Cordless table lamps: what they are, 5 best

What makes the best cordless table lamps

Small enough to pack: A slim stem or a short dome that fits a suitcase corner and a small hotel nightstand.
Hours per charge: 12 hours or more at a usable setting covers dinner on the terrace and reading in bed.
Charges anywhere: USB-C or a 100–240 V charger, so it tops up abroad with only a plug adapter.
Terrace-proof: IP54 or better against splashes and dust on balconies and poolside tables.
Warm, adjustable light: Dimming and warm 2200–3000K tones that suit a hotel room or a dinner table.

The battery sits in the base or the stem, and the lamp runs on it until the next charge. Most charge by USB-C cable or on a contact charging base.

An LED light source: Current models use integrated LEDs, so there is no bulb to buy or replace; Brightech’s Celia is one example.
A lithium-ion battery: Zafferano’s Pina Pro runs on a replaceable lithium-ion battery rated for about 450 recharges.
Hotel and restaurant roots: Zafferano says its lamps outfit hotels and restaurants; Business Insider notes many people first see the Pina Pro on restaurant tables.
Mood light or task light: Some are bright enough to read by; Brightech says its Celia is a mood light, not meant for reading or desk work.
Who makes them: Zafferano, Flos, Fatboy, Pooky, &Tradition and Brightech all sell cordless table lamps.

An LED in the head runs from the battery. A button or touch pad switches it on, dims it and, on many models, changes the color of the light.

Two ways to charge: Flos’s Bellhop Unplugged and Fatboy’s Edison The Petit take a USB-C cable; Zafferano lamps sit on a contact charging base.
Dimming: Zafferano lamps dim continuously; the Bellhop Unplugged has 4 steps; the Celia has low, medium and high.
Color temperature: Measured in kelvins: LED lamps sold as soft white are about 2,700 K, warm white about 3,000 K; a candle flame is about 1,850 K.
Three tones in one: Zafferano and Flos let you switch the same lamp between 2200K, 2700K and 3000K.
Runtime and brightness: Fatboy rates Edison The Petit at 8 hours on its brightest setting and 24 hours on its lowest.
Charging time: Fatboy quotes about 3 hours; Zafferano quotes 6–7 hours for the Pina Pro; Saint-Louis quotes 6 hours for its Folia mini.

Stem lamps: A slim stem and a small head, like Zafferano’s Pina Pro and Poldina Pro, made for dining and patio tables.
Mushroom lamps: A dome over a short base, like Flos’s Bellhop Unplugged and Brightech’s Celia.
Shade lamps: Classic lamp shapes, like Fatboy’s Edison The Petit, or Pooky bases sold with more than 100 shade options.
Puck lamps: Zafferano’s PushUp Pro stands 3.27 in tall; pushing it down raises a spring-powered diffuser.
Cordless floor lamps: Taller versions exist; Business Insider tested a 48-inch Zafferano Poldina Pro Large that weighs 15 pounds.
Crystal lamps: Saint-Louis makes its Folia portable lamps in cut crystal, from a hand-sized mini to larger models topped in wood.

Lumens: The amount of light; Business Insider, citing the Department of Energy, puts a 40-watt bulb at roughly 450 lumens. The Pina Pro gives up to 206.
Runtime on high: Makers often quote the dimmest setting; Brightech rates the Celia at up to 30 hours dim, roughly 8 to 10 on its brightest.
Tested runtime: Business Insider measured 11 hours from a Pina Pro rated at 12.
IP rating: An IEC 60529 code: the first digit is dust, the second water. 4 means splashing water, 5 water jets; IP54 and IP65 are common.
Charging method: A USB-C port charges from a laptop, power bank or phone charger; a charging base has to travel with the lamp.
Size and weight: Fatboy’s Edison The Petit weighs 1 lb; Brightech’s Celia 2.2 lbs; Zafferano’s Poldina Pro Micro is 2.76 in wide.
Color rendering: CRI scores how true colors look under a light, up to 100; Zafferano lists CRI 80 for the Pina Pro.

Both bags allowed: The FAA allows lithium-ion devices in carry-on bags; in checked bags only when completely powered off and protected from accidental activation.
The 100 Wh limit: Batteries up to 100 Wh are allowed on passenger aircraft; 101–160 Wh need airline approval. Wh is volts multiplied by amp-hours.
Small batteries: Zafferano’s Pina Pro replacement set is two 3.7 V, 2,200 mAh cells.
Spare batteries: Spare lithium-ion batteries, such as replacement cells, must go in carry-on bags only, with terminals protected from short circuit.
Charging abroad: Zafferano’s charging driver accepts 100–240V at 50/60 Hz; Fatboy ships a USB-C to USB-A cable but no wall adapter.
In the hotel room: Business Insider traveled with a Pina Pro and used it as a nightlight in a guest room that had only overhead lighting.
On the terrace: The Pina Pro and Bellhop Unplugged are rated IP54 and the Poldina Pro Micro IP65 for indoor and outdoor use.

Thermal runaway: The FAA says lithium-ion batteries can overheat if damaged, overheated, exposed to water or overcharged.
Not waterproof: IP54 covers splashing water, not immersion; Business Insider notes the Pina Pro is not completely waterproof.
Finish matters: Zafferano says galvanized Poldina Pro Micro finishes are not for continuous outdoor use, and metallic Poldina Pro finishes are indoor only.
Battery wear: Zafferano rates its batteries at about 450 recharges, sells replacements and covers batteries for 1 year.
Don’t leave it charging: Business Insider advises against keeping a cordless lamp plugged in continuously, which shortens battery life.
Temperature range: Fatboy lists an ambient range of 14–113 °F for Edison The Petit.
Some are dim: Business Insider found the Hay Pao and the Flowerpot VP9 too dim for much beyond decor.

Cordless table lamps rest on two inventions: the rechargeable lithium-ion battery and the efficient white LED.

1991: Sony begins selling the first rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, based on Akira Yoshino’s design.
August 2014: The USB-C connector specification is published.
October 2014: The Nobel Prize in Physics honors the efficient blue LED, which made bright, energy-saving white light possible.
2016: Barber Osgerby design Bellhop as a table light for the restaurant at the Design Museum in London; Flos dates the portable version to 2018.
2018: Zafferano’s Poldina Pro debuts; Zafferano calls it the original cordless lamp.
2019: Zafferano America is established and grows into a leading seller of cordless lighting in North America.