Review of the Ottlite 3-in-1 Adjustable-Height Craft Floor Lamp #Ottlite #CraftLamp #SistersWhat

A few weeks ago I entered a wonderful giveaway for a chance to win one of 3 Ottlite Natural Daylight Lamps, at the Sisters, What! Creative Blog.  Imagine my joy when I discovered I'd won the
OttLite K53CP3-in-1 Adjustable-Height Craft Floor Lamp with Magnifier and Clip! (NOTE: Link edited because I was pointing you to an older version that did not have the auxiliary outlet and had shorter gooseneck arms.)

I so love it when I win things.  I'll try to keep from gushing too much in my review, but I was over the moon when my lamp arrived.

Specs
Weight: 15.6 pounds
Height: adjustable from 45” (114.3 cm) to 63.75” (162 cm)
Base size:  8” (20.3 cm) x 12” (30.5 cm)
Color: Champagne, Matte finish
Voltage: 120 volts
Wattage: 24 Watts
Bulb:Type: CFL
Warranty: 2 Year Fixture, 1 Year Bulb
Materials: Metal & Plastic
Price: Around $110 on Amazon USA

Features: 5” diameter adjustable gooseneck magnifying glass (2x optical grade with 5x spot)

Adjustable gooseneck clip
Energy efficient OttLite bulb rated to last up to 10,000 hours (replacement bulb type C)

Clamp for converting to clamp-on configuration
Auxiliary outlet for use with 2 prong, polarized 120V tools

Look and feel
The Ottlite 3-in-1 Craft Lamp comes in a neutral champagne color.  There are both metal and plastic parts.

This lamp is 3 in 1 in two ways.

You can set it up in three ways.  As a standing floor lamp, a table lamp with a base, or a lamp that is clamped onto the edge of a table or bench.

It has three adjustable parts - the bulb and shade, a magnifier with an LED light, and a large clip for holding photos, patterns or other project references.

It's heavy enough to be sturdy, but it's light enough to move as needed.

The lighting is a low-glare, high-contrast, 508 Natural Sunlight Illumination that's easy on the eyes.  It isn't enough to light a whole room, but provides more than enough light for a craft area.

The hinged shade sits on an arm that is adjustable in 2 places.  You can adjust the tilt of the bulb, and also the adjust the tilt of the arm.  That gives you a lot of flexibility.

Here you a rare photo of my incredibly messy craft area.  I'd decided to keep it real instead of all cleaned up, because it's never that way when I'm crafting, and I wanted to show how easily you can adjust the lamp to fit the contours of your area, even when it's a mess like mine.

Both the magnifying glass and clip are on adjustable gooseneck arms.  The clip is plastic, and a bit stiff to open (though that may change with use).  As you can see in the photo above it's strong enough to hold a paperback about the weight and size of a magazine.  

When I tried to use a hardback photo book, the gooseneck arm was weighted down, but it did hold the book upright and open on my desk.  That works for me.

I don't know how much I'll use the magnifying glass for crafting, but I can tell you it will come in handy for all those tiny warning labels, and restrictions on coupons.

Another nice feature is the auxiliary outlet located at the base of the bulb, magnifying glass and clip module.  You can plug in those short corded 120 volt items like heat dryers and glue guns without having to plug them into the wall.

Installation
The lamp only took me about 20 minutes to put together.  About 15 minutes of that was me fiddling with installing the bulb.  That's the only thing I felt was less than optimal. To hook the bulb into the shade, you push it into a clip and slide it down to plug it in.  You have to shove it fairly hard, and being the wuss that I am, I was afraid of breaking the bulb.  My husband came home, shook his head, and snapped it in with little problem.  Now that I have an idea of the pressure needed and the sound the bulb makes once it is seated properly, I don't think I'll have any future problems.

Overall
If you need a lamp that gives you a daylight glow for art and crafting this is an excellent choice.  I love the clip, because I've often struggled to set up my reference photos, and that will no longer be a problem.

I want to thank Havalah, Sierra, Anjuli and Joy of the Sisters, What! Creative Blog and Ottlite for their fantastic and generous giveaway.   I recommend visiting the Sisters, What blog - besides giveaways, they have craft tutorials, free printables and all sorts of interesting stuff.