Unboxing the Cricut Bright 360 Floor Lamp: A Review

Having reached a certain age (maybe you know that age too!), I find that I really need good light to work on any kind of art and craft project. I find it almost impossible to see cut lines on white vinyl without it. And don’t get me started on stitching with black thread on black fabric. (It’s not pretty!) Plus, I work on a computer all day for my job at Craft-e-Corner, and eye strain or fatigue can be a real issue that carries over into my off-duties hours. Just when I’d like to relax in the evening with a good craft project, natural light is dwindling and my eyes are tired and not working their best.

So, I was super excited when Cricut came out with their own craft lamp, and I have been looking forward to getting one for myself. From its photos, I knew that I loved the look of the lamp. It’s a modern looking design in a lovely light blue gray color. The lamp head is large - 9.5 inches across - and illuminates up 4 square feet. And the lamp is infinitely adjustable. The floor lamp can put the lamp head any place from right in my lap if I’m hand sewing to over my shoulder for painting or Cricut crafting.

The virtues of the lamp extend beyond those of us with older eyes. Young eyes out there will also appreciate the temperature adjustable clear light for everything from close up hobby work to craft photography. The light temperature can be changed from warm to cool and brightness adjusted up to 3000 lux. Cricut reports the lamp’s Color Rendering Index or CRI as 95. CRI measures the ability of the lamp to reveal colors in comparison to a natural light source like the sun, and 95 is excellent! Lux is a measure of the amount of light hitting a surface.  To give you some idea, most offices and retail stores shoot for lighting about 500 lux, making this lamp up to 6 times as bright.

Unboxing

Let’s get to it then! The lamp arrives well-packaged with an inner lamp box packed inside an outer corrugated cardboard box.

The lamp is cushioned inside the inner box with cardboard inserts.

The floor lamp comes unassembled in 4 pieces:

1. Circular base
2. Bottom lamp stem
3. Upper lamp stem (with head, arm and slider controls)
4. Power cord with adapter

The lamp uses LED bulbs that are preinstalled in the lamp head. Cricut reports that the bulbs will last in excess of 40,000 hours and are not replaceable. The bulbs are not hot to the touch even after prolonged use, so you can always safely adjust the lamp.

Also in the box is a getting started envelope with instructions for assembly, use and safety instructions and a copy of your warranty. The Cricut Bright 360 Lamp is covered by a limited manufacturer warranty and guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship for one year.

Assembly

Assembly is super easy. It requires no tools and just takes a few minutes! Insert the round end of the stem into the the heavy 11 pound, 10.5 inch diameter base until it “clicks.” The stem will rotate 360 degrees after proper insertion.

Insert the upper part of lamp into the lower stem. Align the 2 parts using the arrows on the labels so that the notches match up to the stopper on the stem. Again, push the parts together until you hear a “click.”

(Note that once assembled, the lamp is not designed to be taken apart.)

 Peel the protective plastic film from the lamp head.

Plug in the round end of the 71 inch cord into the bottom of the lamp stem and plug the other end into your outlet

Controls

Control the lamp using the slider controls on the stem of the lamp. The upper slider controls the temperature of the light. The temperature can be adjusted between a warm light setting …

… to a daylight cool setting.

The bottom slider controls the brightness of the lamp from “off” to full brightness at 3000 lux.

Adjust the position of the light for your task in 4 ways:

1. The lamp stem rotates 360 degrees around the base.
2. The lamp arm allows the head to be positioned any place between a low position of 34 inches from the floor and a high position of 56 inches from the floor.
3. The lamp head flips up and down.
4. The lamp head also pivots 270 degrees on it arm.

Review

I've added my Cricut Bright 360 Floor Lamp to my living room (next to "my chair") and I already love it!  It's attractive, but discreet and doesn't take up a lot of "visual space" in the room. The bright clear light is super comfortable and illuminates my entire work area without shadow, even at night. The lamp is heavy enough to be stable, but still portable so I can move it to another work location in the house if I'd like.

The Cricut lamp is bit pricier than my old OttLite, but for me, the brightness and enhanced adjustability is worth it. I especially like that I can get the lamp head into my lap to light up the smallest details for hand stitching, beading, and more. That's something that I could never do with the neck on my OttLite. The Cricut Bright 360 Floor Lamp retails for 249.99. The lamps are also available in a table lamp model that retails for 199.99.  As always, get more bang for your buck with one of Craft-e-Corner’s Bright 360 Lamp Bundle Deals.

The Cricut Bright 360 Table Lamp option includes most of the same features as its floor-size counterpart, with these key differences: 

• Brightness up to 1500 lux.
• Base is 8.5 inches in diameter and weighs 5.5 pounds
• Head head adjusts between 16.5 and 27 inches from the table surface

Assembly on the table lamp is a quick click to attach the stem to the base, then plug in and go! 

If you're looking for an attractive, high quality craft lamp, I encourage you to give one of the Cricut Bright 360 Lamps a try. Crafty moms of all ages would appreciate the gift of light for Mother's Day - or just because! Shop all our craft light options, including these Ultimate Bright 360 LED lamps, from our Lighting Collection. Order soon for Mother's Day delivery.