Are you looking for the best book light for reading in bed or travelling around? We’ve gathered and compared 10 of the best book lights on the market so you can find the best reading light for you.
For avid readers, a good book light is an absolute must. One of these small gadgets means that you can read whenever, wherever.
Luckily for you, book lights are also affordable, portable, and easy to buy. Whether you’re travelling late at night on a bus or reading under the sheets of your bed, a good book light will always come in handy.
Here’s our guide to buying book lights as well as mini-reviews of the best book lights out there on the market.
10 Best Reading Lights for Bed Reviewed
Book lights for reading in bed come in a wide array of shapes and come with a variety of different features. To choose the best one for you, you’ll need to decide what features matter to you and check out a couple of reviews so you can decide which one is your favorite.
In this list, we’ve compiled the ten best portable reading lights on the market. Scroll through the reviews to find your match!
Vekkia/LuminoLite Rechargeable 7 LED Book Light
With its bendable neck, multiple light settings, and yellow glow, Vekkia LuminoLite’s convenience is hard to match.
It comes with two light settings, making it suitable to use anywhere, regardless of the light settings. The bright light is ideal for reading in the dark, whilst the dim setting is better suited to flights, long train rides, etc.
If you don’t like the color temperature, you can always change it by pressing down on the button for a few seconds. With a shorter click you can also adjust the brightness.
The Vekkia’s yellow tone light is comfortable for your eyes in the dark, in contrast to bright white lights. The light also diffuses to illuminate the whole page you’re reading.
What’s more, the light comes with a micro-USB charging cord that you can plug into any device. If you don’t have your power bank or charger ready, you can always plug this book light into your laptop for recharging which is pretty handy.
This book light’s 1000mAh lithium-ion battery is long-lasting and reliable and will give you 60 continuous hours of reading on a low brightness setting, which is quite decent for Vekkia’s affordable price point.
The Vekkia book light is portable and easy to travel with. Its bendable frame makes it easy for you to stuff in any bag, and its dimensions are compact to fit anywhere. It also only weighs 2.15 ounces, so you won’t feel the weight in your bag.
The only downside reported about the Vekkia is its clip, which can be a bit harsh on paperback books.
Pros
- USB cord included in the purchase
- Multiple brightness settings available
- It illuminates the whole page
Cons
- The clip is harsh for paperback books
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
Raniaco Led Clip Reading Book Daylight
It’s hard to beat the looks of the Raniaco book light. Its sleek, all-white design looks like it came out of an ultra-modern sci-fi novel. Not to mention, its buttonless lamp screams ‘innovation.’
This night book light sports a wide clip that not only attaches to books but also to desks and hard surfaces as well. You can even use it as a camping light and clip it to your tent.
What’s great is that you don’t even have to use the clipping mechanism if you don’t want to. The anti-slip silicone on the bottom means that you can place this on any stable and use it as a small lamp and it’s stable enough that it won’t fall over.
The Raniaco comes fully equipped with 12 LED lights and three brightness settings. You can change its intensity to match your surroundings wherever you are.
On top of that, it has a bendable neck that you can adjust according to your seating position and it’s highly flexible.
There’s a single touch button on the lamp that enables you to turn it on and off. From there, you can also change the brightness settings.
The Raniaco is USB-chargeable, so you can plug it into your charger or any device with a USB port. The 1000mAh lithium-ion battery promises durability and long time intervals between charges. You’ll be able to use it for years before you need to replace it.
The clip is a little bulkier than that on some other options here, which can make turning pages a bit harder. However, it’s this sturdiness that means this light is suitable to clip on to desks, headboards, and hard surfaces, so it depends on what matters most to you when choosing a reading light.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Anti-slip bottom for hard surfaces
- Long battery life
Cons
- The clip is a bit bulky
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
Vekkia Bookmark Clip-on Reading Lights for Books in Bed
If you want a reading light that provides generous light while staying lightweight and portable, the Vekkia bookmark book light is your go-to.
Its light is soft enough not to disturb your partner, but it’s powerful enough that you can read in the dark without straining your eyes It weighs 1.5 ounces, making it an ultra-lightweight light that’s ideal for traveling and portability.
The best feature on the Vekkia is the built-in USB cable. Instead of buying a separate cord and searching for it every time you need to charge, the book light’s flexible board serves as a USB cable as well.
That way, you can plug the light directly into your laptop, power bank, or mobile adapter for charging.
That being said, we believe the 250mAh battery could’ve been better. Compared to the 1000mAh battery of the Raniaco, we’d say it’s a shortcoming from the manufacturer, considering that both lamps are in the same price range. The charging convenience makes up for it, though.
The on/off switch of the Vekkia lies on its side, so you don’t click it accidentally while turning pages. You can use it to control the four light settings the Vekkia night light offers.
One downside to the Vekkia bookmark light, I’d say it’s the fact that it has only one LED lamp. While it provides enough light, it doesn’t diffuse well enough to cover the whole page.
Pros
- Lightweight and flexible for easy portability
- Built-in USB cable included
- Four light settings available
Cons
- Low battery life
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
Vont LED Clip On Reading Light
The Vont book light looks a bit like the Raniaco, and it has strikingly similar technical specs with some extra tweaks, giving it leverage over the latter.
The Vont sports 12 LED lights, fully adjustable to meet your brightness needs. When it’s at the highest level, it’s one of the brightest portable book lights on the market.
If you need to stay up late reading, the high brightness and the white tone of the light will help you stay alert and focused.
The Vont’s clip is too large for some users, which may end up marking your paperback books. However, it comes in handy if you want to place the reading light on a hard surface, offering enough stability to be used as a desk lamp.
What’s more, you can position the Vont in any way that you want thanks to its 360-degree swiveling gooseneck. It allows you to switch between direct and indirect light whenever you need it. In addition to that, it’s sturdy enough to stay rigid without shaking whilst you’re reading.
The book light comes with a 1000mAh rechargeable battery, which allows you to use it for a long time before emptying its charge. It’s also highly durable, so you likely won’t need to buy a replacement for years.
Pros
- Lifetime warranty included in the purchase
- Long battery life
- 360-degree flexible neck
Cons
- The brightness may dim over time
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
Vekkia Cute Rechargeable LED Eye-Care Book Light for Kids
If you’re looking for the best book light for kids, look no further. Children will love this Vekkia book light with its cute design and vibrant colors!
The book lamp produces warm light to avoid hurting your kid’s eyes. There are three brightness settings you can choose from to match the surrounding environment.
This light is not only suitable for reading as your child can also use it during camping trips or when studying or doing homework.
The Vekkia light comes with a 520mAh battery, which is quite sufficient for young users. You only need to charge it for two and a half hours, and it’ll last for 40 hours it needs to be recharged again.
The four LED lamps of the portable light can provide three times more light than average, covering two full pages of a book.
What’s more, this light is portable and compact, so your kid can carry it in his bag easily. The clip also fits thin and thick books easily, thanks to the smart adjustable design.
The Vekkia is rechargeable by a USB cable. You can charge it with a power bank, a mobile adapter, or a laptop.
Pros
- Evenly distributed light
- Long battery life
- 360-degree bendable neck
Cons
- Some users reported that the lights stop working after a while
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
Ecological Mart Book Light with Warm, Cool, and Natural Tones
This book night light from Ecological Mart gives you a wide range of adjustment options. For the price, you get three different light colors, and each color has three brightness settings you can adjust to fit the place you’re sitting at.
Considering the book light has a moderate price compared to competitors, we’d say it’s quite the bargain.
This book light is unique compared to others on the market as it comes with both a charger and a cable. You won’t have to buy a cord separately or use your mobile charger for the light. Plus, the cable is pretty long so you don’t have to sit next to a wall plug.
This book light features a 1200mAh battery, which is the most powerful on our list. You can get 85 hours of reading time when using this on the low settings. Compared to the 40 hours most competitors offer, the Ecological Mart clearly excels in comparison to its competitors.
What’s more, the long-life isn’t the best thing about the battery. It’s also easy to replace without needing any tools. Not that you’d have to replace it anytime soon, but the option is nice to have!
This reading light weighs around 2.2 ounces, making it lightweight enough for taking it whenever you go. It also features a keyhole hanger that enables you to turn it into a hanging lamp if you need to.
Pros
- Three color lights available with adjustable brightness settings
- Sturdy construction
- Long battery life
Cons
- The clip is a bit too bulky for paperback books
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
Energizer Clip-on Book Light for Reading in Bed
The Energizer book light is one of the most affordable options on our list, but that doesn’t make it any less reliable than any of the competitors. In fact, it’s one of the best book lights for reading in bed.
The Energizer features two batteries, which are included in the purchase. However, they’re not rechargeable, so you’ll have to replace them when they go empty. They’re a pair of Energizer CR2032 that are readily available online or instore.
This portable light features advanced LED technology that’s comfortable for your eyes in all settings but still offers plenty of light for reading. Plus, the narrow light beam won’t bother your partner if you’re reading at night.
This book light is compact and flexible, making it easy to travel or move around with. The neck is bendable so that you can adjust the light according to your visibility but it’s still sturdy enough that it won’t break or snap.
Additionally, the Energizer’s clip is oversized, making it suitable for clipping on large books, desks, and headboards or even e-reading devices, such as Kindles.
The only significant downside to this book light is the short battery life. It only works for 25 hours, which is quite short considering the batteries aren’t rechargeable. The low price makes up for this shortcoming, though.
Pros
- Lightweight and easy to pack into any bag
- Clips onto any hard surface
- Budget-friendly price
Cons
- Brightness not adjustable
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
CeSunlight Book Light for Reading in Bed
The CeSunlight hug light is probably the most versatile option we could find on the market. Its innovative, flexible design is meant to wrap around your neck rather than clip onto your book.
This is not only convenient for reading without anything obscuring your view, but it also means you can use the light for a lot of other purposes.
For example, you can use it whilst walking your dog at night, whilst doing arts and crafts, or perhaps to light a late puzzle session if you can’t sleep!
But let’s talk about its benefits for book readers. For starters, the wrap-around design allows you to read with no added weight to your book and nothing covering the pages.
The steel alloy arms are flexible enough for you to adjust, but they’re sturdy and rust-resistant, accounting for durability. Despite that, the book light is lightweight, weighing a mere three ounces.
The book light’s arms have an external layer of silicone to protect your neck and feel soft on your skin. Each arm has an on/off switch, so you can choose whether to turn just one light on or two.
Beyond that, there are four brightness modes available so you can choose what suits you best. The best thing about this book light is that it’s dim enough not to bother your partner but bright enough to give you a comfortable reading experience.
Pros
- Rechargeable batteries included in the purchase
- Hands-free light for a variety of activities
- Compact and lightweight to fit into any backpack
Cons
- Some other users reported it starts flickering after a while
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
The Original Mighty Bright Recharge Clip-On
The Original Mighty Bright book light is compact, efficient, and durable. We’ll admit it costs more than its competitors, but it’s worth every dollar you’ll pay for it.
For starters, the Mighty features a space-conscious design that’s easy to fit literally anywhere. It’s the perfect travel companion, seeing as it’ll fit in any of your bags without giving you a hard time. It also weighs only 0.3 ounces so you won’t feel its weight in your bag.
The Mighty comes with a flexible neck that adjusts to the position you prefer. It has two brightness levels that offer evenly distributed light on the pages you’re reading. You can use the dim setting when you don’t want to wake your partner.
Furthermore, the book light comes with a built-in rechargeable battery, so you don’t have to buy it separately. It’ll last for approximately one week on a single one-hour charge.
The Mighty’s clip is conveniently designed to avoid causing any distress to you or your books. It’s not as bulky as other clips, so it doesn’t bother you when turning the pages. Despite that, it can hold thick books and hard surfaces.
One of the things we love about the Original Mighty is its wide array of colors. You can get it black, white, blue, purple, lavender, or green. You can get a couple of ones for your whole family and match!
Pros
- Available in a lot of vibrant colors
- Compact and ultra-lightweight for traveling and easy packing
- Soft silicone material to avoid tearing the book’s pages
Cons
- One of the more pricey book lights on the market
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
FUNME 28 LED Book Light Clip
For the low price point of this reading lamp, you wouldn’t expect durability or high-quality construction, but the FUNME light doesn’t disappoint.
Despite costing less than all the options on our list, the portable lamp packs 28 LED spots, offering generous light for reading in dark settings.
The FUNME provides super bright light for all kinds of activities, reading and beyond. The light evenly distributes to cover the whole page you’re reading, and no flickering occurs to avoid bothering your eyes at night.
This book light can either be powered by three AAA batteries or a USB cable. Whilst the batteries aren’t rechargeable, the USB port options makes up for this.
You can charge the book light using a power bank, a regular wall charger, or a car charger. The batteries aren’t included in the purchase, though, so make sure to buy them if you want to use the book lamp right away.
The FUNME’s neck is fully bendable, so you can direct the light in any way you prefer. Additionally, it’s pretty sturdy, so it won’t break or show signs of wear and tear anytime soon.
The portable reading light comes fully equipped with a multi-purpose clip that can attach to anything, including books, e-reading devices, headboards, and desks.
Don’t want to use it as a clip? No problem, you can always place it on its base and it’ll stay put.
In our opinion, the only major downside to this book light is the inability to adjust the brightness. It provides extra bright light, which may be too much in a dark room or when your partner is sleeping next to you.
It won’t be a problem if you mostly use the book light during the day. However, for use in the dead of night, we would’ve preferred a dimming option.
Pros
- Budget-friendly price
- Bright light for all activities
- USB port included for powering
Cons
- Brightness isn’t adjustable
Click here to check current pricing and to read more reviews
How to Choose the Best Reading Light for Bed
When choosing a suitable light for reading books at night, there are some essential features to consider. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a reading lamp that doesn’t meet your needs.
Here’s a roundup of the factors you should think about before buying a book light.
Rechargeable Batteries
Whilst some people are happy to replace the batteries in their devices every so often, others prefer the more sustainable option of charging up rechargeable batteries regularly.
You need to determine which option you’d before before buying your book light as some options, like the Energizer Clip Light, aren’t rechargeable. When the battery empties its charge, you’ll have to buy replacements.
This is okay if you only read occasionally and not for long hours at a time. However, if you’re an insatiable bookworm who reads at night and day, a rechargeable battery will be more convenient for you.
Light Intensity
If a night light is too intense, it may harm your eyes and make them more vulnerable in the dark. Additionally, intense light can wake a sleeping partner up, which isn’t ideal.
When choosing your book light, try to opt for an option with adjustable brightness settings. That way, you can use dim light when you need it and turn up the brightness when it’s particularly dark.
The Ecological Mart Light is brilliant in this field, offering three light colors with three brightness levels each. Its adjustment options are hard to beat.
LED Light Color
Book lights are available in a wide variety of colors — the most common ones being white and yellow. However, there are also some orange and blue options.
Warm lights, like orange and yellow, are recommended for reading before sleeping because they don’t keep your brain alert.
You may not know this, but looking at blue light tricks your brain into waking up, thinking you’re looking at the sky. It’s generally not recommended to look at blue light 1–2 hours before sleeping.
White light is okay, but it sometimes gets too bright for the nighttime. We suggest getting a book light with multiple light temperatures or colors available. That way, you’ll have different options for different times of the day.
Design
Most book lights come with bendable necks, which are very convenient and make them more versatile. For reading, you’ll be able to control how much light falls on your book and whether you want to shine on a specific spot or the full two page spread.
A rigid neck that doesn’t move is a bad choice so we recommend avoiding this type of book light if you can.
Some book lights, such as the CeSunlight, don’t have clips or flexible necks. Instead, the light clamps around your neck. Such designs can come in handy for plenty of activities that need to be done hands-free, such as embroidery.
Plus, they keep your view of the book unobscured, which is a bonus. However, some users don’t prefer them because they’re heavy on the neck.
Some other features that are useful in book lights include timers, so they’ll turn off automatically after a period of time in case you go to sleep with the light on. Such a feature can be handy in kids’ night lights.
The Final Verdict
Our favorite book light out of the list is undoubtedly the Ecological Mart light. We can’t express how much we love that thing! It’s durable, flexible, and versatile – what more could you want in a book light?
In our opinion, the best thing about the Ecological Mart is its long battery life. It’s hard to find a book light on the market with a 1200mAh battery and you won’t have to recharge it as often as competitors.
Not to mention, the three light colors available make the Mart all the better. You get endless adjustability options and at a moderate price.
If you’re on a tight budget, the Energizer may be the one for you. For an affordable price, it offers plenty of light for your night reading. Plus, it’s lightweight and easy to travel with.
If you liked this post, you might also like:
7 Best Pillows for Reading in Bed
8 Best Book Holders for Reading in Bed
Travel Accessories for Bookworms
6 Best Keyboards for Writers
10 Essential Things Every Bookworm Needs
Love this post? Save it for later!
