Sunday 15 May 2011

Product Review: Daylight Professional Artists Lamp

Daylight Company: Professional Artist Lamp
Jana Bouc (Jana's Journal) has done an independent product review on her blog of the new Daylight Professional Artists Lamp made by The Daylight Company in the UK.

I've used The Daylight Company's daylight bulbs for years (even to the point of favouring art stores which stock them!).  This particular lamp is one I had already highlighted on my Art Equipment - Resources for Artists website - purely on the basis of my experience of their product quality over the years.

I was really interested to see what an American artist made of the lamp.  The important point is that Jana is a person who is most concerned about having good light
I’d bought and returned many other “full spectrum” or “daylight bulb” lamps in the past that were total failures because the light was too weak, too blue, or both.
It's very evident that Jana is very impressed!

Hence I've created a summary review below based on:
  • the technical product specification and 
  • the review done by Jana Bouc
  • this is being updated as additional comments are received
Do check out:

Summary:  "The difference is amazing" - recommended by Jana Bouc
Technical Details (as per website's technical specifications)
  • 360° head joint to direct the light exactly where you need it
  • Bright 18w Daylight™ tube (100w equiv.) reduces eye strain and glare 
  • Flexible arm and multi-position joint allow easy positioning
  • Supplied with two clamps
    • Easel clamp: Attaches to all floorstanding metal & wooden easels up to 5cm/2" thick
    • Table clamp: Attaches to all tables and work benches up to 5.5cm/2.25" thick
  • Height: 50cm (19½ inches)
  • Weight: 2.4kg (5½ lbs)
  • Arm length: 70cm (27½ inches)
Who should buy this? 
  • artists producing studio paintings/drawings
  • artists working at a studio easel
  • artists working with a table easel
Who should not buy this?  
  • plein air artists who do not work in the studio
Highlights:
  • light quality is amazing according to Jana and helped her create better colours in her paintings
  • fully adjustable - works well
  • can be used for painting and for photographing paintings
Think Again?
  • availability of replacement light bulbs via some suppliers (see comment received)
Manufacturer / Distributor:  The Daylight Company Ltd, 89-91 Scrubs Lane, London, NW10 6QU.
Phone:  020 8964 1200  |  Fax  020 8964 1300  | email  info.uk@daylightcompany.com
The Daylight Company was created in the early 90s and is now the market-leading brand of speciality lighting technology for the hobby industry across Europe.  It aims to become the No.1 brand for Craft Lighting.
Suppliers:  Full price it retails at £109.99 / $159.99 (May 2011 prices) however it's possible to buy it for less.


For those who love the technical aspects you can also refer to their FAQS section (click the links to go to the FAQ):

All you always wanted to know about lux, lumens, spectrum, CRI, SAD...

2 comments:

Making A Mark said...

This is a comment I received via email from a customer who owns this lamp
___________________

I wanted to contact you first because I don't believe that this is actually on topic but here it is... This part is not about the lamp itself but one of the online retailers who carry it...MisterArt.com who carries this at a wonderful price (http://www.misterart.com/g5042/Daylight-Company-Professional-Artists-Lamp.htm) yet t they fail to add anything about the replacement bulb which is frustrating because they do carry replacement bulbs (http://www.misterart.com/g3234/Daylight-Company-U-Tube-Daylight-Simulation-Bulbs.htm) and I do believe the one for this lamp but they refuse to make that connection on their site no matter how many times I've tried directing them to this and I really don't understand their unwillingness to address this and fix it, I started my campaign with them two years ago and after contacting Daylight Co. about this they could only offer to me to purchase the replacement bulbs via them.

I went back recently and contacted MisterArt.com asking where's the replacement bulb for said lamp and they replied with this: "Currently, we do not stock the replacement bulbs for the particular lamp . We are always adding products to our store, so we will forward your message to our buyers so that we may consider carrying this product in the future." I could further and share the email exchange with them about this issue from two years ago but that's only if your interested.

So despite MisterArt.com complacency this artist lamp is the best out there and when I can I will purchase a second or third for my uses in and around my home/studio.

Vivienne said...

I have used one of these lamps for the past few years and it is one of the best I have tried. It's great for smaller works but on larger works you need either additional lighting or a second lamp. The downside for me is that the tubes don't last very long, I have got through as many as 3 in one year.

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