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BUYING GUIDE & COMPARISON CHARTS

There’s a reason we sell more light boxes than anyone else! Compare for yourself and you will see the difference.

We have put together a SAD lights consumer reports chart to show you how Alaska Northern Lights’ light boxes are truly the best value.

With a 60-day money back guarantee, a seven year warranty, and the best cost per Lux ratio, we know that you will be pleased buying a light box!

North Star 10,000

Compare the Aurora LightPad Mini™ Light Box to other LED lightboxes

*Inches @ 10,000 LUX Adjustable Intensity Free of UV Light Seven Year Warranty Medical Grade 60-Day Guarantee
Alaska Northern Lights Aurora LightPad Mini™ Picture 25"
Phillips goLite BLU Picture 12"
Wilshire Distributing Co. Caribbean Sun Box Picture 16" - - - -
NatureBright SunTouch Picture 12" - - - -
Sphere Gadget Tech. Lightphoria Picture 12" - - -
The Litebook Company Litebook Elite Picture 12" - - - -

* Since the 1970's, studies have shown that light therapy is effective when a person is within a 10,000 lux brightness range of light. This is important to consider when shopping around. Many lamps boast of 10,000 lux light, but fail to mention at what distance this is from the light unit.

Compare the NorthStar 10,000™ Light Box to other fluorescent bulb boxes

*Inches @ 10,000 LUX ** Area of Brightness Broad Spectrum Seven Year Warranty Medical Grade 60-Day Guarantee
Alaska Northern Lights NorthStar 10,000™ Picture 24" 288
Northern Light Tech. Box-Elite Picture 13" 247
Northern Light Tech. Flamingo Picture 10" 95
Phillips briteLITE 6 Picture 12" 79
Light Therapy Products Port-a-Sun Picture 14" 105
SunBox SunRay Picture 19" 372
SunBox SunSquare Picture 27" 552
SunBox SunStation Picture 14" 83
Full Spectrum Solutions UltraLux Picture 15" 99
Full Spectrum Solutions UltraLux II Picture 30" 103
Uplift Technologies Day-Light Picture 12" 200
Verilux HappyLite Picture 6" 261

* Since the 1970's, studies have shown that light therapy is effective when a person is within a 10,000 lux brightness range of light. This is important to consider when shopping around. Many lamps boast of 10,000 lux light, but fail to mention at what distance this is from the light unit.

** Area of Brightness/Dimension is an important factor to consider. Our light box gives a full 2 square feet of light and allows the user a lot of versatility while getting their bright light therapy. The smaller the area of brightness, the more restrictive (harder) it is to use.

Compare the Aurora LightPad MAX™ Light Box to other LED lightboxes

*Inches @ 10,000 LUX Adjustable Intensity Free of UV Light Seven Year Warranty Medical Grade 60-Day Guarantee
Alaska Northern Lights Aurora LightPad MAX™ Picture 30"
Phillips goLite BLU Picture 12"
Wilshire Distributing Co. Caribbean Sun Box Picture 16" - - - -
NatureBright SunTouch Picture 12" - - - -
Sphere Gadget Tech. Lightphoria Picture 12" - - -
The Litebook Company Litebook Elite Picture 12" - - - -

* Since the 1970's, studies have shown that light therapy is effective when a person is within a 10,000 lux brightness range of light. This is important to consider when shopping around. Many lamps boast of 10,000 lux light, but fail to mention at what distance this is from the light unit.

For suffers of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or other seasonal disorders there are a lot of different light therapy products available.

With so many choices, how do you make an educated decision?

You need to understand the important features of a light box used for therapy.

Price should not be your primary deciding feature. Money spent on an inexpensive low LUX light that does not deliver the needed therapeutic benefits is money wasted.

You’ll find other companies with lights as well, do check them out, but we believe you’ll find that for the money we offer the best product, service and guarantee available. And remember, if you are not 100% happy, we’ll give you 100% of the money you spent back!

Why buy a lightbox from Alaska Northern Lights?

    1. 60 day risk free trial. Try it for 60 days, and if you are not completely satisfied, return it for a full refund!
    2. No harmful UV rays.
    3. Doctor recommended and prescribed.
    4. Seven Year Warranty on fixture, 5 year warranty on electrical ballast, one year warranty on bulbs.
    5. Brightest light boxes on the market
    6. Highest quality materials, electrical components and bulbs.
    7. In business for nearly 30 years.
    8. Owner operated—customer support available at any time!
    9. Over 30,000 happy customers.
    10. We believe in giving back and support a number of charities and non-profit organizations!

Points to remember when buying:

Studies on the effectiveness of light therapy on S.A.D. patients have concluded that treatment with 2500 lux light boxes ease symptoms effectively, but take anywhere from two to six hours exposure every day. More recent studies have used powerful 10,000 lux units, which produce comparable or even somewhat superior results with only about a half an hour of exposure.

One of the most important variables between light boxes is “the distance of the 10,000 lux brightness range from the light box.” This will dramatically affect how you will use your light box. The greater the 10,000-lux distance, the farther away you can be while getting your light treatment. This makes it convenient to do other tasks such as eating your breakfast, working on a computer or reading a book while receiving your light treatment.

**Dozens of studies have shown that a daily exposure to bright light can relieve most or all symptoms in up to 80% of SAD patients. When light therapy works, it works fast. Symptoms typically start to subside within a few days. If the dose is adequate, the full effect is achieved within about a week. To remain effective, light therapy must continue until springtime.

**Several companies sell portable home-use light units for $300 to $550, though the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t yet approved the devices as safe and effective for treating SAD. Safety concerns have focused on exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, which can ultimately cause sunburn, eye damage, and skin cancer. Fortunately, recent studies have shown that UV rays are not an essential component of light therapy; units that emit almost no UV light are just as effective. Lights that are listed as full spectrum will emit UV light compared to broad spectrum lights which omit the UV light. See a more complete description below.

**Most researchers believe that the devices are as safe as they are effective. “In over 10 years of using light boxes in thousands of patients,” National Institute of Mental Health Director Frederick Goodwin, M.D., assured the FDA, “the number of serious side effects reported has been vanishingly small.”

Full spectrum or Broad spectrum, what is the difference?

Full spectrum light bulbs are made to try to imitate natural sunlight, and like sunlight, they also produce UV rays. Typically full spectrum bulbs have a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 90 or above (100 is actual outdoor light) and a kelvin temperature of 5,000 or above. Full spectrum light is described as having a purple or bluish cast. Most light box companies using full spectrum light bulbs now block these UV rays through their diffuser screen, it’s good to check to be sure.

Broad spectrum light boxes are described as being as close to full spectrum as you can get without the UV rays. Typically, they have a CRI. of around 82 and a kelvin temperature of around 4,200. Broad spectrum light bulbs are described as being a pure white light. Most light box companies use a broad spectrum light bulb so that there is no danger of UV rays.

Distance matters

Be aware that a lot of light boxes claim to be of 10,000 lux — however, they don’t tell you at what distance. Be sure to check the distance at which 10,000 lux is reached, as it is critical to bright light therapy and its effect on the pineal gland and the melatonin/serotonin cycle. Many of the smaller light boxes just aren’t effective. Our light box allows you to sit two feet away while still getting the 10,000 lux, allowing you to read, work on the computer or exercise comfortably.

A note on Blue Light

The medical community is not in agreement about the safety or effectiveness of blue light in treating SAD. It has been shown to lower melatonin (sleep hormone) but has not been proven to balance out the entire melatonin/serotonin cycle (which is what traditional light therapy does). We have always stuck by our light box and the years of feedback have proven its efficacy. Since not all studies have been referring to blue light positively, we prefer to stick with what we know works.

No UV—UV rays are harmful to the skin and eyes and are irrelevant to Bright Light Therapy. Bright Light Therapy works because of the intensity and brightness of the light and its effect on the Pineal Gland. Our bulbs are a broad spectrum bulb that contain no UV.

** Consumer Reports on Health, “The Winter of Your Discontent