Cool... if you remember (Lava Lamps)

Member Name: harryuk106

Product:	Lava Lamps
Date:	05/12/00 (183 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Trendy, relaxing

Disadvantages: Takes a while to get going, colours fade, price

Lava Lamps were all the rage last year weren't they? And though they're still seen in a few 'trendy' shops they're not quite as popular. I confess to having bought one in that mad period - and now it is a permanent feature of my room.

Unfortunately, it's basically a permanently 'off' feature of my room. For those of you who don't know how a Lava Lamp works, basically a light at the bottom of the bottle heats up wax which rises to the top of the liquid before cooling and falling down. Fine. Only wax takes a while to heat up. In fact from cold, you'll be lucky to see the pretty blobs within 2 hours. And that's a bit annoying. You come home and fancy something mellow so you stick it on, and by the time it's actually in full flow you're either asleep or have gained some energy and are off doing something else. So in other words, you have to remember to turn it on in advance - you have to anticipate wanting to feel mellow later on in the evening, which doesn't always work out.

Secondly there seems to be no long-lasting way of colouring water. My lamp was blue liquid with a purple / pink lava - it looked terrific. However, after sitting on the window-sill for a year or two the liquid is now basically clear water.

But there's no denying it - when it is in full flow it is a very pretty, and rather trendy site. It doesn't give off much light - so the 'lamp' bit isn't so accurate. But it is very relaxing, and you don't have to feed it or clean it out like you do a Goldfish.

Prices vary - for the genuine Bona Fide article made by 'Mathmos' you're looking at anything from about £30 to in the hundreds depending on the style. I'm sure there are cheaper ones on the market, but 'Mathmos' being the originals and most commonly found it's easier to stick to them.

And so in general - if you're looking for a light -
don't get one. If you're looking for instant satisfaction and mellowness - think again. But if you've got the spare cash and a little space in your room, and fancy having that extra bit of street-cred in your pad, then why not.

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