HappyLight Compact

This light is exactly what I hoped it would be: bright, compact, and effective. I had originally considered buying the Sphere Gadget Technologies Lightphoria, 10,000 Lux Energy Light Lamp for several reasons. First, the higher lux output. Second, the LED light would be cooler than the compact fluorescent. Third, the lightphoria is adjustable and the Happy Light is not. After weighing these factors I changed my mind about the Lightphoria and got the Happy Light because of the cost, aesthetics, and doubting the necessity of 10K over 5K Lux. I really know little about the importance of Lux values anyway, other than it helps you get more vitamin D (maybe? and is it something I would actually notice?) Also, after reading reviews about how ugly/medical-device-like the Lightphoria looked, I was swayed to the Happy Light for its aesthetic value. I work in a classroom and didn't want an eye-sore sitting on my desk. I figured if I didn't feel the Happy Light was bright enough, then I would order the Lightphoria. Well, thankfully I have no need to so! This light puts out quite a strong beam, as you can see in my pix (taken in normal classroom light conditions). It almost made my eyes ache a bit when I turned it on for the first time because my eyes aren't accustomed to the brightness. I turn it on for ~15-30mins when I first get to work, and it sits less than 3 feet away from my face, on my desk (see pix). After using it three days, I am more accustomed to the brightness, and I am observing noticeable differences in how awake I feel. OH, and it does build up a normal (not excessive) amount of heat after 30mins, but I usually turn it off by then anyway. I don't mind. I first thought of getting a light because of my sensitivity to caffeine. A single cup of coffee in the morning is enough to make it difficult for me to fall asleep 12 hours later, so I needed an alternative to help energize me in the mornings. Plus, I was convinced after my third winter in Minnesota (after residing in CO & NM) that I am affected by SAD. FYI, the screen of the light is not installed when you open the box, so you have to unscrew the top to slide in the screen. The nice part is that the company includes a screwdriver for exactly that purpose (extra kuddos for that attention to detail!). It is for a Flathead screwdriver, and the slit is big enough so you could easily use a butter knife if you didn't have a proper tool (see pix). I really like the size and shape of this Happy Light. I do not feel that I made a wrong choice by not getting the Luxphoria. I think the 5K Lux is very sufficient for me, and I would think for other people as well. Honestly, I think anything over the 5K brightness would be unbearable! You'd see spots after turning it off! *This review is solely my own opinion. I was not endorsed or anything. Just trying to be detailed, and candid*

I initially loved that there is this more affordable option in “happy” lights but wow, upon reflection, these are definitely a product of our consumerist, throwaway culture. The unit in and of itself is very easy to use, lightweight, and compact. The light it emits is bright and even. It does heat up when in use, which is why there are vents in the top. I have no complaints at all about its form or its function. However… My light took a tumble in my living room, and when it hit the floor, the bulb shattered. I ordered a replacement bulb on Amazon — it cost me over $40 and it never arrived. I contacted that seller and got a refund. While waiting for the first replacement bulb to never arrive, I went ahead and purchased another unit so I could keep using the light. Determined NOT to just throw the first lamp housing away wastefully, I’ve now ordered a replacement bulb from yet another third-party provider — and that bulb should be here in a couple of weeks. Weeks! Be forewarned. Should your happy light take a tumble and the bulb break, you will more likely end up buying a whole new unit rather than just replacing the bulb. A replacement bulb, should you find one, is going to cost the same or more as buying a new unit, and it might take weeks to arrive. To me, this whole debacle sheds light on how accustomed we are to the casual waste of resources. Corporations do a number of things to back us into the corner as consumers. By not giving us products that are built to last and/or changing designs so the old versions don’t work anymore — and replacement parts are scarce/nonexistent —we end up forced to buy new things rather than fix old things. Oh, and, get off my lawn. For the amount of money that attempting to fix rather than dispose of the first light will end up costing me, I could have afforded a much more expensive version of this light — one that still has readily-available replacement bulbs. Lesson learned! I stubbornly plan to get *both* of my units working again so I can have them in two rooms of the house. But the amount of money and time I have spent so far to “fix” my broken light — including buying a second unit — has been absurd. If I could time travel back to early December and let my past self know to just go ahead and splurge on a happy light that cost more, I totally would! That said, I have zero problems with this seller (as I have ordered from them twice now) or this product. I don’t know if the light has helped me feel “happier”, as I am an inconsistent user of it and am clearly cranky as heck, but I am sure it’s good for me on some level. If you can assure yourself that you (or your pets!) won’t accidentally knock your light off of the table and break the bulb, this is a great budget bargain. Or, if you just don’t care and regularly throw consumer goods into the trash with abandon, go for it, sparky. It works fine if you don’t drop it. *UPDATE 1/20/23 I ordered a bulb on AZ from a third-party supplier that had the correct number on it, but the base is too big for the lamp. So, I am still on my quest to find the proper replacement bulb for the first lamp. If that doesn’t work, I’m not sure what I’ll do with the housing that doesn’t have a bulb.

Pros: It does seem to work, I feel my mood has improved and am less tried. Cons: Light is very bright - wish this one also had a dimmer. I was hoping I would be able to move about without having it hooked to a power source (Wall socket). When the ad stated it was portable, that is what got me to purchase it. This makes it impossible to just move it to a new area unless there was a nearby socket or you had to use an extension cord (SAD). I purchased 2 lamps, this one, and the VT43, largest one, all the bells and whistles, it needs to be plugged in all the time also. Neither unit has its own power source!!!

A luz é forte, o desenho é compacto e o material é bom.

Well made and reliable. I hope to use it for decades to come. I believe the bulbs can be purchased from the company if it burns out. I live in Canada and this time of year, Nov until April, this product is so essential to me. It's compact and I have it on my desk. I turn it on for 20-30min in the morning while working. Summer sun. So welcomed when it's cold, dark and -20C outside.

I bought this 3 years ago and it's still working well. My dermatologist recommended I get this, as he said many of his patients found this type of light helped with alopecia areata (not sure if it actually does, but it does help my mood). It has one compact fluorescent bulb inside which provides a lot of light. I placed it on my bedside table right next to my side of the bed and connected it to a smart plug so I can turn it on and off with my voice using Amazon Echo (you could also set a timer on your smart plug app so it would automatically go on and off). It's great for someone on a budget as it's the cheapest option available.

Happylights work best when used early in the morning, so it took me a while it get the hang of using this to get any benefit out of it. But now that I've got the hang of it, I really like it. I definitely find it easier to get up and wake up when I use my HappyLight regularly, and since my apartment gets a lot of indirect light I use it throughout the year. I bought this right at the end of the winter and I'm not positive that its impacted my mood, although I think I feel happier, I definitely have more energy. Additionally the light quality this produces is really really nice. I keep this on my desk so I can sit in front of it in the morning, and I occasionally use it instead of my desk lamp if I have a lot of reading to do because its much easier on my eyes.

The light is great. My eyes don't take light well so curtains are closed and they filter light. This light is helpful to be getting enough sun like light. We all need light, sun, or simulated. It has no UV ... a good thing. One thing is the top is attached by magnets. After opening it to put the cover into its slot, they lose some strength. They are strong, but not enough to pick it up from the top. When it's on the floor it's hard not to simply take by the top. It does a good job. It could use a handle attached to the main body of the light. I am happy to have one that is not attached to a computer as well as an wall outlet.