Picture this – you try to draw or write something on your desk only for your desk lamp to cast a shadow rendering your efforts useless. Or, you might just feel the strain in your eyes after working for long hours on your computer.
Here are six reasons why you need a monitor light bar:
- Helps you read and write
- Are reasonably priced
- Great replacements for a lamp
- Reduces cords
- Changes the ambiance
- Reduces eye strain
In this article, we’re going to go about all the reasons why you’d need a monitor light bar and whether they’re worth it or not in the first place.
What Is A Monitor Light Bar?
A monitor light bar consists of a strip of LEDs with an attachment that allows it to sit at the top of your monitor screen. In this position, it can emit light to your desk down below greatly increasing your desk’s overall brightness.
In essence, it is nothing else other than a bunch of LEDs clumped together that have the sole purpose of lighting up your desk. So, contrary to popular belief, there are not a lot of technicalities involved in a monitor light bar.
Moreover, to add, monitor light bars do not need an AC / DC power supply. Instead, they work off a USB port directly on your PC. However, they can also be powered by an adapter.
Helps You Read And Write
A monitor light bar lights your desk up perfectly. So, you won’t have to deal with annoying shadows or reflections when you read or write on your desk. Besides reducing eye strain, it provides a much more pleasant experience than what no light or an overhead ceiling bulb will provide.
Personally speaking, we’ve often found ourselves cluttered near our desks. With tons of meetings that require physical pen and paper (yes, we’re that old), monitor light bars have been a real lifesaver.
Even in dimly light environments, they’ve been able to provide adequate enough lighting for us to read and write without disturbing the entire office.
Reduces Cords
If you are a minimalist striving for perfection like us, a monitor light bar definitely helps up reduce clutter on your desk, especially if you were using a lamp. Plus, we’ve also seen the aesthetic difference having a monitor light bar has on your overall desk.
You can tuck the wire away behind your monitor and connect it to a USB hub on your desk or directly on your PC. In any case, you won’t have to go through heinous wires in order to get some lighting on your desk.
Reasonably Priced
Monitor light bars are essentially a strip of LEDs with a clasp attached so that they can stand atop your desk. Basically, there’s not a lot of complication that goes into a monitor light bar in the first place. So, we’ve been able to snag light bars that get the job done for a very reasonable cost.
For instance, Baseus’s Monitor Light Bar, which works quite well, by the way, has anti-glare flicker and also has three different color temperature settings. All in all, the investment isn’t all that much compared to all the benefits you end up getting.
Lets You Change The Ambiance
Traditional lamps only have a certain level of luminance and color tone. However, monitor light bars allow you to change their brightness while also letting you adjust their tone accordingly.
Generally, we prefer using warmer colors at the night (as they have less blue light), and lighter tones in the evening. Most monitor light bars are equipped with the three following color temperatures:
| Color Temperature | Use Case |
| White (2800K) | General Use |
| Neutral White (4000K) | Working |
| Cool White (5500K) | Reading |
In terms of brightness, usually, most monitor light bars offer step-less dimming. In essence, the light bar can be dimmed / brightened up to a certain level. While more control would be great, having the ability to change your brightness in the first place is an added plus.
Great Replacement For A Lamp
Lamps take up tons of real estate on your desk. In smaller settings, they can clump up your entire desk and not produce light that’s balanced. Moreover, lamps often lead to annoying reflections being produced on your screen.
Since the light of a lamp only comes from one side, it can also cast a shadow on some side of your desk. For instance, if you are someone who studies, draws, or uses their desk to study at night while using their computer, you’ll either get big shadows when writing or will have extremely visible reflections on your screen.
A light bar solves this conundrum as it is installed directly in front of where your hands and under your desk. It also gets rid of annoying shadows which also leads to you not needing to turn on your room’s lights when you need to jot down a quick note.
Reduces Eye Strain (Great For Your Eyes)
People tend to place their desks in really dimly lit rooms with not a lot of ambient light. This can put a lot of strain on your eyes, cause headaches and even blur your vision in some extreme cases.
Most monitor light bars come with non-flicker and no blue-light hazard certifications. With the relatively ergonomic position of the light bar, you’ll end up massively reducing the strain on your eyes especially if you sit on your desk/computer for hours at a time
While yes, to be fair, an aptly placed lamp might also do the trick in some cases; it lacks features such as anti-blue-light certifications and an ergonomic throw that makes a light bar so special in the first place.
Best Monitor Light Bars 2022
Generally saying, almost all monitor light bars perform the same task, so you should be good to go with any of your picks. However, we’ve personally tried a few at varying price points. So, without further adieu, here are our picks!
Best Budget: Baseus Light Bar
It goes without saying, Baseus makes excellent products at quite a reasonable price point and their light bar is no exception. It is sleek, looks great, fits into almost any monitor except bezel-less ones; and features anti-flicker protection.
Moreover, touching the sensor on the light bar lets you effortlessly change the color temperature from three modes alongside the brightness, too. You can either power the light bar via USB-C or a power adapter.
All in all, it is a solid pickup at the price point.
Pros:
- Flexible, adjustable hinge
Cons:
- Build quality is lacking
Best Overall: BenQ Screenbar Monitor Light
The BenQ Screenbar Monitor Light has a few creature comforts that take it up a notch. For instance, it has an ambient sensor built-in that auto-dims and brightens up according to your room’s surroundings. So, you won’t have to go through the effort of manually changing your brightness (although you can if you want to.)
The weighted hinge is a pleasure to use and the overall aesthetic of the light bar is leagues above anything else we’ve tried. Besides that though, there is not much to say about the light bar. It nails the basics, has great build quality, and works with almost every monitor.
So, if you are on the lookout for the best monitor light bar out there, BenQ’s definitely got you covered.
Pros:
- Amazing build quality
Cons:
- Slightly overpriced
Are Monitor Light Bars Worth It?
Yes, monitor light bars are worth it for anyone who spends an extended time on their desk. Even if you don’t spend your entire day on your computer, having the ability to reduce the strain and glare from your monitor whilst also reducing cords and removing shadows and overcast is worth it.
Plus, with the low price point and the fact that monitor light bars do not require a lot of setting up and look aesthetically pleasing, they are an excellent pick-up for anyone serious about spicing up their office!
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I work from home. To do the best possible job I need the right accessories - the right desk, the right chair, the right keyboard, the right monitor, etc. When I work I want to feel comfortable. I review everything that's related to home desk setup - focusing on Monitors & Keyboards.
