[New Version] Super Bright COB LED Portable Desk Lamp Travel Lamp :Foldable, Touch Sensitive Control, 3 Adjustable Brightness Levels, Battery and USB Powered

Have been looking at lower watt appliances and their daily use as many lower watt things are not always convenient. This is quite convenient for task lighting if you're able to set it in one place and keep it there (which is what desk lamps are designed for).It's not possible to know how durable the plastic will be over time: The light is very well designed / thought out.On the lowest watt setting, it's quite easy to use this for reading. The more you move and adjust things, the shorter their lifespan normally so it won't get any rigorous testing for that.I put newer rechargeable batteries in it and it's having no problems with the slightly lower voltage of those batteries. Day 3 of a few hours of use a day at the lower light setting and it's still going strong.The USB cord with it works well (took the batteries out to check and also used it with the batteries in - external USB power is used first). The USB cord does not charge the internal batteries and I don't want it to. If you want the batteries or a USB connected battery bank to last, use it at the lowest light setting: I hooked up an inline USB multimeter and the amps noted at 5.11V are: low - 0.00 Amps, med - .16 Amps, high - .39 AmpsThe base does need to be weighted for best use so if ever used with a USB cord regularly, I've pondered putting some flat glass marbles or some stones in a plastic bag and putting them into the base: That kind of weight would not be anchored like the batteries would as batteries are held in tightly. Would I tape the bottom shut if I did that? Probably.Personally wouldn't leave batteries in it if not using it daily - or at least try not to as everyone has issues and leaving batteries in things too long is sometimes one of mine.This is a pretty classic design: I'll never know how long the switch will last until it fails (true of everything - really like the light touch switch). It looks like the lamp would also make a nice (in metal possibly too) daily use desk lamp as it looks like it's possible to change 'the bulb' - which is a newer style light to me (the light looks like a yellow pad).I don't know how long the yellow light pads last. I'm hoping a long time.If you used something like this for occasional portable task lighting and-or reading if it is placed on a solid surface or emergency use (and it will be used for both), if you had some extra yellow light pads and the switch lasted a long time (it likely will), it seems like this could last forever - (a what fails first - the switch or the light conversation as lights used to fail first and now switches might).I did not remove the screws in the lamp head to see how easy it would be to replace the light pad so I'm not sure whether it could be replaced. Any kind of screw in plastic can strip so I won't do that unless something fails on it (like to take things apart if they fail just to see what happened and see whether they can be fixed as we moved away from fixable appliances and maybe someday we'll move a bit more back).Others may have similar battery charging issues (as in making sure rechargeables get charged occasionally so they don't fail): I'm thinking about using this lamp with the USB cord regularly along with the couple mini power banks I have for emergencies so they get regularly charged (and attended to). And, I'll take the AA batteries out and weight the base.If you knew anyone who lost power grid power (but still had the ability to charge a small (USB) power bank somewhere in their community), this would be a great lamp to keep them 'light' functional.Kudos for the combined USB-grid power, USB-battery bank and AA battery option.

I was so impressed with the lamp I bought a Second one.

I put this on my desk connected via USB cord the the wall outlet. I keep batteries in it, and if the power goes out, it still works. Sometimes, I unplug it and use it as a work light. The angle is really adjustable. I really like that if folds up and can fit in my toolbox or travel bag. It has three brightness settings. I love this so much, I'm buying another one just for fun.

This light is compact, can be charged or use with batteries. The light is good for a small space and has three different levels of brightness. It would be a great light for reading.

I like it but for some reason it keeps shutting off I have to move it around all the time to get it to come on

I love this light. It is so compact and so bright. I use this on my puzzle table! Amazing!!

Small, convenient, folds up and great for small jobs, pop-up work where direct light is a must - works great!

3/6/21 UPDATE: I have no additional comment on the lamp itself. It's a nice option for a bright portable LED lamp, assuming you can leave it plugged in all the time, or you don't mind replacing batteries frequently to support the brightest capability, or you rig up a connection to a power bank, like I have, to retain its portability AND full brightness. My update is to point out that this company does not respond at all to communications, whether a request for information, or worse, a warranty claim. If a company claims to warranty a product, then that service/guarantee is part of what I'm paying for. I'm removing an additional star to represent the lack of support (no reply at all to 2-3 messages) and failure to fulfill the warranty they claim to offer on this page. As long as you know that, then you can make up your own mind as to whether the price is right for this reasonably handy lamp.This 11/27/20 review is for the [New Version] TOMOL COB LED Portable Desk Lamp (Model: TL-DL01, according to the product page ... the item itself has no Model Number, or any markings whatsoever, on it!)UPDATED 11/28: To reflect the Cord Replacement Specs I eventually determined.- ONE STAR OFF of Versatility and Total Score because of the huge hassle required to find a replacement cable (short) required for the "ultimate portable full-brightness low-maintenance" configuration of this lamp: To me ultimate brightness and portability means pairing this lamp with a right-sized rechargeable battery pack strapped onto the base of the lamp (see photos). My 20,000 mAh INUI BI-B42 gives it 28-32 hours of full brightness before recharging (and matches the base dimensions brilliantly, adding 12 oz of weight to an otherwise 'weightless' lamp, when unencumbered by batteries). The four AA Duracell or Energizer Alkalines didn't seem to keep it full brightness for very long at all, a handful of 20-30 minute sessions perhaps (according to my poor memory). Even with plenty of life left in the AA batteries, it would get too dim to be the ideal task light I was seeking for my elderly mother. Expensive and a hassle to keep replacing the batteries. Young eyes may not mind the gradually dimming light, but it didn't suit aging eyes in a dimly lit house very well.- ONE STAR OFF PENDING SUPPORT RESPONSE FROM TOMOL: I'm fully expecting excellent customer-oriented support from TOMOL, but until I hear back from the messages I sent 11/26 and 11/27, I'm leaving the "responsive customer support" star off. It will be interesting to see whether they're more responsive to a user review or an message sent through the official support channel. I'm not fond of vendors who ignore the latter.GOOD NEWS: Overall, the TOMOL is a very bright, sturdy, stable (with battery weight in the base), portable and packable task light for a reasonable price. On HIGH, the Lamp Head gets quite warm, but not alarmingly so or too hot to handle. For a model that's been around for at least 8-9 years, I'm a bit surprised there aren't more clones of it available. It's somewhat unique amongst the competition, for it's highly portable form-factor, such that I chose to purchase a second one after reviewing all sorts of other folding and rechargeable LED lamps.PRICE IS OK - BUT A LITTLE HIGH, IMHO: $12.80 is what I paid in Nov 2020, happily no increase over my first one in Jan 2019. I'd prefer to pay less, given the sheer simplicity and inexpensive production that appears to apply to this product. There's no documentation with it. There's no power-related labeling on it whatsoever (besides the markings for the AA batteries). Yet, for a "cheap" thing, it's wonderfully designed and functional. It's handsome and its "fit and finish" looks good for a plastic device. I would expect it to survive a short drop to the carpet, but also expect the plastic could crack or the electronics/LEDs could suffer some damage with a drop on a harder surface. Nonetheless, I haven't found quite this handy of a form factor that also matches the TOMOL's brightness (though the 24-LED Ideaworks is worth a penny-pincher's look to see if brightness and coolness are really much different from TOMOL's Chip-On-Board LEDs). The product page suggests that the "New Version" TOMOL COB LED replaces (and is three time brighter than) a 24-LED "old version" (which I suspect is/was identical to the Ideaworks 24-LED model).=> Still, I'm grateful to TOMOL for offering improved brightness in this form factor!MY APPLICATIONFor my elderly arthitic mother, I'm stacking the lamp on top of a matched-size 20k mAh battery pack (the INUI BI-B42 power bank, with the light-up paw print, is fantastic), held on with 8" circumference silicone wrist-bands as heavy duty "rubber bands". I want a tidy short power connection at the back, rather than a lumpy dangling coil of the original 4 feet of cable. For the past year, my mother has used her lamp with AA batteries, so we could carry it around the house for her, or she could easily move it from a side table to her lap desk.CONS & FEATURE REQUESTSPOWER CORD IS A PAIN TO REPLACE: Replacing this power cord (whether due to damage, or need for a different length) can be a time-consuming hassle due to the "DC barrel jack" connector required of this lamp, at least for an average joe like me. Through research, trial and error, I determined the Power Cable spec to be:=> "USB-A Male to DC 5.5mm / 2.1mm barrel jack 5V" power cable, with "positive center," though perhaps any voltage range including 3V-5V would work.After figuring out I needed to measure the Outside Diameter of the barrel connector, and finding 5.5mm to be the closest standard option available for my imprecise measurement, I had to order a few options to try, because I didn't have a good way of determining the Inside Diameter. (2.1mm was the best of three options available.) Nor did I know whether the connector needed a Positive or Negative "center." (Positive seemed to be the spec of standard options available on Amazon.) Surely, I'm not the only person inexperienced with how Barrel Jack power connectors are spec-ed, and the hassle was inordinate, in my opinion.=> By simply DOCUMENTING THE LAMP CORD SPEC ON PRODUCT PAGE, TOMOL could have saved this customer hours of effort, and days of waiting for orders to try (and then return). Other customers have asked for Cord Replacment details as well. There is absolutely no documentation included with the product itself, and no markings on the Lamp or Cord to assist the clueless customer in tracking down a suitable replacement cable. ... Better yet:=> If TOMOL had used a Type-C or Micro-USB connector, I WOULD HAVE SPENT MINUTES INSTEAD OF DAYS tracking down a reasonable cable for my application, and had MULTITUDES OF OPTIONS to choose from. I needed a 6-10 inch cable, ideally with "Right-angle L-connectors," to create a tidy, space saving, easy-to-handle connection at the back of my stacked lamp and power bank. Even once I sort of knew what to look for, I only found 2-3 likely options short enough, after a lengthy full web search, and only one option is both 6 inches long and has L-connectors. Contradictory specs on cable product pages (not unusual for Amazon vendors) made the whole process even more uncertain, requiring that I order 7 different options to ensure I'd find at least one that would work.=> THIS 10 INCH CABLE WORKED: Yeworth brand "[2 pack] 0.25m USB 2.0 A Type Male to DC 5.5 x 2.1 mm DC 5V Power Plug Connector Cable" with ASIN: B07Q5PHHFK. It has a positive center pin and is recommended up to 24V, max load 2Amp or less (though user reviews put the voltage range into question).In this day and age, one expects replacement cables for small USB-powered devices to be easy to find. Some people's pets chew cords; Some need more than 4 feet to reach a wall charger; Some like myself want the shortest cord possible to reach a battery pack. Hence, the barrel-jack charging connector DETRACTS from this product's Versatility, Ease-of-Use and Longevity.VENDOR / MANUFACTURER SUPPORT: I'm guessing users don't need support from TOMOL in 95% of cases, but various issues remain, including the customer time required to assess whether to purchase this item, or to take advantage of the "power source versatility" advertised by TOMOL.- I APPRECIATE THAT TOMOL SPEC-ED THE LUMENS (220), as the competitors mostly don't, and I spend a great deal of time researching my purchases for optimum performance and price. A lack of specifications is very annoying and time wasting to me, as I must then often spend extra time perusing user reviews or searching the internet for the info I seek. This leaves me unenthusisastic about a vendor. As to whether the lumens spec is correct, I haven't a clue - LOL.- NO SPEC FOR LED EXPECTED LIFETIME (HOURS OF USE): Unlike Ideaworks, which specifies "up to 100,000 hour" LEDs, and other vendors of LED lamps (up to 50,000 hours I read for another), TOMOL does not provide any sort of lifespan benchmark for its COB LED lamp.- SUPPORT / WARRANTY / RESPONSE TIME REMAINS UNCLEAR (TBD): I sent a message to TOMOL on 11/26 at noon (by Clicking the "TOMOL US" link under the Add to Cart button at top of page) about my minor issues. I can't fault them, 48 hours later over Black Friday, for not replying yet. By contrast, in the past couple of weeks, I've had questions about products or purchases for several vendors, who seem to fall into two camps: They either respond within 24 hours (even late on Black Friday) or they don't respond at all. I'll grant TOMOL a few days before considering them unresponsive. Needless to say, this 3-star review (on 11/27) is an attempt to get their attention. Responsiveness matters because a company that offers a 12-month warranty, but does not respond to communications, essentially doesn't offer a warranty.- SUPPORT CHANNEL IS LACKING, AT LEAST FOR GIFT RECIPIENTS. A support email channel, at least, should be provided on a card or paper included with the item. Forcing all support questions to go through Amazon messaging is cheap and unprofessional, in my opinion. What if you want to give this as a gift? Shouldn't the gift recipient be able to contact support with a question or warranty claim?- TOMOL SENT REQUEST FOR MY USER REVIEW THREE DAYS AFTER DELIVERY, and seven days after ordering, contacting me via Amazon messaging which sends me an email. This is likely automated, but in return fy my purchase and review, I wish they'd show me the courtesy of responding to my support requests.- PRODUCTIZATION and DOCUMENTATION ARE LACKING: Seems a bit unprofessional and contributes to the sense of this being a cheaply manufactured and productized device. While I don't think this 3W item is dangerous (from a power system perspective), and I'm all for cutting costs, I think $13 is too much to pay for this item with so little invested in productizing it. In particular, TOMOL LACKS WHAT OTHER $13 DEVICES GET:--- GIFT-SUITABLE PACKAGING, better than TOMOL's plain bown cardboard box with nothing but an inventory label;--- MODEL NUMBER LABELING on product, to distinguish the maker and version;--- POWER INPUT & PORT/CONNECTOR LABELING on item. I needed to return to the Amazon Product Page to learn this lamp draws 3W, and therefor to choose a suitable wall charger or battery pack, that for example supports 5W (5V/1A) ;--- DOCUMENTATION included with product that includes the basic info above.Honestly, these productization gaps don't interfere with general use and (hopefully years of) enjoyment of this lamp 95% of the time. But by the same token, the lamp should be priced accordingly.PRODUCT COMPETITION:- IDEAWORKS CLONE: There is one source of look-alike clones, the "Ideaworks Model JB6921," that can be had for $9 or $10 in black or white, that have the "24-LED" configuration (vs TOMOL's "New Version" COB LED). The Ideaworks may be perfectly adequate or possibly a near equivalent (24 LEDs vs the theoretically "cooler, brighter. more energy efficient" 24-chip COB LED). I haven't compared the two side-by-side, but I *did* compare this TOMOL with the magnifier version of the Ideaworks (Model JR7911). I found the JR7911's 18-LED lamp to be noticeably and unsatisfactorily less bright than the TOMOL. The magnifier version has only 18 LEDs (only 3/4 of the light chips of the 24-LED version), to leave room for the not-terribly-impressive magnifier; GREAT IDEA THOUGH. I'd be hard pressed to say that the TOMOL would be noticeably brighter than a 33% brighter (by adding 6 LED chips) version of the magnifying Ideaworks that I compared in real life. As an aside, I *do* recommend the Ideaworks vendor, because they immediately refunded me ($15 at the time) for the too dim magnifier model, without asking for it to be returned!- CHIPS-ON-BOARD LED vs 'REGULAR' LEDS: [Warning: I'm no expert and these comments reflect only what I surmise from a brief study.] COB, or "chip-on-board" technology is one of the latest developments in the LED industry, and a "step forward for more efficient energy use," known for "better lumen per watt ratios and heat efficiency". Regular (SMD) LED chips can produce 50-100 lumens per watt, while COB chips produce a minimum of 80 lumens per watt and need less space between them for heat to dissipate. The COB LED can fit many more light diodes/chips on the same Printed Circuit Board, hence you see 'panels' of light, rather than lots of little light sources. COB Factors allow for: Lower working temperatures; More light chips in a smaller space; and More brightness/lumens per watt ... but I believe the end result (brightness, coolness, energy efficiency) depends on materials used and construction choices.=> I noticed that the TOMOL has 12 light sources in each of its two COB panels; hence, it may be providing the same 24 light chips, but just in the COB configuration. This wouldn't make it "brighter" than the 24-LED clone (since it's not squeezing more chips into the space) assuming its using the same chips, but could theoretically save somewhat on energy usage and run somewhat cooler.=> The real test that matters would require a user to compare the TOMOL COB LED lamp with the Ideaworks 24-LED clone, regarding brightness, heat generated on the lamp-head, and numbers of hours of lamp-use for any given fixed power source, like a battery pack. As a non-expert, I was under the illusion that LEDs generally ran cool (not necessarily true) and required very little power to run (it all depends, I guess). As it is, the TOMOL COB LED lamp, to this non-expert,--- Runs much warmer than I expected from LEDs (TOMOL lamp head on high is very warm to the touch);--- is suitably and wonderfully bright, but I'm guessing not *notably* brighter than the 24-LED clone (based on my memory of the somewhat dimmer 18-LED version); and--- Consumes more power than I expected from an LED lamp (losing brightness on four AA batteries in short order, and providing only 32 hours of lamp use on HIGH from a 20,000 mAh battery, with effectively 16,000 mAh to supply).None of my non-expert comments are to say that the TOMOL is anything but a fine and effective power-efficient LED implementation for the given brightness and size; I'm on a learing curve here.- OTHER FOLDING and/or RECHARGEABLE LED LIGHTS: I perused many models available on Amazon, especially rechargeables. Plugging in the lamp for use was not an option, so it had to pair well with a power-bank, or have it's own long-lasting internal battery. One highly rated task light with a long bright lamp head folded slimly, but only to 14 inches long Only one delightful design was more compact than the TOMOL and had a smaller footprint, folding four segments into each other to form a thin uniformly flat storable unit -- but the cord plugged into the "head" of the lamp and dangled awkwardly down, and (just guessing) the light wouldn't have been as bright as the TOMOL, but who would know, given the product page lacked specificity. None had an impressive battery capacity; I needed a low-maintenance setup that didn't require recharging every day or two. (My 20,000 mAh, and 28-32 hours of lamp time on High, is hard to beat.). Some LED lights are tiny and light and clip or whatnot, but wouldn't have the stability of the TOMOL on a slanted lap desk or bed table. There are all kinds of interesting options out there, but this "small, but not too small" TOMOL fills a unique spot. I'm kind of surprised there's not a rechargeable version of a clone of it out there yet.MY MINOR ISSUES (probably don't impact most other customers)- Unlike my first purchase, my new lamp has a rattle inside the base, as if some moveable component weren't riveted or screwed in all the way (but not as if a screw or part were floating around completely detached). I expect my new purchases to start out life without any "loose screws" in an area I cannot access to inspect or fix. Being very portable, it's likely to end up in a handbag during hurricane evacuation, or in my camper van, subject to jostling and vibrations. I don't want a minor manufacturing defect to turn into a bigger problem, with some internal part jostling loose and cutting short the expected long lifetime of this lamp. If the item were sold as half-price used, I'd accept that risk.- There are some extremely minor cosmetic issues (tiny scratches with wee specs of dirt) on this item, that most people wouldn't notice, and that ordinarily wouldn't have bothered me. They simply suggest I received a slightly used/tested customer return. Still, if it weren't for the rattle, I'd certainly keep this item, as it requires very close inspection to notice.