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
beurer gif

Let’s jump right into our test results!

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.

beurer tl 95 lux testing
Here is the TL 95 in action!

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:

Beurer SAD Lamps raw Output v2

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.

Beurer SAD Lamps relative Output v2

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.

  • LEDs run on direct current (DC), but your home uses alternating current (AC). Some LED lights flicker (invisibly) because they can’t smooth out the AC power, which can bother some people. Better LED drivers either raise the flicker rate so it’s less noticeable or remove it completely.
beurer tl 95 flicker testing

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.

tl 95 from side

If you’re on mobile, you can view this in augmented reality. Our models aren’t perfect, but this lets you see how big it is and how it will look in your space.

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This lamp is on the larger size, but it’s very bright and comfortable and can be angled up and down like this:

TL 95 angled

It also comes with a very long 10 ft power cord which is always great.

showing cord for tl 95

The TL 95 has capacitive controls on the front that allow you to dim it and set timers as well:

shot of buttons on tl 95

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 Spectral Power Distribution Graph

Beurer TL 95

beurer tl 95

Pros

  • Very bright and comfortable
  • Uses SunLike diodes!
  • Flicker-free

Cons

  • The most expensive option
  • Rather large
beurer tl 95 Spectral Power Distribution Graph
  • 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.

If you’re on mobile, you can view this in augmented reality. Our models aren’t perfect, but this lets you see how big it is and how it will look in your space.

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Here it is! Kind of reminds me of the Lampu from Circadian Optics.

tl 50 turned on

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

beruer tl 50

Pros

  • Very simple to use
  • Flicker-free

Cons

  • Can’t be dimmed
Spectral Power Distribution Graph beurer tl50
  • 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:

tl 35 color temperature gif

If you’re on mobile, you can view this in augmented reality. Our models aren’t perfect, but this lets you see how big it is and how it will look in your space.

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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:

tl 35 angling gif

You can also set a timer for this one too. A nice choice if you’re looking for adjustable color temperatures.

Beurer TL 35

beurer tl 35

Pros

  • Adjustable color temperature
  • Can be angled freely
  • Flicker-free

Cons

  • Not the brightest option out there
beurer tl 35 Spectral Power Distribution Graph
  • 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.

front of tl 30

If you’re on mobile, you can view this in augmented reality. Our models aren’t perfect, but this lets you see how big it is and how it will look in your space.

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This one can be angled like the TL35 though:

TL 30 angling gif

Beurer TL 30

beurer tl 30

Pros

  • Physical button operation
  • Can be angled freely
  • Flicker-free

Cons

  • Not the brightest option out there
beurer tl 30 Spectral Power Distribution Graph
  • 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.

If you’re on mobile, you can view this in augmented reality. Our models aren’t perfect, but this lets you see how big it is and how it will look in your space.

Scan to view on mobile

Point your phone’s camera at this code

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:

front of tl 20 upright
back of tl 20
front of tl 20 on side
back of tl 20 on its side

Beurer TL 20

beurer tl 20

Pros

  • Brighter than the TL 30
  • Flicker-free
  • Physical button operation

Cons

  • Not the brightest option out there
beurer tl 20 Spectral Power Distribution Graph
  • 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.

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5 Comments

  1. Hi Derek,

    I am a bit confused about the graph with spectral output. On the graph it looks like the TL20 is best – are the colors mixed up?

    Also, I just wanted to confirm that you can recommend the TL95 despite it not hitting over 10.000 LUX at 1 foot? How close would you need to be?

    I am on the european market so am struggling to find good options. I am looking at the one from BlockBlueLight and now this.

    Thanks for all you many reviews and guides!

    1. Ah, shoot, yes, those are backward thank you for catching that! I’ll get that updated.

      You definitely don’t need to hit 10,000 lux, that’s more of an urban myth because that’s often used in studies.

      Granted, it’s a dose response curve, so the more light output hitting your eyes the greater the effect, but that doesn’t mean under 10,000 suddenly becomes ineffective. I regularly use light under that that level and it feels plenty effective to me and I have great mood and sleep patterns.

      With that being said the BlockBlueLight is going to be FAR more effective, just not even remotely as comfortable.