Normally I don’t post bad reviews of things, unless I’m listing the pros and cons of multiple items to figure out which I want. But this LED desk lamp is so bad that I have to say something.

It doesn’t *look* bad.

When we moved into our new office at work, there was more natural light, but on gray days you still need something extra. So rather than negotiating about the overhead lights (people get really picky about fluorescents!) each person got their own desk lamp. I was excited to get an LED lamp, and rather than doing my usual crazy amount of research, I bought the first one I saw in the MassSave Energy Star lights catalog. Unfortunately, it was the Greenlite LED 5W Desk Lamp.

I cheaped out and got what I deserved. It’s so shoddily made that when I was assembling it, the single screw holding the arm together warped like butter under the hex wrench, so the arm wouldn’t stay up. I returned it for a replacement (at least that process went smoothly), and the second one had loose wiring, which meant that it only stayed on if the cord was in a certain position. So I’m done—this light gets no more chances. I’m so frustrated that I’m sticking with my old one for now, which runs so hot that I once tried to bake cookies under it. But at least it stays on and doesn’t fall onto my computer.

The lamp is no longer listed in the catalog, and I don’t see an Energy Star label for it on the Greenlite site, so maybe the company was making claims that weren’t true.

There are many reviews of LED lamps out there, but it doesn’t seem like the authors have actually tried all of them. I might as well just be reading specs on Amazon for all the good the recommendations do me. Have you found a good (and not too expensive) LED desk lamp?