RECHARGEABLE LAMPS

A lamp with a battery built into the body, so it needs no socket and no cable running to it. You top it up over USB-C and put it back where you want the light. Some people search for cordless lamps, others for battery lamps or wireless lamps: it is the same idea, and the difference from a lamp that runs on disposable batteries is that nothing gets thrown away.

It depends on the battery in the model. Ours run from 2000 to 8000 mAh, and most give up to 100 hours on the lowest setting, with the largest reaching 120 to 130. At full brightness it is closer to 10 hours. For most people that works out at one charge a week, and the exact runtime is on every product page.

With a standard USB-C cable, the same one your phone uses, so there is no proprietary adapter to lose. A full charge takes 8 to 14 hours depending on the model and the adapter, with the largest batteries at the long end. Table lamps stay usable while charging; wall lights come off the wall for it.

A rechargeable table lamp moves: dining table by day, windowsill or terrace in the evening, and it gives reading light in a chair. A rechargeable wall light stays put and solves the spot where wiring never went, like a staircase or the wall beside a bed. Many homes end up with both, one for the surface and one for the wall.

Every model dims, most of them with a touch on the lamp itself, from a soft candle-like glow up to full brightness. Colour temperature is adjustable on nearly all of them, from a warm 2700K for the evening to a cool 6000K when you need to see clearly. The metal wall lights add a remote and a motion sensor.

Some of them. The models rated IP54 or IP44 are protected against splashing water and suit a covered terrace, a balcony or a garden table. Most of the range is rated IP20 and is made for indoors, and the rating is listed on every product page. Bring any lamp in during frost, since cold shortens the life of every battery.

A battery operated lamp runs on disposable batteries that you keep replacing, and its light weakens as they drain. A rechargeable lamp has a built-in cell that you top up, and it holds a steady brightness until it is empty. The fitting can look identical. The difference shows up in what it costs to keep it burning.

Yes, in hand luggage only. The lamps contain a built-in lithium battery, which cannot travel in checked baggage. That is an airline rule and it applies to every device with an internal cell, not just to ours.