Most people who search for a table lamp under Rs 5,000 want one thing: good light beside the bed or on the desk, without paying for a name. That is a fair thing to want, and at that price there are lamps that will do the job. Below is what to check before you buy one, and where solid wood starts to make sense.
What Rs 5,000 usually buys
At this price a lamp is usually made in large runs, from plastic, thin metal or pressed board, with a light fabric or plastic shade. Many come with a built-in LED rather than a bulb socket. None of this makes it a bad lamp. It does mean the base is often light, the switch and cable are usually the first things to wear out, and when a built-in LED fails the whole lamp tends to go with it.
Five things to check before you buy any table lamp
The weight of the base. Lift it. A lamp that tips over when a cable is pulled or a sleeve catches it will not last long on a bedside.
The bulb socket. A standard E27 socket takes a bulb from any shop, so the lamp outlives its first bulb. A sealed LED does not.
The colour of the light. In a bedroom, look for warm white, around 2700 K. Cooler white is better at a desk, where you need to read small print.
The shade. From where you sit or lie, you should not be able to see the bulb. A shade that is too short or too open throws glare into your eyes.
The height. When you sit up in bed, the bottom of the shade should sit at about the height of your chin. Any lower and the light falls short of the page; any higher and you look straight into the bulb.
When it is worth paying more
A lamp in solid wood costs more because it takes longer to make. The wood is cut, shaped, sanded and finished by hand, and one piece takes days rather than minutes. What that buys you is weight, so the lamp stays where you put it; a standard socket on most pieces, so it takes a new bulb for as long as you own it; and a material that can be polished again after years of use instead of being thrown away.
Where our table lamps start
Our table lamps are made by hand, to order, in our own workshop, and the smallest of them start at Rs 7,000.
The Zoro: a cone of solid acacia under a white tapered shade, 46 cm tall, from Rs 7,000.
Cirro: a tapered base in acacia and rosewood under a pale drum shade, 51 cm tall, from Rs 7,000.
VECTOR: a clean-lined base in solid wood under an off-white fabric shade, in black, white or yellow, from Rs 9,500.
Prices are for Pakistan and can change; the product page always shows the current one. The full range is in table lamps.
Questions
Can I get a good table lamp under Rs 5,000?
Yes, for a basic light. Go through the five points above, especially the socket and the base. For solid wood, expect to start at around Rs 7,000.
What light is best for a bedside lamp?
Warm white, around 2700 K, under a shade that hides the bulb. Some of our lamps, the Zoro among them, come with a bulb that switches between warm, white and golden, so the same lamp works for reading and for the last half hour before sleep.
How long does a made-to-order lamp take?
We make each lamp in 3 to 5 days, then ship it with tracking.
