Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I'm no expert on plasma balls - I've seen some at department stores that I thought were rather small and which had somewhat unimpressive light displays. I've found products online that are big and which appear to have dazzlingly bright displays (these are usually a couple hundred bucks). This one boasted an 8-inch globe, with good display, for a reasonable price. It came very well packed, and when I put it on the table I didn't get that "this looks kinda small" feeling. The 8-inch size (a tad smaller than a soccer ball) is a plus for this product when you consider its price. So I'm plugging in the adaptor and thinking the trade-off for the price will be that the display will be weak. We were in our dining room in the daytime with quite a bit of light coming in the window nearby. I hit the switch on the base and it lit up with lots of dancing red tendrils - not stunningly bright but clearly visible. Very much, if not exactly like, the picture on this site. My first impression was that I had absolutely gotten my money's worth. I looked at my two boys and they were smiling ear to ear as they touched the glass and caused the tendrils to converge on their fingertips and become brighter.
Later, the room was lit up with the usual indoor lights, though there was no daylight coming through the window. In these conditions, the tendrils were a little brighter, with a little more reddish-purple color, and more clearly defined. I switched off the overhead light and its display really stood out. There was ambient light from the adjacent living room, but the ball really looked bright and the tendrils were lit up really well. Very cool looking and 500 percent better than anything I had seen at the department stores (of course those are under those very bright flourescent store lights). In total darkness the thing's just beautiful. Worth the money? You betcha.
A couple notes:
The base is not round as it appears in the picture, but oval (8" x 6"). What this means is that an over-enthusiastic hand placement from the "side" can knock the ball over. I actually tried to do this (ready to catch it of course) and I found that it is possible to knock it over. Not super easy or anything, but possible. From the look and feel of the glass (tapping on it) and from the very light weight of the entire device, I'm certain that if it fell over on my dining room table, it would break. I plan to make a base of some sort but initially I just secured it with a couple pieces of masking tape while my kids had their hands all over it. If it did break, I would order another one in a heartbeat.
Also, depending on how your'e touching the ball, it is possible to feel VERY slight arcs of electricity on your skin. These are much less than what you get when you occasionally touch someone or something and get a static spark - nothing like that. More of a slight sensation, and a neat one at that. I found that if I laid my palm across the top of the ball and someone else touched the top of my hand lightly with one finger, I recieved a stronger arc on my hand where their finger was. They couldn't feel it, but for me it was almost a slight stinging sensation. My boys were too chicken to try that one more than once! If you hold your finger on the glass long enough, you can begin to feel a little warmth. The manufacturer advises that you should never put metal objects up to the glass while it's on. My whole point here is that since it could be knocked over, and especially since there can be some slight electrical things happening "outside" the ball, following the manufacturer's warnings (e.g., adult supervision) is recommended here. I stupidly left it on one night and came out to get a drink of water in the middle of the night and I could see a bluish-green arc coming from the ball and going up to the ceiling...just kidding.
It has worked great now for months - just as bright. My kids still love it - everyone who sees it does. I was looking for a good plasma ball at a good price and I feel I found the best one out there. Highly recommended.
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Nebula Plasma BallCreates an amazing light show - from any angle! -- A little bit of science, a little bit of art, and a whole lot of cool! This Nebula Plasma Ball is simply the ultimate interactive light show. Blending specially formulated inert gases, it creates a-- dramatic display of light inside a hand-blown glass sphere! -- Fascinating to watch, this light is even more fun to play with! Just place your fingers on the glass surface and watch as colored bolts of glowing light follow your every move. You can actually "feel" the energy as the light gently tickles your fingertips! -- Featuring a super-large 8" glass sphere, the Nebula Plasma Ball can be viewed from any angle, and comes complete with its own AC power adapter and unique designer base that compliments any room. AC powered adapter included. -- Simply the BEST Plasma Ball on the market today!
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