BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp Review [Versatile Lighting Solution]
Lighting is inherently complicated. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about lighting for photography, lighting for your workspace, or lighting for life in general, finding the perfect balance of brightness and color temperature is never as easy as it seems. A light that performs well for reading might be too dim or warm toned for working creatively, when accurate color tones and stronger lighting is key to crafting a product that is successfully represented outside of your workspace. That is why versatility is the number one quality I look for in all my workspace lighting–I do not want several lights, each one geared to their own specialized task. I want one light that can handle life.
When I saw the new BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp, I was instantly drawn in by their fun colors and funky design. Unlike my Cricut Bright 360 Floor Lamp, the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp advertised beautifully diffused lighting across a large area. I am really excited to unbox and explore this potential lighting solution and how it compares to our current goto workspace light, the Cricut Bright 360 Floor Lamp. Let’s jump into our BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp Review and see how it stacks up!
I received this product in exchange for my honest opinion, and you will find exactly that stated below, my honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links and purchases made using those links may support DFW Craft Shows at no additional cost to you. DFWCS participates in the Amazon affiliate program, but DFWCS is in no way associated with Amazon or the products in this post.
Packaging and Dimensions
My BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp arrived in two medium-large sized boxes. Rather than sending one box with the e-Reading Floor Lamp, they sent me the BenQ e-Reading Desk Lamp (Box 1) and the BenQ e-Reading Floor Stand Extension (Box 2). The packaging was secured and molded well, everything arrived in pristine condition. After unboxing everything, I found:
BenQ e-Reading Desk Lamp Box:
- Getting Started Guide
- Allen Wrench
- Power Adapter
- Weighted Base
- BenQ e-Reading Table Lamp with Cord
BenQ e-Reading Floor Stand Extension:
- Weighted Floor Base
- Larger Allen Wrench & Attachment Screw
- Cord Clamp
- Assembly Stand (Box)
- Assembly Instructions (Box)
Assembly
Putting together my BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp was quick and straightforward. There are two attachment screws that need to be installed, each coming with its own Allen wrench. I love that the BenQ e-Reading Floor Stand Extension comes with a stand inside the packaging to help you with assembly. Simply place the Weighted Floor Base in the stand and follow the instructions on the box. Check out our Unboxing & Review Video for a demonstration.
Unlike the Cricut Bright 360 Lamps that I have been working with, the BenQ e-Reading Lamps can be taken apart after assembly, if needed, giving you a variety of configuration options depending on the format/extensions you purchase. The BenQ e-Reading Lamp comes in 3 configurations:
- Desk Lamp with Base
- Desk Lamp with Table Clamp
- Floor Lamp
The BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp comes with a cord clamp to secure the cord to the Floor Stand Extension. I really appreciated how this maintained the silhouette of the lamp and reduced tripping hazards. I wish they had included two cord clamps, though, as it would have looked nicer.
If you would like to join me in unboxing, assembling, and demonstrating the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp, check out the video below.
Lighting Features
As I mentioned earlier, versatility is my top priority when researching new lighting solutions for my home or office. The BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp has a variety of lighting configurations to adjust to whatever activity, project, or space you are trying to light.
Coverage
Though the Cricut Bright 360 Floor Lamp covers a decent area, the light quickly falls off outside the diameter of their circular light head. The BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp produces softly diffused lighting that evenly lights a much larger area with a much more subtle and gradual falloff.
Color Temperature
The BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp offers fully customizable color temperature adjustments ranging from 2700K to 5700K via the dial located at the top of the light. This allows you to vary the color of your light source to suit your activity, environment, or project. When using the BenQ e-Reading Lamp, I tend to use a warmer tone to reduce eye strain. For crafting projects, especially during color selections and pairings, I adjust my light against a white card until I feel like I have the truest representations of my palette. This is also helpful when using the BenQ e-Readling Floor Lamp in photography.
Fun Fact: The BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp also has a non-flicker driver chip to provide as stable a lighting source as possible and therefore reducing eye strain.
Brightness & Dimming Modes
The brightness of your light source can be controlled again via the dial located at the top of the light. By turning the dial you can dim or brighten your light as needed. You can also use the smart-dimming mode if you want your lamp to automatically detect the ambient brightness of your room and dynamically adjust the brightness level for you. There are two Smart Dimming Modes available on the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp:
- Book reading
- Digital reading
These two auto modes allow you to toggle between preset color temperatures while automatically adjusting the brightness levels depending on the ambient lighting in your environment. The smart dimming modes are not compatible with manual mode, allowing you to select your own preferred brightness level as needed. You may choose between auto and manual modes using the reflective loop next to your adjustment dial.
PROS: Two preset modes provide smart-dimming options for variable lighting environments. Coverage illuminates a large space despite the small footprint of the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp allows for a larger work area while reducing harsh shadows and eye strain.
CONS: Smart-dimming is only available in the 2 preset modes, which could be seen as both a pro and a con, depending on the level of customization you prefer in your light source.
TIP: If you are struggling to find the proper white balance, use a neutral white card next to your project and adjust the temperature of your light source until the white balance feels accurate.
Lighting Controls
The same round dial on the top of your BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp controls both the brightness and color temperature of your light. Pressing the knob will toggle between both adjustment modes. There is no light or indicator to let you know which mode you are in, which can cause some frustration when you forget what mode you are in. In this respect, I found myself missing the separate adjustment sliders available on the Cricut Bright 360 Floor Lamp. Pressing the knob can also be used to turn the lamp on.
As mentioned in the previous section, the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp offers 2 preset lighting modes in addition to their fully customizable manual mode. The reflective loop at the top of the lamp is used to toggle the lamp on, between both color modes, into manual mode, and off. The touch controls are very easy to use and an orange/green light is used to indicate which of the two auto lighting modes you are in. The location of the touch controls, however, did make adjusting the lamp head a bit difficult and frequently resulted in accidentally turning the light on/off.
PROS: Brightness and color temperature are fully customizable and independently adjusted. Auto lighting modes are differentiated by visual indicators at the base of the touch control.
CONS: Color temperature and brightness share the same adjustment dial with no visual indication of what mode you are in. Touch controls are sensitive and location makes accidental interaction likely.
TIP: Your custom light settings will be preserved when you return to manual mode, even if you accidentally turn the lamp off or activate one of the presets.
Fixture & Stand Adjustments
The BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp allows for true articulation at multiple joints and can even be extended fully vertical, unlike the Cricut Bright 360. The complete 360 degree rotation at the bottom elbow joint allows you to place your BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp at a convenient location near your workspace and swivel it as needed. You can make multiple adjustments up, down, forward, and back at both elbow joints, as well as rotate / tilt the lamp at a variety of angles thanks to the ball point at the base of the lamp head. Outside of the swivel, all these adjustments are held in place well and allow you to keep a consistent lighting setup until you are ready for an intentional adjustment.
PROS: A variety of articulation points throughout the design of the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp guarantees a fully customizable lighting source for your workspace. Adjustments outside of the swivel are held in place firmly.
CONS: Adjustments require two hands and a little oomph, so they could be difficult for folks that struggle with hand strength.
TIP: Setup your light and use the easy swivel to move the light in and out of the space if/as needed.
Pricing & Availability
The BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp is available in 3 different colors and retails at $319. Purchasing the BenQ e-Reading Desk Lamp plus Floor Stand Extension would increase your price point by about $19 except that BenQ offers a $19 discount for the bundle on their website. You can also purchase the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp on Amazon.
So how does the pricing compare to other flexible Floor Lamp options? The Cricut Bright 360 Floor Lamp comes in at about $249, and a decent quality ring light would land you at about $135. Is the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp worth the extra spend? I think so. The BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp is a stylish lighting solution with a small footprint and extremely versatile lighting and configuration options, reducing the likelihood that you will have to purchase additional lights for more specialized needs down the road.
Light it up!
We have been using our BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp for a few weeks now, and everyone in the house has really been enjoying it as a light source. It is sturdy enough to safely stand alone wherever needed, but light enough that we can move it from space to space as needed. The small footprint makes the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp easy to maneuver and navigate. It’s stylish, modern design fits right in with our decor.
My children enjoy using the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp whenever they are working on their art projects, school work, or reading. It has been interesting to see which light settings different individuals prefer for varying projects. Personally, I appreciate the extra illumination when I am crafting or working, especially late at night when I am fighting my own tired eyes. But, I also just enjoy the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp in general. Our house tends to lean dark and having the extra light source, soft and expansive as it is, has been a nice addition to our home. When it comes to the best floor lamps of 2023, I think the BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp is a serious contender.
Originally posted on April 16, 2023.
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3 thoughts on “BenQ e-Reading Floor Lamp Review [Versatile Lighting Solution]”
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Hi, I'm Tania!
Thanks for stopping by DFW Craft Shows! Our blog is home to tons of creative inspiration, gift guides, tutorials, featured artists, and tips for small businesses trying to make their mark in the arts & crafts world.
This light sounds amazing. I’ll have to keep it in mind next time I’m shopping for a craft light.
That is a really COOL lamp. Just curious, how did you come across this lamp?
Thanks, Nadia! I agree, it is a really cool lamp and we use it on the daily. I really like the size / profile of it–when we aren’t using it, it hardly takes up any space at all. I am really glad that BenQ reached out to introduce it to us because it quickly became a family favorite.