Target Or Ikea: Which Has Better Deals On Desk Lamps?

Not only do lamps have the potential to enhance the decorative appeal of any room they're in, but they also help provide extra light to dark corners or dim areas. One of the most practical places to add a lamp is at your desk or workspace. As Benq explains, you should really have a desk lamp in your workspace to help reduce eye strain, whether from reading books or screens. Eye strain can be pretty serious, and even impacts how productive you are — Mayo Clinic warns that symptoms can range from blurry vision and dry, itchy eyes, to headaches, light sensitivity, and the inability to concentrate or keep your eyes open.

Desk lamps also present a great opportunity for livening up your working space. While you can find a desk lamp pretty much anywhere, two great places to find equally trendy and practical lamps on a budget are Target and IKEA. When comparing the two, though, which one offers you the better deal?

Target has a wide variety of lamps in its catalog, including desk lamps. Their selection of desk lamps is quite broad, spanning from hinged lamps to reading lights to simple table lamps. Starting with their more traditional desk lamps, one of their more affordable options is from Threshold, which costs $40. The schoolhouse-style hinged lamp is made from metal with a black finish and silver accents and can be adjusted to whatever height or position you want. It has a 4.1-star rating with over 81% of customers recommending the lamp, rating it high in terms of design, quality, and value. As Build with Ferguson points out, hinged or swing arm lamps like this are perfect for lighting up desk spaces, especially since you can target where the light shines.

If you just want a simple table lamp for your desk, Target also has quite a few budget-friendly options. One of the cheapest lamps at Target is also from Threshold, and only costs $12. It's listed as a mini lamp, so it's perfect for a smaller desk space. The lamp has an iron base painted gold and a white shade. It also has a 4.4-star rating with an 85% recommendation rate, rated most highly in terms of quality, value, and design.

IKEA also offers a sizable variety of desk lamps, all of which are remarkably more affordable than Target. Most lamps are under $30, and are both decorative and functional. The TERTIAL work lamp is one of these lamps and only costs $20. It is a black-hinged lamp that can clip onto the side of your desk, the top of a bedframe, on the wall, and more. It's made of steel, and, unlike the Target lamps, has the lightbulb included. It has a 4.8-star rating with high reviews in terms of appearance, quality, and value.

A slightly more expensive, but still cheap compared to Target, model is the VIRRMO work lamp, which costs $32. It's made of steel with a brushed nickel finish and is a simple, thin, minimalist desk lamp with a cylindrical light. The lightbulb is also included with this lamp. It has a 5-star rating with high ratings for appearance, quality, and value. The product description also notes this lamp gives off direct light, which, according to Juniper, is great for office spaces and desks.

When comparing the lamps sold at Target versus IKEA, IKEA easily wins in terms of variety, quality, and cost. In terms of styles offered, IKEA has a more minimalist, simple catalog, whereas Target has more traditional and trendy options. Still, IKEA is clearly the winner in terms of deals on desk lamps.