Spec me a dedicated E-reader please...

Esco · 11 Jun 2020 at 23:31

Hey guys. I've tried reading on my phone and it's not for me. I get distracted too easily on a phone and I'm convinced the light emitted is messing with my sleep.

I'm looking for input from those who use dedicated e-readers.

From my research thus far, preferably I want something with physical buttons to change page, warm light feature, and a great screen display (I prefer natural looking display). E-ink is a given. I want it to be solely used for reading, so not looking for any bells and whistles such as hybrid tablet. It needs to have great battery life so for 1-3 hours use a day lasting 1-2+ weeks is a must. I'm open to different size e-readers, so long as its fairly portable so probably 8inch max.

All my e-books will be sideloaded epub files, and I know the conversion is straightforward so not fussed what brand I get. (not interested in anything other then normal books to read).

I have read good things about Kindle Voyage (2nd hand on ebay as its discontinued) but was put off because it doesn't have a warm light feature, which crucial for me as my eyes seem pretty sensitive after long periods.

I then read about Kobo Libre H20 and Kindle Oasis 2019, which tick all the boxes but are much more expensive. They come with 2 year warranty so that piece of mind buying new is also attractive.

Can anyone who uses e-readers regularly give me any advice please? Or simply recommend the device you use and provide quick overview of pro's and con's to help me learn more and make a decision.

Many thanks,

moon man · 12 Jun 2020 at 06:49

Cant be of much help ,never tried adding a book ect but my daughter gave me her old kindle paper white with years of reading on it ,all i can say is that i love the display ,i chuck it in my rucksack and use on the beach in full sun ,great contrast . charge it up once in 3 to 4 weeks maybe

mrgubby · 12 Jun 2020 at 08:23

I've been using Kobo kit for years , typically upgrading every 2/3 years as the tech improves. I think my current one is a Kobo Aura one, big display, waterproof and backlight changes colour for night-time reading.

The main selling point for me in Kobo Vs Kindle is that you can read all eBooks on a Kobo even Kindle books.

ANDARIAL · 12 Jun 2020 at 08:35

Kindle Oasis here,before i had a paperwhite and a BeBook
I use calibre to convert and load books onto my Oasis
Battery life is not as good on the oasis as the paperwhite but as i use it around the house/garden not a problem for me

Janesy B · 12 Jun 2020 at 08:52

Kindle Oasis is the only one with a warm light and buttons, my basic Kindle lasts weeks and I don't find the light too disruptive.

Bry · 12 Jun 2020 at 18:17

Got a first gen kindle oasis..primarily for the buttons. Still going strong and love it

Shamikebab · 12 Jun 2020 at 18:29

mrgubby said:
The main selling point for me in Kobo Vs Kindle is that you can read all eBooks on a Kobo even Kindle books.

What ebooks can't you read on a Kindle?

Werewolf · 13 Jun 2020 at 12:28

I'm using a Kindle Voyager (bought it on release to replace my original Sony PRS 505), it's been a wonder and still going strong, although I'm having to charge it a little more often than I used to which isn't surprising after 6 years of daily use. When it dies I'll almost certainly replace it with an Oasis as that seems to be the current equivalent (and I'll go for the larger storage option*)

With the calibre app on the PC you can load most ebook formats onto most devices with relative ease, you can even convert from "protected" formats.

*As I'm getting into audobooks which can take several hundred mb of space, and read "light novels" which are often 20mb or so.

mrgubby · 13 Jun 2020 at 13:27

Shamikebab said:
What ebooks can't you read on a Kindle?

When I last looked it was a bit of a faff to put non-amazon content on a Kindle.
On my Kobo readers I can just drag & drop the majority of formats (You have to use Calibre to convert your paid for Kindle books to read on your Kobo)

Shamikebab · 13 Jun 2020 at 13:30

Calibre is a pretty easy way to manage that, never had a problem myself.

Esco · 14 Jun 2020 at 07:56

ANDARIAL said:
Kindle Oasis here,before i had a paperwhite and a BeBook
I use calibre to convert and load books onto my Oasis
Battery life is not as good on the oasis as the paperwhite but as i use it around the house/garden not a problem for me

Battery life is big deal for me. How often do you have to charge it? Do you roughly use it every day to read by the way?

Esco · 14 Jun 2020 at 08:04

mrgubby said:
I've been using Kobo kit for years , typically upgrading every 2/3 years as the tech improves. I think my current one is a Kobo Aura one, big display, waterproof and backlight changes colour for night-time reading.

The main selling point for me in Kobo Vs Kindle is that you can read all eBooks on a Kobo even Kindle books.

Aura One is discontinued i believe and I'd rather not grab 2nd hand (would prefer physical page turn buttons too). If you upgrade every few years is there an ereader out you want to upgrade to?

And do you use Overdrive feature? To sync books with local library. That sounds very handy...

Esco · 14 Jun 2020 at 08:08

Werewolf said:
I'm using a Kindle Voyager (bought it on release to replace my original Sony PRS 505), it's been a wonder and still going strong, although I'm having to charge it a little more often than I used to which isn't surprising after 6 years of daily use. When it dies I'll almost certainly replace it with an Oasis as that seems to be the current equivalent (and I'll go for the larger storage option*)

With the calibre app on the PC you can load most ebook formats onto most devices with relative ease, you can even convert from "protected" formats.

*As I'm getting into audobooks which can take several hundred mb of space, and read "light novels" which are often 20mb or so.

Just curious but have you compared Oasis to the libre H20? Seems to have many similar features and £100 cheaper. I haven't actually seen them side by side in person, but I really want to see if the new oasis is worth £100 more, which is a fair chunk of change.

ANDARIAL · 14 Jun 2020 at 08:13

Esco said:
Battery life is big deal for me. How often do you have to charge it? Do you roughly use it every day to read by the way?

Yeah am using it every day,battery life i suppose i get 5 books??? not sure as i tend to charge it when it gets to about 20%
Battery life is not bad but definitely not as good as a paperwhite
Am using the 32 GB oasis,loads of storage but that in itself can be a problem as TOO much choice on what to read and `browsing` can take ages

mrgubby · 14 Jun 2020 at 17:33

Esco said:
Aura One is discontinued i believe and I'd rather not grab 2nd hand (would prefer physical page turn buttons too). If you upgrade every few years is there an ereader out you want to upgrade to?

And do you use Overdrive feature? To sync books with local library. That sounds very handy...

Not upgraded for a while as the auara one does everything I need. I think overdrive has been dropped in the UK, my local library now uses Borrowbox.

Werewolf · 14 Jun 2020 at 21:55

Esco said:
Just curious but have you compared Oasis to the libre H20? Seems to have many similar features and £100 cheaper. I haven't actually seen them side by side in person, but I really want to see if the new oasis is worth £100 more, which is a fair chunk of change.

I've not, to be honest i didn't even know it existed (I can't remember the last time I saw a kobo on sale in the uk). although it's only 8gb and no audiobook.

When the time comes I'll probably have a look at it, but one of the reasons I'm looking at the Kindle's is the option of 32gb of storage as I'm juggling books on my reader at the moment.

pepp77 · 14 Jun 2020 at 22:00

I know it doesnt have physical buttons but the kindle paperwhite is fantastic, I probably use mine a minimum of 2-3 hours a day under normal circumstances and charge about once a month.

Edit - also 90% of my books are not Amazon books. Calibre makes life very easy with a kindle.

Edit 2 - Had mine 2 years now and its still like new.

Esco · 15 Jun 2020 at 00:22

pepp77 said:
I know it doesnt have physical buttons but the kindle paperwhite is fantastic, I probably use mine a minimum of 2-3 hours a day under normal circumstances and charge about once a month.

Edit - also 90% of my books are not Amazon books. Calibre makes life very easy with a kindle.

Edit 2 - Had mine 2 years now and its still like new.

The paperwhite seems interesting other then no warm light feature and no physical page turn buttons. The kobo clara hd is similar price and has warm light feature at least. As all my books will be sideloaded I don't mind which brand I go for as once I'm reading a book, other then the logo on the front of the device they all look similar enough. I mean having page turn buttons isn't a deal breaker but if i had the choice I'd rather it included it

rp2000 · 5 Mar 2024 at 18:34

Kobo Libra 2. Anyone got one? I'm thinking of getting one over a Kindle Paperwhite. Haven't owned an ebook reader for over a decade, but I like the simplicity of dragging and dropping content which the Kobo has over the Kindle.

rp2000

Feek · 5 Mar 2024 at 19:22

rp2000 said:
Kobo Libra 2. Anyone got one? I'm thinking of getting one over a Kindle Paperwhite. Haven't owned an ebook reader for over a decade, but I like the simplicity of dragging and dropping content which the Kobo has over the Kindle.

rp2000

I’ve never done it but I thought it was possible to just drag and drop onto a Kindle, into the documents folder.

Either that or Calibre.

Or just email them across. That’s how I do it.

I use my Kindle Oasis every day, wouldn’t be without it.