Scale Plastic & Rail

LightCraft Versatile Folding Task Lamp from Shesto

LightCraft Versatile Folding Task Lamp
Shesto
Catalogue # LC8035/T
Available from Shesto for £29.95

If you, like me, suffer from not having too much workspace, and sometimes having to model later in the evenings when natural light is either poor or non-existent, then this solution from Shesto may well be for you.

There are many lamp and light solutions on the market today, but the best solution is one which offers a daylight lamp. These can vary too, as some of these lamps, such as the filament type, can burn quite hot, meaning that they aren't usually economical with energy, and worse still, you can't work with them for too long because of the heat. This lamp which is produced by LightCraft, and marketed by Shesto, is designed for hobbyists in that it is both compact and can be folded away, and also that its lamp is a low wattage, energy saving type.

The model shown on the Shesto website is white, which is perhaps a little more aesthetically pleasing than the black model which we have received for review, but that is immaterial. If you require a white one, the best thing to do is to contact Shesto and ask about their availability.

Coming in s regular, no-frills but labelled box, the Versatile Folding Task Lamp measures approximately 255mm tall (including the fold out handle), by 90mm depth and 80mm width. The foot of the lamp seems to be weighted so that what you fold out the lamp, it still counters the shift in the centre of gravity, stopping it from toppling over. To fold out the lamp, you simply full the slimmer part of the unit towards you, from the base of the lamp, and swing it upwards. Fully extended, the lamp is still quite stable, although I would still be very careful if you leave it unattended and have any fragile work on your bench.

You can fold the lamp upwards so that it is only about 30 degrees from the vertical, and have it cast the light over your work instead of directly down upon it. This would give yet more stability. The interior of the unit, when unfolded, it white.

I have had the lamp switched on for over an hour, with it shining directly down into a plastic surface, and I'm quite happy in that the work area stayed cool and would not adversely affect any of my work that I would have under its rays. The localised light quality is also very good.

The lamp is rated at only 13watts too. The quality of light and lumens coming from it are adequate to work with when you have regular background illumination to assist you. The supplied cable length is 1.5m. A carrying handle is supplied, though there is no provision for storing the cable.

Overall build quality is very good, although my example does have one of the corners of the base broken away, and there is no sign of it within the box.

So what do we think?
This lamp provides a very good solution for the modeller who has a small table top workspace, where his/her work can be localised under the light. Light coverage is pretty much concentrated directly under the downcast beams and won't illuminate a whole bench at once. Having said that, this is ideal for that spot of late night, table top modelling, which is all I ever seem to do these days.

Recommended.

Our sincere thanks to Shesto for supplying the review sample used here. To purchase directly, click THIS link.

James H