I was skeptical about monitor light bars until I tried…

I was skeptical about monitor light bars until I tried this one — and now I'm never going back

I have always been a bit of a "gremlin" who prefers working in the later hours of the day and into the night. Besides the neon glow from my Govee RGB desk strip lights and occasionally a lamp, I'm working in a dark room, staring at my ridiculously large and eye searingly bright Samsung 49" G9 Ultrawide monitor.

I had seen monitor light bars trending for the past few years, but I've always dismissed them as a fad. I mean, I already had lamps, and desk lighting that looked much cooler, why would I clip another light to the top of my screen?

After seeing the Quntis Curved RGB Monitor Light Bar go on sale and finally trying it out myself to see what all the fuss was about, I’m kicking myself for waiting this long. Turns out monitor light bars aren't just a gimmick, they’re the missing piece I didn’t know my desk setup needed.

No more eye strain

(Image credit: Paul Antill / Tom's Guide)

So here's what I quickly realized. Light placement is super important. Unlike a desk lamp that you might have off to one side of your desk which can create unwanted hot spots and glare on your monitor, a light bar shines light strictly downward onto your workspace, illuminating your desk and keyboard area without impacting your monitor experience.

Especially in the dimmer and cozier rooms I prefer to work in, eyes can have a hard time with the "contrast gap" between staring at a very bright monitor and the dark wall behind it.

Adding a light bar softens that transition making looking at a screen feel significantly less like staring into a flashlight. I noticed this instantly and my eyes felt much more relaxed and by the end of the night I wasn't as fatigued.

Built for the curve

If you’re rocking a massive display like my Samsung G9, standard straight light bars are going to look silly and honestly might do more harm than good.

So after a bit of research, I found this Quntis model which can extend up to 25.74" wide and is designed for 34-inch-plus curved 1000R/1800R screens. Its triple folding clip rests on top of my monitor without any adhesive needed and it uses two curved arms which bend allowing it to follow the arc of my monitor really well. In fact, it actually looks pretty well integrated rather than some random accessory.

It uses a wireless puck controller to toggle the downward facing "work" light (adjusting both brightness and color temperature) independently from the top-facing RGB bar which lets you adjust its color and lighting effects.

What would make this better?

While most of my new battery-powered gadgets are rechargeable, the puck controller still relies on AAA batteries. USB-C charging would have been nice to have here.

I do wish it had WiFi or smart-home integration too. Being able to sync it with Alexa or Google Home to turn it on or off along with the other smart lights in my studio would be the ultimate convenience.

Also the RGB light is a nice touch that adds a pop of color, but it honestly isn't as impactful as I would have liked. Since it shines more upward than backward, it can't really bounce its lighting against your wall to really see its effects.

At least for my set up, it's been something that looks cool when I'm appreciating my desk setup from a few feet away, but when I actually go to work at my desk, it's barely noticeable since its positioned above my eyeline. That said, the fact this is included at the same price point as non-RGB models made this more forgivable.

My new must have desk accessory

At roughly $60, this felt like a low-risk experiment that yielded a high-reward result. Since I spend so much time working in a dim room, this isn't just a "nice-to-have" accessory, it's been a big boost to productivity.

I may always be an editing gremlin but my setup has never felt or looked better to work at.

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