Zelco "itty bitty" Book Light, LED Edition Review

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I had the original "Iddy Biddy Book Light" for years. I finally got tired of using C batteries, and being tethered to the battery pack. I bought the LED Edition book light a few months ago, and I love it. The fact that it holds the batteries was worth the price. The LED lights are great. They don't produce any heat, and the light they cast is very easy on the eyes. I spend usually 1 2 hours reading at night, and I never have had any problems. I gave my wife the old book light, and now she wants and LED version for herself. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a book light.

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Pros: This light is a probably a good option for reading small paperbacks bright light, no hot bulb, low battery usage.

Cons: Can't tilt light side-to-side (to accommodate large books and nearby sleepers), can't tilt arm past 90 degrees, bulky (and heavy) battery pack part of the clip.

I've been using these lights for years. I was so impressed with the design improvements between the volume 1 and volume 2 versions that when my volume 2 clip broke, I was excited to try the LED version. What I liked: the light is very bright, there is no hot bulb, and battery life is long (if I choose to use batteries). Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed in the following features:

1. The light doesn't swivel side-to-side anymore. I often do crossword puzzles from a large-volume book and the LED doesn't throw light to a large enough area to see the entire page. Also, when I read in the middle of the night, I like to aim the light away from my husband's side of the bed so he is not disturbed with this light I have to tilt the whole book.

2. The angle between the arm and and clip does not extend beyond 90 degrees. If you don't have the light fully extended or if the pages of the book are wider than the length of the fully extended arm, the light bulb assembly gets in the way of turning the page.

3. The battery pack is part of the clip. I'm forced to deal with the bulk of the battery pack even if I use an AC adaptor. It is nearly impossible to clip anywhere but on the back cover. Now you've got a bulky battery pack on the back of the book, which makes the book not lie flat on the bedside table. Also, the additional weight on the back cover means you need to explicitly support the weight of the book light moving it to the bedside table or the book flops open. This is not a huge deal, but I've found it a nuisance.

In fact, I find the sum total of all the aforementioned points such a nuisance that I'm still using my broken Volume 2 light and and holding the clip together myself.

In summary if you read small paperbacks and will use batteries, this light is a good option. If you want more flexibility in positioning the light and arm and will use an AC adaptor, then go for the Volume 2 with the swiveling light, >90 deg tilting arm, and slender clip.

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This book light uses white LEDs to light the page, which is bright, but not glaring to my eyes. Some people don't like the LED light, but I personally find it easier on my eyes. The book light is small, and the steel clip holds well on even a pocketbook.

The unit operates on 4 AAA batteries, and when you install them you find the only problem I have with the unit-it isn't designed very well-the batteries tend to pop out until you get the cover on and locked down. Other than that, I recommend this light.

Note that the one I have has a rectangular shade on it, while the one pictured above is round-I don't know if there is any functional difference between the two-mine *is* slimmer than the one shown.

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The design for using the DC adapter with this little light is extremely poor. It is possible that I missed the warning that tells you to remove the batteries before using the DC adapter. But, it must not have been very big. I combined the two and ended up with batteries that leaked all over inside the battery case. These were brand new batteries. There does not seem to be anything protecting the batteries from the DC adapter and so the power goes right into them. This is bad. Modern devices are expected to work with either battery or adapter without having to remove the batteries.

Then, after I cleaned it all up, it worked for about a week w/o the batteries installed. Then the LEDs started flickering. The next day, it was dead. To see if it had to do with the battery leak, I took the little guy apart and found that the power was still getting all of the way up into the head. But something on the little circuit board must have blown.

The other part of the design that is bad is that the metal clip has a sharp edge that digs into and tears up the pages of the book. I found this a problem with soft cover books, at least. Putting a little electrical tape of the end made it better.

I had hoped that the design of this edition would last longer than previous editions. I've gone through many Zelco lights and stretched out their lifespan by repairing the poor connections as they wear out. This one is beyond my ability and I'm done giving Zelco my money. They are a nice idea, but have no durability. If they were cheaper, it might not be such a big deal, but for their price I would like to see them be far more durable.

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I bought this light for wife who reads EVERYWHERE. Previous book lights ate batteries like crazy and built up a fair amount of heat-enough to get annoying and uncomfortable after 30 minutes. The Zelco LED however is light weight, though well constructed. One reviewed said they broke it after 2 days though that has not been my experience. I believe that that was probably bad luck, because if you treat this well (maybe not for young children) it will last a long time. We certainly don't baby ours, throwing it in overnight bags without a case etc. The other great feature is that it takes AAA batteries. I find the light to very pleasant to read by and not very distracting to those around you. I recently saw a similar model that runs on 3 LR44 button batteries (good for size and weight) but who keeps those around the house? OUr experience was that the first set of batteries lasted over 6 months with reading at least 20-30 minutes per day. This is one of the first reviews I have written, basically because I am so pleased with this product.