"itty bitty" Book Light, LED Edition

I bought this light for wife who reads EVERYWHERE. Previous book lights ate batteries like crazy and built up a fair amount of heat-enough to get annoying and uncomfortable after 30 minutes. The Zelco LED however is light weight, though well constructed. One reviewed said they broke it after 2 days though that has not been my experience. I believe that that was probably bad luck, because if you treat this well (maybe not for young children) it will last a long time. We certainly don't baby ours, throwing it in overnight bags without a case etc. The other great feature is that it takes AAA batteries. I find the light to very pleasant to read by and not very distracting to those around you. I recently saw a similar model that runs on 3 LR44 button batteries (good for size and weight) but who keeps those around the house? OUr experience was that the first set of batteries lasted over 6 months with reading at least 20-30 minutes per day. This is one of the first reviews I have written, basically because I am so pleased with this product.

The design for using the DC adapter with this little light is extremely poor. It is possible that I missed the warning that tells you to remove the batteries before using the DC adapter. But, it must not have been very big. I combined the two and ended up with batteries that leaked all over inside the battery case. These were brand new batteries. There does not seem to be anything protecting the batteries from the DC adapter and so the power goes right into them. This is bad. Modern devices are expected to work with either battery or adapter without having to remove the batteries.Then, after I cleaned it all up, it worked for about a week w/o the batteries installed. Then the LEDs started flickering. The next day, it was dead. To see if it had to do with the battery leak, I took the little guy apart and found that the power was still getting all of the way up into the head. But something on the little circuit board must have blown.The other part of the design that is bad is that the metal clip has a sharp edge that digs into and tears up the pages of the book. I found this a problem with soft cover books, at least. Putting a little electrical tape of the end made it better.I had hoped that the design of this edition would last longer than previous editions. I've gone through many Zelco lights and stretched out their lifespan by repairing the poor connections as they wear out. This one is beyond my ability and I'm done giving Zelco my money. They are a nice idea, but have no durability. If they were cheaper, it might not be such a big deal, but for their price I would like to see them be far more durable.

I do like the concept of the "itty bitty Book Light" a lot. Since I love to read in bed what only would disturb my husband this was a great solution. But this is the second one I had to buy in 3 years. They did say it will last forever and the bulbs never burn out. Well that's not true. My old one started blinking and eventually blacked out completely. Since they is no way to get a new bulb you buy a whole new light and well I have to admit, at almost $30.- that is a little much if it can't be repaired.I did buy another one but if the same defect happens with this one in the next few years I will not buy it again. I will look for something more reliable. The itty bitty lite takes 4 AAA Batteries and they do have to be replaced quite often. It's best to get rechargeable batteries, helps the cost and the environment.

This is the third book light I have purchased for my wife. I bought it for my wife because its LED lights should have longer battery life than the old incandescent lights. We haven't had it long enough to determine if the battery life is longer or not. What we do notice, the light is a better quality light than the old one. The Itty Bitty Lite illuminates hardbound books quite well but doesn't disturb me while sleeping. Using this light with rechargeable lights eliminates the need for adapters and that dangling cord.My wife likes it much better than the old one and has relegated the old one to the bottom shelf of her night stand. It seems sad to replace the perfectly working old light but the new one just works too well.