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Guiding LightWhich book light outshines the others?

By Tom BartlettPosted Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007, at 4:33 PM ET

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Zelco "Itty Bitty" Book Light, $35
I was prepared to give the "Itty Bitty" high marks. It's everything you want in a book light. The light is even; the design is elegant. It also folds down and slips into its own case, making it easy to carry in a pocket or purse. It stays securely attached to the book. The adjustable neck works well. Sounds great, right?

Here's the thing. The clip that holds the light to the cover of the book peeks up slightly. This matters because the clip is made of shiny metal and that shiny metal reflects light. So light shines back in your face. At first, I thought I could adjust the clip or reposition the book so this would be less annoying. Nope. Still annoying.

You could, I guess, put some masking tape over part of the clip so light won't reflect. But do you really want to invest $35 in a book light that you have to modify in order to comfortably use? Let me answer that for you: No, you do not.

Shine On: 8
Portability: 9
Sleeping Spouse: 9
Design/Ease of Use: 3
Total: 29

LightWedge, $19.95
The advertising material for the LightWedge encourages you to "imagine the perfect book light." It is a fairly ingenious product. Turn it on and the glass panel lights up. The idea is that because only the panel is illuminated there will be no stray light. I tried it out on a recent plane trip, and indeed, the lawyer snoring next to me was not roused. My wife also continued to slumber undisturbed.

The LightWedge comes in two sizes—one for hardcovers and one for paperbacks. I tested the paperback version, and while it works fine on small paperbacks, it is less than satisfactory on larger paperbacks or hardcovers. You have to continually shift the panel so that it illuminates the portion of the page you're perusing.

In addition, if you press the glass flat against the page, it creates little wavy shadows. So for optimal performance, you have to remember to tilt the wedge up slightly. It does look cool, and it doubles as a decent bookmark. But better book lights exist, and not just in my imagination.

Shine On: 6
Portability: 8
Sleeping Spouse: 10
Design/Ease of Use: 6
Total: 30

Beam & Read, $19.95
There is nothing hip about the Beam & Read. It's black and blocky, and it hangs around your neck. The photos on the packaging show it being used by old people, and it seems very much like a senior citizen gadget.

But it also happens to be remarkably useful, blessedly simple, and once you have one, you won't want to give it up. Seriously. I love this thing.

Because it hangs around your neck, you don't have to worry about clipping it onto the book or mess with it when you turn pages. You can also lay it flat on a table and use it as a kind of mini-lamp. I've also found myself using the Beam & Read for nonliterary purposes, such as descending into our poorly lit basement, or ascending into our equally poorly lit attic. It would be especially handy in a power outage.

My only beef, and the only thing that keeps it from being the overall winner, is that it's a little too bright for using next to a slumbering companion. But on the whole, I'm inordinately fond of the Beam & Read and plan to buy several more as gifts. How's that for a testimonial?

Shine On: 9
Portability: 8
Sleeping Spouse: 6
Design/Ease of Use: 10
Total: 33

Zelco "Itty Bitty" Slim Book Light, $29.95
While I have special place in my heart for the Beam & Read, our overall winner is a better book light qua book light.

It doesn't clip onto the book; instead, it fits snugly over the spine. Some of the other book lights leave behind little indentations on your pages. This may not be a big deal for that thriller you're going to toss anyway, but it matters for that first edition of The Great Gatsby you bought at auction.

And while it's larger than most of the other book lights, it's less troublesome to use because the body remains flush against the spine of the book. The flexible neck can be pushed down into the body, making it easily transportable and tough to break. And it feels sturdier than the others. Perhaps most importantly, it puts light exactly where you want it, and nowhere you don't.

By the way, the box promises that the LED bulbs will last for 100,000 hours, which works out to more than a decade. I'm going to have to trust them on that.

Shine On: 9
Portability: 9
Sleeping Spouse: 9
Design/Ease of Use: 10
Total: 37