Do You Need a Cordless Lamp? Well, Define ‘Need’…
Lighting falls into three primary categories: ambient, task and accent. Ambient lighting provides your base level of light, such as from ceiling fixtures, recessed lights, or a chandelier. Task lighting provides focused light for activities; think reading lamps and standing lamps. Accent lighting acts as a design element, adding layers of light to create a richer, more textured space.
Cordless lamps sit squarely in the accent category, as portables’ size and lower brightness levels make them more about mood-setting than anything else. That’s exacerbated by the fact that portable lamps typically get their power from rechargeable lithium ion batteries, and most use integrated LEDs. The LEDs usually max out at 250 lumens, equivalent to an incandescent bulb’s 25 watts or 3 to 5 watts on an LED light bulb, falling in the range between outdoor stair light and standard reading lamp.
In other words, while cordless lamps are convenient and capable of emitting a pleasing glow, they’re not suitable as a direct replacement for primary lighting. Instead, they’re wonderful for ambiance.
This distinctively shaped lamp, a restaurant favorite, has a weighted base that prevents it from getting blown over and casts stronger light than many other cordless styles.
For dining, they offer a safe stand-in for tapered candles and move from the dining room to the porch or patio with ease. Many have substantial weight for their size (so they won’t blow over in wind), which makes them ideal for use outdoors — the slender Zafferano Pina, for example, was widely adopted by restaurants during the pandemic for this exact reason.
When I encountered the Pina at my friends’ home, I was at first perplexed by the light’s distinctive stick body (about 11.5 inches tall) and tiny triangle hat. But I soon realized that it functioned like a flameless candlestick, with a warm downward glow that’s surprisingly strong for its size.
Designed by Norm Architects, this clean-lined LED lantern is equally at home on a patio, in the woods, or in a bedroom. But it’s one of the pricier portables we’ve tried.
For a different style of outdoor-friendly portable, the Carrie Portable LED Lamp, which stands about 10 inches tall and was designed by Norm Architects for Audo Copenhagen, functions much like a lantern, with its glowing orb seated in a metal base and topped with a hinged, arched handle. Editor (and former design writer) Katie Okamoto has owned her Carrie lamp for about five years, using its light to enjoy dining outside, cooking while camping, and even reading in bed. A button on the base lets you toggle through the brightness settings, and the orb shade throws light in all directions.
This fun and functional lamp has a painted aluminum body and a removable silicone shade. But its battery life and brightness are less impressive in comparison with other models.
Many cordless lamps can stand on their own as decor, even when not lit up. That’s how I feel about the cheerful Sowden PL1 Portable Lamp, which I’ve used regularly for about two years. The 10-inch lamp is designed by George Sowden, one of the founders of the Memphis Design Movement in 1981, whose tenets of playfulness and geometric expressivity pushed back against modernism’s austere minimalism. I feel like I am channeling those principles of play when placing the PL1 around my home in a sort of Where’s Waldo, lamp edition.
Much of the time, though, my Sowden lamp lives on my piano above my sheet music. Like many cordless styles, the PL1 directs light downward, acting like a little spotlight on a moment you wish to highlight.
Made of polycarbonate and conceived by Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa, this lamp was inspired by Mongolian yurts, also called paos, illuminated at night.
Similarly functional and capable of doubling as decor, the Pao Portable Lamp by contemporary Danish design company Hay stands about 9 inches tall, has a smooth plastic body, and offers three brightness settings. Katie, who has owned the Pao lamp for about two and a half years, likens the proportions to those of an abstracted mushroom and finds its smooth plastic easy to clean. But some of its quirks are frustrating, including the charging portal’s location on the bottom, which requires turning the lamp on its side to charge it.
This polycarbonate lamp, which was originally designed for the London Museum, has a vaguely ’70s feel and four brightness settings.
Another design that lends itself well to fitting into nooks, the sleek 8.5-inch Bellhop Rechargable LED Table Lamp, from Italian lighting-design house Flos, takes its name from the silhouette of a hotel porter’s hat. Available in a range of colors from burnt orange to yellow to matte black, the Bellhop lamp gives off up to 250 lumens with four levels of brightness that you control with a button on the front. Home decor editor Daniela Gorny has owned the Bellhop lamp for several years and has had issues with the lamp’s ability to hold its charge, but the unit I’ve been testing, a newer model, stays lit for 24 hours. The Bellhop lamp is also weightier than my Sowden PL1, which makes it harder for my diabolical cats to tip over.
Adorable for ambience while surprisingly practical for tiny tasks, this mini cordless lamp is available in three sizes, starting at 3.5 inches tall.
Portable lamps can also serve as teeny task lighting. Wirecutter writer Caroline Mullen (and lamp aficionado) has owned the Lexon Mina LED Portable Light for two years. Standing a proud 3.25 inches tall, it’s useful as a small task lamp when she’s doing her nails or crocheting on the sofa, or “as a wee reading light.” She likes that both the brightness and the color temperature are adjustable.
