The 8 Best Craft Lights

Apr 03, 2024

Shopping

Brightness where you need it in sizes fit for any crafting space.

Crafting is a rewarding, stress-reducing hobby — but it’s not always easy on the eyes. The best craft lights minimize eye strain while illuminating your project, so you can work with ease and precision. In order to find the best option for you, ensure that it’s bright, eye-friendly, adjustable, and convenient for your craft of choice.

Brightness: When it comes to lights, there are a lot of terms which get thrown around. Some brands advertise the watts as an indication of brightness (the amount of energy it takes to produce a certain amount of light), while other brands use lux or lumens (measures of illuminance or luminous flux, respectively). No matter the term, the higher the number, the brighter the light will be — but a lamp with adjustable brightness levels is best, so you can personalize the brightness to your specific project and preferences.

Adjustability: You’ll want to be able to adjust your lamp (both the physical position and the light settings) to suit your project. Consequently, you should look for designs with poseable goosenecks or swinging arms, as well as a wide range of different color modes and brightness settings.

Convenience: The more convenient your lamp design, the more you’ll use it. That said, this will differ from project to project — and from crafting space to crafting space. If you have a roomy, permanent crafting setup, you can opt for a powerful floor lamp. For those with less space to spare, a desk lamp or a clip-on light may be a better option. There are even magnetic designs that attach to your sewing machine or crafting lights you can wear around your neck for portability.

In a hurry? Here are the top picks for eye-friendly crafting lights.

There are several key features that make the Daylight Company Duo the best floor lamp for crafting: For one, it has two long, anti-glare light heads that you can position depending on your needs. For another, the strong, flexible neck allows you to direct light exactly where you need it. Finally, the 56 LEDs offer accurate color matching, while the four-step dimmer allows for plenty of personalization. You get all of those features for under $100, which (given the size and the quality) is a pretty good value.

One Reviewer Wrote: “I use this light for hand sewing or crochet! It’s super bright and I can use both lights or just one! This is such a great price for an amazing light!”

Watts: 10 | Dimensions: 8.3 x 20.9 x 52 inches | Light Details: 56 LEDs, four brightness levels (max 2,090 Lux) | Temperature Details: 6,000 Kelvin | Base Design: Floor lamp

Looking for a reliable desktop crafting light at a bargain price? It doesn’t have any particularly high-tech features, but this touch-control 18-LED desk lamp has over 13,000 reviews because of its flexible gooseneck design and three flicker-free brightness levels. Because it’s compact and runs on a USB adapter as well as a rechargeable battery, it’ll fit just about anywhere and it’s great for travel. Best of all, it costs less than $20.

One Reviewer Wrote: “This lamp is perfect. I use it for doing jigsaw puzzles and weeding my Cricut crafts. The light is bright and no cords to mess with so I can just pick it up and take it where I need it.”

Watts: 5 | Dimensions: ‎4.7 x 3.5 x 14.9 inches | Light Details: 3 brightness levels (max 400 lumens) | Temperature Details: Undisclosed | Base Design: Desktop

Whether you need additional stability or you’re looking to save space on your crafting desk, this clamp-on desk lamp is a great investment. In addition to its secure, sturdy base, it also has a durable metal body and a swing arm so you can adjust the height and angle. Because it has a USB plug, you can power it from a USB-outlet adapter, a rechargeable battery, or a laptop, and the on-wire remote allows you to adjust the brightness. Finally, the light itself is shadow- and flicker-free with high color rendering index for accuracy.

One Reviewer Wrote: “The [ease] of focusing this lamp on the place you are working is great. I use it for my stained glass table and it is extremely helpful in being able to see what I am doing. The ability to change the brightness also helps depending on the thickness of the glass I am working with. I was so pleased with it I ordered a second. I have several more places it can be used, so will be adding more over the next few weeks.”

Watts: 14 | Dimensions: 16.2 x 5.1 x 2.36 inches | Light details: 10 brightness levels | Temperature details: Adjustable (3,000 Kelvin, 4,500 Kelvin, 6,000 Kelvin) | Base design: Desk clamp (up to 2 inches)

OttLite craft lamps are some of the best in the industry, and this OttLite EasyView standing lamp is no exception. While it delivers 18 watts of bright, precise illumination that you can direct any direction thanks to the gooseneck design, it also has another brilliant feature: An attached, optical-grade three-times magnifying glass so you can see precise detail work with ease. The floor lamp comes with a replaceable OttLite bulb that mimics natural light and lasts up to 10,000 hours. However, some shoppers wished the base was a little more stable.

One Reviewer Wrote: “Purchased for crochet and needlework. Magnification is good, with a small circle of extra magnification. Bright light, and easy to position both light and magnifier.”

Watts: 18 | Dimensions: 8 x 10.5 x 62 inches | Light Details: OttLite fluorescent bulb (930 lumens) | Temperature Details: 5,000 Kelvin | Base Design: Floor lamp

If you work predominantly with a sewing machine (or any other permanent setup like a drill press or a workbench), this two-pack of lights are a “great purchase” and a “game changer,” according to reviewers. The 30-LED lamp is bright, eye-friendly, and can be turned any direction thanks to the rotating gooseneck. The base is magnetic to attach to any metal surface — though these also come with 3M tape stickers, so you can secure them to just about any other material as well.

One Reviewer Wrote: “Got these for my sewing table... liked them so much I got a second set! Small enough to mount to my sewing machine to provide more directed light while sewing. It does get warm while in use but thankfully not enough to burn. Great for crafting!”

Watts: 6 | Dimensions: 1 x 2 x 3 inches | Light Details: 30 LEDs | Temperature Details: 5,000 Kelvin | Base Design: Magnetic

Available in both desk and floor lamp options in this listing, the Cricut Bright 360 is specifically designed for crafting. Four different adjustment points mean you can move your lamp into countless positions, illuminating your project at the ideal angle. The clear, diffused light covers a large surface area and has a 95 Color Rendering Index so you can see colors accurately. With the slide of a finger, you can adjust the brightness and the warmth to suit your needs and preferences. Get it in your choice of two colors.

One Reviewer Wrote: “I have this in my craft studio on my craft table.I do my resin creations and weed out vinyls on my double craft table and I need great lighting to see if any dust or hair gets into my resin molds as I'm pouring.This is easy to maneuver and the base is heavy so it stays put.I also use the lighting for when I take product pictures.”

Watts: 50–120 | Dimensions: 41.18 x 5.18 x 12.44 inches | Light Details: Adjustable brightness levels (up to 1500 lux) | Temperature Details: Adjustable | Base Design: Desktop (floor also available)

The Beam n Read is my go-to light for crafting — but I’ve also brought it with me to the mountains so I could safely hike back to my cabin in the dark. Its hands-free, around-the-neck design and extra-wide, extra-bright LEDs help you illuminate your project no matter where you are. Each order also comes with different-colored filters so you can soften and warm the LEDs, boosting relaxation and night vision. Finally, because it’s powered by AA batteries (not included), you won’t have to worry about wires or chargers.

One Reviewer Wrote: “I can knit and not disturb others watching tv or sleeping. Focuses light on my hands. Love this light.”

Watts: Undisclosed | Dimensions: ‎4.5 x 3.25 x 0.88 inches | Light Details: 6 LEDs, two brightness levels | Temperature Details: Orange and red filters included | Base Design: Around-the-neck

If you’re looking for a space-saving, functional desk lamp to illuminate your crafting area, consider this highly rated multipurpose LED desk lamp. In addition to a gooseneck and glare-free LEDs with three brightness levels, it also has a built-in clock, USB charging port, pencil holder, and color-changing base. While details about the light quality are limited, its 4.6-star overall rating indicates that it’s great for kids and adult creatives in tight crafting spaces.

One Reviewer Wrote: “My wife uses it in her craft room. Perfect size and the 3 different light settings are great, it gets very bright. The USB is a nice touch, and the price was a lot cheaper than comparable lights. Very happy with the purchase.”

Watts: 10 | Dimensions: 5.3 x 5.1 x 23.6 inches | Light Details: Three brightness levels | Temperature Details: Undisclosed | Base Design: Desktop