Saturday, December 19, 2015

Aootek- Foldable,Portable Desk Lamp with Alarm Clock-Review

Hello
In this review,I am taking a step aside from the regular shape flashlights,reviewing a little different product.
Aootek-a multi-purpose desk lamp with calendar and alarm-clock function.
Variable shape and adjustable direction of the light.Can be used as a desk lamp,reading light,camping light,night light,wall mounted,etc.
The light comes from SMD LEDs.
The power source is built-in rechargeable Li-Ion battery.

The top and bottom parts are made of metal. The rest of the construction is made of  plastic,which seems quite high quality.
There are 4 silicone pads on the bottom with anti-slip purpose. The two channels in the metal plate are used for attaching an additional plastic holder with a double side sticky tape for mounting the clock/lamp to the wall,or other object.

Features (from manufacturer):
Eco-friendly LED light with adjustable brightness from touch sensor,well eyes protection.
Modern and fashion appearance,easy to operate.
It's fold-able,so convenient to carry around.
Built-in 1000mAH lithium battery,run 3-10 hours.
Multi-function with calendar/alarm/digital thermometer.
Specification:
Power consumption:1.8W
Input voltage:USB 5V/500mA
Battery capacity:1000mAH
Power for calendar:CR2025/3V
LED quantity:18pcs
Brightness mode:adjustable with touch sensor
Color temperature:5500K
Material:ABS+Alloy
Dimension:182x42x30
Item wight:265g
Package Included:
1xLED desk lamp
1xUSB cable
1xWall adhesive seat
1xManual

The lamp comes with a miniUSB cable in the box.
To charge it,just plug the one end of the cable to the lamp's miniUSB port and the other end to a 5V computer USB port,or 5V wall adapter with USB port.

The lamp is fold-able thanks to two hinges.They allows unfolding up to 180 degree angle.
The whole construction seems quite sturdy.I had no any problem folding/unfolding the lamp in my usage,so far.


The built-in Li-Ion battery can be charged via miniUSB port. The charging current does not exceed 500mA,which means you can charge the desk lamp from any standard 5V USB source-computer port,mobile phone,or camera charger,power bank,etc.
The small hole near the miniUSB port is a charging indicator-red light when charging,no light when charged.
I did not track how long time takes full charging,but for a 1000mAh battery,it should be about 2 hours.
There is just one switch for operating the light.
Here you can see the switch zone. Only the zone inside the circle is touch sensitive.
The panel is highly sensitive and does not require any special way of touching-with the finger tips,etc.
You can activate the light easily,even with the outer part of the hand.
1,5cm diameter of the circle. You may need to remember its approximate position to be able to activate the light quickly. It is absolutely flat with the surrounding surface,which means it is impossible to find it by touching and is also not visible if the lamp is placed higher and you look at it from any of the sides.
You have access to the switch only after unfolding the part with it. Otherwise,it is covered by the middle part.

This switch controls only the light function.
The Clock is a separate element and is controlled by its own buttons.
This brings a little inconvenience,just because you can't stop the alarm-clock by touching the sensor switch and have to find the right switch on the back of the display.
This is usually not very convenient,at least for me.


This is the LCD screen of the clock.
32mm wide, 92mm high.
18mm high of the clock digits.
Indication for time,date(month,date,day) and temperature.
There are also indications for alarm function and snooze.

The display has no any other plastic panels on its back and as you can see on the pictures,it is transparent.
This is a really cool looking,stylish clock/desk lamp.

The clock works with its own battery. It is type CR2025/3V.
There are four buttons for operating the clock/calendar.
They are on the back of the clock.Relatively small in size and do not protrude above the panel.
It takes some patience to find the needed button and press it. The buttons are made flat,mostly because the lamp is fold-able and they should not be pressed accidentally. 
You can choose the snooze period,one of eight melodies and time for the alarm,of course.
You can see also the circular cap of the battery compartment,just below the buttons.

18 SMD LEDs.

SMD LEDs with dimension 3mm x 3.5mm
Mounted on a large area,on a good distance from each other,resulting in wide floody beam,good for reading and close work.
According to the specifications,the LEDs are in the neutral white specter,but in my sample they are cool white with some tint. There is slight bluish tint,but it should not be a problem in normal use and without looking for it.
The max output is probably about 100 lumens,should be sufficient for most uses for which the lamp could be used for. Works quite well even for illuminating a big room.

The brightness level can be adjusted (touch and hold the switch).
The output is automatically,gradually decreasing from max to minimum level. If you touch and hold again the switch,the output will smoothly increase to its maximum level.
The different output is achieved by using PWM of low frequency.
The pwm is easily noticeable,but me personally,does not distract too much,in normal use.

The plastic window has slight diffusing texture for better mixing the beam.
The only disadvantage could be the presence of multiple shadows,because of the multiple light sources.
This may annoy you at some point,or not at all.


The small opening below the brand name is for the clock buzzer.

Closer look at the details.

Build quality is quite high.Quality plastic construction and panels.
The lamp is very well assembled,without any visible defects.
A great care to the packaging.All of the sides and the display had a protective nylon stickers-to keep the device scratch free.
The clock seems accurate,judging by the period of the test.
A really wel made desk lamp.Fully usable as a desk lamp and clock/calendar/alarm.
The light is quite good. Adjusting the brightness is a great feature. Nice modern addition with the touch sensitive switch.
What I wish to improve-I would add an additional touch switch on the front,below the clock,for turning On the light. I would like to have an easier way of stopping the alarm,with additional touch sensitive switch,or big conventional switch.
I am pleased with the brightness and the alarm sound level.
Definitely a good gadget for personal use,or for gift.

Aootek desk lamp was provided by Aootek for test and review.
Link to the official Aootek store on Amazon-
 http://www.amazon.com/Aootek%C2%AE-Foldable-Rechargeable-Calendar-Temperature/dp/B017IRNMX4/ref=sr_1_4?m=A1W53CYGIR4IFN&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1450681188&sr=1-4
Aootek is currently offering a discount code for the Desk lamp. Use code 8PWP8GIF