Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.

There are several problems, as follows:-

1. You can't simply turn the light on and off. Most lamps now have
ways of adjusting brightness and some even have colour temperature
settings. These are all very handy but you don't want to have to go
through lots of settings every time you turn the light on or off, you
just want to turn it on and off. (Torches also suffer from this,
torches I have to click more than once to turn off drive me crazy!)

2. The on/off switches are 'quirky' in some cases. I have one light
where you push a switch on the end of the light to turn it on and off,
the trouble is you have to hold the light with your other hand to do
this otherwise it falls over. If they had used a touch sensitive
switch in this position it would work well but, almost to make it
awkward on purpose, it's a clicky switch that needs a push. Another
lamp I have has a switch in the cable which I can see no good reason
for, it's difficult to find!

3. One desk lamp that I have that's *almost* Ok has a very silly
fault, the controls are on the flat base of the lamp and it has a
separate control for on/off so doesn't have problem 1 above. But, for
some wonky reason, the controls are lit only when the light is on,
completely pointless as then they are illuminated by the light itself.
They are nice, small, low-powered blue LED indicators and would be
perfectly OK to have on in the dark, quite pointless when the light is
on!

If I could mix and match the features of my several lamps I could get
a sensibly designed lamp, none of them was desperately expensive so
it's not cost that dictates the bad design, it's just lack of
bothering to think about it.


Ggggrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! :-)

--
Chris Green
·

Chris Green pretended :
Another
lamp I have has a switch in the cable which I can see no good reason
for, it's difficult to find!

Our bedside table lamps have those - The simple fix for finding the
switches, was to fix them to the tables with bluetack. They are always
in the same place then.

Chris Green wrote

Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays,

Plenty arent, most obviously with some
of the Ikea and Philips Hue models.

I have several I have bought over the past
couple of years and not one of them is ideal.

You hardly ever see a perfect design with any product.
Design is almost always about compromise, even if that
is just what it costs to make the best designs.

It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.

That last is bull****.

There are several problems, as follows:-

1. You can't simply turn the light on and off.

You can with plenty of them.

Most lamps now have ways of adjusting brightness
and some even have colour temperature settings.

Yes, but with the best of them like the Philips Hues,
you can still have simple completely cordless on
and off with the on anything you specify once.

These are all very handy but you don't want to have
to go through lots of settings every time you turn
the light on or off, you just want to turn it on and off.

Philips Hues do that fine, with a kinetic switch
with no wires or batterys which you can put
anywhere you fancy effortlessly too.

And even get real radical and have the switching
completely automatic so it only comes on when
necessary and there is someone there and goes off
completely automatically when there is no one there to.

(Torches also suffer from this, torches I have to
click more than once to turn off drive me crazy!)

You can still buy ones with simple on off switches.

2. The on/off switches are 'quirky' in some cases.

Not with the best designs.

I have one light where you push a switch on the end of the
light to turn it on and off, the trouble is you have to hold the
light with your other hand to do this otherwise it falls over.

Thats just bad design. There will always be examples of
that and if you dont like that, you are free to return it for
a full refund when you discover that with the best retailers.

If they had used a touch sensitive switch
in this position it would work well

Trouble with those is that they dont work reliably for some.

but, almost to make it awkward on purpose, it's a clicky
switch that needs a push. Another lamp I have has a
switch in the cable which I can see no good reason for,

Then you need new glasses, bad. It allows a more
convenient switch position in some situations.

it's difficult to find!

Then you shouldnt have bought it, stupid.

3. One desk lamp that I have that's *almost* Ok has a
very silly fault, the controls are on the flat base of the
lamp and it has a separate control for on/off so doesn't
have problem 1 above. But, for some wonky reason, the
controls are lit only when the light is on, completely
pointless as then they are illuminated by the light itself.
They are nice, small, low-powered blue LED indicators
and would be perfectly OK to have on in the dark, quite
pointless when the light is on!

Then you should have returned it, stupid.

If I could mix and match the features of my several
lamps I could get a sensibly designed lamp,

No need with the Hues.

none of them was desperately expensive so
it's not cost that dictates the bad design, it's
just lack of bothering to think about it.

And you being too stupid to research your purchase
and find one that does what you want,

Ggggrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! :-)

Down fido, or its castration for you.

Rod Speed wrote:

dumped

--
Chris Green
·

Chris Green wrote
Rod Speed wrote

dumped

Wota stunning line in rational argument you have there, child.

On Sun, 24 Jan 2021 07:08:17 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

FLUSH the trolling senile asshole's latest troll**** unread

--
Bill Wright to Rodent Speed:
"That confirms my opinion that you are a despicable little ****."
MID:

FLUSH the trolling senile asshole's latest troll**** unread

--
Richard addressing senile Rodent Speed:
"**** you're thick/pathetic excuse for a troll."
MID:

On 23/01/2021 17:26, Chris Green wrote:
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.


I bought a bedside lamp only a few years ago. All I have to do
to turn it on or off is to touch the metal shaft or base.

I would quite like to buy a floor standing reading light for my wife but
I have yet to find a suitable one, especially as I want one where I can
change the bulb. These days some lamps are made with LEDs where you
would have to scrap the lamp if they fail.

--
Michael Chare

Chris Green wrote:
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.

There are several problems, as follows:-

1. You can't simply turn the light on and off. Most lamps now have
ways of adjusting brightness and some even have colour temperature
settings. These are all very handy but you don't want to have to go
through lots of settings every time you turn the light on or off, you
just want to turn it on and off. (Torches also suffer from this,
torches I have to click more than once to turn off drive me crazy!)

2. The on/off switches are 'quirky' in some cases. I have one light
where you push a switch on the end of the light to turn it on and off,
the trouble is you have to hold the light with your other hand to do
this otherwise it falls over. If they had used a touch sensitive
switch in this position it would work well but, almost to make it
awkward on purpose, it's a clicky switch that needs a push. Another
lamp I have has a switch in the cable which I can see no good reason
for, it's difficult to find!

3. One desk lamp that I have that's *almost* Ok has a very silly
fault, the controls are on the flat base of the lamp and it has a
separate control for on/off so doesn't have problem 1 above. But, for
some wonky reason, the controls are lit only when the light is on,
completely pointless as then they are illuminated by the light itself.
They are nice, small, low-powered blue LED indicators and would be
perfectly OK to have on in the dark, quite pointless when the light is
on!

If I could mix and match the features of my several lamps I could get
a sensibly designed lamp, none of them was desperately expensive so
it's not cost that dictates the bad design, it's just lack of
bothering to think about it.


Ggggrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! :-)


You can make your own lamps.

We had to make a table lamp for shop (wood) class in school.
So early on, I got an intro to the topic.

As a result, I'm not afraid to make a lamp today. I'm fearless.
The room I'm in, has several of my bodge-jobs sitting here.

Paul

On 23/01/2021 23:57, Michael Chare wrote:
On 23/01/2021 17:26, Chris Green wrote:
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal.Â* It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.


I bought a bedside lamp only a few years ago. All I have to do
to turn it on or off is to touch the metal shaft or base.

I would quite like to buy a floor standing reading light for my wife but
I have yet to find a suitable one, especially as I want one where I can
change the bulb.Â* These days some lamps are made with LEDs where you
would have to scrap the lamp if they fail.


LEDs in conventional light fittings are more likely to fail because the
LED or the electronics are squashed into such a small space with little
heat-sinking. Heat kills LEDS and the associated electronics.

I have floor standing LED reading lamps where the illuminated area is
16cm x 10cm and the fitting runs at around ambient room temperature.
They are around two years old already and I expect them to last for many
more years.

I don't worry too much about replacing fitting when they expire and most
of my ceiling lights are LED panels of various types.


--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

"alan_m" wrote in message
...
On 23/01/2021 23:57, Michael Chare wrote:
On 23/01/2021 17:26, Chris Green wrote:
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.


I bought a bedside lamp only a few years ago. All I have to do
to turn it on or off is to touch the metal shaft or base.

I would quite like to buy a floor standing reading light for my wife but
I have yet to find a suitable one, especially as I want one where I can
change the bulb. These days some lamps are made with LEDs where you
would have to scrap the lamp if they fail.


LEDs in conventional light fittings are more likely to fail because the
LED or the electronics are squashed into such a small space with little
heat-sinking. Heat kills LEDS and the associated electronics.

I have floor standing LED reading lamps where the illuminated area is 16cm
x 10cm and the fitting runs at around ambient room temperature. They are
around two years old already and I expect them to last for many more
years.

The Philips Hue bulbs replace conventional bulbs fine
and fix any switch problem the bulb holder has too.

I don't worry too much about replacing fitting when they expire and most
of my ceiling lights are LED panels of various types.

On Sun, 24 Jan 2021 12:22:32 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

FLUSH the trolling senile asshole's latest troll**** unread

--
Norman Wells addressing trolling senile Rodent:
"Ah, the voice of scum speaks."
MID:

Michael Chare wrote:
On 23/01/2021 17:26, Chris Green wrote:
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.


I bought a bedside lamp only a few years ago. All I have to do
to turn it on or off is to touch the metal shaft or base.

Yes, they're actually OK as long as they don't have multiple
brightness settings and such, I was referring rather more to desk type
lamps.

--
Chris Green
·

Incidentally why are 'real' branded Angle poise lamps so expensive, over 100
quid for the cheapest when there seem to be any number of copies that work
the same way out there for much less, als I notice a trend toward no bases
and a silly little table or desk clamp instead of late. When you look for
bases you find them all sold out, has the world found an alternate use for
table lamp weighted bases. Nowadays Of course I do not need one, but yes the
weird and wonderful control arrangements do seem just difference for its own
sake. I bet if you looked inside there are probably only about three
different types of module used in them all.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Chris Green" wrote in message
...
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.

There are several problems, as follows:-

1. You can't simply turn the light on and off. Most lamps now have
ways of adjusting brightness and some even have colour temperature
settings. These are all very handy but you don't want to have to go
through lots of settings every time you turn the light on or off, you
just want to turn it on and off. (Torches also suffer from this,
torches I have to click more than once to turn off drive me crazy!)

2. The on/off switches are 'quirky' in some cases. I have one light
where you push a switch on the end of the light to turn it on and off,
the trouble is you have to hold the light with your other hand to do
this otherwise it falls over. If they had used a touch sensitive
switch in this position it would work well but, almost to make it
awkward on purpose, it's a clicky switch that needs a push. Another
lamp I have has a switch in the cable which I can see no good reason
for, it's difficult to find!

3. One desk lamp that I have that's *almost* Ok has a very silly
fault, the controls are on the flat base of the lamp and it has a
separate control for on/off so doesn't have problem 1 above. But, for
some wonky reason, the controls are lit only when the light is on,
completely pointless as then they are illuminated by the light itself.
They are nice, small, low-powered blue LED indicators and would be
perfectly OK to have on in the dark, quite pointless when the light is
on!

If I could mix and match the features of my several lamps I could get
a sensibly designed lamp, none of them was desperately expensive so
it's not cost that dictates the bad design, it's just lack of
bothering to think about it.


Ggggrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! :-)

--
Chris Green
·

On 24/01/2021 00:08, Paul wrote:
Chris Green wrote:
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal.Â* It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.

There are several problems, as follows:-

1.Â* You can't simply turn the light on and off.Â* Most lamps now have
ways of adjusting brightness and some even have colour temperature
settings.Â* These are all very handy but you don't want to have to go
through lots of settings every time you turn the light on or off, you
just want to turn it on and off.Â* (Torches also suffer from this,
torches I have to click more than once to turn off drive me crazy!)

2.Â* The on/off switches are 'quirky' in some cases.Â* I have one light
where you push a switch on the end of the light to turn it on and off,
the trouble is you have to hold the light with your other hand to do
this otherwise it falls over.Â* If they had used a touch sensitive
switch in this position it would work well but, almost to make it
awkward on purpose, it's a clicky switch that needs a push. Another
lamp I have has a switch in the cable which I can see no good reason
for, it's difficult to find!

3.Â* One desk lamp that I have that's *almost* Ok has a very silly
fault, the controls are on the flat base of the lamp and it has a
separate control for on/off so doesn't have problem 1 above. But, for
some wonky reason, the controls are lit only when the light is on,
completely pointless as then they are illuminated by the light itself.
They are nice, small, low-powered blue LED indicators and would be
perfectly OK to have on in the dark, quite pointless when the light is
on!

If I could mix and match the features of my several lamps I could get
a sensibly designed lamp, none of them was desperately expensive so
it's not cost that dictates the bad design, it's just lack of
bothering to think about it.


Ggggrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!Â*Â* :-)


You can make your own lamps.

We had to make a table lamp for shop (wood) class in school.
So early on, I got an intro to the topic.

As a result, I'm not afraid to make a lamp today. I'm fearless.
The room I'm in, has several of my bodge-jobs sitting here.

Â*Â* Paul

Pics?

On 24/01/2021 00:08, Paul wrote:

You can make your own lamps.

We had to make a table lamp for shop (wood) class in school.
So early on, I got an intro to the topic.

As a result, I'm not afraid to make a lamp today. I'm fearless.
The room I'm in, has several of my bodge-jobs sitting here.

There were kits available to enable you to convert a (suitably weighted)
bottle into a table lamp.

--
Max Demian

In article ,
Chris Green wrote:
Michael Chare wrote:
On 23/01/2021 17:26, Chris Green wrote:
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.


I bought a bedside lamp only a few years ago. All I have to do
to turn it on or off is to touch the metal shaft or base.

Yes, they're actually OK as long as they don't have multiple
brightness settings and such, I was referring rather more to desk type
lamps.

I've got a Lidl one lighting the keyboard here. It's got 6 controls
including the dimmer knob. I also use it as a fill light on Zoom calls -
so being able to change the colour temperature quite useful.

It replaced a previous Lidl one where the ordinary switch on the base
failed. ;-)

--
*Never kick a cow pat on a hot day *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 2021-01-23, Chris Green wrote:
Rod Speed wrote:

dumped

I read your rant and vaguely agree with some of Rod comments - so feel
free to dump me too :-)

I always go for the simplest - no hue no dimmer, just on/off lamps.
Most are fine. The "gadgety" ones might be the one's badly designed?

On 24/01/2021 16:25, Jim Jackson wrote:
On 2021-01-23, Chris Green wrote:
Rod Speed wrote:

dumped

I read your rant and vaguely agree with some of Rod comments - so feel
free to dump me too :-)

I always go for the simplest - no hue no dimmer, just on/off lamps.
Most are fine. The "gadgety" ones might be the one's badly designed?


He dumped rod because it was rod.

"Chris Green" wrote in message
...
Michael Chare wrote:
On 23/01/2021 17:26, Chris Green wrote:
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.


I bought a bedside lamp only a few years ago. All I have to do
to turn it on or off is to touch the metal shaft or base.

Yes, they're actually OK as long as they don't have multiple
brightness settings and such, I was referring rather more to desk type
lamps.

The Philips Hue ones allow you to set the brightness
and color temp to what you prefer just once and
switch it on an off with a kinetic switch which has
no wires or battery that you can put anywhere and
use effortlessly any time you choose to. And automate
completely if you prefer that approach too.

Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote

Incidentally why are 'real' branded Angle poise lamps so expensive, over
100 quid for the cheapest

Usual branded rip off.

when there seem to be any number of copies that work the same way out
there for much less,

So buy those.

als I notice a trend toward no bases and a silly little table or desk
clamp instead of late.

I find those much more useful.

When you look for bases you find them all sold out,

Not here.

has the world found an alternate use for table lamp weighted bases.

Yep, throw them at the cat when you
can see its about to crap on the carpet.

Nowadays Of course I do not need one, but yes the weird and wonderful
control arrangements do seem just difference for its own sake.

Nope, for a much better result with the Philips Hue systems.

I bet if you looked inside there are probably only about three different
types of module used in them all.

That’s bull**** with the fancy ones like the Hues.

"Chris Green" wrote in message
...
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.

There are several problems, as follows:-

1. You can't simply turn the light on and off. Most lamps now have
ways of adjusting brightness and some even have colour temperature
settings. These are all very handy but you don't want to have to go
through lots of settings every time you turn the light on or off, you
just want to turn it on and off. (Torches also suffer from this,
torches I have to click more than once to turn off drive me crazy!)

2. The on/off switches are 'quirky' in some cases. I have one light
where you push a switch on the end of the light to turn it on and off,
the trouble is you have to hold the light with your other hand to do
this otherwise it falls over. If they had used a touch sensitive
switch in this position it would work well but, almost to make it
awkward on purpose, it's a clicky switch that needs a push. Another
lamp I have has a switch in the cable which I can see no good reason
for, it's difficult to find!

3. One desk lamp that I have that's *almost* Ok has a very silly
fault, the controls are on the flat base of the lamp and it has a
separate control for on/off so doesn't have problem 1 above. But, for
some wonky reason, the controls are lit only when the light is on,
completely pointless as then they are illuminated by the light itself.
They are nice, small, low-powered blue LED indicators and would be
perfectly OK to have on in the dark, quite pointless when the light is
on!

If I could mix and match the features of my several lamps I could get
a sensibly designed lamp, none of them was desperately expensive so
it's not cost that dictates the bad design, it's just lack of
bothering to think about it.


Ggggrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! :-)

--
Chris Green
·

On Mon, 25 Jan 2021 04:21:37 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:


The Philips Hue ones

I believe I told you already, you can shove your Philips Hue up your senile
trolling arse, you obnoxious senile pest!

--
The Natural Philosopher about senile Rodent:
"Rod speed is not a Brexiteer. He is an Australian troll and arsehole."
Message-ID:

Richard wrote:
On 24/01/2021 16:25, Jim Jackson wrote:
On 2021-01-23, Chris Green wrote:
Rod Speed wrote:

dumped

I read your rant and vaguely agree with some of Rod comments - so feel
free to dump me too :-)

I always go for the simplest - no hue no dimmer, just on/off lamps.
Most are fine. The "gadgety" ones might be the one's badly designed?


He dumped rod because it was rod.

I've got fed up with him elsewhere and decided that turning him off
was the only option.

--
Chris Green
·

On Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 7:00:48 PM UTC, undefined wrote:
Chris Green pretended :
Another
lamp I have has a switch in the cable which I can see no good reason
for, it's difficult to find!
Our bedside table lamps have those - The simple fix for finding the
switches, was to fix them to the tables with bluetack. They are always
in the same place then.

Good tip

On Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 10:26:29 AM UTC, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
Incidentally why are 'real' branded Angle poise lamps so expensive, over 100
quid for the cheapest when there seem to be any number of copies that work
the same way out there for much less, als I notice a trend toward no bases
and a silly little table or desk clamp instead of late. When you look for
bases you find them all sold out, has the world found an alternate use for
table lamp weighted bases. Nowadays Of course I do not need one, but yes the
weird and wonderful control arrangements do seem just difference for its own
sake. I bet if you looked inside there are probably only about three
different types of module used in them all.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Chris Green" wrote in message
...
Why is it that table and desk lamps are so badly designed nowadays, I
have several I have bought over the past couple of years and not one
of them is ideal. It's not as if getting it right would be difficult,
it's just total lack of thought about the design.

There are several problems, as follows:-

1. You can't simply turn the light on and off. Most lamps now have
ways of adjusting brightness and some even have colour temperature
settings. These are all very handy but you don't want to have to go
through lots of settings every time you turn the light on or off, you
just want to turn it on and off. (Torches also suffer from this,
torches I have to click more than once to turn off drive me crazy!)

2. The on/off switches are 'quirky' in some cases. I have one light
where you push a switch on the end of the light to turn it on and off,
the trouble is you have to hold the light with your other hand to do
this otherwise it falls over. If they had used a touch sensitive
switch in this position it would work well but, almost to make it
awkward on purpose, it's a clicky switch that needs a push. Another
lamp I have has a switch in the cable which I can see no good reason
for, it's difficult to find!

3. One desk lamp that I have that's *almost* Ok has a very silly
fault, the controls are on the flat base of the lamp and it has a
separate control for on/off so doesn't have problem 1 above. But, for
some wonky reason, the controls are lit only when the light is on,
completely pointless as then they are illuminated by the light itself.
They are nice, small, low-powered blue LED indicators and would be
perfectly OK to have on in the dark, quite pointless when the light is
on!

If I could mix and match the features of my several lamps I could get
a sensibly designed lamp, none of them was desperately expensive so
it's not cost that dictates the bad design, it's just lack of
bothering to think about it.


Ggggrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! :-)

--
Chris Green
·
There may be lots of apparently similar designs available but the quality can be poor and their ability to hold a set position non-existent. This last point can be very frustrating. Also the spring loaded joints tend to fail quickly. Anglepoise have held their market share thanks to the quality. A lifetime job IME

On Mon, 25 Jan 2021 02:37:13 -0800, fred wrote:

There may be lots of apparently similar designs available but the
quality can be poor and their ability to hold a set position
non-existent. This last point can be very frustrating. Also the spring
loaded joints tend to fail quickly. Anglepoise have held their market
share thanks to the quality. A lifetime job IME

I had a Luxo for 40 years, and it was secondhand when I 'acquired' it.

Have four Luxos now, all doing well.

--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor