The Kickstarter campaign for the new R9 Solo desk lamp by Redgrass Creative is drawing to a close soon, but before it does, I would like to share my impressions of the lamp. I have been using the R9 Solo for several months now, and here is my review.
The Redgrass R9 Solo Desk Lamp is a high-quality, adjustable desk lamp that is designed for creative professionals, such as miniature painters and graphic designers. Its black aluminium body features a single, articulating arm with a custom-designed LED light bar that provides exceptional colour accuracy and brightness. The flicker-free LEDs have a luminous intensity of 1100 lumens and a temperature of 5000K daylight. In addition to a heavy base, the Kickstarter Complete Edition also comes with a desk clamp. The lamp can be easily adjusted to position the light exactly where you need it, and is continuously dimmable up to about 10% of the luminosity when the switch is held down.
The R9 Solo is the smaller sibling of Redgrass Creative’s popular R9 lamp. The R9 Solo is more compact in comparison, featuring only one joint and a single LED beam instead of two. This makes it particularly suitable for smaller desks and hobby areas, and it is also more portable. Redgrass Creative is also known for their Everlasting Wet Palettes, which we reviewed here.
Colour Perfect Technology
One of the standout features of the R9 Solo is its colour accuracy. The lamp has a CRI (Color Rendering Index) of 97+, which means that it renders colours very accurately. While standard CRI tests evaluate only 8 colours in the color spectrum, the R9 Solo is certified for 15 colours. Redgrass calls this the R9 Color Perfect technology. This covers a broader range of the color spectrum, which is particularly beneficial for red, yellow, and skin tones.
The pleasant flicker-free light of the R9 Solo is perfect as a work light for your painting area. I’ve been using the R9 Solo lamp for a few months now, actually not for painting but for monitoring my hand-painted colour swatches. I thought I already had a good lamp, but the R9 Solo is on another level. I can see the finest colour differences and make manual adjustments accordingly. This has allowed me to further perfect the colour accuracy of my swatches. If you follow me on social media and Patreon, you’ll know that I updated all of my swatches with improved accuracy during November and December last year, and the R9 Solo has helped me to optimise my workflows.
Value
The R9 Solo is currently being funded via Kickstarter, with the campaign ending on February 4th. In terms of price, the R9 Solo sits at 129 CHF / 137 € slightly more than half the cost of its larger sibling, the dual-arm R9 lamp. This seems fair, especially considering the excellent build quality of the high-grade powder-coated aluminium. However, for a desk lamp, it’s certainly not a budget option.
I hope you found this review helpful, feel free to leave a reaction or comment below, or post your questions here or discuss on our Discord channel.
9.0 Score
Pros
- Excellent colour accuracy (CRI of 97+)
- Adjustable arm and light bar
- Premium construction, comes with base and clamp
Cons
- The red colour accent of the cable is a matter of taste
- Quality has its price
Final Verdict
The Redgrass R9 Solo Desk Lamp is an excellent choice for creative professionals who need a high-quality, adjustable desk lamp. Being the more compact little brother of the R9, the lamp is more affordable but still an investment in your hobby space, so it is important to consider your budget before making a purchase.
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