☀️ The SAD Lamp Database

Find your favorite SAD lamp with our handy database! The desktop experience is recommended.

Here is what we tested for and why!

A light’s color temperature is essentially a description of how humans perceive the overall hue of a light source. The color of natural sunlight varies throughout the day, however, it hovers around 5700K for most of the day.

representation of color temperature from various lights

Some people prefer one CCT over another, we’ve included our measured CCTs so that you can decide which light is best for you.

Lux isn’t really the most important factor when it comes to bright light therapy, but we’ve included this metric because it’s a popular one.

Lux is simply the calculation of how bright a light source may appear to the human eye. Brightness itself however isn’t necessarily the best measurement for circadian activation.

For that, we can use two other metrics such as Melanopic Lux and Circadian Light, which we discuss below.

CLA is a calculation of the light “postulated to represent the spectral sensitivity of the retinal mechanisms that generate neural signals reaching the human suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN).”

Phew.

In other words, the higher the CLA the more a light source will wake you up and align your circadian rhythm.

If you’d like to learn more about how this works, you can read it here on the CS 2.0 Calculator Documentation page.

Melanopic lux is an earlier alternative to lux that has since been better replaced by Circadian Light, however, it is still used in many places so we’ll include it here.

CRI is a unit used to represent the ability of a light source to reflect the true colors of objects, compared to a natural light source, like the Sun.

It’s currently the most popular way of determining the color quality of an artificial light source and can be seen on many light bulb packages.

For CRI, a score of over 90 is considered good.

image showing how apples might look under a CRI of 97, 90, and 80

Most light therapy lamps do not advertise this metric, so we provide it here for you if you’re looking for a more “realistic” light source.

A little dirt on CRI: CRI used to comprise only 8 colors. The average of these would be called the “Ra” or the average R-value. The CRI standard has since added 6 more colors, however, one of them, R9 (deep red) is more difficult to get high scores on. So most companies still only use the first 8 to calculate their “CRI score”.

We use an average of all 15 colors in our calculations, so the CRI score may be lower or higher than what is typically advertised for each light.

Glare is calculated by dividing the total lux output at 1 foot by the size of the light source.

We’ve included this metric for those of you who find yourself a bit more photosensitive.

The more light that’s emitted from a source point, the larger the emission area needs to be in order to avoid becoming too uncomfortable for the eyes.

This metric will allow you to select a lamp that’s a bit more pleasant to have around. If you’ve previously owned a lamp and found it too uncomfortable to use, simply locate it on our table, and look for a new one with a lower Glare rating.

Obviously, most lights have brightness settings, however when it comes to bright light therapy the more light you can bear, the more effective it will be, so we give you the glare on the brightest setting.

Almost all lights have an “invisible flicker”, if this bothers you, our database has lots of info to help you choose flicker-free lamps.

*Flicker data is taken using the most effective color temperature and highest brightness setting, flicker almost always gets worse if the light is dimmed at all*

The flicker depth shows how much the brightness of a light source varies from its minimum brightness to its maximum brightness.

For example, a light source that varies from 100 lux to 80 lux, would have a flicker depth of 20%.

Generally speaking, we want this to be as low as possible, as sunlight doesn’t flicker at all.

The waveform graph actually shows you the flicker depth plotted on a 24 ms time slot.

waveform graph from an LED

Waveforms can vary dramatically from one light to the next.

It’s possible to associate headaches with certain types of waveforms, so if this is you, you can use this graph to decide which lights might irritate you and which might not.

This graph is based on the IEEE’s PAR1789 flicker standard.

While this standard isn’t perfect, it’s the best we’ve got right now.

flicker risk graph from ieee

This graph essentially takes the flicker frequency, seen in the waveform graph, and plots it against the flicker depth.

The idea here is that the lower the frequency and the higher the depth, the more likely a light source is to cause noticeable biological problems.

The Flicker index is a measurement that takes into account the areas above and under the light’s average output and calculates this as a number.

diagram showing how the flicker index is calculated
Diagram illustrating how the flicker index is calculated.

This gives us a good numerical value for how much time the light source spends away from the median brightness level.

Show Your Support 😄

Your support makes it possible for us to keep testing!

  • Lamps Tested: 51
  • 3/2/2025: Tested Chroma Sky portal 2.1
  • 2/10/2025: Tested HappyLight Mini
  • 1/28/2025: Tested 5 Beurer lamps
  • 1/1/2025: Tested SOL PhotoVites
  • 11/19/2024: Tested BlockBlueLight Full Spectrum + Infrared lamp
  • 11/9/2024: Tested Sunrise Sensations lamps
  • 10/23/2024: Tested the Carex Day-Light Elite
  • 2/2/2024: Tested Lumie Vitamin L, Halo, and Mini
  • 11/12/2023: Tested Alaska Northern Light lamps
  • 10/18/2023: Tested Carex Day-Light Classic and Sky
  • 10/1/2023: Tested Lastar lamps
  • 9/1/2023: Tested TheraLite lamps
  • 8/6/2023: Tested Verilux HappyLights
  • 6/24/2023: Tested Circadian Optics lamps
  • 6/24/2023: Tested Olly Day lamp
  • 6/24/2023: Version 1.0 Release! 🎉

The SAD Lamp Database

Our work is reader-supported; if you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

ImageBrandModelAmazonWebsitePriceCCTLuxCLAM-EDIGlare (lux/in2)Area (in2)CRISpectrumFlicker RiskRisk GraphWaveformFlicker IndexFlicker DepthColor TemperaturesBrightness LevelsCord LengthPowerCoupon CodeReviewsVoltage
Olly day product imageOllyDay89Check Price →$$5900K430635460884.979Olly Day SPD GraphNo Riskolly day light therapy lamp flicker risk grapholly day light therapy lamp waveform graph0.377394.6%Jun/21/202312N/ADimmableNo
Circadian Optics lumine product imageCircadian OpticsLumine74Check Price →Check Price →$5700K3,8005,3653,16014326.579.1Circadian Optics Lumine SPD GraphNo Riskcircadian optics lumine light therapy lamp flicker risk graphcircadian optics lumine light therapy lamp waveform graph0.382299.5%Jun/24/2023137.3 ftDimmableNoReview100-240V
Circadian Optics luxy product imageCircadian OpticsLuxy28Check Price →Check Price →$6100K3,3454,9302,8354537.480.9Circadian Optics Luxy SPD GraphNo Riskcircadian optics luxy light therapy lamp flicker risk graphcircadian optics luxy light therapy lamp waveform graph0.735699.5%Jun/24/2023135 ftDimmable, USB-ANoReview100-240V
lattis product photo squareCircadian OpticsLattis60Check Price →Check Price →$6150K4,9557,9104,47524620.182Circadian Optics Lattis SPD GraphNo Riskcircadian optics lattis light therapy lamp flicker risk graphcircadian optics lattis light therapy lamp waveform graph0.646799.5%Jun/25/2023137.3 ftDimmableNoReview100-240V
Circadian Optics Lumos 2.0 product imageCircadian OpticsLumos 2.084Check Price →Check Price →$$6350K3,7506,0153,3754408.581.5Circadian Optics Lumos 2.0 SPD GraphNo Riskcircadian optics lumos 2.0 light therapy lamp flicker risk graphcircadian optics lumos 2.0 light therapy lamp waveform graph0.682899.5%Jun/25/2023137.3 ftDimmableNoReview100-240V
lampu product imageCircadian OpticsLampu73Check Price →Check Price →$5750K9,68515,5308,16023541.378.9Circadian Optics Lampu SPD GraphNo Riskcircadian optics lampu light therapy lamp flicker risk graphcircadian optics lampu light therapy lamp waveform graph0.626099.5%Jun/25/2023137.3 ftDimmableNoReview100-240V
Circadian Optics Leo product imageCircadian OpticsLeo50Check Price →Check Price →$6250K3,1804,8202,8702451381.2Circadian Optics Leo SPD GraphNo Riskcircadian optics leo light therapy lamp flicker risk graphcircadian optics leo light therapy lamp waveform graph0.193265.2%Jun/25/2023137.3 ftDimmableNoReview100-240V
HappyLight Compact product imageVeriluxHappyLight Compact30Check Price →$6850K1,9252,5601,6209121.269.1Verilux HappyLight Compact SPD GraphLow Riskflicker risk graph of verilux happylight compact light therapy lampwaveform graph of verilux happylight compact light therapy lamp0.01646.3%Aug/03/2023115 ftSmart Plug CompatibleNoReview100-240V
HappyLight Alba product imageVeriluxHappyLight Alba50Check Price →Check Price →$5250K3,2654,4902,74510531.285.2Verilux HappyLight Alba SPD GifNo Riskflicker risk graph of verilux happylight alba light therapy lampwaveform graph of verilux happylight alba light therapy lamp0.407495.3%Aug/04/2023345.8 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNoReview100-240V
happylight classic product photo squareVeriluxHappyLight Full-Size49Check Price →Check Price →$6300K4,6756,7453,87511341.576.8Verilux Liberty SPD GifNo Riskflicker risk graph of verilux happylight liberty light therapy lampwaveform graph of verilux happylight liberty light therapy lamp0.00933.9%Aug/03/2023226.3 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color Temperature, Smart Plug CompatibleNoReview100-240V
HappyLight Lumi Plus product imageVeriluxHappyLight Lumi Plus40Check Price →Check Price →$5500K3,9455,5503,2851273182.1Verilux HappyLight Lumi Plus SPD GraphNo Riskflicker risk graph of verilux happylight lumi plus light therapy lampwaveform graph of verilux happylight lumi plus light therapy lamp0.342899%Aug/05/2023135.9 ftDimmableNoReview100-240V
HappyLight Lucent product imageVeriluxHappyLight Lucent40Check Price →Check Price →$5250K4,1505,4703,23511436.376.3Verilux HappyLight Lucent SPD GraphNo Riskverilux happylight lucent flicker risk graphverilux happylight lucent waveform graph0.00813.7%Aug/05/2023115.9 ftNoReview100-240V
HappyLight Luxe product imageVeriluxHappyLight Luxe70Check Price →Check Price →$5400K4,1555,8003,4307952.983.8Verilux HappyLight Luxe SPD GifNo Riskverilux happylight luxe light therapy lamp flicker risk graphverilux happylight luxe light therapy lamp waveform graph0.562899.5%Aug/05/2023345.9 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNoReview100-240V
HappyLight Touch Plus product imageVeriluxHappyLight Touch Plus50Check Price →Check Price →$5100K4,1905,6753,3851054085.4Verilux HappyLight Touch Plus SPD GifNo Riskverilux happylight touch plus light therapy lamp flicker risk graphverilux happylight touch plus light therapy lamp waveform graph0.192777.8%Aug/05/2023235.9 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNoReview100-240V
HappyLight Halo product imageVeriluxHappyLight Halo90Check Price →Check Price →$$5150K4,6356,1303,59510245.379.8Verilux HappyLight Halo SPD GifNo Riskverilux happylight halo light therapy lamp flicker risk graphverilux happylight halo light therapy lamp waveform graph0.121070.7%Aug/05/2023345.9 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNoReview100-240V
HappyLight Duo Desk product imageVeriluxHappyLight Duo Desk80Check Price →Check Price →$$5550K4,4806,7303,96023319.294.4Verilux HappyLight Duo Desk SPD GifNo Riskverilux happylight duo desk light therapy lamp flicker risk graphverilux happylight duo desk light therapy lamp waveform graph0.215976.6%Aug/05/2023375.9 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNoReview100-240V
happylight duo floor product photo squareVeriluxHappyLight Duo Floor130Check Price →Check Price →$$5000K11,26018,7159,85043126.188.8Verilux Duo Floor SPD GifNo Riskverilux happylight duo floor light therapy lamp flicker risk graphverilux happylight duo floor light therapy lamp waveform graph0.291481.6%Aug/05/2023356 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureYesReview100-240V
TheraLite Aura product imageTheraLiteAura43Check Price →Check Price →$3000K11,78011,6506,2551448280.7TheraLite Aura SPD GraphHigh Risktheralite aura light therapy lamp flicker risk graphtheralite aura light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.048415.8%Aug/29/2023145.4 ftOPTIMIZE15 for 15% offDimmableYesReview120V
TheraLite Aura Qi product imageTheraLiteAura Qi38Check Price →Check Price →$3000K12,14011,2906,0401488280.5TheraLite Aura Qi SPD GraphNo Risktheralite aura qi light therapy lamp flicker risk graphtheralite aura qi light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.00662.3%Aug/30/2023145.3 ftOPTIMIZE15 for 15% offDimmableYesReview120V
TheraLite Halo product imageTheraLiteHalo50Check Price →Check Price →$3000K5,0204,4802,5451573280.7TheraLite Halo SPD GraphNo Risktheralite halo light therapy lamp flicker risk graphtheralite halo light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.00331.1%Aug/30/2023145.3 ftOPTIMIZE15 for 15% offDimmableNoReview120V
TheraLite Glow product imageTheraLiteGlow30Check Price →Check Price →$4100K3,8903,9602,51514626.779.2TheraLite Glow SPD GraphNo Risktheralite glow light therapy lamp flicker risk graphtheralite glow light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.00291.1%Aug/30/2023145.9 ftOPTIMIZE15 for 15% offDimmableNoReview120V
TheraLite radiance product imageTheraLiteRadiance45Check Price →Check Price →$2950K2,1351,7551,0253685.879.3TheraLite Radiance SPD GraphHigh Risktheralite radiance light therapy lamp flicker risk graphtheralite radiance light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.569299.5%Aug/31/2023135.9 ftOPTIMIZE15 for 15% offDimmableNoReview120V
theralite original light therapy lampTheraLiteOriginal40Check Price →Check Price →$3200K6,8456,4103,54518836.579.8TheraLite Original SPD GraphNo Risktheralite original light therapy lamp flicker risk graphtheralite original light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.00180.5%Aug/31/2023114.9 ftOPTIMIZE15 for 15% offNoReview100-240V
Lastar CM011 product imageLastarCM01128Check Price →$6250K1,7152,5551,6506227.695.7Lastar CM011 SPD GraphNo Riskflicker risk graph of lastar cm011 light therapy lampflicker waveform graph of lastar cm011 light therapy lamp0.00411.1%Sep/29/2023136 ftDimmableNo
Lastar CM003 product imageLastarCM00335Check Price →$6200K3,1504,3352,6608835.773.5Lastar CM003 SPD GraphNo Risklastar cm003 light therapy lamp flicker risk graphlastar cm003 light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.047726%Sep/29/2023156 ftDimmableNo
Lastar CM019 product imageLastarCM01950Check Price →$6950K2,0653,1501,8806034.6Lastar CM019 SPD GifNo Riskflicker risk graph of lastar cm019 light therapy sad lampflicker waveform graph of lastar cm019 light therapy sad lamp0.00592.3%Sep/30/2023456 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNo
Lastar CM018B product imageLastarCM018B30Check Price →$6400K1,9052,7351,6758921.378.2Lastar CM018B SPD GifNo Risklastar cm018b light therapy lamp flicker risk graphlastar cm018b light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.00311%Sep/30/2023454.9 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNo
Lastar CM018 product imageLastarCM01822Check Price →$6600K1,9852,9051,7609321.377.3Lastar CM018 SPD GraphNo Risklastar cm018 light therapy lamp flicker risk graphlastar cm018 light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.00321%Sep/30/2023154.9 ftDimmableNo
Lastar CM020 product imageLastarCM02030Check Price →$6600K2,9304,2952,58510029.376.1Lastar CM020 SPD GraphNo Risklastar cm020 light therapy lamp flicker risk graphlastar cm020 light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.00491.5%Oct/01/2023154.8 ftDimmableNo
Lastar CM022 product imageLastarCM022140Check Price →$$5950K5,2158,3504,8456975.995.9Lastar CM022 SPD GifNo Riskflicker risk graph of lastar cm022 light therapy lampflicker waveform graph of lastar cm022 light therapy lamp0.040621%Oct/01/2023458.3 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNo
Lastar CM021 product imageLastarCM02180Check Price →$$5950K3,2354,8553,0154375.996.4Lastar CM021 SPD GifNo Risklastar cm021 light therapy lamp flicker risk graphlastar cm021 light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.201199.5%Oct/01/2023454.8 ftDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNo
carex classic product photo squareCarexDay-Light Classic120-150Check Price →Check Price →$$4050K12,49014,3107,90011011478.7Carex Classic SPD GraphHigh Riskcarex day light classic light therapy lamp flicker risk graphcarex day light classic light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.054118%Oct/18/2023126.3 ft39WOPTIMIZE15 for 15% offDimmable, Smart Plug CompatibleYesReview120V
carex sky product photo squareCarexDay-Light Sky120-130Check Price →Check Price →$$4200K14,54017,7609,48518180.578.3Carex Sky SPD GraphHigh Riskcarex day light sky light therapy lamp flicker risk graphcarex day light sky light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.057020%Oct/17/2023126.3 ft40WOPTIMIZE15 for 15% offDimmable, Smart Plug CompatibleYesReview120V
alaska northern lights aurora lightpad mini sad lampAlaska Northern LightsAurora LightPad Mini200Check Price →Check Price →$$$6400K42,44586,59039,3901,74624.380.7LightPad Mini SPD GraphNo Riskalaska northern lights aurora lightpad mini light therapy lamp flicker risk graphalaska northern lights aurora lightpad mini light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.01064.5%Nov/05/2023139.2 ft30WDimmableYesReview120V
alaska northern lights aurora lightpad maxAlaska Northern LightsAurora LightPad Max380Check Price →Check Price →$$$$$6550K30,99062,71529,21039778.178LightPad Max SPD GraphNo Riskalaska northern lights aurora lightpad max light therapy lamp flicker risk graphalaska northern lights aurora lightpad max light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.00834%Nov/05/2023138.2 ft47WDimmableYesReview120V
northstar product photo squareAlaska Northern LightsNorthStar335Check Price →Check Price →$$$$$4350K16,35517,9009,4007521767.9Northstar SPD GraphHigh Riskalaska northern lights aurora lightpad max light therapy lamp flicker risk graphalaska northern lights aurora lightpad max light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.056323%Nov/11/2023117 ft100WSmart Plug CompatibleYesReview120V
lumie vitamin L product photoLumieVitamin L100Check Price →$$4050K5,7306,0753,7509163.279.3Lumie Vit L SPD GraphNo Risklumie vitamin l sad lamp flicker risk graphlumie vitamin l sad lamp flicker waveform graph0.00271%Jan/26/2024115.9 ft23WNoReview100-240V
lumie halo product photoLumieHalo249Check Price →$$$$3850K6,6206,8654,22010861.584.2Lumie Halo SPD GraphNo Risklumie halo sad lamp flicker risk graphlumie halo sad lamp flicker waveform graph0.00231%Jan/26/2024335.9 ft26WDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNoReview100-240V
lumie mini product photoLumieMini59Check Price →$3950K3,8803,7802,42010237.977.9Lumie mini spd graphNo Risklumie mini sad light therapy lamp flicker risk graphlumie mini sad light therapy lamp flicker waveform graph0.01544.6%Feb/01/2024115.9 ft13WNoReview100-240V
carex day-light elite product photoCarexDay-Light Elite127Check Price →Check Price →$$4150K12,40014,1907,7106918079.5Spectral Power Distribution Graph - carex daylight eliteNo RiskFlicker waveform graphs for carex daylight elite00.2%Oct/21/2024145.2 ft34WOPTIMIZE15 for 15% offDimmableYesReview120V
sunrise sensations brightboxSunrise SensationsBrightbox100Check Price →Check Price →$$6150K2,0102,6301,5254050.267.6SPD Graph of sunrise sensation brightbox sad lampNo RiskBrightbox Flicker@2x00.7%Nov/07/2024715.5 ft13WAdjustable Color TemperatureNoReview100-240V
sunrise sensations daybrightSunrise SensationsDaybright200Check Price →Check Price →$$$6650K3,3054,7452,60533101.467.3SPD Graph of sunrise sensation daybright sad lampNo RiskDaybright Flicker@2x00.9%Nov/07/2024715.5 ft20WAdjustable Color TemperatureNoReview100-240V
blockbluelight full spectrum + infrared sad lampBlockBlueLightFull Spectrum + Infrared430Check Price →$$$$$5850K14,59527,24513,8302,0567.197.2Spectral Power Distribution Graph - BlockBlueLight Full Spectrum + Infrared SAD LampNo RiskBlockBlueLight Full Spectrum SAD Lamp Flicker waveform graph@2x00.1%Nov/17/20241510.7 ft47WOPTIMIZE10 for 10% offDimmable, InfraredYesReview100-240V
solshine photovites sad lampSOLshinePhotoVites447Check Price →$$$$$6400K20,65043,14020,6602,9087.195.9Spectral Power Distribution Graph - sol photovitesNo RiskFlicker Photovites00.3%Dec/31/20241113.8 ft47WOYB10 for 10% offInfraredYesReview100-240V
beurer tl 95BeurerTL 95200Check Price →$$$6150K7,59513,6557,45047160.695beurer tl 95 Spectral Power Distribution GraphNo Riskbeurer tl 95 flicker waveform graph00.2%Jan/27/20251610.1 ft60WDimmableNoReview100-240V
beurer tl 30BeurerTL 3040Check Price →$6850K1,9402,7451,7405237.284beurer tl 30 Spectral Power Distribution GraphNo Riskbeurer tl 30 flicker waveform graph00.3%Jan/27/2025114.9 ft9WSmart Plug CompatibleNoReview100-240V
beurer tl 35BeurerTL 35$Check Price →$7350K2,7754,0552,48518814.892.3beurer tl 35 Spectral Power Distribution GraphNo Riskbeurer tl 35 flicker waveform graph00.4%Jan/27/2025344.5 ft15WDimmable, Adjustable Color TemperatureNoReview100-240V
beurer tl 20BeurerTL 2050Check Price →$6450K2,2753,2602,04010721.274.5beurer tl 20 Spectral Power Distribution GraphNo Riskbeurer tl 20 flicker waveform graph00.4%Jan/27/2025115.8 ft7WSmart Plug CompatibleNoReview100-240V
beruer tl 50BeurerTL 5044Check Price →$5650K4,4206,8004,0806270.993.6Spectral Power Distribution Graph - beurer tl50No Riskbeurer tl50 flicker waveform00.01%Jan/27/2025115.8 ft24WSmart Plug CompatibleNoReview100-240V
happpylight mini photoVeriluxHappyLight Mini40Check Price →Check Price →$4300K3,4103,7752,32081.8Spectral Power Distribution Graph - HappyLight MiniLow RiskHappyLight Mini Flicker0.014.1%Feb/09/20251320WUSB-CNo100-240V
chroma sky portal 2.1ChromaSky Portal 2.1245Check Price →$$$$7400K5,31011,4856,24051.1103.985.4Spectral Power Distribution Graph - chroma sky portal 2.1No RiskFlicker chroma sky portal 2.10.00051.4%Mar/02/20258.6 ft38WOYB10 for 10% offDimmable, Smart Plug Compatible, Adjustable Color TemperatureNo100-240V

28 responses to “The SAD Lamp Database: Find the Best SAD Lamp”

  1. Sabina C Avatar
    Sabina C

    This helped so much!! Thank you! What about Northern Light Technologies? They are pretty expensive but look good.

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      Glad you found it helpful! I plan on testing those as well at some point, so stay tuned!

  2. Adison Avatar
    Adison

    I would like to know the type of spectrometer you are using and get some statistics of its efficiencies. (For the detector and grating)

    I thought the outputs would look much more like a black body.

    Thank you for your help,
    Adison

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      Hi Adison! So we’ve been using the Hopocolor HCPS-300P for testing purposes.

      Which outputs might you be referring to? Just about the only lights that produce blackbody radiation are tungsten filament bulbs. Some newer full spectrum LEDs come closer however.

  3. Lauren Avatar
    Lauren

    With every light on the market promising at least 10,000 Lux, how is it that only 8 lamps tested reach this benchmark? What distance do you measure from?

    I realise you talk about circadian light being a better metric, I’m just astonished why the Lux is considerably lower than advertised for the vast majority of lamps.

    Thanks for your help.

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      Hi Lauren!

      Your average consumer assumes “lux” refers to the total output of a lamp, but it actually refers to the output at a specified distance.

      Most brands prey upon this ignorance by using the “10,000 lux” buzzword without clarifying the distance at which this is achieved.

      We test every lamp at 12 inches so that they can be easily compared to each other. So some lamps emit 10,000 lux at 12 inches, and others must be closer to hit that benchmark.

      Hope that helps!

  4. tj Avatar
    tj

    hi sir, by any chance can you try chroma sky portal 2.0? curious to see how they perform

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      That’s the plan! Working on our sunrise alarm clock project currently and next on our list is a plethora of SAD lamps.

  5. Irene Avatar
    Irene

    Hi, Derek! Thank you for everything you do here, it’s been very helpful and educational!
    Could you please test Beurer TL 95? It has SunLike full-spectrum LED’s in it, which is pretty cool

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      Hi Irene! I saw they released that! Very exciting. I will try to get my hands on one ASAP.

  6. Jane does Avatar
    Jane does

    Have you tested saunaspace thermabulb?

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      I have not yet… hopefully I can get to those in the future 😁

  7. CR Avatar
    CR

    Hi! I’m wondering if you have any kind of “cheat sheet” on what to look at when considering which lamp to purchase. I’ve reviewed your reviews, and they are really helpful… but I’d like to find a lamp that doesn’t look like it belongs in an operating room/ dentist’s office. Something that just looks like a classic lamp? There are some slightly more attractive ones on Amazon, like Caromolly but I just can’t tell if they are useful or not… they say they filter out UV and have 10,000 lux… any tips on how filter through ones that you have NOT yet reviewed? Or just wait 😉

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      Good question Clara 🙂 I’ve bee meaning to test many of these Amazon SAD lamps, hopefully soon! I highly doubt it’s putting out 10,000 lux anywhere near where you’d be using it especially since it’s got a 360 degree light dispersion. However that doesn’t mean you won’t find it useful!

      I’d say find out you like the design of any try it out. If you notice it makes you feel subjectively better, then it works! 🙂

  8. Bill C Avatar
    Bill C

    I am looking for a lamp with a fast blinking feature. Between 0.1 and 0.5 seconds. Any suggestions are appreciated

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      That would be 10 and 2 Hz flicker rate, I’m not aware of anything on the market that does this by design.

  9. Jeroen S Avatar
    Jeroen S

    Hi Derek,
    Thanks for all the work you’ve been putting into this!

    Would it be possible for you to also review some of the brands available in Europe? Most of the lights listed in your database are only available in the US.

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      Hey Jeroen! That’s something I’ve been dragging my feet on for sure! I’ll try to get what I can soon. We’re any brands in particular of interest to you?

  10. Charlie Avatar
    Charlie

    Hi Derek,

    First of all, really appreciate the effort you put in for these, this is amazing and you are helping a lot of people here!

    Honestly, I’d love to see how a Full Spectrum Grow Light would compare to these. These could be amazing cheap alternatives. An example: [Sansi Bulbs](https://www.amazon.com/SANSI-Spectrum-Hydroponic-Greenhouse-Houseplants/dp/B07BRKT56T?th=1)

    If links are not ok, you can replace the link with “Sansi Bulbs” or “Any Full Spectrum Grow Light on Amazon”

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      Hey Charlie, links are fine 🙂

      I’ve been wanting to test SANSI quite a bit! I’ll hopefully get to them this year. I imagine it’s quite bright but not very visually comfortable given it’s small size.

  11. John Kamoske Avatar
    John Kamoske

    Thank you for documenting this! I have picked up the Carex classic plus for my desk and a Happy Light Duo to replace my broken reading lamp based on your tests. I’m feeling much better since I started using them the past 5 weeks. Today I purchased an Aurora MiniPad for use when traveling. I know it’s super bright at full power. Any thoughts about the lux produced on its two lower settings at 12 inches?

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      So glad to hear that John! Bright light just makes such a difference 🙂

      And yes I do have that information!

      LOW: 10,960 lux
      MEDIUM: 23,325 lux

  12. Bob Boi Avatar
    Bob Boi

    Helpful! Can you test Lumie Brazil? 😊

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      Doesn’t look like there’s any way for me to get my hands on one here in the US, but I’ll test it if/when I can 😉

      1. Bob Boi Avatar
        Bob Boi

        Does the 10 000 lux at 35 cm (13,8 inches) at least indicate it’s one of the high performers? Even if lux isn’t important in and of itself?

        1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

          I would say so yes! That would put it right up there with the best.

  13. Mark kirkman Avatar
    Mark kirkman

    Made my own full spectrum lamp using 3 2 bulb splitters and 3 Philips ultra def 1500 lumen 5k clear glass bulbs For infrared added 1 72w clear halogen bulb .Boy it is bright and energizing!

    1. Derek Antosiek Avatar

      Sounds glorious Mark! It really does make a big difference doesn’t it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *