A few weeks ago, I was sent a Beam N Read light to try. I hate to admit, but I actually need this light myself and found it most useful when doing some hand stitching recently. My eyes are older than I’d like to admit!
In my studio, I have pretty good focus lighting that I use, but it sure is nice being able to sit in the living room with the puppy and have the Beam N Read light on to help me see the tiny whip stitches for my hexie quilt. I’ll do a more complete blog post about this quilt one of these days. It’s my relaxing quilt that I only get a few minutes here and there to work on.
The Beam N Read light I was sent has 6 LED bulbs in it. I have the option of using it at full strength with all 6 lights on, or with only 3 lights on, at a time. Additionally, there are two filters available that can be attached in front of the lights. The red one is for maintaining night vision and the orange filter produces a softer light. For reading, I’d probably want the softer orange filter.
There’s a clip available on the light to add the included magnify glass too… not me yet! You can see how it works in the photo on the right.
The light has an elastic band on it that you can adjust so that the light is sitting at the level you want it at. For me, I need the light to be pretty high as I stitch without my glasses on and fairly close to me. It’s band is an elastic so that you can slip it over your head. I do think the elastic could be improved with a softer one or even have the elastic encased in fabric for added comfort. But really, it’s a minor complaint. The elastic seemed to me to be strong enough to hold the light in the position I wanted, so that’s very good.
The light is very centre-focussed, so if you’re on a plane you won’t be disturbing your sleeping neighbours. There are also three angle positions for the light. So, in addition to having the flexibility with the elastic for height, you can change the focus of the light’s angle too. Most helpful! You can sort of see in the photo below how the light’s focus is very narrow as not to extend too far and disturb other, yet its focus is wide enough to be used for embroidery and quilting.
Visit the Beam N Read web site for more information on its uses and the different products available.
I was hoping to entice Milo into wearing the light so that I could find his poopies easier in the dark. He’s too busy napping, so I’ll have to try again another day.
Give-Away
I have one Beam N Read light to give away to my readers. All you need to do to enter the give-away is leave a comment below answering the following: If you won, would you keep the light for yourself or give it away to someone else? If you’re keeping the light for yourself or giving it someone else, why? What do you, or they, need the light for?
Winner will be randomly selected November 26th.
Congratulations to the winner:
Please check your inbox for an email from me.
I would give it tomy daughter who plays in our community band. They have concerts outside in the summer and she could use it to read her music in the dark.
I would love to have one of these lights as sewing on dark fabrics in the evenings can be very difficult.
I would have to keep it for myself :) Like you, I love stitching hexies in front of the tv.
I really like how you can just wear this light and be able to see when working on dark fabric or knitting with black yarn. I’d like to try this out first and then give it to my Mom.
I would love to try one of these lights. Several times I’ve been on a plane and inevitably my overhead light doesn’t work. I always bring my beadwork so lighting is essential. Even if the plane light did work, I think this would be so much better.
I would keep it for myself. I need it when I’m stitching the binding on quilts, for the Neo Natal unit at our hospital, while I watch TV at night.
! would keep the lite for myself and use it to read in bed when not using it for quilting so I don’t wake up my hubby when I read.
i would definitely keep it for myself. i am noticing a need for more
direct lighting when i hand quilt or knit. it’s not really selfish because others benefit from my being able to see better to work on my crafts. :)
needed to correct my e-mail address.
I would keep this light for myself the lighting in my sewing room is not very good also this would be useful whilst I’m sitting watching TV and sewing binding onto my quilts.
I would love to own one of these lovely lights, I would use it when needing that extra light for various sewing needs. Think I would also be good enough to loan it to my husband for reading as he has lots of eye problems. Look forward, iris Bradbury
I’d definitely keep it for myself. I need bright light, esp to help me find those little x-stitch holes!
I’d be keeping it for myself! I’m finding it more difficult to see when I’m doing any sewing or cutting these days,,,I can’t seem to get enough light. (Beginning to wonder if it’s the beginning of cataracts,,,they come early in my family!) Although I’d keep it for me, I have no doubt my better half would be stealing it away to do guitar repairs! Thanks for the chance to win.
I would give this light to my son. He loves to read… but he doesn’t always to remember to turn on the lights. So maybe this would be a good thing for him. Thanks for a chance to win! :)
I would use it myself because like you, I find I need more light when I do handstitching in the evening. If it is as good as you say I might buy another for my daughter who does crafting, although her eyes are much younger than mine! LOL
I would keep it for myself. The light I sew with at my chair while watching TV, is hot. I haven’t researched lights or lightsbulbs to change it to something that produces less heat. That’s on my list to do someday.
So this is the clever thing to use when your eyes are growing older. I always struggel with the light when I sew my hexagons, and therefore I put them away in the long and dark winter here in Norway. I would have been so happy to win, had made a great burthday present for me the 24th. Thank you!
How neat! I would definitely keep the light for myself. My hand-stitching corner is a bit dark, and some extra light would be most useful.
Well, if I won, I would sure keep it for myself…It is really dark in the area of the lvinig room where I sit at night and I am unable to stitch….it’s even hard to see the tv without a whole lot of chair shuffling…and, I might even share it with my sister…..maybe….
Iwould definitely keep this light for myself if I won it. I have tried several similar light/magnifiers and haven’t been able to find just the right one. I have recently gotten back into cross-stitching and hope to start again soon in some hand applique.
I would keep it for myself. As I was hand sewing on binding this weekend, I spend a lot of time maneuvering the table lamp so that it shone light in just the right spot so I could see what I was doing. Something like this would be oh so helpful.
As much as I would love to keep it for myself, I think I would give it to my friend, my Mother-In-Law. :)
I would keep the light for myself and use it when I start on my hexie projects. The light would also work well when I sew on my binding.
I would love to keep it, but would give it to my Dad. He has macular degeneration and needs really good light in order to read or do crossword puzzles. He just finished radiation treatments a week ago and is often very tired, so those two activities are his mainstay right now, but only in good light. So, I would have to give it to him.
I’d keep it! It would be great to use it while sitting by the wood stove in the evening.
I would keep it, I do alot of hand stitching…..thank you
I would keep it as a gift for my husband….seriously….. :)So that I can read under the sheets at night without waking him up by turning on the light in the bedroom while he is sleeping. I am somewhat of a night owl and like to read when the house gets quiet….but the lamp keeps him awake, so most nights I don’t read, so he can sleep.
I would love to have one for myself as I have trouble seeing in the evening when I bind a quilt or do any handwork. The lights in our house are not very forgiving for close handwork! Thanks for the chance!
Oh my, this would be so handy! The older I get, the more light I need to do anything, and their never seems to be enough light for me.
This would put the light right where I need it when I’m doing hand work,
Please pick me!
I do a lot of handwork at night, knitting and quilting, so I would keep the light for myself.
I would keep the light for myself as my sight is just starting to “go” and my arms aren’t long enough to hand sew all the hexagons I am putting together. What a great little light!
I would like one of these lights for my Husband as he doesn’t have good lightind in his Den and is always asking me for help,( I would Probably Borrow it myself when doing hand sewing).
If I win this light, I will keep it for myself. My eyes have been very strained lately, and this light would help alot! I need it to aide my crafting obsession!
After years of making fun of my ‘older’ husband for his vision shortcomings I find that I am heading down the same road LOL. So I would keep it for myself. I definitely need the extra light when I’m working on those hands on projects.
Kay
I would love to win..love to do handwork. Finding the eyesight at night is not as good as it needs to be. So, would keep for myself!
I would keep it for myself to use for reading at night and doing handwork, but I would let my hubby borrow it when he wants to read in the middle of the night while I’m sleeping :)
I’d keep it for myself. The lighting in our house leaves a lot to be desired. The only room with decent lighting is my sewing room, and that’s only because of my Ott lamp and the bendie-light that I added to the sewing machine. I’d love to be able to do handwork while my husband watches TV.
I would keep it for myself. The lighting by my chair needs improving. I do hand work in the evening while watching TV with my husband.
I would be selfish and keep it for me. I have really bad eyesight and cant afford new glasses so i dont get to quilt as much as i want to. I have a female dog, missy who looks a lot like your precious puppy babscorbitt@gmail.com
I would Definite use the light myself. Thanks for the chance to win! Let us know how Milo does!
I wouild definately keep the light for myself. I would use it for when I do my needle-turn applique and hand quilting. Thanks for the chance to win!
I would definately keep the light for myself. I would use it for when I do my needle-turn applique and hand quilting. Thanks for the chance to win!
I would keep it for myself for my latest obsession with beading embellishment on quilts. My DH would be grateful for the limited glare.
The older I get, the more I need this light! I’d be very grateful! :)
I would keep it for working on my quilting projects.
I would keep this for myself as sewing at night extra light would be helpful.
Are you kidding Michele? That light would be mine because I live in the darkest house in the world. And I too need it to find “poopies” from Maverick. Thanks for a great review, I am very impressed with this light. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and love on Milo for me.
I would keep it for myself. It would be perfect in my dark corner for sewing, knitting, cross stitch. My old eyes aren’t what they used to be!
Oh my, what a generous giveaway! If I were lucky enough to win, I would definitely keep it for myself to do hand work at night, as I certainly don’t have enough lighting in the living room, and can’t work for a long time…
Please add my name in your giveaway and I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
Thanks and congratulations to the winner!
That looks to be a must have for quilters especially me. Due to an injury, I can’t take a lot of light, this would be a great way to be able to practice what I am relearning in quilting while staying in a dark room.
Thanking for doing a review on this product. Please enter my name into drawing
Cathy Weber