The Desk Lamp That Made Me Realize I'd Been Working in a Cave

I've been working under a $9 desk lamp for two years. A basic metal lamp with a cone shade that directs light onto approximately 8 inches of desk surface. My keyboard was lit. My mouse was in shadow. My coffee was in darkness. It was like working in a spotlight — if the spotlight was designed for a hamster.

The lamp also got hot. Like, cook-an-egg-on-it hot. It used a 60-watt incandescent bulb because it was designed in 1987 and never updated. My desk had a permanent warm spot. In Miami. In summer. I was adding heat to my desk in a climate that's already trying to melt me.

Then I saw a YouTube video about the BenQ ScreenBar. It clips onto the top of your monitor. It shines light down onto your desk. Not onto your screen — onto your desk. It uses an asymmetric optical design that prevents glare on the monitor while illuminating your entire workspace.

I installed it in 30 seconds. Clipped it on. Plugged in USB. Touched the auto button. And for the first time in two years, I could see my entire desk. My keyboard, my mouse, my notebook, my coffee — all visible. I had been working in a cave and didn't know it because I'd never seen the alternative.

The color temperature adjusts from warm (for evening) to cool (for productivity). The auto-dimmer senses ambient light. And it takes ZERO desk space because it sits on your monitor. My $9 lamp had a base that took up 6 inches of desk. The ScreenBar takes up nothing.

One hundred and nine dollars for a desk lamp sounds absurd. But I spend 10 hours a day at this desk. I was squinting at a dimly lit workspace for two years because I refused to spend more than $9 on lighting.