Full-Spectrum Solux Floor Lamp Review

"Let There Be Clean Light"

After reading about different full-spectrum lighting systems online, including comments by photographers, I decided to try the Solux Floor Lamp. The price was about $130. I got it as a reading lamp with the potential bonus for photography if I wanted to take pictures using clean light (no color casts).

The Solux Floor Lamp, which presumably has the same bulb as the Solux Desk Lamp--they look identical in advertising--is one of the best things I've ever bought! I now use it all the time. Furthermore, I will probably order a few more for myself, and get some for friends and family.

The color temperature is amazing! It is so much like natural daylight. It is so clean and realistic. It's like being out in the sun at midday but without the glare. It makes reading easier and more enjoyable because there is bright light but no eye strain.

Another thing I like about the Solux Floor Lamp is you can move it quite close to the book you're reading without getting too hot. It produces a lot of light but not so much heat that it could make your face uncomfortable.

However, it still gets hot enough to where you need to use its attached wire loop to adjust the position of the bulb; otherwise you could burn yourself. (Don't touch the black metal cone!)

The lamp switch is kind of awkward at times. It's a unique short lever in an odd position on the arm that can get boxed in against the lamp arms in some positions. That makes it difficult to locate and use, and a little annoying.

The base is big and solid but not super heavy. It can rock but you don't have to worry about the lamp falling over.

Full-spectrum lighting means different things to different people and not all "full-spectrum" lighting is created equal. There is a range of color temperatures that satisfy the government standard of "full spectrum"; i.e. what it will accept in advertising.

Until now I've used 6500K lamps. They seemed to produce pretty clean light when I bought them and they had been labeled "full spectrum." But after a few years I noticed they produce a slight green cast. Once I got Lowell Ego 5500K bulbs for photography, there was no going back. 5500K is beautiful clean light. I will only buy 5500K bulbs in the future or bulbs with a similar color temperature (e.g: 5000K).

Besides the stated benefits of bright clean lighting and reduced eye strain, the bonus effect of the Solux Floor Lamp for me is it seems to lower my heart rate. I feel so relaxed when I read and even when it's on nearby and I'm not reading. In fact, it calmed me down so much when I first started using it that I fell asleep. I haven't fallen asleep since but I now consistently find it reduces fatigue.

It just so happened that I started reading the book (with the Solux Floor Lamp) entitled Light: Medicine of the Future by Jacob Liberman, and he discusses many different scientific experiments which reveal the physical, emotional, and psychological benefits of natural light.

In the 1980s, for example, an experiment was done on the effects of natural lighting compared to artificial lighting for school children.

In the newly painted rooms with full-spectrum lighting, systolic blood pressure dropped an average 20 points per child, and behavior (especially the reduction of aggression) improved dramatically. However, when the full-spectrum lighting was changed back to the original cool-white fluorescent tubes, blood pressure increased and the children once again became disorderly. Another very interesting finding was that the blind subjects were as affected as the sighted ones. (p. 102)

The same effect may also be true today for older people.

Research I did online showed me that Solux bulbs have incredibly accurate color for the full gamut of colors.

As good as the Solux bulbs are, unfortunately the Solux lamp isn't without its problems. As anyone who has experience with photography or photo color correction knows, it's easier to notice color casts. The Solux bulb as it's currently mounted in the Solux Floor Lamp produces very clean, bright, white light within its main pool of light, but it also produces a faint "dirty" orange halo on the outside edges of that pool of light.

At first it seemed this was an error in the bulb construction. But I noticed the light which the Solux bulb gives off on the back of the bulb is yellow; and upon closer inspection at the front when the light is on, you can see there is dirty yellow on the outer edge that escapes the sides. This is a design flaw.

The Unholy Halo

It seems the flaw was based on an attempt to allow heat to escape from around the edges of the bulb at the front instead of just the back.

I will be looking into replacing the black metal housing with its holes with one that doesn't have holes, or doesn't allow yellow light to project forward.

What the flaw means from a practical point of view is that if you're fussy about white light, you sometimes need to fiddle with the light position where you're reading by moving it closer or changing the angle; otherwise part of the pages of the book you're reading will have an orange tint. Many readers might not notice this, but if you're going to spend $130 on a lamp, you have a right to know about this issue before you buy it.

After all the research and development that has gone into Solux bulbs, making them arguably the best in the world, it's disappointing that the company failed to notice the different halo color, and fix the bulb casing to block it. The actual part of the lamp that's at fault probably costs only a few dollars which makes it annoying or ridiculous.

I like the light quality so much I'm thinking of asking a metal worker to make a special part to replace the bulb housing. I can see the screws which would allow you to remove and replace it. The Solux Bulb is so close to perfection it may be worth it.

I am now looking forward to many years of reading with perfect light in a very relaxing environment. I now read more every day than I ever did. I wish I'd known about Solux a long time ago.

Parents may want to consider the Solux lamp as a gift for their children to encourage them to read. It is a fantastic purchase for college students. If you have to spend four years of your life reading all the time, you might as well do it in the best possible light, especially if it's good for your health and reduces fatigue. Who has the luxury of reading outside all the time?

If you're thinking of getting the Solux Lamp for photography, however, you may want to think twice. That orange halo could be a chronic problem. There are cleaner lights for taking pictures that won't require color correction.