This is a great little lamp for the money. Simple straight forward design. It is not what I would call a "reading" lamp, although it's what I use it for and it works fine for that. The reason I say that is it is very bright! Almost too bright, and there's no way to dim it down. That's the main reason I've given it a 4 star rating. It is excellent as task lighting, for hobbyists or crafts persons who need a concentrated bright light on a work item. Someone who nits, or does bead-work, as an example. I bought a second lamp to use in my woodworking shop. I focus it on my table saw and it works great! Easy to move from tool to tool, too. Another shortcoming is the set-screw the lap uses to affix the two segments of the poles together. I've bought 3 of these lamps and have yet to find one! Fortunately, my shop has plenty of these orphan screws, so, I had no problem substituting.