ModernGear Home: You light up my life

You might think that as a journalist who has reviewed new products for the past 14 years, my house would be kitted out with the latest and greatest 'stuff'. That's not the case at all. I attribute it to the fact that I grew up on a farm and learned that unless you absolutely NEED something, you don't really need it at all. Besides, rarely does a product absolutely knock my socks off.

Sure, I obviously like the things I review for work, or find out about, seek out and purchase for our home but most of the time when I get them home or they arrive in the mail, they quickly become a quiet part of the household and continue to do their work unrecognized from then on.

Not so with the candela® from vessel®. I am giddy to use this product, every single day.

I'm not sure when I first came across these amazing portable lights, but it was definitely some time ago. Living in a loft condo with huge windows overlooking a busy, always-lit shipping terminal on the seafront in Vancouver, I never got around to ordering the lights as there was never total darkness in our place.

When we moved into our house in California, though, that changed. Suddenly there was triple the space to navigate, and stubbed toes and banged shins were common night-time injuries. I decided then it was finally time to bring in some back-up and ordered the glow 2 set ($39.00) to try out. My husband and I were immediately hooked...they're just such a smartly designed product.

The candela light turns on as soon as it's picked up from the charging base and to turn them off, the lights can either rest on the base (getting recharged in the process), or you can switch them off with a button on the bottom if you're not near the base. They're (visually, but not physically) a warm light that casts a lovely glow, and they're made of impact-resistant plastic.
We use them to illuminate our way through the halls and rooms of our new home, as bed-side table lights, and they came in handy for Earth Hour Dark Scrabble, too.

In order to share the love with visitors, the next purchase I'm going to make from vessel® is their newly-revamped Guardian™ rechargeable lantern, for our guest bedroom.

It's actually two lights in one - the charger is plugged into the wall and is always lit, and the lantern part illuminates instantly when lifted off the charger, or in the case of a power failure.

At $29.00 for one, or $99.00 for a set of four, this light is perfect for night-time feedings for the baby, as a night light for a young 'un, or portable illumination to provide safety and injury-free navigation of an unfamiliar home for guests.


















I also love the candeloo® tooli ($39.00 for two) - a playful, brightly-coloured lantern for kids (or adults - my husband wants the green and blue one for himself!).
The final thing I appreciate about these lights is the fact that I can use them instead of candles. Sure, who doesn't like to wine or dine by candlelight, but what has convinced me to use these instead is that they're far more economical than candles in the long run, are infinitely safer for your health and home, and actually present a nicer, softer light.

I hope to be able to interview the designing partners of vessel about their entire range of products some time soon, but for now check out their other great goods at vessel.com. You can order lights there too - go on and do it...your toes and shins will thank you.