Thursday, June 10, 2021
Most of us have been working from home for a full year now. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been stuck in some low light situations (hey, the Zoom touch-up appearance feature can only go so far!) Living in an apartment, our lighting is limited and is either full throttle when the sun is pouring in or shrouded in darkness, especially on cloudy days.
Enter Lume Cube. When approached with the opportunity to give this little gadget a try, I jumped at the chance. Apparently, country singer Luke Bryan is a fan and used it when appearing on ‘Kelly and Ryan’ via video conference. I wanted something that could give me some extra light during those Zoom meetings when the lighting is just not cutting it for me.
Lume Cube’s slogan is “work in your best light.” Brilliant marketing on their part, given all I want to do while I work from home is “live my best life,” as the kids say these days. Lume Cube’s concept first came to life via a Kickstarter campaign in November 2014. After just one month, Lume Cube blew past their original $56,000 goal and raised $229,000 in pre-orders. After a year of development, Lume Cube headed to the retail space in late 2015. Within three years, they secured shelves at Apple Stores around the globe and managed distribution in over 35 countries.
Despite all of this, I was admittedly skeptical at first. Can a little light the size of a credit card really make that much of a difference? It turns out, it can.
I received the panel mini and mobile creator stand. The panel mini is a practical $59.95 and is portable with an easy-to-figure-out screen. You can also adjust the color temperature for the perfect light no matter what situation you’re in. The mobile creator stand is also $59.95 and is a new addition to the Lume Cube family. The stand has a 360 degree rotating mount and a 290 degree tilt angle for portrait or landscape videography. There’s also an extension grip and adjustable base for holding. You can also use it hands-free, which I found to be more enjoyable.
I wear glasses, especially at night, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the light helped eliminate some glare from them. Both with and without glasses on, I felt more confident when I had my Lume Cube on. The light added the perfect amount of warmth and softened my features. In addition to freelancing, I also teach piano. I enjoyed the light for seeing sheet music after the sun set and I dealt with my somewhat dim desk lamp.
Overall, for $120 it’s worth purchasing if you plan to stay at home for the foreseeable future and are frequently on video calls.
For more information on Lume Cube, visit https://lumecube.com/.
