini LED is good for travelling and is proving itself worth the investment.  The full-size Ott-light fluorescent is worth every penny for the civilizing influence alone.