I’ve been meaning to test this “full spectrum” SAD lamp from BlockBlueLight, and now that I have it, I am not disappointed!
In this article, we’ll review all the specs, test results, and my thoughts after using it, so let’s jump in!
The Overview
This SAD lamp offers outstanding performance and unique specs, combining SunLike full-spectrum visible light with healthy infrared output, making it a versatile SAD lamp and infrared light therapy panel.
While it excels in effectiveness and build quality, its high glare and flicker when dimmed may be uncomfortable for those sensitive to bright light. Despite the premium price, it’s a top choice for those seeking unmatched full-spectrum and infrared benefits.
Pros:
Cons:
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The Lamp
This is an all-metal lamp similar to the Mitolux vitamin D lamp I tested. The main difference is that this emits only visible and infrared light; there is no UV here!
This puppy is bright, and including infrared light is very interesting. I’ve never seen a SAD lamp with visible and infrared light, so this is pretty neat.
The front controls allow you to toggle between infrared only and visible + infrared. There’s also a brightness button that you can use to set the brightness from 10-25-50-75-100%.
This lamp’s unusual feature is that it only operates on a timer. Pressing the clock button lets you set the timer for 1 to 30 minutes, and hitting the power button starts the lamp and the countdown.
When the timer runs out, the lamp turns off, and the timer resets to the last duration you selected, ready for the next session. However, if you stop the lamp early—say, with 2 minutes remaining—its timer will still be set to 2 minutes the next time you turn it on.
At that point, you’ll either need to use it for the remaining 2 minutes or manually adjust the timer back to your preferred duration. To avoid this hassle, it’s best to let the lamp complete its full time cycle each time.
While this quirk isn’t a dealbreaker, it can be inconvenient.
Testing the Lamp
The specs on this lamp claim “full spectrum” as well as various infrared wavelengths:
- 730nm
- 770nm
- 810nm
- 850nm
- 890nm
They also claim to be flicker-free! Let’s see about that…
So, as usual, I placed this lamp one foot in front of our spectrometer for a full 30-minute run cycle to see what it put out!
Spectral Output
Here’s what I got:
I was very surprised to see the familiar SunLike visible light spectrum here. These are very high-quality diodes, so you’ll get realistic visible light from this lamp.
Here’s a graph of the visible light portion of this spectrum:
We also see five infrared spikes, so they’re not lying about that, either!
I measured around 14,500 lux at one foot and a circadian light output of around 27,000. Compare this to the Carex Day-Light Sky, a popular SAD lamp that also puts out around 14,500 lux but with a much lower circadian light output of 17,900.
That’s because this lamp has much less blue/turquoise light present, illustrated by it’s spectral graph:
Overall the BlockBlueLight SAD lamp is incredibly bright, effective, and realistic! And the added infrared is awesome!
Testing Flicker
Now, is this thing really flicker-free? I placed it in front of our professional flicker meter to see.
Sort of.
It’s completely flicker-free at 100% brightness, but once it’s dimmed, we do get some flicker at around 1000 Hz.
The 10-50% range technically falls into the “High Risk” category of the IEEE’s 1789 flicker standard.
Dropping it to just 75%, limits the depth so it stays within the low risk range:
So I’d keep this at 100% if you like to avoid flicker.
Overall Thoughts
I’m quite pleased with the performance and specs of this SAD lamp. It’s expensive, but the construction and output are unmatched. The SunLike visible light output, as well as the plethora of healthy infrared light, makes this a combo SAD lamp unlike any other on the market.
The fact that this can double as an infrared light therapy panel is just icing on the cake!
This does have some flicker when dimmed, and its low surface area to lux gives it a very high glare rating, meaning it’s not very visually comfortable to use at 100% brightness. So, this might not be a wise choice if you are sensitive to bright light or glare.
Overall, if you’re looking for a highly effective lamp with full-spectrum “sunlike” light and infrared, there’s no other choice.
BlockBlueLight Full Spectrum + Infrared SAD Lamp
Pros:
Cons:
🏷️ 10% off through link ⤵
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Hi Derek. I have been looking at the Mitolux Sunlamp to purchase but the price is so expensive. Today I found this Full Spectrum + Infrared lamp and it is priced quite a bit better than the Mitolux. I have used SAD light for years now in the winter so this is certainly capable of providing the circadian lux that I need. Also, as well as I can determine it provides both red and infrared light. The only difference is that it does not provide UVB to enhance vitamin D. But that was not my priority in using the lamp. I want a lamp that my husband can also use to enhance testosterone production. Is the UVB the big difference in these two? If vitamin D production is not my main goal can I get about the same benefits from the Full Spectrum + lamp as the Mitolux for a much better price?
Thanks so much for your input!
Hi Cindy! Yes if UVB is not a focus then there’s no reason to get the Mitolux. The MitoLux also doesn’t really emit any visible light either so it’s not meant to be used for SAD or circadian alignment purposes.
Sounds to me like the full spectrum SAD lamp would be a better option for you!
Thanks Derek!
I noticed the SOLshine has overtaken the BBL lamp in the SAD Lamp database rankings, but the BBL still remains your top choice for ‘best full spectrum’. I couldn’t see anything in the reviews to explain the preference so I wondered if you could expand on that.
Also, would it fair to say the SOLshine also outperforms BBL as a red light therapy panel too? I don’t know much about the benefits the different nm offer.
Thanks!
Hey Dan! It seems you missed it but do actually address this in the best article; “While I prefer the SOLShine for it’s bluer and more effective spectrum, it’s out of stock :/ and the copy-cat lamp from BBL comes in as a close second.
As for infrared, I’m not sure there’s a enough data or studies to determine the actual benefits of various nm ranges compared to others, since they both fill out the IR-A range similarly, I wouldn’t be too concerned about one over the other.
Now PhotoVites by SOLshine is in stock. Would you say if there is any reason to choose BBL’s product over SOLshine’s PhotoVites? I emailed BBL and they say “LUX Rating: 3000 – 14,000 lux @ 3 inches: As this is the minimum distance advised, we only provide this measurement at the advised distance and not at any other distances.” which seems pretty weak (although your review says BBL’s product has 10,000+ lux at 1 foot, which is better than what they claim). Also BBL says “This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.” while PhotoVites claim “SAD Rated — 13,470 LUX @ 2 feet” and Alaska Northern Lights says their products are “proven, natural remedy for fighting Winter Blues” … “Doctor recommended” … “combat the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, winter blues, sleep disorders and other mood disorders”.
If that is actually what BBL send you, that is an extremely bizarre response!
3 inches is VERY close, and the lux will be much much higher than 14,000 at that range. I wouldn’t worry much about SAD, blues, or depression claims personally, just shop based on the data and specs you want.
I’m not crazy about BBL quality so I tend to recommend SOLShine and they use cooler diodes last I checked which are more effective.
Under “Specs” in BlockBlueLight’s “Full Spectrum + Infrared” product page, it actually says “LUX Rating: 3000 – 14,000 lux @ 3” “, which you can go and check. And as I raised this in my email, they told me what I said above as they confirmed the “3-inch” indication.
Complete nonsense that’s for sure.
Hello, I have this light and love it. Sadly I lost the lead and need a new one. I have an adjustable Power Supply, 9V-36V 3A 108W DC. It says input voltage:24v DC on the back but my dad says I need to know the polarity. Can you help?
Hey Lindsay! Sorry for the late reply. I don’t currently have this lamp but here’s how you’d do it:
To determine polarity you’ll need a multimeter set to DC (the flat line not the squiggly one).
By probing the different metal sections you’ll get either a positive or negative result on the screen. If the red lead/wire is touching the negative terminal it will read negative, which means you have it backwards, if that makes sense?
But either way this will show you which part is positive and which is negative so that you can match them up.
Hey there! Awesome review! Are you able to use just the sad lights or just the red infrared lights individually?
Yes! You can use either VIS+IR or just IR. However you cannot just use VIS, but I don’t think you’d want to do that anyways.
Do the infrared LEDs flicker when the brightness is reduced, or do only the full spectrum LEDs flicker?