Sorry this is last minute, but was testing battery life!

Hello everyone!  Thanksgiving is barreling down and I do not know where the time has gone!  I want to get this post in, as the Stella BLack Friday sale ends tomorrow, and i do not know if it will be continued on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, so this will be short and sweet!

An announcement was made at our most recent SAGA (Smocking Arts Guild of America) convention about rechargeable lighting.  This is lighting, usually some kind of lamp, that can be recharged.  This enables the lamp to be used when it is charged, so that power outlets are not necessary.  The lamps are usually charged by plugging them into a wall socket, although some of the smaller lamps can also be charged using a batter pack.

Why is this a big deal all of a sudden?  When setting up a classroom, most teaching rooms (whether at a hotel, conference center, or even in a store) are not wired for 20+ users, especially when you are talking sewing machines, irons, and lights.  At bigger venues, they contract to have extra power added to the rooms (if any of you have been to a sewing conference, you will often see power cords taped down on the floor).  Adding this power costs money over the cost of the room rental (can be $10/day per extra outlet over 3-5 days adds up).  As costs of everything keep increasing, this is one place where the event host can save money.  Going to rechargeable lights can help to keep the costs down.

I have just finished testing 2 different portable lights and want to give you the pros and cons.

First up:

Stella Go

I have always loved Stella lights and this is a wonderful addition to their line.  It has the 3 different light colors (warm natural, cool) and 10 levels of intensity.  Their specs say it last up to 11 hours on the warm setting.  I like the brightest light when I am stitching, and after testing it out, mine lasted 5 hours and 40 minutes on the brightest setting.  This would be plenty to get you through a 6 hour class, as you usually don’t need the light the whole time.  The base is plugged (USBC from bast to wall) and to charge, you place the lamp on the base.

Pros:

Neck is flexible, so I can move it around to where I want the light to be.
Colors and intensity give my multiple options for different types and colors of fabric that I am working on.
This light last longer that most others on a single charge.
Comes in a nice box with a handle, so easy to carry if you are driving.
Lamp comes with 1 charging base, but you can order an extra if you want to charge it in a couple of different places where you might be using it.

Cons:

The lamp/base it bigger than some of the other rechargeables (because of this, the battery lasts longer).
Weight is 5.5 pounds with the base, 3 pounds without the base.
This is pricier than most other rechargeable lamps.  It usually retails for $349 and then I think $20 shipping.

Black Friday sale is 25% off with SLBF2024, so the cost is $261.75 with FREE shipping, so you save over $100.  The catch is that this sale ends Sunday, November 24.

STELLA GO BLACK FRIDAY SALE ENDS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24.

Don’t forget to add the SLBF2024 coupon code.

Next up:

Daylight Halo with Magnification.

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This is a nice little travel lamp with the added bonus of  magnification.  The big round magnification is 2.25X, with a small inset magnification of 4X.  It has 2 brightness levels that are changed by pushing the button (On/Medium/Bright/Off).  It lists that it will last 4 hours at full brightness on a full charge and 8 hours on the Medium setting. I tested it on the bright setting and it really only lasted about 3 hours.  This should be OK for a 3 hour class.  If you are at a 6 hour class, you could bring a battery pack and charge the lamp while you are at lunch.  It has a hinged neck and it is shorter than the Stella GO, so there is not as much flexibility on where the neck will reach.

Pros:
Weight is about 1.5-2 pounds and is less bulky than the Stella GO.
Magnification is included.
Has a USBc cable that can plug into the wall or a batter pack to charge.

Cons:
Only lasts about 3 hours.
Neck is shorter and on a hinge, so not as much flexibility.
Only has 1 light color and 2 levels of brightness.

This should retail for$149.99, but you can find it on Amazon for about $85.  MAP is $119.99, so I don’t know how long it will be on Amazon at that price.  When searching, make sure you add the GO to Halo, as the original HALO light is not rechargeable.

HALO GO from Daylight on Amazon

*MAP – Minimum Advertised Price – this is the lowest price that a product is allowed to be advertised for.  When I order wholesale product, there is often a MAP that I have to follow.  If you find the same thing on sale for less, if the manufacturer sees that, they can stop selling wholesale to that company.  There are some products that are not even allowed to be sold on sites like Amazon.  This does not affect me, as I am not an Amazon retailer, but that is why you may not find some things on Amazon.

So….. my 2 cents on 2 options for the rechargeable lights.  I do not make any commission on these sales – I am simply passing along this information to you 🙂

I home for a while and will hopefully be posting a bit more.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and

Happy Stitching,

Vaune