I have a lamp that has a round fluorescent lamp with a magnifier in the center. It is an off brand which has served me well for more than 20 years. I've only replaced the lamp once, maybe twice in that time. Ott Lights are great, but they also have a great price tag too. My recommendation is to shop around the various office and lighting stores to see what you can find. Find one that gives you the performance you need such as light and magnification. Also consider the consumables...bulbs. Are they easy to source and how expensive are they. With mine I can walk into any hardware store and find a replacement for under $10 (at least thats what it cost me last time I checked).
Many of my fellow club members use Optivisors and have recently equiped them with a new product attachment consisting of LED lights and battery pack. They love it! Not sure of the name but the mfr ad was in the recent issue of Model Railroader, and I would suspect it will be in FSM too.
