Infrared lamps in Hong Kong: how to choose one for home

What an infrared heat lamp is

An infrared heat lamp is a floor-standing lamp with a short-wave infrared bulb. The bulb glows red, and you feel it as warmth on the area it faces, such as a shoulder, your back or a leg, while you sit or rest.

It is a different device from an LED red light panel. A panel such as MARS 400 uses LEDs at 660 nm red and 850 nm near-infrared, and heating is not its purpose. Our page Red light panel or infrared lamp? sets the two side by side.

What to check before you buy

Check these points for any infrared lamp.

Power per head

Read the wattage of each bulb, not only the total. Every Resty lamp head has a 275 W bulb; the double-head lamp is listed at 550 W because it carries two of them.

One head or two

A single head warms one area at a time. Two heads that move independently can cover one wider area or two neighbouring areas, so you reposition the lamp less often.

Height and reach

Check how high the head goes and how freely it moves. Resty lamps adjust in height from about 70 to 160 cm, the gooseneck arm bends and the head, in a heat-resistant metal lamp shade, turns through 360 degrees, so you can aim it from beside a sofa or an armchair.

Base and wheels

A tall lamp needs a steady footing, and wheels let you roll it to where you sit. Resty lamps stand on a cross base with four swivel wheels.

Timer and remote

With a built-in timer you set the session length before you sit back, and a remote saves leaning over to the control box. Both Resty lamps have a built-in timer and a remote control.

Display and temperature control

Resty lamps have a control box with a display and a temperature setting. On the 550W lamp each head has its own display, timer and temperature setting.

The plug

A lamp made for another market may need an adapter. Resty lamps for Hong Kong come with a UK-style three-pin plug (Type G).

Assembly

A Resty lamp goes together in seven steps with the parts and keys in the box: wheels into the base plates, the base, the telescopic tube, the storage tray, the bulb and finally the lamp shade.

Floor space and weight

Measure the spot next to your chair: you need room for the base, for the arm to swing and for you to walk past. The 275W lamp weighs 4.8 kg and the 550W lamp 6.7 kg (supplier specification).

Warranty and where to ask

Resty infrared heat lamps have a 1-year warranty from delivery for manufacturing and material defects in normal home use (see the warranty and legal notice). Questions go to info@feelresty.com or our contact page.

Single 275W or double 550W?

Both share the stand, base, wheels, plug and type of controls; the number of heads differs.

• Resty 275W single-head lamp: felt warmth for one area at a time, from a 275 W infrared lamp head you can turn through 360 degrees.
• Resty 550W double-head lamp: two separately adjustable heads with 2 × 275 W bulbs, 550 W combined, for one wider area or two neighbouring areas. Each head has its own timer, temperature setting and display.

For warmth on one spot, one head does the job. If you often move the lamp from one area to the next, a second head saves that step. Both are in our infrared heat lamps collection.

How a session goes

1. Roll the lamp next to your chair on a level floor.
2. Aim the head at the area you want to warm, at a comfortable distance; the manual gives about 40 cm.
3. Set the timer: start with 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Sit back and rest while the timer runs.

More on placing the lamp and your first sessions: How to use an infrared lamp. Read the Use and safety part at the end of this page before your first session.

What it costs to run

Multiply the bulb power in watts by the hours of use, then divide by 1,000 to get kilowatt-hours (kWh), the unit on your bill. The figures below use the listed bulb power, not a measurement at the socket.

• 275W lamp for 15 minutes: 275 W × 0.25 h = 68.75 Wh, or about 0.069 kWh. At an example rate of HK$1.50 per kWh, that is about HK$0.10.
• 550W lamp with both heads on for 15 minutes: 550 W × 0.25 h = 137.5 Wh, or 0.1375 kWh. At the same example rate, about HK$0.21.

The HK$1.50 rate is only an illustration: use the charge per unit on your latest CLP Power or HK Electric bill instead.

Delivery in Hong Kong

Free delivery in Hong Kong. Pre-order now; the lamps ship in mid-November.

Further reading

• How to use an infrared lamp
• Infrared and red light: the terms explained
• Infrared lamp, heater or heating pad?
• Red light panel or infrared lamp: compare MARS 400, 275W and 550W