LightDims review: do they reduce light pollution in the home?

Stickers may seem an unusual thing to review on The Big Tech Question but LightDims are designed specifically to reduce the amount of light emitted by the plethora of device LEDs that are around us. They’re not “tech” themselves but certainly deal with one of its downsides.

I came across these whilst trying to find a solution to a problem I had with a Raspberry Pi case that I’d recently purchased. It had a power and disk activity lights that were far too bright and distracting in my home office. LightDims (confusingly called Light Dims too on their packaging) turned out to be the answer.

What are LightDims?

They are vinyl stickers, available in black, white and silver, which you place over the top of the LED to reduce brightness. The “original strength” versions do this by around 50-80%, but they also sell a black-out version which shuts out almost all of the light. You can buy packs that contain a number of different sized LightDims or one that’s just a single sheet that you cut up to your requirements.

I’m reviewing the assorted sizes, original strength in black.

LightDims are made by a family-run business based in the US. The LightDims website (which looks strangely retro) sells to customers in the US, and the product packaging is definitely targeting that geographical market. However, thanks to Amazon, you can purchase them in the UK too.

LightDims: what do you get?

In a plastic envelope you get a sheet of LightDims, in an assortment of shapes: circles, squares and rectangles in a variety of sizes. There’s a good chance you’ll find what you need here. And they’ve been sensible with the quantities too – most of the time you’ll need small, circular ones to fit a standard-sized LED light, so that’s what you get most of.

How to use LightDims

They’re stickers, right? What’s to know?

Well, for a start they’re not easy to peel from the sheet. Indeed, LightDims has a video on the best way to peel them off:

I found their “folding over the sheet” method worked best for me and, after removing a couple of them, I quickly found my own knack to doing it.

Once off, place over the top of the light, press down and… that’s it. You can layer multiple stickers to suppress the emitted light further. They stick firmly but can also be easily removed without leaving any nasty gunk behind.

I’d share photos of a before/end result but, unfortunately, I’ve found that it’s not at all clear when viewed by anything other than the naked eye. So, you’ll have to take my word that they do their job – light is definitely reduced and I’ve been finding more and more places around the house to use them.

What’s not so good about LightDims?

So far, so good but not everything about the LightDims is quite so bright.

1. Having them in only one colour is a pain. Nobody will have all of their LED lights set against a dark background, so there a few instances where I’d love the white or silver versions. A set of mixed colours would be appreciated.
2. The price. This is the biggest elephant in the room. For, what is, a sheet of stickers you’re paying over £7. In the US they sell for $5.99, which is around £4.50 so, we’re paying a premium. If you can wait a few weeks you can order them, via Amazon, to be sent by LightDims in the US and that costs £6.19, but that barely seems worth the wait.

LightDims review: verdict

Well, they work, which is the most important thing. They appear to stay stuck down and reduce the light to a much more pleasant degree, including removal of any halo and glare. Personally, I’ve found them fantastic. There are cheaper alternatives available, but they don’t appear to be as highly regarded.