List Price: $124.95
Sale Price: $78.33
Today's Bonus: 37% Off
I love this lamp! It large and has a good reach. I was reluctant to buy it because of the price, but now I'm glad I did. I'm a very particular person. I love products that are functional and work as though an experienced engineer designed them. This lamp is both.
THE FRAME:
It's made of 1/2" x 1/2" square steel tubing. It has (2) four-arm plastic knobs that can be used to adjust the tightness of the articulating joints. They measure 2 inches across and are just the perfect size to grab with your fingers for tightening. One is located at the lamp shroud and the second is located mid-frame. There are (4) extension springs used to hold the lamp up. They are covered with telescopic plastic sleeves so the spring is not exposed. These covers are a very nice detail and give the lamp a clean look and also keep dust and stuff from getting caught in the springs.
THE LAMPS:
The two lamps have separate switches (rocker style) on top of the shroud and can be turned on one at a time, or both at the same time. The 28 watt T-5 round bulb that comes with the lamp gives off a bluish-white "daylight" fluorescent color (>3500K). The second light has a female socket for a standard incandescent lamp, so you can put the color bulb of your choice in. It's a base-up E26 medium lamp socket. I use a Philips Marathon 23watt Mini Twister in mine. This soft white compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) gives me the same soft light as a standard incandescent bulb (2700K). Having both of these lamps on gives me a nice bright soft light that is good for reading. Its not too white, and not too soft. The Philips Marathon can be found at Meijer. And for some reason both Meijer stores close to me stock them in the grocery department away from the rest of the light bulbs.
THE MOUNTING CLAMP:
You will need a 1 3/4" lip sticking out from your desk for the c-clamp style mounting bracket to get a full bite. The clamp will accommodate thicknesses from 0 to 2 1/2". The clamp itself is about 1 1/2" wide. The metal mounting c-clamp has a 17/32 diameter hole in it that accepts the lamp frame. This hole is sleeved with plastic to provide a durable surface that wont wear out and wont squeak when the lamp is moved. Also, the mounting hole is completely covered on the inside of the c-clamp. I have telephone wires looped through mine and I dont have to worry about the wires being cut. There is no way for them to touch the mounting pin from the lamp as it moves.
THE SHROUD:
It's about 10" in diameter at it's biggest point and 7" in length. It has a nice wire handle screwed on the front side that can be used to position the lamp. It stays cool. The size is perfect. It looks nice.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This heavy duty combination swing arm lamp is built to last a long time. The paint holds up well and doesn't flake off. It is nice and quiet when moved. No loose parts, nor rattles. It is nice as a desk lamp and also a drafting lamp. Its made by Alvin and their black and white part numbers are CL1755-B or CL1755-W.
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I first placed an order for this in late August 2011 and received exactly what is on the description page: an Alvin brand Combination Lamp, black in color. It is a fantastic product and I highly recommend it.The first week of September 2011 I returned to the exact same Amazon web page to order another item. Almost everything on the page remained the same including the product specifications which states Alvin as the manufacturer and CL1755-B as the model number. Two very small but important details were changed in the product details section: the ASIN number and the model number. These new numbers now correspond to another lamp made by APCO. I know this because I have the new version in my hand right now. I will upload a photo of the box of the new lamp.
I am sure this lamp is perfectly fine but it does not match the Alvin lamp exactly and definitely does not match the majority of the product page.
UPDATE: October 2011
After receiving a comment from another purchaser who ordered and received the Alvin-brand light I decided to try again. This time, I did receive the correct Alvin lamp from another vendor (still through Amazon). This now illustrates that since the product page describes one item and specifies part numbers for another you can receive both depending on who you buy it from. Sale Stores, by the way, sells the Alvin unit.
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The lamp itself is great: super solid, well made. The problem is that this Chinese-made lamp has a PROPRIETARY CIRCULAR BULB that is a different configuration than any other bulbs available. My lamp arrived with a broken bulb. This proprietary bulb is backordered INDEFINETELY! It is not available on the Internet. It is not available from electrical supply houses in the US. It is backordered from the manufacturer. I'm a smart guy and figured I could find one. No luck! I might consider returning the whole lamp for replacement, but what happens when THAT bulb burns out, assuming it arrives intact.This was a gift for someone, so I am doubly annoyed.
My new plan: find a comparable lamp that uses standard bulbs.
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