CROWDFUNDING REVIEW – Astute readers will recognize this lamp from our news post in April 2021. Today, we’re diving in with a full hands-on review on ZAN Design’s Lybra Balance Lamp.
What is it?
The Lybra lamp is a rechargeable lamp with a unique design. It is designed as an art piece that can be balanced on nearly any point. The design, with its center of gravity located below the balance point, makes the lamp nearly tip-proof and allows it to function as a kinetic sculpture as well as a lamp.
What’s in the box?
- Lybra lamp
- Charging and display base
- USB-A to micro-USB charging cable
- User guide
Hardware specs
- Dimensions: 8.8″w x 6.4″d x 11.2″h
- Weight: 12oz
- Power input: 5v, 1A-2A micro-USB – a power adapter is not supplied
- Battery capacity: 1,000mAh
- Battery life: 6 hours
- Brightness: 80 lumens
- Lighting modes: warm white & cool white
- Product lifespan: 10,000 hours
- Colors: black, white, red (black supplied for this review)
- Shipping target: June 2021
Design and features
This is one cool-looking lamp. With its modern vibe, tilted stance, and ability to tip and swivel, it is quite eye-catching and sure to be a conversation starter.
On the back of the base, there is a micro-USB port (why not UBS-C?) and an LED charging indicator. The indicator flashes when charging and then goes on solid at full charge.
On top of the base, we see the charging port off to the side and the balance point in the center.
Looking down into the charging port, we can see the contacts that the lamp’s point touch to charge.
At the very top of the lamp itself, there is a single control button. Pushing that button cycles through lighting modes as follows: warm white –> cool white –> off.
The two lighting modes, warm white on the left and cool white on the right, are nice and will help this fit into whatever your lighting scheme may be.
The lamp is dual-sided with half-sphere lights on each side of the lamp body. Both illuminate – there is no option to turn on just one side.
Setup
Plug in the base and insert the lamp into the top charging port. Once the red LED turns on solid, the lamp is charged and ready to go.
Performance
Here’s a short video of the Lybra lamp in action.
The low-friction balance point on the display stand allows the lamp to move, at least in some capacity, for several minutes, depending on how much force is used to move it. Even without moving, the lamp is quite attractive with a modern vibe. Its six-hour battery life between charges means it should be able to light for most evening parties.
What I like
- Cool design
- Nice color choices
- The 80-lumen brightness is perfect as an accent lamp
- Being battery powered, this lamp can be placed just about anywhere to bring visual interest
What I’d change
- Use USB-C to charge
- Perhaps a longer battery life
Final thoughts
Our design aesthetic is decidedly modern. The Lybra Balance lamp fits perfectly into our home. I look forward to turning it on when we can finally start entertaining again as I think it will be a nice visual addition to our party decor. With rewards starting at $69, this lamp is reasonably priced for something that can also double as art. ZAN Design has already more than doubled their Kickstarter funding goal, so the odds of the product coming to fruition are good. Like any Kickstarter campaign, there is always some risk so buy with that knowledge.
Price: $69 with other discounted rewards for multiple lamps
Where to buy: Lybra Balance Lamp Kickstarter campaign
Campaign deadline: Thursday, April 29, 2021, at 9:46 AM EDT
Source: The sample of this product was provided by ZAN Design.
