Our first light was built for a reader whose sight was failing with macular degeneration, and every Serious Light still puts bright, daylight-quality light where you need it.
All three use Daylight Wavelength Technology™. The HD Original and the HD Pro also let you narrow or widen the beam, and the HD Essential has one fixed wide beam.
From
£299.99
One wide beam about 30cm across, and a button you press and hold to set the level.
Most popular
From
£349.99
Set the width of the beam and the brightness yourself, and the arm brings the light close to your page.
From
£399.99
It has the controls of the HD Original, plus an optional remote to set the brightness without getting up.
From
£249.99
One wide beam about 30cm across, and a button you press and hold to set the level.
Most popular
From
£299.99
Set the width of the beam and the brightness yourself, and the arm brings the light close to your page.
From
£349.99
It has the controls of the HD Original, plus an optional remote to set the brightness without getting up.
*Compared with a traditional 60W bulb.
Answer five quick questions and we will recommend a model.
Read a paperback or a hardback without moving the light.
One button on the light
Plug it in wherever you read.
Use it at home for a month before you decide.
Read anything from a paperback to a broadsheet.
One wheel on the head
Plug it in wherever you read.
Use it at home for three months before you decide.
It has the same beam as the HD Original, so you can read anything from a paperback to a broadsheet.
Wheel or remote handset
Add the battery option and use it away from any socket.
Use it at home for three months before you decide.
All three run from the mains. The HD Pro battery option gives about 6.5 hours of cordless use.
Use the light normally at home. If it is not right for you, returns are free and we collect these lights from a UK mainland address.
| What changes | HD Essential | HD Original | HD Pro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light quality | ||||||
| Most light on your page | 4,800 lux at 50cm | 3,600 to 7,200 lux at 50cm | 3,600 to 7,200 lux at 50cm | |||
| Width of the beam | About 30cm | 33 to 61cm | 33 to 61cm | |||
| Lumens | 500 | 630 | 630 | |||
| Light engine | 6W LED | 7.2W LED | 7.2W LED | |||
| Colour of the light | 98 on the CRI scale, 4,000K | 98 on the CRI scale, 4,000K | 98 on the CRI scale, 4,000K | All three 98 on the CRI scale, 4,000K | ||
| Control | ||||||
| Beam | Fixed and wide | Narrow to wide, with the ring on the head | Narrow to wide, with the ring on the head | |||
| Brightness | Press-and-hold button, with memory | Thumbwheel, with memory | Thumbwheel or optional remote, with memory | |||
| Snooze timer | No | Yes | Yes | |||
| Remote handset | No | No | Optional | |||
| Power | ||||||
| Power | Mains | Mains | Mains, or the optional battery | |||
| Battery | No | No | Optional, about 6.5 hours a charge, 90 minutes to recharge | |||
| Cable | 2.8 metres | 2.8 metres | 2.8 metres | All three 2.8 metres | ||
| Size and base | ||||||
| Base | Heavyweight, 23cm across, or Lightweight, 20cm across | Heavyweight, 23cm across, or Lightweight, 20cm across | One base | |||
| Finish | Black or Heritage White | Black or Heritage White | Black | |||
| Height | 152cm on the Heavyweight base, 144cm on the Lightweight | 152cm on the Heavyweight base, 144cm on the Lightweight | 152cm | |||
| Weight | 6kg on the Heavyweight base, 3kg on the Lightweight | 6kg on the Heavyweight base, 3kg on the Lightweight | 4.8kg | |||
| After you buy | ||||||
| Light engine guarantee | 3 years | 5 years | 5 years | |||
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | All three 5 years | ||
| Home trial | 30 days | 90 days | 90 days | |||
The Macular Society says good task lighting can improve the contrast of text on the page and reduce the magnification you need.
Daylight Wavelength Technology™ scores 98 out of 100 for colour accuracy, where daylight scores 100, so black type stays distinct on your page, with the deep reds most LEDs leave out still in the light.
See what better light does for youThe Macular Society says a task lamp should sit below eye level and shine onto the task, not into your eyes, so stand the light beside you and turn the head down over your page.
Keep some room lighting on as well: the Macular Society says background light alongside a task light reduces glare and fatigue.
See the three lights side by side
There is no single best one. What suits you depends on what you are trying to see, where you sit and how much light stays comfortable, which is why the Macular Society advises finding your own level. Start with the format that fits the place you read, then decide whether you want to set the beam yourself.
Read the Macular Society's lighting guidanceNot on its own. Where the light falls matters as much as how much of it there is, and the Macular Society says bright light may be uncomfortable for many people with macular conditions, so a light you can aim and dim is usually more use than a brighter one.
We make no medical claim, and anything about the condition itself is a question for your optometrist or eye clinic. What a light can do is make your page easier to see: a beam you aim where you need it, a level you set yourself, and the full spectrum, so print looks black rather than grey.
Yes. Keep the light to one side rather than straight over the glass, because light shining onto a magnifier comes back at you as reflections. The Macular Society gives the same advice.
It varies from person to person, and it goes up over the years. At 60 your eyes need about three times the light they did at 20.
Try it at home first. The HD Original and the HD Pro have a 90-day home trial and the HD Essential has 30 days, and if it is not right for you we collect it free from any UK mainland address.
How the home trial worksStart with the light further from your page than you think you need, and bring it closer until it is comfortable.
90 daysHD Original and HD Pro
30 daysHD Essential
If it is not right for you, we collect it free from any UK mainland address and refund you.
Choose your reading light
Tell us what you are trying to see and where you sit, and we will help you choose.
