HD Essential Floor Light
Read for as long as you like, without straining to see the words.
You see fine detail in full-spectrum daylight at the brightness you choose, with 8x more light on your page than a 60W bulb.
Delivered in 2-3 working days by DHL 30 days to try it at home
Black / Heavyweight
You see fine detail in full-spectrum daylight at the brightness you choose, with 8x more light on your page than a 60W bulb.
- 99.4%keep theirs for the difference it makes.
- 500+UK opticians recommend a Serious Light.
- 5-yearwarranty, backed by forty years of making lights.
The fine print in your crossword is easy to make out.
Even the small print on a medicine bottle is easy to read.
It gives you 8x more light on your page than a 60W bulb.
Every wool and thread looks its true colour.
Its colour accuracy is 98 out of 100, and daylight scores 100.
Both pages of your book are in the light at once.
The beam is fixed wide, with room for an open book.
Switch it on and your favourite brightness is already set.
Press and hold one switch on the head to dim it, and it remembers where you left it.
Set the light you need in seconds.
The right light depends on you and what you are doing, so you set the brightness with one switch on the head, and a flexible arm holds the light wherever you put it.
The wide beam
Drag to turnScroll or pinch to zoom
What makes small print hard work after dark?
Usually it is too little light with too few colours in it, and by 60 your eyes need about three times the light they did at 20. The HD Essential gives you plenty of both, so small print is clear the moment you switch on.
See what an ordinary LED leaves out.
An ordinary LED only looks white. It starts with a blue chip, so its light carries a spike of blue and too little of the other colours, especially red. The HD Essential’s Daylight Wavelength Technology™ starts with a purple chip instead, so you get the full spectrum of daylight.
That is why reading by a window on a clear morning is so easy, and the HD Essential gives you that light at any hour. Colours look true, and fine detail is easier to pick out.
Daylight scores 100 for colour accuracy and the HD Essential scores 98, so the colours you see under it are true to life.
We build every HD Essential
by hand in Aylesbury.
Our Aylesbury team builds around fifty lights a day and has made nothing but lights for over forty years.
In 2025/26 our team repaired or upgraded 1,350 Serious Lights, so you can count on help if yours ever needs it.
How we look after your HD Essential
Your warranty covers the light for five years and the bulb for three, and the arm is guaranteed for life against drooping.
After the warranty, call us and we will tell you whether we can repair it and what it would cost.
Read the full warranty0800 032 9366The people who test your eyes recommend Serious Lights.
Serious Lights have been chosen for operating theatres and the British Museum, where people need to see every detail and every colour accurately.
- Over a millionlights sold in 93 countries
Scroll to read the recommendations. When this area is focused, use the left and right arrow keys to move between opticians, or Home and End to reach the first and last.
“Lighting has a huge impact on our ability to see. Serious Readers lights are well designed, simple to use, and provide accurate colour and detail representation.”
“Serious Lights are among the best I have come across. They provide natural, high quality light that improves comfort and clarity, easily adjusted to direct light exactly where needed.”
“Having the right light is equally as important as having the right glasses for a task.”
Serious Numbers
Tap or click any figure to see what it means for you.
- Bulb
- 6W LEDIt is the LED bulb that makes your light. At 6 watts it costs pennies a week to run, and you can replace the bulb whenever it needs it.
- Lux at 50cm
- 4,800Lux is the amount of light that reaches your book, measured 50cm from the head. Bring the head closer and you get more.
- Lumens
- 500Lumens are all the light the bulb gives out, and the head directs it into a wide beam, so it reaches your book rather than the ceiling.
- CRI
- 98The Colour Rendering Index measures how true colours look under a light, out of 100, where daylight is the perfect score.
- Colour temperature
- 4,000KIt describes how warm or cool a white light looks. At 4,000K yours is a neutral white, between the yellow of a warm bulb and the blue of a cool one.
- Spread of light
- 30cm (12in)It is the width of the circle of light, fixed wide enough for an open book.
- Height
- 152cm or 144cmIt stands 152cm tall on the Heavyweight base and 144cm on the Lightweight, and the arm bends to bring the head down to your book.
- Weight
- 6kg or 3kgThe Heavyweight keeps it steady, and the Lightweight is easier to carry between rooms.
- Cable length
- 2.8m (9.2ft)That is the length from your light to the plug, which gives you plenty of choice about where it stands.
Full specifications
Light quality
- Light on your page
- 4,800 lux at 50cm
- Against a 60W bulb
- 8x more light on your page than a 60W bulb
- Width of the beam
- 30cm (12in), fixed
- Lumens
- 500
- Colour of the light
- 98 on the CRI scale, 4,000K
- Bulb
- 6W LED bulb, replaceable
Control
- Beam
- Fixed beam
- Brightness
- Press and hold the switch on the head to dim it smoothly
- Memory
- Comes back at the brightness you last set
- Switch
- One rocker switch on the head, for on, off and dimming
- Head
- Turns on a swivel joint to aim the light
- Flexible arm
- Bends to bring the light close, and holds its position
Power
- Power
- Mains
- Cable
- 2.8 metres (9.2ft)
Size and base
- Base
- Heavyweight, 23cm (9in) across, or Lightweight, 20cm (8in) across
- Height
- 152cm (60in) on the Heavyweight base, 144cm (57in) on the Lightweight
- Weight
- 6kg (13lb) on the Heavyweight base, 3kg (6.6lb) on the Lightweight
- Finish
- Black, or Heritage White with a nickel arm
- Arrives
- Fully assembled, ready to plug in
After you buy
- Warranty
- 5 years on the light
- Bulb guarantee
- 3 years
- Arm guarantee
- For life, against drooping
- Home trial
- 30 days
- Returns
- Free, and we collect from any UK mainland address
- After the warranty
- Repairs where possible, quoted before any work
Not sure which light is right for you?
Answer five quick questions and we will recommend a model.
People often ask these questions
before they order one.
For anything else, call our team in Aylesbury and talk it through.
0800 032 9366What does it do that an ordinary lamp cannot?
Its light is much closer to daylight, scoring 98 out of 100 for colour accuracy, so colours look true and small print is sharp. It gives you 8x more light on your page than a 60W bulb, and one switch on the head sets the brightness you like and remembers it.
Will I see the difference straight away?
Most people see it the first time they switch it on, because small print is sharper and colours are truer than under their old lamp. 99.4% of the people who try a Serious Light keep it for the difference it makes.
Is it a lot of money for a lamp?
It is, because you are buying a light that is hand-built in Aylesbury, with Daylight Wavelength Technology™, a five-year warranty and an arm guaranteed for life. You can try it at home for 30 days first, and if it is not right for you, we collect it free from any UK mainland address and refund the card or account you paid with.
How the home trial worksWill it help if my room is already well lit?
It can. A ceiling light spreads its light around the whole room, so little of it reaches your book. The HD Essential puts daylight-quality light right where you are reading.
How long will it last?
It is built to last for years, with a five-year warranty, three years on the bulb and an arm guaranteed for life against drooping.
Can I use it away from a socket?
No, it runs from the mains, but its 2.8m cable gives you plenty of choice about where it stands. If you would like to read away from a socket, the HD Pro can run from an optional battery.
When will it arrive?
It usually reaches a UK mainland address within 2 to 3 working days by DHL, fully assembled and ready to plug in. Non-mainland UK addresses usually take 3 to 5 working days. Outside the UK, add your address at the checkout to see the delivery charge.
How does it compare with the HD Original and the HD Pro?
All three give you Daylight Wavelength Technology™, a five-year warranty and an arm guaranteed for life. The HD Essential gives you 8x more light on your page than a 60W bulb, a wide beam that is ready the moment you switch on, and one switch that dims it and remembers your brightness. The HD Original gives you up to 12x more light on your page than a 60W bulb, a beam you can narrow or widen, a snooze timer and a 90-day home trial, and the HD Pro adds the options of a battery and a remote.
Compare the floor lights
Try the HD Essential
at home for 30 days.
Read, sew or do your crossword by it, set the brightness just as you like it, and then decide whether to keep it.
If it is not right for you, tell us within 30 days and we will collect it free from any UK mainland address and refund you.
Choose your HD EssentialHow your 30 days work
You pay when you order, and your 30 days start on the day your light arrives. Keep the box while you decide. If you return it, we refund the card or account you paid with.
Added to your basket
High Definition Essential Floor Light
Get even more from your HD Essential.
-
Service pack
A spare bulb worth £39.99 and a cable tidy.
£23.99
-
Spare bulb
Fit it straight away when yours wears out.
£39.99
-
Cable tidy
Keep the spare cable neat and off the floor.
£8.99
-
Extended warranty
Extend your cover from five years up to ten.
£34.99
