Sewing is an intricate act that can require a lot of skill and precision. It’s vital to be able to see what you’re doing, and that’s why the best sewing machine light can make a real difference to your sewing sessions. Whether you’re just doing some casual sewing, quilting, dressmaking, or something totally different, having a well-lit working space is essential. Some sewing machines come with built-in lights, but many don’t, so we’ve put together a list of the best lamps.
While trying to find the best sewing machine lights like our Editor’s Choice, the Brightech LightView Pro Flex 2-in-1 Magnifying Glass LED Lamp, we considered a lot of different factors and did a lot of thorough research, evaluating many models and reading both critical and user reviews. We looked at the type of lamp used, as well as its wattage, how simple it is easy to install, what kind of power supply it is able to offer, and its size and scope.
Below, you’ll find a simple comparison table with our findings, listing all of the best sewing machine lights we found, complete with ratings and nominations. Further down the page, you can see in-depth reviews of each of the models, complete with pros and cons lists, as well as full specifications and details for every light. Finally, you’ll find a sewing machine light buying guide and FAQ section, telling you all you need to know about these lights.
Extra features: built-in 1.75x magnifying glass; 6000K cool white color temperature; comes with a clamp; 5ft. power cord; 3-year warranty
Our Editor’s Choice for this list of the best lighting for sewing is the Brightech LightView Pro Flex 2-in-1 Magnifying Glass LED Lamp. A flexible gooseneck lamp, this light can be set up on its own stand and bent around to suit your needs, or attached to the machine with a clip, making it quite a versatile option overall.
It comes with a built-in magnifying glass, which is a really nice extra for those moments when you’re doing highly precise sewing or quilting work and want to get an up-close view of exactly what’s going on under the needle, and it’s fitted with quite a long, 5-foot power cord too.
With a 3-year warranty and cool white color temperature rating, the Brightech LightView Pro Flex 2-in-1 Magnifying Glass LED Lamp really is a big winner in every single category. User reviews are almost flawless for this model, but the price tag is a little sleep, so you’ll need to be willing to pay a high price for the Brightech quality.
Extra features: 90 lumens brightness; comes with mounting adhesive and cord clips; 8 ft. power cord
Next up is the Bendable Bright Lights Kit. This light for sewing offers 90 lumens of brightness, so it’s really good at illuminating your sewing area, and it attaches via cord clips and a mounting adhesive. It comes with a super long power cord measuring up at 8 feet, as well, so you won’t need to worry about it being difficult or inconvenient to install.
The Bendable Bright Lights Kit is very energy-efficient too and can be used in all kinds of situations and circumstances. It’s ideal as lighting for sewing room spaces, but can equally be at home in a crafting area or office, or even just as a reading light.
User reviews of the Bendable Bright Lights Kit are highly positive and impressive, with many people calling this one of the best value sewing machine lamps around. However, some users have reported a few issues with the bendable part going a little limp as the machine vibrates.
Extra features: 6000-6500K color temperature; lifetime warranty
Another flexible gooseneck light for your sewing machine, the POWKER LED Sewing Machine Light features 30 high quality LED beads that offer plenty of light without being harmful for the eyes. Some users say it’s not quite as bright as other models, but it’s perfectly sufficient for most users.
Very durable and long lasting, this lamp can last for years and helps save big amounts of energy compared to non-LED alternatives. The POWKER LED Sewing Machine Light has its own stand which is magnetic, allowing it to stick onto all kinds of surfaces and stands with ease. So, essentially, all you need to do is have a metal surface nearby and you can stick the lamp right to it, then bend the neck around as you wish.
The POWKER LED Sewing Machine Light also comes with a standard on/off switch and a lifetime warranty too, with the manufacturer having a lot of faith and confidence in this product and working on improving its construction and design through user feedback over time.
Extra features: 5800-6000K color temperature; touch-operated 3-level dimmer; 1-year warranty
It’s one of the more expensive entries on our list, but the TROND Halo 9W-C is also a highly impressive lamp for sewing too. It’s a flexible gooseneck lamp that attaches to your sewing machine or other surfaces through the use of a clamp. The clamp holds the lamp in place, and then you can bend the long, flexible neck around as needed.
This lamp was designed with eye safety in mind. It’s not quite as bright as some of the others, but its color temperature is between 5800 and 6000K, so it’s really easy on the eyes and won’t leave you with a headache or eye strain at the end of your sewing sessions.
The TROND Halo 9W-C comes with a dimmer switch too, which is a useful little bonus to have, letting you adjust the intensity of the light to suit your preferences, and it comes with a 6 foot long power cord, which should be just the right size for most situations.
Extra features: 5-foot cord
By far one of the most versatile sewing machine lights you can buy today, the Cutex Sewing Flexible Gooseneck Working Lamp Light. Interestingly, unlike many other sewing lamps, this one can actually be connected directly to the motor of the sewing machine. It doesn’t come with a plug, allowing it to be instantly hooked up to most machines.
You’ll need to check for compatibility, of course, and the installation isn’t always the easiest process around, but the fact that you don’t need to plug the Cutex Sewing Flexible Gooseneck Working Lamp Light in to an outlet gives a lot of flexibility and advantages over other models. It creates a very bright light too, really illuminating the sewing space and working much better than many machines’ built-in bulbs.
As well as its ability to connect to the motor, the Cutex Sewing Flexible Gooseneck Working Lamp Light also stands out for its low price and practicality. The strong neck can be bent and flexed around very easily into the perfect position, and it holds its shape nicely, even under pressure.
Extra features: 6500K color temperature; 6.6 ft. power cord
Last but not least, we come to our Budget Pick for this list of the best sewing lamps: the HengBo Sewing Machine Light. This is a simple LED strip that can be used for all kinds of purposes, including attaching to a sewing machine. It simply sticks onto the machine in the area around the needle, and installation can be easy, but some users reported having difficulty with it as well.
Once installed, the HengBo Sewing Machine Light produces a good amount of bright light around the sewing space. Users have nothing but good things to say about this LED strip, which measures up at 11.8 inches and comes with a 6.6 foot cord. The only problem some people reported was installing the strip and cord in a way that didn’t distract from their sewing.
Overall, the HengBo Sewing Machine Light is a good option if you want a sewing machine light at a low price. It’s cuttable too, so you can get the right length to suit your machine, and it comes with six little sticky pads, as well as an on/off switch and a brightness adjustment option too.
Extra features: touch-operated dimmer; 6500K color temperature
Next, we come to the Razon Sewing Machine LED Light. This light for sewing is actually constructed in the form of an LED light strip that you simply stick onto the machine as needed. The installation can be a little tricky as you want to make sure you place the strip in the right place, but once you get it right, the results are very satisfying.
The Razon Sewing Machine LED Light features quite a high color temperature of 6500K. It’s not quite as kind to the eyes as some of the other models on our list, but it’s nice and bright, so it’s good for people who crave that additional illumination while taking on tough, detailed sewing and quilting projects.
The Razon Sewing Machine LED Light comes with a dimmer switch too, letting you adjust the intensity as needed. It has a power cord of 6.6 feet in length and the fact that it features a full strip of light means that there are more or less no shadows around the needle when using this machine.
So you’ve seen some of the best sewing machine lights, but which one should you choose? There are actually a lot of different factors to consider, and the ‘right’ sewing machine light for you will depend on how important those factors are for you and what exactly you want to use the light for.
Quite simply, a sewing machine light can make a big difference to sewing, as well as quilting, dressmaking, arts and crafts, and more. It illuminates your sewing and working space, letting you get a better view of what exactly you’re doing. Sewing, quilting, and similar activities are often quite precise work, and the slightest mistake can ruin a project, so it’s very important to see what you’re doing. The best sewing machine lights offer strong illumination and sometimes come with features like magnets and clamps, so you can move them around to get the best results.
When shopping for your next sewing machine lamp, you have to think about several different features and try to work out which are the most important. Maybe you care most about a lamp with a dimmer switch or magnifying glass, for example, or maybe you prefer a light that is very easy to install and perfectly compatible with your machine. Read on to learn more about the different features of sewing lamps.
In general, these kinds of lamps are either flexible gooseneck lamps with their own stands, able to be placed and moved around with ease, or light strips, which effectively stick or attach to the machine in order to light up the area around the needle. The gooseneck lamps tend to be more versatile and offer more options overall, but light strips like the Razon Sewing Machine LED Light can be perfectly effective too and are usually cheaper and easier to install, so the type of lamp you choose will definitely depend on your personal tastes and preferences.
When buying a light for sewing machine, you need to think about the manner in which it needs to be installed. Some have their own stands, others come with clamps or magnets. Some lamps clip onto the side of the sewing machine, while others are attached with a sticky adhesive or even magnetic base like the POWKER LED Sewing Machine Light. The type of lamp you choose will depend on your own personal preference. Some lights don’t even need to be plugged in: the Cutex Sewing Light connects right to the motor of your machine.
The wattage of your lamp will determine how much energy it needs to use each second, so if you’re looking for an energy efficient lamp, choose one with a low wattage rating. The color temperature is also an interesting factor to consider, effectively determining the color and intensity of light given off by the lamp. Naturally, some sewing machine lights are much more effective than others, giving off brighter lights, while others offer more gentle and ‘bluish’ lights that are kinder on the eyes, but a little less intense overall.
The power cord of your light for sewing machine might not seem like an important feature at first glance, but it can actually be a make or break factor when shopping for a sewing machine lamp. The length of the power cord is of major importance.
You need to be able to plug the light in, after all, and it’s important to think about where you do your sewing and how far away the power outlets are.
Some lights for sewing machines can come with additional features that affect their overall functionality and ease of use. The light switch is one feature you’ll want to check: some models feature a standard on/off switch, whereas other models come with dimmer switches, like the TROND Halo 9W-C, to give you more precise control. Some lights will also come with features like a magnifying glass, as seen on the Brightech LightView Pro Flex 2-in-1 Magnifying Glass LED Lamp, to give you an even better and more precise view of your sewing projects. If you’re hesitating between two different sewing machine lights and can’t seem to choose between them, taking a look at the extra features might make it easier for you to make a decision.
Overall, our favorite lamp for sewing was the Brightech LightView Pro Flex 2-in-1 Magnifying Glass LED Lamp. With a super flexible design and a magnifying glass attached too, this lamp offers a lot of flexibility and can be used in many different ways.
The second best sewing machine light model we found is the Bendable Bright Lights Kit. Again, a highly flexible design that sticks right onto the sewing machine, this light can work in all situations and is very strong, offering powerful illumination wherever and whenever you need it.
Last but not least, our third top rated light for sewing machine is the POWKER LED Sewing Machine Light. The magnetic base on this model makes it really versatile, able to be used in all kinds of situations and highly compatible with lots of different sewing machines as well.
