Youkoyi A509 LED Swing Arm Lamp

  • Easily adjustable arms and lamp head

  • Impressive lamp hood rotation

  • Feels cheap and flimsy

  • Beeping noise when pushing buttons

  • Unattractive design

  • Expensive

The Youkoyi A509 LED Lamp’s bulky, unattractive design, limited lighting options, and hefty price tag make it a poor choice for LED lamps.

  • Design
  • Setup Process
  • Color Temperature and Brightness
  • Smart Light Options
  • Price
  • Competition
  • Final Verdict
  • Specs

We purchased the Youkoyi A509 LED Lamp so our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and assess it. Keep reading for our full product review.

In the modern age of LED lighting panels, traditional bulky hood lamps are mostly a thing of the past. That’s what makes the Youkoyi A509 so curious. It’s a premium swing arm LED lamp with an outdated design. The distractingly huge lamp hood on the Youkoyi A509 would more commonly fit a fish tank from ten years ago than a modern, expensive architect-style desk lamp. The Youkoyi’s retro design and lack of features ultimately make it a poor choice as a premium LED desk lamp.

Design: A rotating aquarium light

The Youkoyi A509 is a C-clamp architect LED lamp with two adjustable swing arms and a large 20.8-inch hood that houses the LED. The clamp supports desks up to 2.36 inches thick. Tightening and loosening the clamp is made easier thanks to the large plastic screw on the bottom.

The bottom arm measures 22.4 inches and slots into the clamp, while the second arm (18.5 inches) connects to the hood. The upper arm can rotate up to 175 degrees, but the bottom only up to 70 degrees. Even with the screw in place, the swing arm lamp felt flimsy while making adjustments. It never fell out of the clamp but always felt much looser than we would have liked.

We found the bulky retro aquarium hood lamp wholly unattractive, and the microwave plastic touch buttons didn’t raise our esteem. For some unfathomable reason, every push of one of the buttons results in a high-pitched beeping sound, including adjusting the brightness, color temperature, and turning it off and on. This feature proves annoying more than helpful.

For some unfathomable reason, every push of one of the buttons results in a high-pitched beeping sound

Setup Process: Clamp and adjust

The Youkoyi A509 comes pre-assembled. You need only to attach the C-clamp to a desk or table, loosen the screw nut, and insert the swing arm lamp. The screw on the clamp can be removed completely to allow full 360-degree rotation, though even with the screw the lamp can rotate up to 270 degrees around the clamp.

The arms can be completely straightened up to an impressive length (or height) of 40 inches. The A509’s best feature is the easily maneuverable LED hood. The lamp head is capable of a full 360-degree horizontal rotation and 180-degree vertical rotation, adjusting quickly and painlessly thanks to the rubber connectors. Moving the lamp head is satisfyingly easy. It instantly locks and stays in place without having to tighten or loosen anything.

Color Temperature and Brightness: Only two temperatures and four brightness levels

Despite its relatively large size, the A509 is limited to just two color temperatures: 3000K and 4200K with the standard 8-watt model (a 16-watt model is also available that replaces the 4200K with 5750K). The 3000K gives off a familiar amber light for easier eye strain in low-light conditions, while 4200K produces a more natural white light, though still far less than what most modern LED lamps can reach.

Both light modes can be dimmed in four 25 percent increments, though the dimmer must be cycled in order with the push of the single brightness button. The one advantage to the retro hood design is that the buttons are located on the front and accessible from any lamp configuration.

With only two color modes and almost a complete lack of features, this clamp lamp underperforms at a grossly inflated price tag.

Smart Light Options: Includes a limited one-hour timer

The Youkoyi A509 will remember its last color mode and brightness level thanks to the built-in memory function. A breathing indicator light can be turned off or on by long-pressing the power button. The pulsing red light seems almost like a malevolent eye staring back at you.

The only other smart light option is a timer with a dedicated timing button. Pressing the button will set the lamp to turn off in one hour. No other timing adjustments can be made. We certainly expected more advanced features from such an expensive desk lamp.

Price: Overpriced at any level

With a price ranging between $110-$130, the Youkoyi A509 is among the most expensive swing arm lamps on the market. With the added cost we expected a lamp filled with plenty of lighting, extra features, and superior design, but the Youkoyi A509 failed to impress in nearly every category. We’d be hard-pressed to recommend this light even at half the cost.

We’d be hard-pressed to recommend this light even at half the cost.

Youkoyi A509 LED Lamp vs. Byblight E430

Unless you absolutely need a hooded lamp design with a swing arm clamp lamp, you can do far better. Many swing arm clamp lamps are half the cost at around $50-60, with most featuring more color modes and just as many rotational options. The Byblight E430, for example, features four color modes and six brightness levels with a sturdier, more modern design, and listed at around $100.

Bulky, flimsy, and unattractive.

Specs

  • Product Name
  • A509 LED Swing Arm Lamp
  • Product Brand
  • Youkoyi
  • MPN
  • A509
  • Price
  • $126.99
  • Weight
  • 7.75 lbs.
  • Product Dimensions
  • 29.1 x 4.3 x 4.3 in.
  • Lifespan
  • 36,000 hours
  • Color Temp
  • 3000K, 4200 K
  • Inputs/Outputs
  • AC 100-240v / DC 12V ~ 1A
  • Warranty
  • 2 years