GoKawiilCordless lamps are often simple, single-purpose affairs: reading lights, table lamps, or glorified lanterns. Lume Cube's new rechargeable Edge Light Go is a rare exception, a portable lamp that offers the same level of precision, power, and targeted light that you'd hope for from a good workbench or home studio lamp.
The Edge Light Go is shaped like a classic three-point adjustable desk lamp in miniature form: sturdy without being hefty, with three slightly resistant hinges and a swivel. The light is soft and matte, suitable for Zoom time, product photography, and close work. The quality of this light is also minutely adjustable, both in warmth and in intensity, from clean blue-white light to soothing amber and red.
This leads to astounding versatility. Lately I've been dragging the dang thing all over the house—including to my nightstand with a book. I find the Edge Light Go to be charismatic in a mid-century minimalist way, with the self-conscious bulk of its knobby joints and small details like the curvilinear transition into its base. My editor is more inclined to say it simply looks “like a lamp.”
There are a couple quirks, including a base that's not quite heavy enough to anchor the lamp from tipping over when placed in some positions. But at heart, the Edge Light Go feels like a category of lamp that should already exist—but mostly doesn't. It is a small but powerful work light that's unfettered by proximity to a power outlet.
Soft Light Is Good Light
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Lume Cube is a relative newcomer to the lighting world, a still-wee company founded a dozen years ago in Southern California. Much of the product line is miniaturized versions of studio lighting equipment, the sort of mini-home studio fare favored by influencers and online retailers alike.