Is the Amazon Dental Light Worth it?
Last year, my loupes light broke. And I was heartbroken. It was my 1st patient of the day at 8 am. After the usual chit chat and radiographs, I laid the patient back and immediately put on my loupes and turned on the light. Except it didn’t turn on. I played with the cord, unplugged it several times, and double checked it was fully changed. But it still didn’t turn on. I felt blind the entire day! I have no idea how much I loved having a light until it was gone. I used loupes without a light for a few years even when I first got a pair of loupes, and didn’t know what I was missing! That evening, I jumped online to find a new light and to price out which brand to get, and what was in my price point. Turns out, it was going to take a while to buy a new light from one of the big brand companies, so of course, I turned to Amazon. And of course, there is an affordable option from overseas that would be at my house in 2 days. So I jumped on board and decided to try it for a few months. HERE it is and here is what I found:
Pros
- It was cheap. Like 5x cheaper than other dental specific brands.
- It was the perfect light to get me through the months when I was out a professional light.
- The newer model has a better clip than the older model. The one I purchased last year had a slip on clip that unfortunately didn’t fit on my Surgitel Oakley frames. However, the newer model has a clip that opens and should fit most designs and frames.
Cons
- The cord is not flexible, which makes the light tricky to manage
- The screw that attaches to the light isn’t that tight, so it tends to get loose over the day. At the end of the day, I use just a small screwdriver to tighten it.
- The battery does not have a clip to attach to a pocket or a waist band. Instead, you just have to place the battery in your scrubs pocket which can be odd to get used it.
- With the older model, the plastic slip on clip broke after a few months. After the plastic snapped, I couldn’t figure out a way to attach it to my safety glasses.
- It gets really hot. My other light would warm up during the day, but this light would get difficult to touch or move if it had been left on for a few hours at a time.
- The battery life lasts 4-5 hours when it’s brand new. So, I had to plug it in during lunch to make sure it latest the entire day. As I used it, the battery day span got shorter. But since they’re so cost effective, you could totally invest in 2 or 3 to have a few back up batteries on hand.
So, if you’re finding you need a light, this cost effective one on Amazon might be the answer!
Have you tried this light before? What’s your experience with it?