As promised, I’m going to do a quick review of the Apollo goLITE M2 – the light therapy box I chose to treat my SAD symptoms.

When I was looking for a light box, I found it really confusing – there are so many different claims out there, different types and brightnesses. You do feel a little lost among all the marketing! This was the one I finally selected for varying reasons and it’s turned out to be bang on right for me – however, the caveat to that is it may not be right for you, so I do highly recommend researching thoroughly especially as all of them are so expensive.

So what is the Apollo goLITE M2? It’s a very small unit: only 13.5cm high, 14.5cm wide and 2.5 cm thick (measurements approximate at largest points). The cover folds back on a hinge and becomes a stand at just the right angle for the light to bathe your face when switched on and placed on a desk. Instead of a bright bulb, it has 66 LED lamps which all emit in the blue spectrum only – this is the area of the spectrum that the latest research has identified as most beneficial to SAD sufferers. Like all good light lamps, it emits no UV radiation.

The buttons are simple – but to be fair, what else do you need? Power, light… you can set a timer (so it’ll switch off when your “dose” is done), adjust the brightness and set an alarm as a reminder. It’s completely portable – you can charge it up then place it somewhere convenient where there may not be any power socket available.

It costs just under £200.

PROS

• Despite its size, it is a very powerful little light – I was really nervous when I first got it in my hands. It looked so tiny and flimsy, how the hell was it going to compete with the bigger units I’d seen? All my worries dissolved when I switched it on. It is very bright and very effective.
• Short treatment time. As a result of its brightness, the treatment time is short and you can very quickly then just get on with your day. It’s advertised as 15-30 minute treatment with the average being around 20 minutes for most people. I find I do need a full 30 minutes, but then I only have it on 75% strength, so maybe I could reduce the time if I just had it on full… am happy with the routine I have now, though!
• Excellent battery life. I forget what the battery life is officially, but I’m easily getting a week’s worth of treatment on just a one 8 hour charge. You can also do a “quick” charge for a couple of hours, but to be honest I remember to charge it on the Friday as routine far more easily than doing lots of little charges as and when it needs it.
• Energy efficient. As it only emits in the blue spectrum (rather than the full visual spectrum), it uses much less power than a conventional light box.
• No bulbs to replace. You’re supposed to change the bulbs in a traditional light box every year, as they slowly lose their efficiency over time. While they may still appear bright, the amount they emit is vastly reduced (those of us who keep fish will know of the equivalent problem with hood lights!). However, this isn’t necessary with LEDs apparently.

Cons

• The lid/stand feels cheap and flimsy. For my biggest complaint, I suppose it’s not a bad one to have, but even so – it doesn’t feel that robust and considering its cost, I would really like to have seen a more quality finish to the product (not to the expense of the actual therapeutic qualities though, of course).
• The size can also be a disadvantage. The first few times of use I sat there rigid, terrified that by twisting my head slightly, my eyes would fall out of range of the light. It proved unfounded and I did relax eventually, but I’m sure with the bigger light boxes there’s much less awareness of that “field” of light that you must keep in.
• It’s expensive. Not really a disadvantage when you compare it to other similar light products – prices vary, but in comparison to other short dose light boxes (i.e. ones that are powerful enough to only have around half an hour of treatment time) it’s competitive. It’s just that it feels over priced compared to how small and plasticky it is. I do wonder whether we’re paying more to cover the cost of the research rather than the components, or if they just priced it to be in the ballpark of their main competitors.
• Charging is a bit of guess work. Would it really have cost them much more to have a “fully charged” indicator or beep? The battery gauge is next to useless as well – showing fully charged for ages, then suddenly running out of power. Frustrating where so many other gadgets in our lives seem to have much more effective solutions.

Over all though, I am very happy with it and feel like it was money well spent.