Towards the end of October 2015, Workrite Ergonomics launched their first OLED lamp, the Natural OLED desk light. The Natural uses a single 320x110 mm OLED panel produced by LG (the N6BB40C panel). This panel offers 442 lumens at 13.7 W (32 lm/W), a high CRI (94) and a neutral white light - 3900K. The lifetime of the Natural is rated at 30,000h (LT70) at the lowest brightness setting. The Natural is now shipping for $239.
The nice guys at Workrite were kind enough to send us a desk lamp for a review here at OLED-Info. I gave the lamp to our very own Roni Peleg to try out and write this review, which you can read below.
The Workrite Ergonomics Natural OLED desk light can be viewed as somewhat of an odd bird on the desk lamp scene - it’s design is sleek, slim and quite modern, but also reminiscent of classic, old-school fixtures. It boasts an OLED light, that is definitely not a common sight, but perhaps should be considering its advantages: it offers rich, evenly diffused light that renders colors in amazing accuracy without producing glare, UV or blue light. It is perfect for reading-intensive environments and allows users to work comfortably while minimizing eye strain. This is all well and good, but it should be mentioned that it comes at quite a hefty cost, as almost $240 is definitely not a cheap price for a desk lamp.
The Workrite Ergonomics Natural OLED desk light is great to use and features beautiful, pleasant light that even the innocent passer-by would notice is better than ordinary non-OLED light, and a high-techy touch button that turns the light on and off, as well as controls the brightness level. The design is smooth and slim, helpful in not taking up much desktop space, and the overall feel of the fixture is robust and high-quality. A rather major design complaint that immediately pops into mind was that the lamp is not adjustable and you simply cannot change the angle or height of the lamp. Also, a USB port or Qi charger could have dramatically improved the fixture, and help justify the high cost.
Personally, my first impression of this lamp was that it’s a really good looking fixture, with its steel body and graceful slim flat panel. I was even more impressed after playing with the touch panel that controls the light, which works very well and responds quickly and accurately to touch. The light itself is amazing and so close to natural light that it was a pleasure to read to, and the lamp stays cool even after hours of use.
Since my own uses for a desk lamp are somewhat limited, I gave it to a busy engineer for a test-run. After using it for several weeks to go over elaborate sketches and blueprints, he reported more than satisfactory results, specifically praising the quality of the light, the way it is wide and evenly spread across the desk and the way the lamp stayed cool even after a prolonged use. He stated that his guests at the office were intrigued by the desk lamp and commented on how good it looks, as well as how pleasant its light is. I was finally convinced that it was a success when he asked if he could keep it in his officeâ¦
To conclude my experience with the Workrite Ergonomics Natural OLED desk light, I would say that it is a great fixture, that incorporates truly quality light with sleek and impressive design. I feel that OLED lighting has a lot of potential for use in such lighting fixtures, especially in design-oriented fixtures. The prices are still too high to be competitive, but the superior light and wider design options can help in that. Also, efforts are constantly being made to lower costs and I believe that in the future, cheaper and better OLED lighting fixtures will be available.
