They may not be a huge name, but Astrum makes a huge range of electronics with its lamps being some strange, but interesting entries.

We’ve had the NL050 and NL060 in the offices to test recently, both of which aren’t regular, permanent light sources for your home.

Instead they’re intended to be moved around as each comes with their own internal battery and some functionality to make moving easier.

Both of these products aren’t exactly rugged, so camping and garage use are not really an option. So what are they for?

Well after having them around for a while they certainly become one of those objects that you simply find uses for as time goes on. South Africa’s random blackouts are a perfect example, which happened during our test period and both of these lamps proved to be a godsend.

We also found ourselves using them as a spot lamps for reading in a dark corner, helping out with dimmer device screens, and as a supplementary light at our desk.

With the usefulness of the portable lamps proven to us, the next question is this: which one is better?

Astrum NL060

The NL060 has an attractive metal frame that folds down for storage and portability, and is this lamp’s biggest draw and biggest weakness.

The problem with this frame is that it rubs against itself, giving you that horrible metal on metal feeling (and sound) and the worry that it will damage itself.

In our couple of weeks of testing we didn’t see any chipping or flaking – and we suspect that this problem will go away over time as its worn in – but it’s still not a good experience.

What you get in return is a very versatile light source with the expanding frame offering a lot of height, as well as a swivelling head for easy directional use.

The frame can also be used as a stand for to hold a phone or tablet. We used it a lot with the Nintendo Switch where the joints could just barely hold onto it. It was fine for the Switch, but if you’re using something heavier you will need to add in some support.

Charging up the 1000 mAh battery took just over and hour and provided more than six hours at full brightness. While that sounds amazing, it really isn’t.

As the battery drains the brightness goes down accordingly. We’d say that only the first three hours or so are usable before it just becomes a soft mood light, rather than a lamp.

Aside from the micro USB port there’s a single button for power and cycling between the two brightness levels, and everything here feels very premium in terms of build quality, aside from the scraping.

Astrum NL050

Astrum bills the NL050 as an “eye protecting lamp”, which is something you’ll need to get a doctor to comment on. Did it reduce eye strain for us? Yes, but we don’t know if that’s purely the benefit you get from additional lighting.

As a regular light it’s constructed weirdly: the long, main bank of LEDs is connected to a rubberised base with a flexible bend. It can’t be folded completely shut, and you’re warned not to bend it sideways, but it does allow for easy vertical positioning.

We wish that it also had a swivelling head like the NL060 for horizontal movement, however. As is you need to re-position the whole lamp to move the light.

The larger 2000 mAh battery takes just over two hours to charge to full and at full brightness you’re again getting six hours of use. Unlike the NL060, however, the light here is bright enough to use for the full six hours.

Again, the build quality is great, and the inputs are very nice to use. There’s a capacitive button for power and then a touch slider for brightness. After the micro USB port there’s another button to cycle between the three types of lighting.

There are some issues with the design though. It’s very awkward to move around because it can never be folded flat, and we can easily see the white base becoming very dirty over time.

Which one to buy

If you are in need of a portable lamp to use around the house, both the NL050 and NL060 are good choices, but keep in mind what you’re getting here.

The NL060 can more easily be taken about, is taller and can be used as stand, but has a smaller battery and a provides less light. The NL050 is a bit more difficult to position but gives you more light more of the time.

In terms of price the local distributor has told us that the NL060 is R365 and the NL050 is R443, but please note that those prices are excluding VAT and you’ll be paying more at the store.

The biggest complaint we have is a missing feature: using these as power banks. Even with their small batteries, it would be great if you could siphon off their power in situation where a few extra percent on a phone is much more important than having some light.