I am now on my third Kindle (the fourth generation) and am a really big fan of this revolutionary reading device. Over the years Kindle has seen dramatic improvements in all aspects of its design. One of my favorite ways that it has changed is in terms of its size. The latest generation Kindle has reduced the e-book reading experience to the bare minimum. It is extremely light and convenient, and an absolute pleasure to use. However, this reduction in size has meant that the “regular” book lights are no longer a very viable option. When the light weighs almost as much as Kindle itself, then your whole reading experience becomes a bit out of balance so to speak.

For many years I’ve used Bright Flex book light and have generally been very satisfied with it. It’s fairly compact for a book light, and the light head’s flexible design makes it very practical for a variety of reading purposes.

Kandle works best when there is very little or on ambient light. This is when you really notice the advantage of having your Kindle lit up. In a well-lit room or in daylight, though, it doesn’t make a lot of a difference. In those situations a desk lamp would be much preferable. The light has two intensity settings, but I don’t see many situations where the dimmer one would be needed.

The light falls off in intensity from the top of the page to the bottom, and the text close to the bottom of the page can be somewhat dim. This is unfortunately the byproduct of the physical constraints that any book light of this type would have: only a well-placed light source away from the page would flood it with uniform light. However, even in the dimmest situation the text at the bottom of the Kindle page can be easily read.

Kandle II runs on two small 3V batteries. They are the size of large watch batteries, and this certainly helps with keeping Kandle II small. However, the batteries don’t have as long of a battery life as some bigger counterparts. Furthermore, in order to replace the batteries you need to unscrew a small compartment with an included screwdriver. I don’t like this setup all that much – it means that whenever you travel with this light you need to remember to bring along the screwdriver in addition to the batteries.

Kandle clips to the top of your Kindle, and for the most part it sits securely there. However, for a truly snug fit you would need to cover a portion of your Kindle screen, which is obviously unacceptable for reading. Nonetheless, once clipped Kandle will stay on your Kindle unless you do some sudden and/or aggressive moves. Another small issue that I have is the location of the On/Off button. It is located right on the arm of the lamp, and can very easily get pressed when you are lifting the arm. I think that placing that button in a more inaccessible location would have made this a better product.

Overall, I am really happy with this small lamp. It is not perfect, but as far as the compact Kinle lights go there is really not much more that you could expect from such a device. I will certainly use it whenever I need it, and would recommend it to all other Kindle users.