Outdoor Equipment

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LightWedge

Reading is something that we seem to like to do when everyone else is trying to sleep. The usual partner-in-crime of the "in bed" reader is the bedside lamp, but that's a really antisocial doodah that keeps others trying to sleep awake too.
A solution to this problem is to use a "personal" light. One such light is called the "LightWedge".

The LightWedge is a sheet of distortion-free optical-grade acrylic (about 3mm thick near the spine, tapering to 1.5mm) illuminated from the side by small yet powerful LEDs. These LEDs are powered by four AAA batteries housed in the plastic spine. The spine also holds a simple switch, which turns the LEDs on. Pressing the switch again dims the LEDs to half power.  The whole package, complete with batteries, weighs in at around 240g (approximately 8.5oz), including batteries.

The LightWedge comes in two sizes, one for paperbacks (LightWedge Paperback) which measures 18.8 x 14.0cm (7.4” x 5.5”) and one for hardbacks (LightWedge Original) which measures 17.0 x 23.5cm (6 3/4” x 9 1/4”). The batteries last for approximately 40 hours at full power and much longer at half-power.  If you read for an average of one hour a night then expect a good month out of the batteries at standard power and two months at half-power.  If you run it on rechargeable batteries then this becomes a really cheap-to-run device indeed.

I really like the LightWedge - it's simple to use, lightweight and I pretty quickly adjusted to using it. I find that it's more that adequate for reading standard text running at half power. One thing I did find awkward was remembering to move the LightWedge when turning the page - when I forgot I found myself reading "through" the page!  Because the device makes use of hi-tech LEDs to generate the light not only is the battery life excellent but the likelihood of failure is extremely low.  It beats hands-down all those silly clip-on style lights that pop-off when you least expect them (usually when you are reading a good bit!) and are nothing more than mini reading lamps, and not any less annoying.

I think that the LightWedge is great for reading in bed when your partner would rather be sleeping and would also be handy on a plane, train or car. It's also great for tents and hammock use! You don't need to hold a flashlight or suffer the discomfort of wearing a headtorch. Especially on half power, it gives just the right amount of light without the overkill of a flashlight or other reading lamp - or the eyestrain of a betalight. I find the soft glow of the LEDs restful on the eyes and doesn't shine too aggressively or cast harsh shadows.

"But where do you store it?" I hear you ask.  If you want to keep your LightWedge in perfect condition then you can buy a custom soft storage case.  If you want to take extra-special care of your LightWedge then get the soft case and the special cleaning kit for it.  I, however, keep mine within the pages of my current read and haven't had any problems with that yet.  Small scratches on the acrylic don't seem to affect the system and are virtually unnoticeable when using the LightWedge. 

The LightWedge is an excellent piece of kit, well thought out and put together.  The attention to detail, such as the wedge-shaped acrylic sheet and two power modes makes the LightWedge stand out in a class of it's own.  Avid readers will find it useful while the partners of avid readers will appreciate the sleep.  If you like reading, get the LightWedge, if you know someone who likes to read, get them one! It's the prefect gift for the person who has everything!

http://www.lightwedge.net/

Prices are $34.95 for the LightWedge Original and $24.95 for the LightWedge Paperback.

Kathie Kingsley-Hughes
Last updated: March 4th 2005
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