Clara Clara HD or Libra H2o

[esaika]

Hi,

I am finally buying an e-reader, but cannot decide between these two - would appreciate help and opinions regarding it.

Major factor for me is the lack of eye-strain & proper nice warm light as I suffer from severe migraines. As such, I was wondering if it is noticeable that the Libra doesn't have the anti-reflective coating? Is it much worse when compared to the Clara HD?

I am hoping to read occasionally in bath, and am compelled by the waterproofing of the Libra as well as by the presence of physical buttons. However, I have quite small hands and also have chronic wrist / elbow issues, so the ergonomics of holding a device matters quite a bit to me.

Would love to hear about your experiences regarding these two - especially regarding the physical comfort aspects (eyes, head & ergonomical aspect).

[esaika]

Also, just wanted to double check that both have the same dictionary (or rather, thesaurus) functionalities even if the libra requires wifi to use it.

[esaika]

Actually - scrap that: I am confused between all three options
- Clara HD
- Libra 2
- Libra H2O

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by esaika

Actually - scrap that: I am confused between all three options
- Clara HD
- Libra 2
- Libra H2O

The Clara HD is a 6" screen It has a warm light.
The Libra 2 is a 7" screen. It has buttons and a warm light.
The Libra H2O is discontinued.

I would go with the Libra 2 (I did go for the Libra 2). If you want/need a larger font size, the 7" screen will be much better. Plus, the screen used on the Libra 2 is nicer then that used on the Clara HD.

[rashkae]

All three of those devices use an e-ink screen with a slightly matte finish. As far as being anti-glare, they should all behave the same. The Libra 2 has a noticeably better contrast of black vs. the previous generation devices, to my eyes, at least. Some people do not really perceive this difference as a big deal, but I've never heard anyone compare the Libra 2 screen unfavorably to any reader other than the old Kindle Voyage.

I do not like the way the Libra 2 has implemented the upraised ridge on the button side. It's does make it easy for your thumb to hold the device one handed on that edge, but it also create a hard plasctic pressure point I'm not fond of.

They all have the save dictionaries,, but no thesaurus, (that I know of, unless you mean the Wikipeida or Google searches.)

I think the Libra 2 is the best e-reader I've ever had my hands on, as long as you are not bothered by Kobo's overall software quality issues.

[JSWolf]

The software issues are really just with the 4.31 firmware. I'm using 4.30 with no problems.

As for holding, I find the Libra 2 very easy to hold and the raised edge is no problem at all.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by esaika

Actually - scrap that: I am confused between all three options
- Clara HD
- Libra 2
- Libra H2O

Clara HD – 6" with nice screen (not waterproof)
Libra H2O – 7" with page turn buttons and nice screen
Libra 2 - the replacement for the Libra H2O

The Libra 2 has a different case, is heavier (215 grams, H2O is 192 grams), has a better screen (Carta 1200), uses a USB-C port (H2O uses a microUSB) and comes with 32 GBs of storage instead of 8 GBs. The Libra 2 has a 1,500 mAh battery, the H2O has a 1,200 mAh one. If you're going to pay close to full price for the H2O I would probably go with the Libra 2 instead. The CPU is 1 Ghz for both, which was kind of odd, folks were a bit surprised it wasn't upgraded to a dual CPU.

EDIT: All three of these now use an Oxford dictionary (basically the same one the Kindles and the Sonys use).

If you live in the U.S., a "refurbished" or "Grade A" H2O is available for $102 at Walmart (30 day return, 90 day warranty).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Refurbish...lack/251976286

I, personally, use the Clara, but I don't read in the tub.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by esaika

Hi,

I am finally buying an e-reader, but cannot decide between these two - would appreciate help and opinions regarding it.

Major factor for me is the lack of eye-strain & proper nice warm light as I suffer from severe migraines. As such, I was wondering if it is noticeable that the Libra doesn't have the anti-reflective coating? Is it much worse when compared to the Clara HD?

As the others have said, the Libra 2 appears to have a better screen than the older devices. It is using a later version of the e-ink screen which produces better blacks. But, the screens in the Clara HD and Libra H2O are very good and many people probably won't notice.

As to migraines, my wife suffers severely from them. She has been reading on e-ink devices for about 9 years, and fairly exclusively for the last four. As far as I can tell, using them has not had an noticeable impact on her migraine frequency. She is currently using a Sage, which has the same version of e-ink screen as the Libra 2. She has used a Touch, Glo, Aura ONE and Forma before that.

I am hoping to read occasionally in bath, and am compelled by the waterproofing of the Libra as well as by the presence of physical buttons. However, I have quite small hands and also have chronic wrist / elbow issues, so the ergonomics of holding a device matters quite a bit to me.

If you are reading in the bath, then a waterproof device is the best bet. I find the Kobo devices with buttons to be very easy to hold. The wide bezel with the buttons make for a good one-handed grip. But, I also have fairly large hands. If you have issues holding things, you might look at a Forma. They are an older 8" device, but, their weight is close to the Libra H2O. And I think the balance is better than the new devices for holding by the bezel.

Originally Posted by esaika

Also, just wanted to double check that both have the same dictionary (or rather, thesaurus) functionalities even if the libra requires wifi to use it.

Kobo use the same software on all of their devices. The only differences are related to the hardware difference between the devices and an occasional feature added to new devices. These are normally introduced on new devices and then put on the older devices after a while. About the only exception to that is that Dropbox support is only in the Forma, Elipsa and Sage.

[Tawn]

I recently got a Libra 2 as my first ereader (after using an older borrowed nook for short time). Wanted the improved screen. Much better on eyes than reading on laptop (but that applies to e-ink in general). I only use the light at a very low level, if at all. But I can read on it late day without affecting sleep. Nothing wrong with the buttons (lots of people like them), but I prefer the touchscreen (where a very light touch is sufficient) for turning pages. I find that to be less wrist stress, but your wrist issues may differ from mine. The Libra 2 is noticeably heavier than the nook was; don't know if that would be a problem for you.

[gldnbrwncouches]

I've got both the Libra H2O and the Clara HD. I like them both but strongly prefer the Libra for the 7 inch screen and page turn buttons. I also prefer the raised edge, but it's not for everyone. Since they're both older models at this point, you can usually find them on sale or refurbished for cheaper than standard retail pricing.

Can't speak to the newer Libra 2 model, but it looks like a great successor to the older Libra, and it would be my pick if buying one new today.

[BookCat]

I bought a Libra 2 a few weeks ago. For years I've used 6" eink ereaders, including two paperwhites. Changing to a 7" device is taking time. The light seems so much brighter because it covers a larger area. Holding, or propping it up at a distance, helps, but it still leaves a sense of 'light blindness' when I look away from the reader - I can still see the light in my eyes.
I have the light set at about 10% any lower than this and the screen seems very dark.

I mention this in relation to your migraines. Is it just bright light or flickering which triggers them? The screen doesn't flicker, provided you set the page turn refresh to every chapter. Keeping the light down at about 5% might help.

Out of interest, but not wanting to derail the thread, what light setting do others with a Libra 2 use?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Out of interest, but not wanting to derail the thread, what light setting do others with a Libra 2 use?

I use a light setting of 4. The natural light I have set to 0. That's when I'm reading in bed with not enough light. A setting of 10 would be too bright for me.

[DrChiper]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Out of interest, but not wanting to derail the thread, what light setting do others with a Libra 2 use?

When I'm reading at night, I use 3% when starting to read and lower it to 2% after some time. All with using the max natural light setting.
On my previous Libra H20 I used 4% and 3%; the Libra 2 seems to be brighter to me, and the natural light more yellowish. I tried to minimize the background glow by setting the Dark Mode and let just the letters be bright, but as the now black background is not really black (also a kind of yellowish), it does not provide real benefit for me. Though, YMMV.

[Tawn]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Out of interest, but not wanting to derail the thread, what light setting do others with a Libra 2 use?

I only use 2% (natural light set to auto) if I have the light on at all (only rarely read without a room light). More than that seems too glaring to me. The only other e-reader I've used didn't have a light.

Ideally there'd be a setting to automatically turn the light off during the day, when it's not really needed. I sometimes leave it on just to avoid having to adjust it in the dark.

[BookCat]

Thank you for the replies, they're very revealing. At those low settings, the Libra 2 looks like an ereader without frontlight, like my old Sony 505. I find this too dark because the lighting in my main room is quite dim.

Early in the day 10% at full blue light seems okay as long as I prop the reader up about an arm's length away from my eyes and take regular breaks (easier said than done). Later in the day, I turn the light down to about 6% with the warm light about half way. The later it is, the more warm light and less brightness.

The kindles always have the light set between 10 and 12, which looks much brighter than the kobo but doesn't affect my eyes. I'm not sure if it's the technology or size of screen which makes the difference. If it's related to screen size, perhaps the OP would be better getting a kobo Clara, if the light bleed problem has been solved.