Here at Cosy Home, while I’d love to while away the summer days baking perfect cup cakes and arranging jars of wild flowers on the windowsill, the reality is that I spend a lot of time at my desk.
That’s why I was pleased when lighting specialists First Choice Lighting got in touch to ask me to try out the Ranger task light by Dar Lighting. Perfect for desk lighting, it would also work well as a table lamp or bedside light.
The Ranger 4046 task light by Dar Lighting, £64 from First Choice Lighting
The technical bits
With a satin chrome finish, the Ranger 4046 task light takes a 40w E14 bulb (LED compatible) and comes with a two year guarantee. The switch type is in-line rocker, meaning it’s attached to the cable not the base, and the lamp comes complete with a metal shade. RRP is £76.80, price from First Choice Lighting is £64.
I loved the vintage style of this lamp, which was a bit 1950s anglepoise with an industrial touch as well.
My office is very traditional looking (books lining three of the walls, wooden cupboards, wooden desk) but it fitted in nicely, more so than the candlestick-style table lamp I’m currently using.
The service from First Choice Lighting was fast and efficient, with the lamp arriving just two days after it was requested. It was very well packaged in two cardboard boxes and lots (lots!) of bubble wrap.
It arrived full assembled and ready to go. (Or rather, it would have been ready to go had I had any of the right bulbs in the house! A quick trip to the hardware shop later, and it really was ready to go.)
The Ranger 4046 task light looked good in a traditional setting. Additional adjustment is via the handle by the lamp head.
The good bits
I really liked the look of the lamp; it was comparatively heavy and felt solid and good quality.
It’s adjustable in two ways, there’s one screw allowing adjustment of the height and another allowing the head of the lamp to be moved at a different angle to the base.
On the top adjustment, there’s an additional level to help you make fine adjustments to the ratchet system, which you can then lock securely in place. Both adjustments were easy to use and allowed a fair range of movement.
Control is via an in-line rocker switch built into the cable
The not so good bits
As I was using it as a desk lamp, I’d have preferred the switch to be on the base rather than the cable. The cable had a tendency to hide itself behind the desk and needed pulling up to reach the switch. This wasn’t a big problem, though, and at least it meant the switch was out of sight.
Ideally, I’d have liked the facility to be able to move the head of the lamp from side to side as well as up and down. My desk is quite narrow, though, and I didn’t have space to move the lamp itself around to adjust the lighting – people with ‘normal sized’ desks wouldn’t find this a problem.
My only other comment is a very small one – the handle to move the head of the lamp had a helpful sticker with ‘means of adjustment’ on it. When I removed the label, it left the handle very sticky – nothing a quick wipe with soap and warm water didn’t solve, though.
The verdict
Overall, I thought this was a really nice, good quality lamp and good value for money. It would look good in almost any décor, and wouldn’t date.
By Sara Walker
