New table lamps will light up with just a touch

Table lamps typically can be turned on by twisting a knob or pulling on a chain.
Some table lamps are even more convenient. With the slightest touch of your fingers on the metal base, they come to life. These lamps are often called touch lamps.
Stores might not carry many models of them, but you'll probably be able to spot a few.
''They'll be around because they're really easy to use,'' said Doug Beach, store manager of Lamps Plus in Fresno, Calif.
Basically, the lamp lights when you touch any metal part of it, which often includes the base and the rim of the shade. It also usually has three light settings.
Beach and Harry Karayan, the purchasing agent at James & Co. Lighting in Fresno, say touch lamps are popular with older people.
''Some people, especially the elderly, the simple turn knob can get difficult for them,'' Karayan said. With a touch lamp, ''they would just have to touch it. Also, it dims.''
Touch lamps vary in price. The cost at Lamps Plus can start at $24.99. Wal-Mart in Clovis, Calif., also has some touch lamps that cost between $9.97 and $27.87.
These lamps might be easy to use, but you can't use energy-efficient bulbs with them. Use the bulbs recommended by the manufacturer for your particular touch lamp.
In addition, sensors in touch lamps can be touchy — when the bulbs blow, the sensors do, too, Beach said. He recommends changing the bulbs every so often before they blow.
People often don't realize the sensor is broken until they replace the light bulb, he said. ''When the sensor goes out, the light just stays on,'' he said. To replace the sensor costs $20, including the part and labor.
If you already have a table lamp at home that you like, you can convert it to a touch lamp. Several accessory options can do this. Lamps Plus has a plug you can plug your lamp into for $14.99, and a light-bulb socket to screw on before putting in the bulb for $10.
James and Co. Lighting also has a light-bulb socket converter for $24 and a credit card-size converter that wires into the bottom of the lamp for $40, which includes the part and labor.
If you go with the light-bulb socket conversion, realize that it will raise the bulb slightly higher and you might have difficulty with the light shade fitting correctly, Beach said.