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Old 02-25-2019, 04:36 PM   #1
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Name: John & Gloria
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Your favorite reading lamp?

We have a 21RB Bigfoot. I want to mount two reading lights over the dinette. Our dinette is in the front of the rig and my wife and I usually sit with our back to the front window and our legs up on the bench. This puts the existing light too far forward to see the page without turning the book quit a bit. I want a separate light for each side. If you have found a dandy light that works for you, I would be interested. My wife is thinking free standing battery operated. I am wanting to mount 12V lights under the cabinets over our heads. The sabers have not come out yet but with your help, I may have a better chance.
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Old 02-26-2019, 10:11 AM   #2
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Don't know if this will help, but I'd recommend something with a neck you can adjust and positioned more behind you than straight above you. We have overhead lights in our teardrop we thought would be good for reading in bed. But when we're lying down they actually illuminate the outside and top edge of the book rather than the page! With a neck you could position the light just so for small changes in your reading position. You could also test out the position with a cheap battery operated stick-on light first. Don't have any specific recommendations beyond that, and will be interested to see what others say.
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Old 02-26-2019, 10:24 AM   #3
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Are you mostly plugged in, or do you often boondock? Personally, my favorite reading lamp would be an actual 110V, household lamp with an incandescent bulb, or the warmest LED I could find. If you regularly boondock, then finding an actual 12v lamp would be nice, I would think. Overhead lights are nice, and they're what I use for reading, because they're all I have, but I think a lamp with a gooseneck, like Marge mentioned, would be really nice.

It's something that's been on my list but just hasn't made it to the top yet...
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Old 02-26-2019, 11:29 AM   #4
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Travein2.....

Not disagreeing with others' suggestions, but I took another route to satisfying my reading light issue. I replaced the 1141 led bulbs that came in my 2016 Casita's interior side overheads with higher output leds in warm white(over 600 lumens!). I'm happy with the simpler approach to the issue and the outcome.

Frank
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Old 02-26-2019, 04:13 PM   #5
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Name: John & Gloria
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I am thinking of something like this but am hesitant to order it because it doesn't say what type of LED it has and if it can be changed/replaced.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JLDT2Q9...detail_5?psc=1
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Old 02-26-2019, 08:38 PM   #6
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Name: Kelly
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The RV stores tend to be very limited in LED lighting options.



So let me open your eyes with a plethora of choices from the marine supply stores. Those boaters adore LED lighting and there are a lot of choices of good quality 12 volt LED lighting with lots of choices in reading and overhead cabin lights. This is from Fisheries Supply, a terrific store in Seattle where you can talk to real people (even on the phone) and ask questions about the lights and how good each one is for reading. They have them on display, all powered up inside the store. They have a good shipping department.

https://www.fisheriessupply.com/mari...2Fled-lighting
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Old 03-01-2019, 02:01 PM   #7
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Definitely win the battle against freestanding battery powered ones. My wife wanted some of those in the regular house. The batteries are always dead.
She learned.
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Old 03-01-2019, 11:06 PM   #8
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Some led lights, like the puck lights I once tried, have parasitic losses and run the batts down even when not in use. Mostly these are el cheapo lights.

Now I like to use a Zebralight headlamp with a warm white led.
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Old 03-02-2019, 03:04 AM   #9
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Mike.......

How can an led light "have parasitic losses" if the switch is turned off????

Frank
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Old 03-02-2019, 06:28 AM   #10
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Name: John & Gloria
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Magee View Post
Some led lights, like the puck lights I once tried, have parasitic losses and run the batts down even when not in use. Mostly these are el cheapo lights.

Now I like to use a Zebralight headlamp with a warm white led.

I have learned my lesson also about the warm white LEDs. I put cool white lights through out a previous RV and found them very tiring to the eyes.
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Old 03-02-2019, 06:43 AM   #11
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We have a problem with our reading lights too in the Silver Cloud. They sit out from the angled wall over the bed, and we are constant whacking our heads on them. I have been looking at new lights with a neck that can be moved back. This thread is is useful.
Trouble is, these lights match the rest in the Silver Cloud, so I am not sure about changing them out at all.


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Old 03-06-2019, 11:18 AM   #12
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Find anything you like and make it a warm LED. In my case, I bought (under) cabinet lighting from IKEA, snipped the transformer off and wired it directly into my 12V system, added a switch. I placed it on the underside of my cabinets (below standing eye level), above the bed/table on my 13' L'il Bigfoot. It's been great. EASY!
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Old 03-06-2019, 12:04 PM   #13
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Name: Eric
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daverosy View Post
Find anything you like and make it a warm LED. In my case, I bought (under) cabinet lighting from IKEA, snipped the transformer off and wired it directly into my 12V system, added a switch. I placed it on the underside of my cabinets (below standing eye level), above the bed/table on my 13' L'il Bigfoot. It's been great. EASY!
Be careful though. Not all LED undercounter lighting strips are 12 volts. Some are around 30 volts and won't work off 12 volts. Check the output on the power module that comes with it.

Eric
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Old 03-06-2019, 12:36 PM   #14
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Name: Rebecca
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We like to keep things simple. I use cheap battery operated headlamps. I can pivot the light down to hit my book in the exact right spot. Great for reading outside at night and anywhere in the camper. And no holes drilled.
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Old 03-06-2019, 12:36 PM   #15
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Defender Industries defender.com is a friend to the yachtsman and to the R.V. crowd as well. They should stock a quality 12V led fixture that will work for you that is reasonably(?) priced.
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Old 03-07-2019, 06:30 AM   #16
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Name: John & Gloria
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Thanks for all the ideas. I have just been ignoring all the lights that plug in to 110. I never thought about cutting off the converter.
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Old 03-07-2019, 10:06 AM   #17
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Suction cup lights

We have two lights that are LED, have goosenecks, plug into USB ports (or plug in using a cell-phone charger gizmo), and have suction cups on the base to hold them in place. they are heavy enough to be free-standing as well. We have them stuck to the underside of the overhead storage cabinets at the back of the Casita (we have a twin bed model). Easily relocated, no screws or rivets.

unfortunately, can't remember where we got them, but could easily have been IKEA. Or an auto supply store. Or a computer supplier.

good luck,
Jennifer
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Old 03-07-2019, 10:55 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Travelin2 View Post
We have a 21RB Bigfoot. I want to mount two reading lights over the dinette. Our dinette is in the front of the rig and my wife and I usually sit with our back to the front window and our legs up on the bench. This puts the existing light too far forward to see the page without turning the book quit a bit. I want a separate light for each side. If you have found a dandy light that works for you, I would be interested. My wife is thinking free standing battery operated. I am wanting to mount 12V lights under the cabinets over our heads. The sabers have not come out yet but with your help, I may have a better chance.
I think there are a number of light fixtures available with goose necks and swivel heads that would work well if mounted under the cabinets.

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Personally, we tend to use our Kindles and our phones with their illuminated screens for most of our reading.
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Old 03-12-2019, 09:15 AM   #19
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OK, I trekked down to the trailer and checked out the suction cup lights I mentioned in a previous post. They have a label on them that says Hampton Bay which means we must have gotten them at Hope Depot.

The suction cup operates like those ones on safety bars for bathrooms - has a lever to really stick it down - you don't just smash it up on the wall. The base is about 3.5 inches in diameter.

Hope that helps.
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Old 10-29-2019, 01:19 PM   #20
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My daughter got me a Sunbeam desk lamp at a dollar store for ,wait for it, $1.00 I bought 3 more.

https://slickdeals.net/f/13189183-1-...ree-store-only

Here is the kicker. This lamp which is a very good quality with a nice weight to it has a 12volt wall wart with it. So if you wanted you could wire it into the 12 volt side of your RV.
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