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Why go cordless
A lamp with a cord has to stand where the cord reaches, and the cord is part of the picture. A rechargeable lamp has no cord once it is charged, so the light can go where it looks best rather than where the wall socket is. That is why cordless lamps turn up on restaurant tables, on long sideboards and on the open shelves of a bookcase.
The same lamp is easy to move. Carry it from the dinner table to the sofa, or out to a table on the porch on a dry evening, and bring it back in with you.
How charging works
Charging is usually by a USB cable, sometimes into a port on the base and sometimes through a small dock the lamp sits on. A phone charger or a laptop port does the job. Some lamps can stay lit while they charge and some cannot; the product page says which where the maker states it.
Give the cable a home near where the lamp lives. Charging then becomes a habit, like a phone at night, instead of a search for the right lead.
How long a charge lasts
Run time depends on the battery and even more on the brightness you choose. A lamp kept as a low glow can go several evenings between charges; turned up to full, the same lamp runs down far sooner. Where the maker gives a run time, it is on the product page, and it is usually measured at a low setting.
Controls, dimming and light color
Many cordless lamps switch on with a touch on the top or the base, and a long press turns the light up or down. Some step between warm, neutral and cool white; some come with a remote and a choice of colors. Others do one thing only. The Dimming and Control lines on the product page say what a lamp does, where the manufacturer states it.
For a bedroom or a dinner table, a warm white is the light most people find relaxing. Cooler light suits a desk.
Shapes you will find here
Mushroom lamps. A domed shade on a slim stem, the classic cordless shape. They have their own page: mushroom table lamps.
Candle and lantern styles. A small light under a cap or inside a glass body, made for a soft glow rather than for reading.
Globes and cylinders. Light from all sides, good on a shelf or as a night light.
Lamps with a fabric shade. They look like a classic table lamp and run on a battery in the base.
Size against the table
Cordless lamps are often smaller than a photograph suggests. Read the height and width on the product page and hold a tape measure up to the table. If you want a lamp that suits a nightstand or a shelf, see our small table lamps, which are 21 inches tall or less.
Cordless or plug-in?
Choose cordless where there is no outlet, or where you would rather not see a cord. Choose a lamp that plugs in where you want light for hours every night without thinking about charging. Both kinds are on our table lamps page.