The Clone (or what I brought home from MIBF Day Two)


As my longtime readers would probably know, I’ve been looking for new lighting gadgets for my bedtime reading, as my Harry Potter Lumos Lightwedge is hopelessly out of commission (battery leaked and stuck to the very narrow terminal and won’t budge!) and I managed to disembowel my Really Tiny Book Light after just a couple of months (the flimsy light is now in two broken pieces; what a rip-off).

I didn’t get to spend much time at the Book Fair today (mostly busy working at the co-located events and running after people to interview), so I only got a couple of books (will tell you about them in another post) but I managed to spot a  “Light Panel” (read: Lightwedge clone) in one of the booths.  I was pretty desperate because I have been living without a reading light for some months now and it’s been driving me crazy, and the thing was only P100 so I decided to get it.

I was excited to try it out as soon as I got home.

Here’s a physical comparison with my dead (sob!!!) Lightwedge:

From afar, and unlit, it doesn’t look very much different from an original Lightwedge. The Light Panel mimics the design of the Lightwedge, but when you’re holding both in your hands, the differences are much more apparent, from the cheap shiny plastic handle and the painfully inferior acrylic panel. Yes, the words “cheap imitation” do come to mind.

My real problems with the thing start when I turn it on, though. The handle is acceptable, and I even like the dimmable switch wheel on the side, but there’s really something wrong with the acrylic panel. Obviously this is the budget version — the acrylic panel on the Light Panel is only about half as thick as the real thing, and it’s all ripply inside, causing a lot of disturbing shadows and distortions on the page.

Also, the LED (I’m not even sure it’s LED!!!) lamps are not seamlessly installed down the side, so instead of one solid panel of light, you actually see the light cast by four individual bulbs. It drives me crazy.

The luminance is out of whack, too — when the switchwheel is on full blast, the whiteness is so intense it’s glaring:  it’s really, really white!

Here’s the ugly truth, in photos:


Here’s a close up of the illuminated text – you can see the light isn’t evenly distributed!

Serves me right for buying the knock-off. But because I’m desperate enough, it will have to do for now, perhaps to serve more as a  daily (nightly?) reminder that I need to get myself a new Lightwedge this Christmas. Nothing beats the real Lightwedge, and it’s pricey for a reason — you get what you pay for!

I can diss this thing to death, haha, but I have to turn in for now; I feel so drained from today. Will be back at the Book Fair again tomorrow; let’s hope I have more time to do the rounds!

***

“Light Panel” book light, 1/5 stars

[amazonify]::omakase::300:250[/amazonify]

9 thoughts on “The Clone (or what I brought home from MIBF Day Two)”

    1. Yeah, I’ve seen that too. I was actually choosing over that and the really tiny book light the last time, haha, I should have gone with energizer. They have it at NBS as well.

      I really have my heart set on a second lightwedge!

    1. Hindi naman, it will do in a pinch. I only notice the gross imperfection because I had a Lightwedge. People who’ve never used a lightwedge will probably find it satisfactory.

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