I’ve now scientifically tested over 35 of the most popular SAD lamps, and due to popular demand, this article will go over my favorites for different categories.
Before we get into the recommendations, you may want to familiarize yourself with some of the factors that make a lamp worth buying. So feel free to read on or skip to the recommendations.
Things to Consider When Buying a SAD Lamp
Lux, circadian light, glare, color temperature, flicker, oh my!
Many things combine to make for a good light therapy lamp; it can be challenging to choose one unless you know what you’re looking for and why.
Let’s go through the most critical factors to consider:
Lux
You’ve probably seen a few lamps advertise “10,000 lux!” This is the most popular measurement for bright light therapy.
Lux is a simple number representing the lumens per square meter or the amount of light hitting a surface.
Lumens are spectrally weighted measurements tailored explicitly to the visual sensitivity of the human eye.
This means it fairly accurately tells us how bright a light source is, but there’s a better measurement for light therapy lamps…
Circadian Light
Circadian light, or CLA for short, is similar to lux; only spectrally weighted towards the parts of the light spectrum that most affect our circadian biology.
Just like lux, it spits out a simple numerical value, which makes it easy to compare the effectiveness of various lamps to each other.
You can read more about the model here if you’d like, but basically…
The higher the CLA, the more light sources will wake you up and align your circadian rhythm.
This is a reasonably new metric, so no one reports their CLA, but since we measure all of our devices, we have this info!
Glare (Lux/in2)
One important thing to remember regarding SAD lamps is how comfortable they are. A super bright light might be effective, but if it’s too uncomfortable in your field of view, you probably won’t like using it very much! And while it may technically help with your sleep, you won’t feel all that great while using it.
This is why we measure the light emission area of each lamp we test. This allows us to calculate the lux per square inch, which gives us an idea of how comfortable a light source will be when used.
Consider a flashlight and standing outside on a cloudy day to give you an example of why this is important.
The light outside on a cloudy day can approach 20,000 lux, but since it’s so dispersed and ambient, it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.
Now, a flashlight from two feet away might only reach 3,000 lux, but looking at it will feel like staring into the sun!
This is why the amount of photons per unit area is essential! We ideally want to strike a delicate balance between brightness/effectiveness and visual comfort.
The Best SAD Light Therapy Lamps
Without further ado… here are my recommendations for the best SAD lamps!
- Best Overall: Carex Elite
- Best Runnerup: Carex Day-Light Sky
- Best Spectrum: SOL PhotoVites Full Spectrum
- Most Powerful: Aurora LightPad Max
- Most Comfortable: Alaska Northern Lights NorthStar
- Best Compact Desk Lamp: Circadian Optics Lampu
- Best Floor Lamp: HappyLight Duo Floor
- Best Color Rendering: HappyLight Duo Desk
- Best Portable: HappyLight Halo
- Best for Travel: Circadian Optics Luxy or Aurora LightPad Mini
Best Overall: Carex Elite
The Elite is Carex’s newest offering, and it has some great new features and specs that make it my favorite SAD lamp right now.
The Elite puts out less light than the Day-Light Sky I mentioned below, but it makes up for this in several ways.
For one, it’s much more comfortable visually with a glare of 69 versus the Sky’s of 180, meaning you can get a similar amount of light without feeling it feeling as overbearing.
The Elite is also flicker-free on all four brightness settings, unlike the Sky, if that’s important to you.
The Elite also looks quite a bit more modern if you ask me.
But the real treasure here is that the Elite has a VESA mount on the back, meaning you can mount it over your monitor!
I love this. It’s easy to do, frees up desk space, and feels great! I will go over how to do this in my full review here.
Carex Day-Light Elite
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 12,400
- Circadian Light: 14,190
- Glare: 69
- CCT: 4150K
- Brightness Levels: 4
- Color Temperatures: 1
Use code OPTIMIZE15 for 15% off!
Best Runnerup: Carex Day-Light Sky
This one emits about 2500 more lux than the Elite, but the benefits end there. It’s a bit clunkier-looking, not quite as comfortable, and doesn’t have all the cool mounting options.
It is brighter, more effective, and a bit cheaper. So, if you aren’t too concerned about it being a bit less comfortable and don’t plan to mount it, this might be the better option.
I’ve done a full review of Sky if you want to see more.
Carex Day-Light Sky
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 14,500
- Circadian Light: 17,800
- Glare: 180
- CCT: 4200K
- Brightness Levels: 2
- Color Temperatures: 1
Use code OPTIMIZE15 for 15% off!
Best Spectrum: SOL PhotoVites Full Spectrum
The visible light spectrum from this SAD lamp is by far the most natural I’ve tested since it uses genuine SunLike diodes in its construction.
The output is also very high, making it the third brightest SAD lamp we’ve tested at over 20,000 lux at 1 foot!
It also emits a lot of healthy infrared light, which none of these other lamps do. This is great for skin and eye health and abundant in natural morning sunlight!
It’s a bit expensive, but with a robust all-metal design coupled with a fan to help keep it cool, I have no doubt it will last a long time and provide a robust circadian response.
Get this one if light quality and effectiveness are among your chief concerns. You can read my full review here.
SOL PhotoVites Full-Spectrum Lamp
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 20,650
- Circadian Light: 43,140
- Glare: 2,900
- CCT: 6400K
- Brightness Levels: 1
- Color Temperatures: 1
Use code OYB10 for 10% off!
Most Powerful: Aurora LightPad Max
The Aurora LightPad Max is my pick for the brightest SAD lamp!
This is the one if you’re looking for something that will match a fairly sunny day but is still comfortable enough to use for an extended period.
The Max puts out around 31,000 lux at 1 foot with a glare of only 400! That means it’s certainly getting to that uncomfortable range, but many people (including myself) can push it to this number.
Its color temperature of 6500K ensures plenty of effective blue light, contributing to its high CLA of around 63,000.
You can read a more in-depth review of the LightPad Max and the other Alaska Northern Light lamps here.
Aurora LightPad Max
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 31,000
- Circadian Light: 62,700
- Glare: 400
- CCT: 6550K
- Brightness Levels: 3
- Color Temperatures: 1
Most Comfortable: Alaska Northern Lights NorthStar
The North Star is a unique lamp because of its massive size. This makes it uniquely comfortable in the realm of SAD lamps. If you’re looking for the most effective and comfortable light therapy lamp, this is hands down the one you want.
This one uses older fluorescent light technology, which emits a warmer color temperature of around 4350K, making it one of the warmer lamps on this list. Some people may prefer that as it is closer to the CCT of morning sunlight.
You can read a more in-depth review of the NorthStar and the other Alaska Northern Light lamps here.
Alaska Northern Lights NorthStar
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 16,400
- Circadian Light: 17,900
- Glare: 75
- CCT: 4350K
- Brightness Levels: 1
- Color Temperatures: 1
Best Compact Desk Lamp: Circadian Optics Lampu
We’ve reviewed all of Circadian Optics’ lamps, and the Lampu is one of their standout options.
It’s pretty bright for the price and offers a reasonably large illumination area, which also helps with comfort.
The color temperature of this guy is also pretty much exactly 5700K, making it one of the few lamps that mimic the color of noon sunlight.
Overall, the Lampu is a decently priced compact desk SAD lamp that looks nice and performs well.
Circadian Optics Lampu
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 9,700
- Circadian Light: 15,500
- Glare: 235
- CCT: 5750K
- Brightness Levels: 3
- Color Temperatures: 1
Best Floor Lamp: HappyLight Duo Floor
The Duo Floor is my pick for a floor-based light therapy lamp due to its impressive light output and high-quality color rendering.
This lamp offers three color temperatures for those who like that option.
This is great for reading in the morning, board games, or whatever else you want to illuminate.
HappyLight Duo Floor
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 11,200
- Circadian Light: 18,700
- Glare: 431
- CCT: 5000K
- Brightness Levels: 5
- Color Temperatures: 3
Best Color Rendering: HappyLight Duo Desk
The Duo Desk has a fantastic CRI rating of 94.5, making it a perfect desk SAD lamp for anyone who does color-sensitive work or appreciates a high-quality light source.
This light offers seven total brightness settings, which is pretty unheard of. This allows you to dial in the exact brightness you’re looking for.
Of course, three selectable color temps are familiar to the HappyLight lineup.
You can read our in-depth review here if you’d like to learn more about the various HappyLight options.
HappyLight Duo Desk
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 4,500
- Circadian Light: 6,700
- Glare: 230
- CCT: 5550K
- Brightness Levels: 7
- Color Temperatures: 3
Best Portable: HappyLight Halo
The HappyLight Halo from Verilux is one of the most unique SAD lamps because it’s battery-powered and portable.
This means you can use the Halo at your desk, bring it to the kitchen nook for a read, or over to the kitchen sink to wash some dishes.
One of the cons to most SAD lamps is you have to stay right where they are for them to work, but this one can come with you! Even to the bathroom…
HappyLight Halo
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 4,600
- Circadian Light: 6,100
- Glare: 100
- CCT: 5150K
- Brightness Levels: 4
- Color Temperatures: 3
Best for Travel: Circadian Optics Luxy or Aurora LightPad Mini
If you need a light to travel with, I have two recommendations:
The first is a budget-friendly light from Circadian Optics called the Luxy. It’s tiny but powerful and can be powered from a USB port, making it extremely versatile.
Circadian Optics Luxy
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 3,300
- Circadian Light: 4,900
- Glare: 450
- CCT: 6100K
- Brightness Levels: 3
- Color Temperatures: 1
If you’re looking for something way more effective but still quite portable, I’d recommend the LightPad Mini.
Warning: This thing is astoundingly bright, putting out just over 42,000 lux at 1 foot, and is quite compact, measuring just 5×7 inches.
You can read a more in-depth review of the LightPad Mini and the other Alaska Northern Light lamps here.
Aurora LightPad Mini
Pros
Cons
- Lux: 42,400
- Circadian Light: 86,600
- Glare: 1,750
- CCT: 6400K
- Brightness Levels: 3
- Color Temperatures: 1
That’s about it. Stay tuned as we test more lamps!
Hi there, I love your reviews and You Tube vids… very informative.
However I am in Australia and realise the power cord aren’t compatible without an adapter for the recommended SAD lamps in your reviews.
Do you have an Australian alternative recommendation that can help us Aussies out down here?
No one wants to pay hundreds for a good lamp and the power cord doesn’t work!
Kind regards
Lisa S
Hi Lisa! I know the SAD lamp market isn’t very great outside of the US for the most part. It looks like a lamp by Beurer might work alright! I have yet to test those myself though. Many of the lamps power transformers are rated for up to 220-240Hz so they should work in Australia, you would just need a cheap plug adapter. So if you can find one you can give that a shot.
Thanks Derek! The Verilux models have power transformers for 220-240hz?
Hi, I am surprised you didn’t test the Verilux HappyLite Deluxe. It’s an older model but it’s beast. I got two of these covers my whole wall evenly. Any reason you left these out?
Hey there! I’m not familiar with a HappyLight “Deluxe” model… would you mind linking to it so I can take a look?
Thanks for this list! Any reasons you’d recommend the Circadian Optics Lampu over something like Theralite Aura? I was looking at the aura for less glare bc I usually use the dimmest monitor setting to avoid headaches (and it’s a bit cheaper)
That’s a great option! The Lampu is just brighter and more compact for smaller desks is all, probably appeals to more people because of that. The Aura is a good option though for the reasons you mentioned.
Hey Derek! I love your website and am grateful for all the time you’ve taken to put together your posts!
I was wondering – for the SAD lamps, does viewing angle matter? Deciding between Verilux Desk (lower viewing angle below head) or Duo floor light (higher overhead viewing angle like the sun). Love to hear your thoughts!
Hey Alonsy! Angle does matter, although to what degree I can’t be sure as it hasn’t been well studied. As far as I’m aware, all things being equal, light from above is more effective than from below or straight on because of the IPRGC cells location in the eye being in the lower hemisphere.
Light from above is also more comfortable so that’s something to keep in mind as well.
If you have room for it, the floor model might feel better and be the most effective, it is quite bright as well!
As for the transformer, as far as I am aware they do all support 220-240V systems, though you may have to email Verilux to make sure.
also throwing the Verilux Luxe into the mix:
Luxe – Angled towards eyes from lower angle
Duo floor – Angled towards eyes from overhead angle
Duo desk – Angled towards desk, not towards eyes
Thank you so much for this list! Would you consider reviewing the Sunrise Sensations DayBright? I love the look of it, but I want to be sure before splurging on it for aesthetics.
https://www.amazon.com/Sunrise-Sensations-DayBright-Adjustable-Spectrum/dp/B07KX8L2GT?ref_=ast_sto_dp
Hi Grace! This is on my to do list 😁 Hoping to get to them before the winter season.
Hi, I’m in France and none of the lights you recommend are available here. I can mostly find lamps from Beurer or Dayvia, do you happen to know if they might be good ?
Hey Alex! I’ll try to get my hands on those eventually, more difficult here.
The Dayvia brand lamps look nice but not much information on them… Beurer is a UK based company and their TL95 model uses SunLike diodes, I’d grab one of those if you can!
Hello! I enjoyed your light therapy lamp posts and YouTube videos. Thank you for making good posts.
I decided to buy the lamp from Carex that you recommended. However, when I searched it on Amazon, Carex launched a new lamp called ‘day-light elite’. There are no reviews yet.
Which one should I buy, ‘day-light sky’ or ‘day-light elite’?
Hi Yeon, I was given a unit to review I just haven’t gotten around to it yet I’m afraid! I wasn’t aware they had launched it publicly yet.
It’s nice though! Bright, comfortable, and a much nicer build and look than the previous versions. I’ll hopefully have a review of it up soon with the usual measurements and tests.
Thank you for your reply!
After reading your comments, I decided to buy a new model, ‘Day-light Elite’.
I hope this light will help my sleep phase delay syndrome.
I’ll be looking forward to your review of this light!
Hope you like it!