Need to spruce up a dark room? It’s easy to overthink the kind of light you’re tossing in the corner, and with the sheer volume of options on Amazon it can be tough to sort out what’s worth your time and what you should pass on.

We’re taking a break from anything too techy today and reviewing the Lastar standing LED floor lamp. It’s pegged as a simple modern light with a few extra features that can brighten up your room and look pretty stylish at the same time. And at less than $40, it’s a tempting impulse purchase.

Let’s see if it’s worth it.

There aren’t very many risks you can take while designing a lamp, but Lastar stuck to the basics and crafted something sleek and unassuming. It won’t be the centerpiece of a room with its plain black base and overall design, but as something that will quietly blend into a corner, it works.

Halfway up the lamp below the neck you’ll find a simple control panel, while the neck itself adjusts so you can bend the actual lights to direct light whether you want something that shines towards the ceiling, into the room, or at the ground. At the base is a very simple AC adapter for power.

It works. Whether you’re putting this in a dorm, a home office, a living room, or a bedroom, it makes sense and will fit in with almost any decor. Again, certainly won’t wow people, but it does what it needs to do.

You know a tech blog isn’t going to take a look at something that only works like a lamp, right? Nope, Lastar has tossed in a few extra features that try and give it a leg up over the competition.

Along the control panel on the lamp you’ll find a couple buttons to control the brightness of the lamp, plus a toggle to change the color temperature. So if the light is just a little too bright for you, you can actually turn the brightness down instead of physically turning the neck to shine the light towards the ground or away from the room.

The lamp can also have its light temperature adjusted ranging from cool shades to something much warmer and almost like sunlight. Useful for matching it with your other lights, or simply adjusting it throughout the day when you need to control the mood.

You can also get this light in a smarter version that’s compatible with smart plugs, if you need to integrate it into your home automations.

At its price the Lastar lamp is a very nice addition to any modern room. It’s not quite the cheapest option on Amazon, but for an extra $10 you’re getting something that does look more 2022 than 1985. The extra options and lighting controls are a plus, even if it won’t work alongside your other smart accessories.

At its current price of under $40, it’s definitely worth checking out to see if it fits your style.

Born in southern Alabama, Jared spends his working time selling phones and his spare time writing about them. The Android enthusiasm started with the original Motorola Droid, but the tech enthusiasm currently covers just about everything. He likes PC gaming, Lenovo's Moto Z line, and a good productivity app.