Simple Designs Table Desk Lamp Set

This lamp looks nice. The metal parts look nice. The overall quality is serviceable but fairly low. I took it apart shortly after receiving it to add a touch dimmer. I was pleased to find that connections were crimped on the bottom of the lamp so I was able to remove these connections and use screw terminals after I finished wiring the dimmer. Inside the bottom metal dome is a pretty cheap concrete/composite weight which is made from some unknown material which likely poses some potential health hazard. I did remove this weight to make room for the dimmer. I used a DEWENWILS touch dimmer to add three way dimming. All I needed to do was connect the dimmer touch terminal to the metal body of the lamp. There are a few problematic things with this design which make it a somewhat unappealing option. First, to get to the inside of the lamp I had to tear up the cheap bottom adhesive foam. I later went to the dollar store to buy adhesive cork as a replacement. Second, the construction is fairly cheap and the metal tube is secured to the base with a single hex nut. I had a hard time keeping this nut solidly attached in a way that made the lamp stand up in a solid and secure manner. It's not a major problem, but it is a not great engineering choice. Third, the diameter of the tube and threading is a 1/4 IPS instead of a 1/8 IPS. 1/4 IPS is a threading size that is essentially non existent in lamp sockets, which makes your repair or replacement or customization options are EXTREMELY limited. I had to order a 1/4 IPS female to 1/8 IPS male adapter so I could use a replacement lamp socket. To make matters worse, the included socket is superglued onto the threads, which means that the removal of the lamp socket will likely cause the socket to be destroyed. There are no replacement parts for this lamp. It was my own ignorance that led me to remove the original socket, but I did not expect it to be incompatible with the lamp sockets I had on hand. I actually love the lamp shade despite its very cheap construction. It flawlessly diffuses light. Unfortunately, the included method of mounting the lamp shade often allows it to be crooked. This is really disappointing to me because it somewhat ruins the look of the lamp. The lamp is prone to being crooked and unstable. I'll also add that this lamp is some cheap imported thing of unknown origin. The company Limelights basically doesn't exist anywhere, and I can't even find a record of them online. It's a fairly common name brand sold in stores but not one I have a lot of confidence in. The quality of materials is very important to me, and this lamp does come with a proposition 65 warning. It's not uncommon for this no-name imported stuff to have lead, mercury, titanium dioxide, etc. Overall after modifying it to make it a touch dimmer lamp I really enjoy it. But I do believe I had to spend about $20 more to get it up to acceptable standards. I don't think that is a good value. I found a better stick lamp at Target for $20 but with much better engineering.