16 replies to this topic

[demonelf3]

http://www.fullspect...amp_53_prd1.htm

I just picked this baby up for 66 bucks including shipping, and it is awesome. I had heard ott-lites plugged a lot here, so I decided to pick one up. The piece of junk's main hinge didn't even work, and I still have to return it! So I ordered this one and 6 days later it arrived. No assembly required comes with a tableside vise or a base to stand on, is comfortably about a foot and a half above my surface, and illuminates everything clearly. The only complaint I have is that the light may be a touch too blue; but the colors on the mini still seem spot on, so I dunno. If you're looking for a new (not portable) paint light, I would strongly advise you to pick this up.

[Mercius]

Thanks Sam, I am researching lights at the moment to add one to my Christmas list, so it is nice to hear a review from someone I trust.

[demonelf3]

Yeah, glad to help. This is a real keeper, I think. Here's a quick pic I snapped of my table with the light

[Mercius]

nice! it does look a bit blue though, but I will take your word that it doesnt mess with the colors.

[Darkstar]

I recently had a hinge on one of my OTT lights bust, after reading your post I think that must be their weak link. I only use my OTT's for photographing though, so it's nothing I can't sort out. Just thought I'd say that since I *just* had my pivot hinge break on one of my OTT's. (Although truth be told I've had my set of two for many years now. Bound to give out sooner or later.)

Nice painting light, reminds me of an Argos light that I had recently seen recommended. http://www.argos.co....t>DESK LAMP.htm

[demonelf3]

Darkstar: wow that one looks very nice too, and for cheap! Though I expect shipping from the uk would jack it up. Looks to be another good buy.

[Doug Sundseth]

I was just over at Office Depot last night (avoiding a power outage at home) and saw that they had a huge selection of OTT lights with very different designs from the sort that I have for painting. These include swing arm lamps like the one one bought from UltraLux, non-folding desk lamps, and quite a few others (including battery-powered LED desk lamps for $19.99US.

The good news is that it looks like the prices of most of their stuff has come down quite a bit. Heck, maybe the bulbs will even be affordable, now.

[demonelf3]

Yeah, the one I picked up at michael's was 40% 0ff 99$, so I paid 60. After I realized it was broken, I read up some reviews which stated almost unanimously that they regretted ever buying an ott-lite. Naturally, I was very confused. I think maybe it just might be luck of the draw with them?

[nytflyr]

wow, those have really gone up in price, I got one just like that about 10 years ago for 20.00

[demonelf3]

Yeah I looked a lot of other places, but the ones I could find for 20 were from Europe and i didn't want to wait. A lot of the other ones I saw were like 100 bucks, and the ottlite I originally bought was 100 too (but 40% off).

[Hot Lead]

Yeah, the one I picked up at michael's was 40% 0ff 99$, so I paid 60. After I realized it was broken, I read up some reviews which stated almost unanimously that they regretted ever buying an ott-lite. Naturally, I was very confused. I think maybe it just might be luck of the draw with them?

Nah, I suspect greed and quality control issues... When Ott-Lites got popular in the hobby market (craft stores, etc.) the manufacturer probably started looking for cheaper parts or ways to make them. Aka less cost per unit = more profit per unit. This is pretty standard across all industries, so its not like they're doing anything car companies don't do, for instance.

However, the overpriced nature of Ott-Lite makes them a good target for competitors. I mean, the difference is in the bulb, not the lamp itself... Should it really cost $100 to run a light bulb? That's up to the consumer to decide.

Personally I don't like the light from an Ott-Lite. While "full spectrum", its still a florescent - the light it produces has some spikes in blue and green ranges. Much less than a cheap-o full spectrum florescent, but still there.

I got a free flip Ott-Lite from work (unclaimed lost and found item.) I didn't like the light as much as my preferred light: http://www.solux.net/clipon.htm I scored ones of these off eBay and adapted it to a desk lamp base. In practice the light seems purer to my eyes than an Ott-Lite.

The nice thing is the Solux bulb uses a standard MR16 halogen socket, so you can buy the bulb alone (~$8-13 online) and add it to any track light or other MR16 lamp.

Downside? It's an incandescent, so isn't as energy efficient (mine's a 32wt bulb vs. 13wt for an Ott-Lite) and will burn out sooner.

Later,
Laszlo

[Vaitalla]

I agree with Laz on most fronts on this. Ott-lites, though some of my friends swear by them, are too blue and too overpriced for me. Folks, get a desk lamp that's good for a 75 or 100-watt daylight fluorescent. Don't like how harsh that is? Go for a 75 or 100-watt Reveal incandescent. We use both of these all over Reaper, and I use both at home for my painting.

The real thing to consider is: You need a lot of light, to spare your eyes/avoid eyestrain. The color shift or incandescent/fluorescent is up to your personal preference. All bulbs have a slight color bias one way or the other; choose what works for you. I use two 100-watt bulbs, placed one on either side of my work surface; I have used both GE Reveal (typically spikes up the red spectrum) and random daylight fluorescents (will show all your flaws, possibly above and beyond what you're willing or able to address!) with good results. I get more eyestrain from staring at my computer than from painting tiny little details on tiny little pewter people.

Moral of the story: get light. Get lots of it. Keep in mind if your bulb has a color bias (Ott = blue, Reveal = red, standard incandescent = yellow). Look at the mini under the lights you will be photographing it under to double-check.

[MamaGeek]

I still stand by my LED desk lamp, available on Amazon for $35.
http://www.amazon.co...0614649&sr=1-10

Light is very bright, and very white, but focused on a small area. It's easy to position, so that it covers my mini, though, and it's very portable.

LED bulbs last forever, too, so it won't cost me anything to keep it going.

[Qukel]

You opted for led lights beacuse they are bright?

[smokingwreckage]

I had a random fluro light (cheap and available in the middle of rural Australia) that really showed up contrast and flaws. I did this amazing -for me- job of subtly shading black. It was fantastic. And once out from under that fluro lamp, it was invisible!