LED Lights | Gear Diary

Reviews, Outdoors November 3, 2021

Liteband PRO 1000 Headlamp Review: A Wide, Bright Light When You Need to See Hands-Free

Headlamps are one of the most convenient ways to carry a flashlight hands-free when you are in the dark. Most headlamps have a single focussed beam that aims light directly in front of you, but that’s not the case with the Liteband PRO 1000 Headlamp; it provides a 210º beam, shining a light on everything directly in your path and on both sides. Wondering if this might be an even better lighting solution, especially when walking or working outdoors at night, I asked a long-time headlamp wearer, my husband Kev, to give the Lightband PRO 1000 a try.

Gear Bits September 9, 2021

LG XBOOM 360 Combines Sound and Light in a Sleek Speaker That Will Look Great Everywhere

Need a classy-looking portable speaker that can also function as a light? Take a look at the LG XBOOM 360. Made to radiate sound in all directions for up to 10 hours when on battery power, the LG XBOOM 360 is one of the more sleek and stylish portable speakers we’ve seen. Inside the LG XBOOM 360’s conical-cylindrical body, there is a 5.25″ glass fiber woofer and a 1″ titanium horn tweeter; LG says that the reflector structure of the tweeter and woofer will deliver 360 sound with minimal distortion indoors and outside. Available in four colors, including Burgundy, Peacock…

Reviews October 1, 2020

Neon Mama Customized Lights Give the Look and Style of Neon Lighting without the Neon Issues

A while back, I converted two rooms in the back of my house to the ultimate man cave. Part of that was a home bar project that I have taken great pride in. I recently was lucky enough to be offered a Neon Mama customized light for review, and it has really enhanced the area and stepped up my entertainment game.

Reviews September 8, 2020

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Smart Bulb Starter Kit Is an Intelligent Lighting Solution

When Jess and I started setting up our daughter Skyler’s nursery, we knew that we would eventually need more smart lightbulbs. Even though I’d previously bought the basic white Philips Hue smart bulbs before, I want to try their ambient smart bulbs to see how they would work in a nursery setting. The Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Smart Bulb Starter Kit that I received not only works with Alexa but with Google Home and Apple’s HomeKit as well.

Reviews August 12, 2020

Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera Expands Your Security Camera System with a Bright Light and Tracking

Last year, I reviewed the Arlo Pro 3 2K QHD Wire-Free Security Camera System, which is still going strong. One of the best things about the Arlo wireless system is how easy it is to set up and how customizable the app has been over time as my specific needs have changed. The Arlo system is, of course, expandable, and I recently added the new Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera.

Vehicles & Gear July 29, 2020

There’s a New Lighting System That Will Help Deer Avoid Vehicles at Night

If you regularly drive in rural areas, where the possibility of hitting a deer is a nightly driving challenge, this bit of info might be of interest. There is a new type of lighting technology that has been substantially proven to reduce vehicular collisions with deer in low-light driving conditions. It’s not available yet, but hopefully, it will be coming soon.

Crowdfunding, Events, Gear Bits January 7, 2020

Light up Your Closet with Luminook

The light in my laundry room doesn’t work properly. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it flashes so rapidly I’ve had friends joke it’s like a strobe light. One thing I learned from this is that there’s no really great solution for lighting in odd spaces, which is why Luminook has me so excited! See, Luminook is exactly what I’m looking for to deal with my laundry room that thinks it doubles as a bad club. It’s a powerful strip of LEDs that can be placed around a doorway in a closet or other poorly lit space that aim outwards to…

Events, News & Features January 5, 2020

Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight: Powerful LED Lighting, Integrated HDR Camera, and a Built-In Siren for Security

Arlo is one of the most popular smart home products on the market, most known for its Arlo Pro series of cameras that allow you to see the comings and goings in and around your home regardless of whether you are there or not. Arlo has just announced its Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight which is the first of its kind, boasting wire-free functionality.

Events, News & Features September 5, 2019

Signify Announces New Philips Hue Smart Lighting Products

Signify, the world leader in lighting took to IFA to announce a few new Philips Hue lighting products including an updated version of the Hue Go, the Philips Hue Smart Button, a Hue Smart Plus and even two candle bulbs.

Reviews March 18, 2019

Nanoleaf Canvas Is Gorgeous Kinetic Art That Adds Brilliance to Any Space

Nanoleaf made a name for themselves with their color-changing triangular-shaped Light Panels back in 2016. Now they’ve upped the ante with the Nanoleaf Canvas; light squares with edge-to-edge illumination, built-in sound reactivity, touch sensitivity, and a whole lot more. Canvas is a beautiful piece of kinetic artwork that adds brilliant light and a sense of playfulness to any space.

Reviews March 10, 2019

The Lume Cube Air VC Is the Solution to Your Photography’s Horrible Lighting

As a podcaster and someone who does a lot of video conferencing, I was looking for a solution to the dreadful lighting situations when video recording while mobile and on my laptop; then I was introduced to the Lume Cube AIR VC.

Reviews February 5, 2019

Monster Illuminessence Is a Cool Novelty Concept but a Hard Sell for Everyday Needs

Half my household has really enjoyed testing the Monster Illuminessence lighting kits the last few weeks. The new Monster fan enjoyed the intuitiveness of the remotes, the tremendous number of flashing patterns, and of course, the color options. I found them to be a fun novelty more than a permanent lighting choice, but I’m also not 5 like my other tester…

Events, News & Features January 10, 2019

Nanoleaf Shines at CES Debuting Innovative Nanoleaf Canvas Light Panels

Toronto-based Nanoleaf, who is best known for their popular triangular-shaped Nanoleaf Light Panels, has wowed onlookers at CES 2019 in Las Vegas with their new product, Nanoleaf Canvas. Canvas is made out of edge-to-edge light squares that are touch sensitive, react to music and sound, and integrate with Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon’s Alexa.

Reviews September 29, 2018

Lume Cube Is the Best New Lighting Accessory for Cameras

I get home from work and there is a box on the front porch and inside the box is a little cube. The Lume Cube. What is the Lume Cube you ask? Honestly, I would almost call it the greatest little accessory for modern photography and videography.

Reviews August 5, 2018

MAXXEON CYCLOPS WorkStar 800 Rechargeable LED Inspection Light Review

How would you like a rechargeable, durable, multi-purpose, high-performance LED light that can be held in hand, attached to ferrous metal surfaces with its built-in magnet, and aimed in one of 12 indented positions to put the beam right where you need it? If that sounds good, then you’ll want the MAXXEON CYCLOPS WorkStar 800 Rechargeable LED Inspection Light.

Reviews July 24, 2018

LampyPets Children’s Lamps Perfect for Nightlight or Night-Night

Sometimes when I read a press release I cannot figure out what the item is when I see the name. That was not the case with the message that arrived from LampyPets, which I very quickly figured out (you guessed it) is a kid’s lamp in the shape of their pet or favorite animal.

Reviews May 17, 2018

Cycle Torch Shark 55R Bike Light: Bright Enough for Safe Night Rides

If you like to ride your bike early in the morning or right before the sun goes down, then you know that there’s a fine line between decent riding vision and “too dark to see”. You need a good light to get you safely home, and the Cycle Torch Shark 55R Bike Light will give you just that.

News & Features May 8, 2018

Philips Hue Smart Lighting Gets Smarter with an App Revamp

Philips Hue smart lighting ecosystem has long been a leader in providing sophisticated smart lighting solutions, and now a new app update is going to make Philips Hue lights even more customizable and useful.

Outdoors, Reviews April 23, 2018

Cairn XL Smart Lantern with Power Bank Review

I love being able to have lighting options off of the grid, both for piece of mind during an emergency and also during my outdoor adventures. The Cairn XL Smart Lantern ($99) brings quality, phone connectivity, and spare power in a well designed, water and dust proof package. This light excels in all categories. Let’s take a look!

News & Features December 19, 2017

Classic Glass Light LED Bulbs from Philips Mean LEDs Don’t Have to Be Ugly Anymore

Remember when LED bulbs were ugly white opaque globs? Fortunately, those days are long gone. As a matter of fact, they are so long gone that Philips is now offering clear classic glass light bulbs.

Outdoors, Reviews November 10, 2017

ECOXGEAR EcoLantern: 360º Waterproof Rugged Speaker & Lantern

If you enjoy spending time outdoors while barbecuing or camping, or if you simply find yourself suffering through periodic power outages, having a reliable LED lantern on hand makes sense. The ECOXGEAR EcoLantern gives you 360º sound as well as a 400 Lumens bi-directional light. It’s portable, versatile, and it will even charge your mobile phone.