It's not that they're more bright, it's their colour temperature that's the difference. And it's a REALLY different quality of light than normal fluorescents.

Is there anyone or any place where you can simply try one out for a couple minutes?

Is there anyone or any place where you can simply try one out for a couple minutes?

I'm not sure. I was thinking about that as I was posting, but I'm not sure who sells such things, except online. And I am discovering that one of the difficulties of living in a small town -- at least for a hermit! -- is that small-town business websites suck, or are nonexistent, so I'm not having much luck with Google.

Do lighting places sell lightboxes? Medical pharmacy or home health care places? I'm not sure where I'd look in the real world.

You can get a full-spectrum fluorescent. I'm not sure where, but you can get them. (Try a hydroponic supply place if you can't find one at, say, Home Depot.) I think that's what they usually use to treat SAD anyway, so it'd get the job done better and it wouldn't make the world look so harsh.

Full-spectrums won't do a thing for SAD unless they are bright enough, and then you need to make sure they're UVA and UVB screened. I don't have time to do all the research on this, but you may want to talk to an "expert" before buying anything. Good luck.

Yeah, I've been doing a bunch of reading on it. I know that I want at 10,000 lux, and I know I want UV screening when applicable, and I know I have to spend at least 30min. a day with it with my eyes open. I've got a number of potential boxes/lamps picked out. I'm just mostly worried about the "I hate fluorescents" aspect of it right now.

quick hit and run answer since i am in a hurry- i have been struggling with taking photos for my dinner blog- i found an approximate answer in the LED lighting available from IKEA... you might want to investigate a DIY solution as i am going to from there, if one is convenient to you-- the LEDs have great color fidelity and low power usage, and IKEA sells 'em remarkably cheap.

the LEDs have great color fidelity and low power usage

Without going into the why fore, among my many specialty light sources in my home I do have a 250,000 bulb 2,000 watt led light, 36" by 96". Cost about $50K.

I love it, its so impressive to demo, but it is not a good SAD light. It puts out tons of UV, uses tons of power, and bulb life replacement is a rather daunting prospect at that price. The bulbs will just continue to put out less light over tens years or so.

I built a SAD light that I really love, and it is fluorescent. The main thing to get away from annoying fluorescent flicker is to make sure you use an "electronic ballast" These flicker at 4000 cps instead of 60. There are two kinds of these, the newer ones are smaller and lighter, which can make a big difference if you're trying to hang the fixture on the ceiling.

The fixture is 4 foot square, with 4 foot long, 1/2 inch bulbs. I was able to pack 32 bulbs into the 4 x 4 square. If you order the bulbs online instead of at the hardware store, there are several slight color variations on "broad spectrum." I use 5 similar but slightly different bulbs.

WhenI was building it most people thought it would be blinding, turns out its just a really clear light that makes it very easy to see what you are looking at.

The "superlight" has provided some comedy, since I very often get one of two identical responses to it, mostly by women, but men too. There is a mirror on the wall under it.

Response one: shit, my stylist did a really crappy job coloring my hair. I should go back and make him fix it.

Response two: Do you have an eyebrow tweezer I can borrow?