Pooky Lighting Review: Four Steps to the Right Lamp

Most lighting brands sell you a lamp. This one sells you a base and a shade separately and lets you combine them, which is the appeal and also the problem.

The brand states the combinations run past 100,000, so this Pooky lighting review is built as four steps rather than a list. Base, shade size, shade shape, then the evidence.

Step One, Pick the Base

Step one, pick the base

Price

Note

Entry point, lamps from

$75

Published starting price

Wilma table lamp with shade

$125

Shade included

Hernan cordless table lamp

$195

Rechargeable

Tiree wall fixture

$175

Plug in, suits renters

Bow Tie three arm chandelier

$695

Top of the examples we found

Lamps published from $75, with the examples we found running up to $695 for a chandelier.

The range starts at a published $75 for lamps and climbs through table lamps, cordless models, wall fixtures, pendants and chandeliers. Sockets, switches and mirrors sit alongside.

Two things in the range are worth singling out. The rechargeable and cordless lamps are a genuine category strength, and plug in wall fixtures let renters add wall lighting without touching the wiring.

Note which listings include a shade. The Wilma at $125 is quoted with one. On most of the range the base and the shade are separate purchases, so the price you see is not always the price of a finished lamp.

Step Two, Size the Shade

Step two, size the shade

The published rule

Shade height

About two thirds of base height

Shade diameter

Roughly equal to base height

Shade width

At least the widest point of the base

On a heavy base

1.5 to 2 times the base width

If you are between sizes

Take the larger one

Shade height about two thirds of the base height, diameter roughly equal to the base height.

This is where people get it wrong, and the brand publishes a clear rule rather than leaving you to guess.

For a table lamp, the shade height should be about two thirds of the base height measured from the bottom of the base to the fitting. The shade diameter should be roughly equal to that base height, and the width should at least match the widest point of the base.

On a heavy or sculptural base the guidance pushes wider, at one and a half to two times the base width. When you are stuck between two sizes, the brand says take the larger.

The Rule, Worked Out

Worked from the rule

Shade height

Shade diameter

12 inch base

About 8 in

About 12 in

16 inch base

About 10.7 in

About 16 in

20 inch base

About 13.3 in

About 20 in

24 inch base

About 16 in

About 24 in

Floor lamps instead

Quarter to third of height

4 to 8 in wider than base

A 16 inch base wants roughly a 10.7 inch tall shade at about 16 inches across.

We have run the published ratio across common base heights so you can read your own off the table rather than doing it at checkout.

A 12 inch base wants a shade around 8 inches tall and 12 across. A 20 inch base wants about 13.3 inches tall and 20 across. Those are starting points rather than laws, and the brand says to judge the finished lamp by eye on unusual bases.

Floor lamps follow a different rule. Shade height is a quarter to a third of the height from floor to fitting, and the diameter runs 4 to 8 inches wider than the base, usually landing between 12 and 20 inches.

• Measure base height to the fitting, not to the top of the finial

• Measure the widest point of the base, not the neck

• Size up rather than down when you are unsure

• Check the shade hides the bulb from a seated eye line

Step Three, Pick the Shape

Step three, pick the shape

What it does to the light

Wide shade

Spreads ambient light across a room

Tapered or smaller shade

Pushes light down, suits reading

Tall narrow shade

Makes the lamp read taller

Dark or busy shade

Looks smaller, so size up slightly

The test that settles it

The bulb must be hidden at eye level

Shape decides where the light goes, and the hidden bulb test decides whether you got it right.

Once the lampshade size is settled, shape does the rest of the work. A wide shade spreads ambient light into a room, a tapered or smaller one pushes it down and suits reading, and a tall narrow shade makes the whole lamp read taller.

Colour changes the maths slightly. The brand notes that dark or busy shades look smaller than they are, so sizing up a little compensates.

There is one check that settles every argument. Sit where you will actually sit and look at the lamp. If you can see the bulb, the shade is too short, whatever the tape measure said.

Step Four, Check the Record

Step four, check the record

Figure

Source

Overall rating

4.9 / 5

31,861 reviews

Rated excellent

29,696

93.2% of the total

Would recommend

98%

Published

Delivered on time

99%

Published

Accurate and undamaged

97%

Published

Customer service score

4.9 / 5

Queries under an hour

Four point nine from 31,861 reviews, with 93.2% of them rated excellent.

This is the strongest review record we have examined in some time, and the sample size is what makes it worth quoting.

An independent review platform shows 4.9 out of 5 from 31,861 reviews, with 29,696 of those rated excellent, which is 93.2% of the total. Ninety eight per cent say they would recommend the brand.

The operational figures published alongside are unusually specific. Next day average delivery, 99% delivered on time, 97% of orders accurate and undamaged, a customer service score of 4.9 and queries resolved in under an hour.

Complaints are rare in the reviews we read. The ones we found involved a pendant that had not arrived with slow replies, and a broken bulb that was replaced quickly. Those are the normal friction of any retailer rather than a pattern.

Ordering From the United States

Buying from the United States

What is published

US launch

2024

Transit

Five to seven business days

Delivery cost

Free

Returns

Free, with a money back guarantee

What is not published

Where the products are made

Five to seven business days, free delivery and free returns, with manufacturing location unstated.

The brand launched in the United States in 2024, shipping nationwide in five to seven business days with free delivery and free returns.

Free returns matter more here than in most categories, because shade sizing is genuinely hard to judge on a screen and the whole proposition rests on mixing and matching. A brand that charges for returns makes that experiment expensive.

One gap is worth naming. We could not find where the products are made stated on the pages we read. For a brand that publishes delivery rates to the percentage point, that absence stands out, and it is the main thing we would ask before a large order.

Final Verdict

Category

Score

Review Record And Sample Size

9.5 / 10

Delivery And Service

9 / 10

Choice And Customisation

9 / 10

Price For The Category

8 / 10

Manufacturing Transparency

5 / 10

Overall Score

8.5 / 10

Eight and a half out of ten, and the highest score we have given a retailer in a while. The evidence is the reason, with 4.9 from 31,861 independent reviews, 93.2% rated excellent, 98% recommending, 99% on time delivery and a 4.9 service score with queries answered inside an hour. Lamps published from $75 with free delivery and free returns make the mix and match proposition genuinely low risk, and the published sizing rule of two thirds base height is clearer than most of this category manages. What costs it points is that manufacturing location is not stated anywhere we looked, and that many listings price the base and the shade separately, so the headline figure is not always a finished lamp. Anyone reading a Pooky lighting review should measure before ordering.

FAQs

How much does Pooky lighting cost?

Lamps are published from $75. Examples we found include a table lamp with shade at $125, a cordless at $195 and a three arm chandelier at $695.

What size lampshade do I need?

For a table lamp, about two thirds of the base height in shade height, with the diameter roughly equal to the base height and the width at least matching the base's widest point.

Are Pooky reviews genuine?

The platform we checked shows 4.9 from 31,861 reviews with 98% recommending. That is a large sample on an independent site rather than a brand hosted widget.

Does Pooky ship to the United States?

Yes, nationwide in five to seven business days since its 2024 US launch, with free delivery and free returns.

Where is Pooky lighting made?

The pages we read do not say. Ask before a large order if that matters to you.

Is the shade included with the lamp?

Not always. Some listings include one and many sell base and shade separately, so check the specific product before comparing prices.