Touch Lamps

A touch lamp senses the small change in electrical capacitance when your skin contacts its metal body or touch pad, and a control circuit in the base switches the light in response. There is no mechanical switch to wear out. Because the sensor needs standby power, the lamp only responds while it is plugged in and the power point is on.

Yes, with one rule. An on/off touch lamp runs any E14, E27 or B22 LED within its wattage limit, so buy the LED you like and avoid compact fluorescents. A stepped touch dimmer is fussier: its dimmer circuit was built for halogen, so it needs a good quality dimmable LED to step through its stages without flickering, and a bargain or non-dimmable LED will not dim properly. Most of our dimming touch lamps use an integrated LED, so the globe question only arises on the replaceable-globe models and older lamps you already own.

Nearly always the globe. Most stepped touch lamps, the 3-stage kind, use a basic dimmer circuit designed around halogen and incandescent globes. Put a cheap or non-dimmable LED in one and it will flicker, buzz or skip a stage, especially on the low setting, because the LED's driver cannot follow the rough signal the dimmer sends it. The fix is a good quality dimmable LED from a brand you recognise, which has the driver to smooth that signal out. Our LED globes range is filtered by base so you can find the right E14, E27 or B22. If a quality dimmable LED still flickers, check the globe is seated firmly, try another power point, then contact us.

Usually electrical noise. Touch sensors react to tiny voltage changes, so a power board shared with a fridge, heater or charger, a loose plug or a storm can register as a touch. Move the lamp to its own power point, check the globe is tight and the base is dry. If it still switches itself after that, the touch module is faulty and we replace the lamp under warranty, so contact us with your order number rather than living with it.

Each tap steps the brightness: low, medium, full, then off. It is the most common touch dimming pattern and needs no dimmer switch or dimmable wiring. Lamps like the Superlux Kora and Equipoise Solo, Telbix Mindy and CLA Paraccu work this way, while models with a touch strip or a "Touch me" dimmer let you ramp the brightness smoothly instead.

Not on a wall dimmer, which starves the sensor of the steady power it needs. A smart plug or timer that cuts the power completely is fine, but when power returns most touch lamps stay off until tapped, so a smart plug cannot switch the lamp on by itself. If you want app or voice control, choose a lamp with a built-in remote or a smart globe in an on/off touch lamp.

The rechargeable kids models are the safest lamps we sell: they run on 5V from a USB charger, have no glass and no hot globe, and turn off with a tap. For a mains-powered touch lamp beside a child's bed, choose one with an integrated LED or a low-wattage LED globe so the shade stays cool, and route the cord behind the bedside table.

It can be visually inspected and earth-tested, but it must not be insulation resistance tested (a "mega" or "megger" test). The 500V test voltage destroys the touch sensor and is not covered by warranty. Tell your test-and-tag contractor or electrician that the lamp is touch operated before they start.

Yes, about a third of the range is cordless. A lithium battery gives roughly 6 to 80 hours per charge depending on the lamp and the brightness setting, and charging is by USB-C or a supplied cable. Choose one with an IP44 rating or higher, such as the Telbix Sotra or Zafferano Poldina, if it will sit on an outdoor dining table.

Aim for the bottom of the shade to sit at about shoulder height when you are sitting up in bed, which usually means a total lamp height of 400mm to 600mm on a standard 550mm to 650mm bedside table. A shade that finishes above eye level throws glare into your eyes rather than onto the page. Check the height and base diameter on each product page against your table.

Yes. Every lamp on this page ships from our warehouse or direct from the supplier to any Australian address, with the lead time shown on the product page. Change of mind returns are accepted within 30 days in original condition, and anything that arrives damaged is replaced if you let us know within three days of delivery.