Ikea lamps have proved to be the bane of my life. I've bought several of the damn things, only to have housemate after housemate break them. Ikea do a couple of different styles in the range - this cube Grono lamp and another round, tube-like one. I originally bought the round one, but after several comments about how it looked like a hospital pee bottle and a couple of replacements later, I decided to go for this cube Grono lamp instead.

Although I think the shape is a bit boring, it's more easily situated on my windowsill and I thought that there was less chance of knocking it or breaking it because of its straight sides. The lamp is available in at least two different sizes; the small one which I bought is around the £3.50 mark and is very reasonably priced.
The cord is quite long, and easily long enough to reach from my windowsill down to the plug socket in the corner. Partway down the cord is a white plastic on-off switch, which is easier than reaching behind the sofa or bending down to unplug.

The lamp takes a mini screw bulb, and to be honest in the couple of years I've had it I've never had to change the bulb - though this may be because we don't use it that often. However, we do have an energy saving bulb in there and it's not the brightest so I'd recommend going for a bright bulb (white if possible). We tend to use it for a bit of light so we can turn the main lights off whilst watching a film.

The lamp is made out of fairly thick glass with a frosted look which prevents you from seeing the bulbs once you've screwed it on. Once switched on, you do get a concentrated area of light where the bulb is situated from behind the glass. I think the overall look is ok. It's not particularly stunning or exciting. It has the bonus of fitting in with any modern décor though, and I prefer it this way since I like the focus to be on my sofa and my clock which are much nicer.

Although the lamp looks thick, it's not massively durable and I noticed several months ago that someone has managed to crack one side and most of it is broken. They've helpfully turned the lamp round so you can't see it (grrr). It's extremely sharp, and I have managed to cut my finger on it despite being super careful - and there was a surprising amount of blood.

Yet again I'm annoyed that an Ikea lamp has broken. To put it into perspective, I have plenty of other things around the house ranging from vases to glass candle holders and none of these have ever been damaged despite being in places where they are much easier to knock or drop. I have to say that this lamp isn't particularly attractive or strong despite being cheap, and the light is a little duller than I would like too. However, for a guest room or rented property they would be an inexpensive solution.

I'm hesitant to recommend this lamp, particularly for homes with children, but in the right house it's reasonably adequate. For my personal opinion, it gets two stars.