I finally got my hands on some European SAD lamps from Beurer! In this article, we’ll test their lux output, flicker and how they compare feature-wise.
The Lamps
Beurer offers some decent SAD lamp options that are widely available in the European market. However a few, like the TL 85, I was not able to get my hands on.
Here are the models I was able to get:
- TL 20
- TL 30
- TL 35
- TL 50
- TL 95
Let’s jump right into our test results!
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Testing the Beurer Lamps
As usual, we put these lamps through our usual round of testing so you can see exactly what you’re getting and how they’ll compare to each other and other options out there.
Testing Lux
The first thing I did was place each lamp 1 foot in front of our lux spectrometer to test light output.
Here are the test results:
Testing Spectral Properties
The actual color quality from each of these lamps gets progressively worse the less you spend.
Here are the raw spectral output graphs from each lamp to give you an idea of how much light is present:
As you can see, the TL 95 is using full spectrum SunLike diodes, which I love! It’s much brighter as well, so let’s see how these spectrums compare if we make them relative to each other.
As you can see, the TL 95 is still giving off a lot of extra light in all departments. The 30 and 35 are also a bit more “full” than the 50 and 20 if that’s important to you.
Testing Flicker
Next each lamp is placed in front of our flicker meter to see if there is any invisible light flicker.
Beurer has done an excellent job here!
Absolutely no flicker from any of these lamps.
Comparing Glare Scores
Now, something else to consider when buying a SAD lamp is how visually comfortable it will be to use. To easily determine this we simply divide the lux with the square area of illumination.
Now I know these are primarily European lamps, and we use inches because I’m a fly American, but the point still stands.
Lower Glare means more comfort.
As you can see from these results, the brightest lamp (the TL 95) is also the lowest in Glare because it’s so large!
However, none of these are THAT bad. Consider a lamp like the PhotoVites, which has a glare of nearly 3000! So yeah, I wouldn’t be too worried about any of these from a comfort standpoint.
With that being said, the lower glare and better light output from the TL95 once again make this my favorite Beurer lamp.
The Beurer SAD Lamps
Here we’ll take a look at each lamp in particular.
TL 95
This is Beurer’s newest model and also my favorite. It’s built with a heavy aluminum base and has a nice modern aesthetic.
This lamp is on the larger size, but it’s very bright and comfortable and can be angled up and down like this:
It also comes with a very long 10 ft power cord which is always great.
The TL 95 has capacitive controls on the front that allow you to dim it and set timers as well:
The best part? As you saw earlier, this uses SunLike didoes! This means the visible spectrum is very realistic and quite even across the entire spectrum.
Beurer TL 95
Pros:
Cons:
- Lux: 7,959
- Circadian Light: 13,656
- Glare: 47
- CCT: 6150K
- Brightness Levels: 6
- Color Temperatures: 1
TL 50
The TL 50 is the second brightest but also much smaller than the TL 95 if you’re looking for that.
Here it is! Kind of reminds me of the Lampu from Circadian Optics.
This one is really simple to control, there’s just one physical button on the top that turns it off and on. No dimming or anything like that.
This will work with smart plugs, unlike the capacitive touch ones, if you’re looking for that feature.
Beurer TL 50
Pros:
Cons:
- Lux: 4,420
- Circadian Light: 6,800
- Glare: 62
- CCT: 5650K
- Brightness Levels: 1
- Color Temperatures: 1
TL 35
The TL 35 is the only lamp in this list that allows you to change the color temperature, of which there are 3 to choose from:
Obviously, if you want the most effective option, that would be the cooler-looking one.
You can also dim this and adjust the angle using the sliding clip:
You can also set a timer for this one too. A nice choice if you’re looking for adjustable color temperatures.
Beurer TL 35
Pros:
Cons:
- Lux: 2,775
- Circadian Light: 4,055
- Glare: 188
- CCT: 7350K
- Brightness Levels: 4
- Color Temperatures: 3
TL 30
The TL 30 is another simple model like the TL 50 and has a single power button on the top for operation.
This one can be angled like the TL35 though:
Beurer TL 30
Pros:
Cons:
- Lux: 1,940
- Circadian Light: 2,745
- Glare: 52
- CCT: 6850K
- Brightness Levels: 1
- Color Temperatures: 1
TL 20
The last light on this list is the tiny TL 20! This is actually a bit brighter than the TL 30, so this is maybe the better option if you can find one.
This has a single physical button, just like some of the others, and the little orange stand can be clipped into either side for upright or side use:
Beurer TL 20
Pros:
Cons:
- Lux: 2,275
- Circadian Light: 3,260
- Glare: 107
- CCT: 6450K
- Brightness Levels: 1
- Color Temperatures: 1
Conclusion
I really liked the TL 95! I think it’s one of the better SAD lamps I’ve tried out, so I’d recommend that one if you’ve got the money to spend, as it is also the most expensive option.
