Which lamp to choose. How to choose a LED lamp? How to choose the number of bulbs

When choosing it, you must take into account all the nuances that directly depend on how convenient and safe it will be to use the device.

Few people think, but a wrongly chosen table lamp can easily burn your home or cripple your child’s health. To avoid this, when buying, you should know the main points and errors that are responsible for safety and affect your eyesight.

An improperly selected lamp, except as a hidden instrument of torture, is difficult to call.

Lamp support or base

When choosing, first pay attention to the lamp support. It can be of two types:

  •   brilliant
  •   matte

If it is brilliant, then such a base reflects most of the light. The light first falls on the leg, and then beats you or your child in the eye.

This greatly damages the retina and its crystalline. If you bought such a lamp and use it from 3 to 6 months, every day, for several hours, then vision during this period may fall by several diopters.

Therefore, the base and foot must always be made of matt material.

This will help to avoid glare and damage to vision.

By the way, the requirements of a matte surface equally apply to the desktop.

Do not use a table lamp and plexiglass or other glass materials together.

Body color

When a student or adult works for a long time at the desktop, the bright color of the desk lamp itself is an additional irritant. This helps the eyes to tighten even more.

As a result, in just six months of such a neighborhood, your vision may drop significantly. If it is a brilliant support, it immediately gives a negative effect - work under such lighting for a couple of minutes and then look into the distance, see for yourself.

That is the bright, glossy color of the case, for example of the same leg of the support, although it will already be plastic, will affect at least a few months of use.

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Therefore, a good lamp should be a neutral color - gray, beige, dark.

Plus, it should not glare.

Lampshade shape

In no case should the lamp in the lighting device be pulled out behind the ceiling, i.e. bulging out.

In this case, she will definitely "hit the eyes." Ophthalmologists say that both the lens of the eye and the retina are tense.

Therefore, in an ideal model, the bulb should be completely hidden in the ceiling. And the ceiling itself has the shape of a trapezoid with wide edges of the cone.


In this case, the width of the light beam will be approximately 40 degrees. This ensures optimal lighting, while at the same time ensuring the exact direction of light on the subject, without any effect on your eyes.

There are flat shades that scatter light well.

Such models are good for creating dim lighting throughout the room, but not for reading or working at the table.

Visual acuity with such a ceiling will also decrease, and the eyes will get tired.

Heating temperature

If you choose a lamp with a thin shade made of plastic, with a thickness of less than 2 mm, there is a high probability that during continuous operation for more than 3 hours it will begin to melt.

Also, this is affected by the proximity of the bulb itself from the walls of the ceiling. And if the case is metal, does the thickness of its walls play a role?

Of course yes! The heating temperature of a thin metal shade can reach such temperatures that on the lamp you can easily fry sausages or fried eggs.

Now think about it, because such a hot case can touch your child’s fingers. What will happen to them?

In fact, this is not a lighting fixture, but a kind of frying pan. Therefore, buy models made of thick metal or plastic.

The minimum distance between the incandescent bulb and the walls of the lampshade should be at least 5cm.

And the thickness of its walls is more than 2mm.

Glass shade

If the glass of the desk lamp is poor-quality, then the case may simply crack.

Moreover, these fragments will injure you and your children when you are at your desk.

In addition, such models are easily damaged by simply transferring them from one room to another, or accidentally hitting them.

A children's room, including a place for active games and fun of your child.

Light color and bulb power

Ophthalmologists recommend choosing ordinary yellowish bulbs for table lamps.

The fact is that our eyes are naturally accustomed to the sun. Therefore, just such a shade will have a minimal effect on vision.

He is the most natural and natural for all of us.

White color with a slight blueness from energy-saving light bulbs will cause not only discomfort, but also be accompanied by intramuscular spasms of the optic nerve, due to flickering imperceptible at first glance.

Regarding power, always read the instructions. It should be clearly stated, the light bulbs for how many watts can be screwed for this type of lamp.

It is not uncommon for an overheated light bulb to explode right inside the base.

What power can be used safely?

For ordinary incandescent lamps, this is a maximum of 40-60W.

No need to screw in 100 watt instances. Excessive light output can cause irritation and dry eye syndrome.

For LEDs, power values \u200b\u200brange from 7 to 11W.

Incorrect angle of incidence of light, height from the surface of the desktop can also lead to:

  •   to fatigue
  •   retinal dystrophy

If you and your children are right handed, place the lamp so that it is on your left.

If left-handed - then on the right. This will help to avoid interfering shade when reading and writing.

The lamp itself should be positioned so that your face is in the shadow of the light of the lamp, but no further than 40-50 cm from the book you are reading.

This is adjusted by the height and bend of the tripod.

Short specimens below 35 cm will not correctly distribute the luminous flux.

Also, remember a very important thing: the presence of a table lamp, no matter how powerful it is, in no way cancels the general light.

That is, a chandelier or spotlights on the ceiling in the room must be on. This is due to the physiological mechanism of our vision.

When it is dark around, the pupil tends to expand to “absorb” more light. You turn on the lamp and at this very moment, the eye receives a very bright local beam that directly hits the retina.

This leads to irreversible changes. A general lighting:

  •   first, the pupil narrows
  •   secondly, it allows to lower the power of the lamp itself

LED table lamp

Recently, conventional lamps have been replaced by LED models. They have several advantages:

  •   more environmentally friendly
  •   consume less electricity
  •   do not contain mercury, unlike energy-saving
  •   have a huge resource of work - up to 50,000 hours
  •   safe for eyes

Luminescent energy savers often flash and flicker, which invariably affects vision problems.

When you buy a desktop LED lamp, you need to clearly understand what tasks you will use it for. For those who have to read a lot or write on paper, such as a schoolboy or student, lamps with a warm white or just white glow color (3500-5000K) are best suited.

White light will also be ideal for office work. It is believed that it helps to better concentrate and increases labor productivity.

Therefore, if you are an employer or a boss, and you want your employees not to filon and fall asleep at the table, buy such models.

But the fixtures with a cold light, come in handy for working with small details - the watchmaker, manicurist, engraver.

In general, here you need to make a choice, you need a lamp for work or "for the soul." With those that are for the soul, everything is much simpler.

This is an ordinary decorative element of the interior and you do not need to bother with any parameters.

There are already certain requirements for “working” lamps. When buying a Led model, you get a lamp with integrated LEDs, i.e. the light source remains with you once and for all.

So, it is highly desirable that they be provided with additional functionality. After all, you will not be able to reduce or increase the level of illumination by simply replacing a 60W lamp with a 40W lamp or vice versa, as in conventional models.

Another important point is the dimming function. With it, light can be made either brighter or dimmer. Most importantly, check that the bulbs are adapted to this function.

In general, correctly selected modern LED lamps open up many possibilities and make life much more comfortable.

The main types of household fixtures, how to choose chandeliers, ceiling, tabletop devices, sconces, floor lamps and table lamps, LED lamps.

A game with light always becomes the professional secret of an experienced interior designer, a kind of win-win chip.

The correct arrangement of lamps, chandeliers, sconces, floor lamps, various lights and lamps is the last winning stroke in the artist's work. This can only be compared with breathing life into people's homes.

Lamps have never been perceived only as a functional object necessary for lighting housing. No less important was their aesthetic value.

Since ancient times, man has understood that the frame of the light source itself must be beautiful:

Modern manufacturers of lighting equipment do not forget the roots, rely on traditions, study and continue the work of their ancestors.

The most recognized brands nowadays are deservedly considered: Elektrostandard, Eurosvet, Lightstar, Odeon Light, Italux, Nowodvorski and others.

The main types of household fixtures

I must say that abundance often causes more problems than lack of anything.

When eyes run up from diversity, it is very difficult to choose a lamp for your own home.

What to do if you like almost everything? It remains pragmatic to sort through the lighting products of the modern market.

Chandeliers and ceiling lights

It is impossible to imagine a living room or dining room, a fireplace room or a common relaxation room without this attribute.

Interior styles are changing, some elements of the chandelier decor are changing with them, but the classic appearance of a pendant lamp has remained unchanged for many centuries.

It is represented by several separate light sources, united by a common base.

According to the method of attachment, they distinguish:


Of course, a two-tier crystal chandelier in a small kitchen will look ridiculous, and in the open spaces of the living room a delicate Murano glass flower will simply be lost.

Let's try to find the optimal solution:

  • Kitchen. Small shades, horizontal (vertical) arrangement of the structure, materials resistant to high humidity will be appropriate. Attractive chandeliers in the shape of a ball or hemisphere.
  • Living room, dining room. Traditional multi-track crystal or porcelain designs, tiffany chandeliers, modern cubic and spherical samples of glass and metal are suitable.
  • Hallway Choose options for the horizontal arrangement of the bulbs so that you can not catch them with your hands. The main condition for designers - the hallway does not tolerate pretentiousness and complexity of the design.
  • Hall. A cascading chandelier will ideally look in the inter-staircase opening of a private house. It will serve as a decoration and a source of lighting.
  • Bathroom. Wood and rust-prone metal will have to be eliminated due to increased room humidity. Plastic, porcelain, glass, crystal - the choice of the owner. Diffused light from a matte shade is the best solution for ceiling lighting in a bathroom.
  • Bedroom. A bizarre shape, an unusual color scheme will fit into this room like nowhere. The rest is a matter of preference and design style.
  • Children’s. Each well-known manufacturer is developing a children's line. Do not forget about it. Read on.

Sconces and wall lights

General lighting is necessary, but sometimes you want to have a personal light source.

The sconces scattered on the walls create a cozy atmosphere, as if by chance they were near the coffee table or at arm's length from the head of the bed.

Local lighting devices in the apartment are divided into:


Floor lamps and table lamps

The lamps on the leg also belong to the spotlights of the apartment space: floor lamps on the long, table lamps on the short.

Undeservedly forgotten, in recent years they have experienced a peak of popularity. And not by chance.

The functionality of portable fixtures does not end only in lighting a specific area of \u200b\u200bthe room:

  • They are mobile. A floor lamp and a table lamp can be easily moved to where the backlight is currently needed.
  • They are decorative. The interior designers have not yet fully utilized the potential of these fixtures in creating the necessary style and emphasizing space.
  • They create coziness. Nostalgia is the reason or something else, but psychologically we are drawn to the corner where the floor lamps or table lamps are located, especially when at the end of the day we get home completely exhausted.

The best use of portable lamps is to install them near a coffee table, in a library, in a fireplace, in an office, in a coffee area in the kitchen, next to a lounge chair.

In any apartment, it is simply necessary to have, if not both, then at least a table lamp.

Let her stand on the sideboard in the living room and play a decorative role until she can show you her lighting qualities.

LED lights

Volumes are written about the positive aspects of the "ice", as the people, chandeliers and sconces have already called them, but the minuses are very sparing.

Let's try to objectively evaluate the LED-lamps in the interior of our home:

  • Service life advertise up to 50 thousand hours of work. This amounts to about 6 years of continuous lighting. No one checked, the need for everyday life did not arise. But frequent on-off negatively affects the longevity of the LED bulb. Therefore, when installing in apartments, you need to keep this in mind. It is better to use such lamps in rooms where it is not customary to constantly use a switch.
  • The spectrum of the light bulb is not always favorable for vision. Only well-known brands achieved natural warm yellow LED lighting. Cheap specimens of unknown origin illuminate the space with a caustic bluish or blinding white light. If you stay in a room with such lighting for long, then there will be no health consequences. However, tired eyes for the day will notify you of incorrect lighting quickly. Read on.
  • Low electricity consumption. That is the true truth. You can use the lamp for as long as you want, it will have little effect on the accounts. We calculate the price for light bulbs, the rest is a gain.
  • High environmental friendliness. No objections. But other bulbs are not seen in environmental damage, unless you break a fluorescent lamp, which, indeed, contains harmful substances. Why break up?

It is difficult to understand the numerous parameters for the first time faced with the question of choosing a high-quality LED lamp. Consider the main parameters and select the LED lamp, as well as determine the important parameters that contribute to the long life of the lamp and simple operation. When you need to choose the best LED lamp, spotlight, lamp, chandelier, armstrong or office lamp, pay attention to the following tips:

      1. Power Consumption, Watt (W). The more power, the more the selected lamp consumes electricity. However, high power does not mean high brightness.
      2. Light brightness is measured in lumens. Ranges are not allowed. (wrong: 2000-2500 lm, right: 2000 lm). The efficiency of high-quality LEDs is 90–120 lm / W. Speaking of brightness, Watts are sometimes indicated (for example, a lamp with a brightness of 30 watts.). Due to different types of lamps, it is not always possible to understand the brightness of a lamp from watts. The table of conversion of lumens to watts is given below:

        To select the LED lamp by power, it is necessary to divide the power of the replaced incandescent lamp by about 8.

        How many lumens and what is the light flux in the lamp? For example, 700 lm \u003d 8 W of LED lamp \u003d 15 W of fluorescent \u003d 60 W of incandescent light bulb.

      3. Light temperature (color). Warm (yellow light) - 3000 K, neutral (medium) - 4000 K, cold (white) - 5000 K, 6000 K, 7000 K. Without ranges, should be indicated (3000 K, not 3000-4000 K). Having picked up the parameters of the LED lamp, you will get a uniform color, and not a zebra and white-yellow stripes. Warm tones of 3000 K - 4000 K are suitable for an apartment, and raster lamps of colder tones of 4000 K - 6000 K are chosen for an office, store, shopping center, warehouse, factory or factory.
      4. The lamp / lamp uses a high-quality driver (power supply) from Philips, Invertek, OPPLE. Drivers often fail in lights, rather than LEDs. The driver will tell you which LED lamps to choose.
      5. LEDs of the best world manufacturers of LEDs in a lamp: CREE (USA), Philips Lumileds Lighting (USA) or LG (South Korea). After 1 year, cheap LEDs change color, a blue tint appears and the brightness of the lamp decreases.
      6. Flickering of light is not higher than 1%, and the absence is completely better. Flickering is dangerous and harmful to eyesight. Pay attention to the option when choosing an office lamp or LED lamp for the home. It is very important for industrial enterprises, factories and plants.
      7. The warranty on the lamp is at least 2 years, and preferably 5 years. The lamp can work without problems for 5-15 years. Permanent repair of the selected lamp for the office during the warranty period will create additional costs, including reputation. Choose quality products right away.
      8. Availability of valid European certificates CB (EEC), TÜV (Germany) or STÜ (Switzerland). Certificates will confirm the technical parameters declared by the seller of the lamp. According to the tested parameters, choosing an LED lamp is not difficult.
      9. Does not create glare and reflections. Optical elements are responsible (lenses for each LED in the luminaire for an optimal opening angle and light distribution). When choosing a ceiling LED lamp (raster) for the office, it is important that there would be no glare the comfort of work all day.
      10. Color rendering (CRI) of at least 80 Ra. The higher the color reproduction, the better. It is important for designers, architects.
      11. The general indicator of discomfort (UGR) is not higher than 16. The lower the UGR, the more pleasant it is to work under the lamp and the less it creates discomfort and blinds. It is important for those who work with drawings and texts, for example, an accountant.
      12. LED downlights must have electronic ies files. They allow you to build a 3D model of the room and accurately calculate the illumination and find out the number and location of lamps in the room.
      13. High quality packaging of the lamp (thick multi-layer fluting of cardboard, the presence of a foam plastic mold, moisture protection and other means of preserving the lamp). Packaging guarantees safety during transportation of the LED lamp. When choosing street or industrial LED lamps and large batches, the proportion of marriage will be reduced.
      14. The factory has established multi-stage quality control, production is certified (ISO). Certification of the factory guarantees the stability of the quality of products.
      15. The factory is testing each LED lamp  before sending. Confidence in each  fixture in quality.
      16. The brand of the company and the factory has existed for at least 15-20 years, the products are in demand in other countries, and the plant area is at least 100,000 sq.m. and the number of employees is not less than 2,000 people. You can come to the factory and see the production with your own eyes.
      17. Dust and water tightness class. For office or home IP20 is enough. IP44 is required for a bathroom, bath, sauna, and IP 65-66 is required for a street, factory, industry.
      18. Operating temperature. When choosing industrial LED lighting fixtures, the operating temperature range can be from -50 ° to + 60 ° C.
      19. Resistance to vibration. On the roadway, in a factory, or in a factory on poles, there is often increased vibration. In high-quality LED industrial or street lamps there is protection against arbitrary unscrewing of fixtures or disconnecting wiring.
      20. The real resource of work is 15,000-50,000 hours. International certificates will confirm the technical parameters declared by the seller of the lamp. This saves on future replacement and maintenance. Especially if the ceilings are 15 meters, and the fixtures are more than 100 pieces.