The best sunset and moon lamps

For a gift that is still useful in February, buy the Mind-Glowing 3D moon lamp - it is dimmable, has an auto-off timer, and at 5.9 inches it is large enough to read as a moon. For the sunset effect specifically, the XEBKOR projector has full 360-degree rotation, which the cheaper 180-degree units do not.

These are decorative objects, and this page treats them as such. Neither type publishes an output figure, neither will light a room, and the honest comparison is of handling - whether it dims, whether it times out, and whether it works without an app.

Search for aesthetic room lighting and these arrive together, which hides a real difference.

A sunset lamp is a projector. The product is the disc of orange light on your wall, and it depends on things the lamp cannot supply: a dark room, a plain pale wall, and a viewing position. Change any of those and you have bought a small plastic cylinder.

A moon lamp is an object. It glows wherever you put it, needs nothing from the room, and - if it dims - does a real job at 3am. It is the lower- risk gift by a distance, which is why both picks on this page are moons.

1. Does it dim? The feature that decides whether a decorative lamp can also be a night light.
2. Does it work without an app? A physical control, for a gift.
3. Aiming, for the projectors. 360 degrees beats 180 at the same price.
4. Size, for the moons. Under about five inches and it reads as a ball rather than a moon.

We did not test these. Every figure is the listing's own, and where nothing is published this page says so rather than guessing.

Mind-Glowing 3D moon lamp - the pick. 5.9 inches, dimmable, touch and remote control, auto-off timer, cordless once charged.
Who it is for: a gift that has to survive past the novelty - this one becomes a night light. Who should skip it: anyone who wanted the projected effect; this is a lit object, not a projector.
Cons: the most expensive moon here; 16 colors is a novelty; no published lumen figure; the printed surface marks and is hard to clean.

BRIGHTWORLD moon lamp - the same idea for less. Same 5.9-inch size, same 16 colors, remote and touch, on a wooden base.
Who it is for: a child's gift, or anyone who wants the object rather than the night-light function. Who should skip it: anyone who needs it to dim - the listing states color control, not dimming.
Cons: dimming not stated; no auto-off timer listed; no lumen figure; the small wooden base is easy to knock the moon off.

XEBKOR sunset lamp projector - the better sunset. Full 360-degree rotation, multicolor, with a button as well as app control.
Who it is for: a room where the blank wall and the outlet are not conveniently opposite each other. Who should skip it: anyone without a plain pale wall and a dark room.
Cons: no published brightness or throw distance; the companion app is the usual unbranded one; as room lighting it is decoration only.

Tsrarey sunset lamp - 21 colors, same money. The wider color range of the two projectors, with a push-button switch so it works before anyone opens an app.
Who it is for: someone who wants to run cold blues as well as sunset orange. Who should skip it: anyone whose wall is at an awkward angle - 180 degrees of rotation is a real constraint.
Cons: 180 degrees rather than 360; no published brightness; the effect is finite, and it is one effect.