OTT–LITE — World's best travel reading lamp (plug–in style)

There are a very few things in life that get better with time.

This portable reading and task lamp is one of them.

I bought mine at least ten years ago, at Office Depot or some such place.

I paid around $100.

Cheap at many times the price, considering that it's provided many hundreds — if not thousands — of happy hours reading in bed in dim, inadequately lighted hotel rooms all over the country.

I love turning on the bedside reading lamp once I get in my room, just to think about how happy I will be not to have to try to read by the crummy 40W or 60W or 75W incandescent bulb provided.

I simply take out my folded up OTT–LITE (mine is a blocky black thing without the nice handle on the current version), plug it in, open it up (opening it turns it on; closing it turns it off — sweet, eh?)

and bask in the wonderfully bright, true color light given off by the lamp.

Don't be misled by the fact that it has a 13W bulb: it's fluorescent so it's much brighter than a regular 100W round socket–type light bulb.

The light doesn't flicker nor is it harsh.

According to one website it's used by the appraisers on "Antique Roadshow" and that makes perfect sense to me, so ideal is this nicely conceived and executed tool.

It's bomb–proof, what with the tough case that folds down around the bulb clamshell style (below).

The lamp can be aimed to shine right where you like and the very solid construction of the hinge keeps the top (which contains the bulb) right where you put it.

It stands 10"–19" high depending on where you place the top section.

I don't think I've ever replaced the bulb and as I said above, it's been many years since I bought the thing.

A truly great product.

$34.88 here.

Note: Even though the lamp's cord is 5.5 feet long I strongly recommend attaching a 12–foot extension cord and leaving it on so that no matter where an outlet happens to be in your room you'll be able to plug in easily.

Sometimes you just don't have the energy to fight the mattress and headboard to gain access to the outlet buried there.

Here's what one user has to say about her OTT–LITES.

Another glowing review here.