Creative Motion 7 Plasma Ball Lamp

When this item arrived, it came with another item in a smaller package. I saw the smaller package and thought, oh no, this "7-inch" plasma globe is really just a 3" one with a 4" base! I could have spent $9.99 on this, instead of $14! But noooo. A different item was in the smaller package, this is indeed a full-on 7" GLOBE. For $14, that's not too shabby.It doesn't come with any bells or whistles...no intensity adjustment, no "music response" (which basically means a globe will respond to any sound, not just music but say clapping for example, by blinking on and off. The tendrils themselves in those models aren't audio-sensitive) and so after looking at a multitude of similar items, I settled on the (at the time) lowest priced one, and man, I was soooo not disappointed!This "Creative Motion" plasma ball (seller of the same name) is a 7-inch globe...globe size, not including base. The shipping-packaging was terrible (typical Amazon), and the interior packaging was also crappy, leading me to believe I had gotten a used item. But the globe was intact, and I couldn't make out any discernible fingerprints on the clear exterior (if someone wiped it down, they did a good job), so I powered it on, and holy mackerel Andy! What a display!I should couch this by saying it doesn't do anything more than any video you've seen on youtube. Yes, you can get a single tendril with the palm of your hand (give or take a few minute stragglers at the bottom that you just can't seem to catch). No, it's not adjustable. No it doesn't respond to music, or hand-clapping. Yes, you can put a couple pennies on top and get a spark (a teeny one) between them. But oh, words can't describe just how PRETTY this thing is in action!The inner center is a pink-red color (not bright red, more a pinkish hue). The tendrils are a lovely sky-blue, and where they meet the glass (plastic?) surface is again the pink-red color. Mind you, I'm not a fan of red, but I wasn't put off by this color at all. I don't know if other globes have different colored tendrils or not (from what I could gather, they all look pretty much the same, except for those in specialty colors), but oh my goodness, just soooo lovely!There are those who warn against the purported "health hazards" of such devices in terms of emissions. There are also those who claim plasma is "sentient," and tout the health benefits. I dunno about any of those folks. All I know is that when I turn this lil sucker on and play with it, I feel GOOOOOOOD. It's just really something else. And unless you put a penny on it, you won't shock yourself at all by touching it. Even if you put a penny on it and touch it, the resulting shock is very mild. The globe itself is safe enough that I feel fine letting my kitties explore it by touching their noses to it. Just touching skin on globe yields only a very slight vibration, nothing harmful, at least not to the touch. And it's just mesmerizing.I thought it had a 30-minute timer to prevent burn-out, but I forgot about it and left it on for over an hour and a half. When I noticed it was still on, it was working flawlessly. I don't know how long it will last over time...there could be a gas leak that eventually renders it useless, for all I know. But for now, it's simply AMAZING. And I don't shout-caps often. Trust me, it just is. Who among us has never dreamed of having a crystal ball? For $14, this lil bad boy delivers....and then some. Just don't cross the streams! ;) Highly recommended.

Very well done. Ok, confession. I have always wanted a plasma ball since I was a kid, I am mesmerized. So now as a father (and since they are affordable and you don't have to go to the science museum to see one), I decided it was time to get one to enjoy with the kids. This plasma ball is exactly what I was hoping with one minor caveat (coming shortly).As with most, in bright light it is not very glorious. But if you dim the lights, the display is dazzling. The plasma tendrils are highly motive and easily attracted to touch. It's very gratifying. Since it appears there are some other plasma ball products out there exaggerating their size, I was a little nervous, but it is "as advertised", the glass globe is pretty darn close to 7" in diameter.The only thing I could say is that the base is just a tad light for the weight of the glass globe. With the kids' hands sliding all around it, I am half worried about their (normal) hand movements tipping it. That said, the base is sufficiently wide enough to keep the center of gravity just low enough to prevent an easy tip over. However, it does tip slightly with relatively gentle pressure, but because of the wide base, it does not tip over.So enjoy, but I would stay in arms reach if you have young children playing with it on a table or something.The audio sensitive mode is odd. The plasma ball basically is either on or off, there is no degree. So when it hears a sound in this mode, the globe will light, flickering on briefly for the duration of the sound and then go back to off. It would be cooler if the brightness level changed in relation to the intensity of the sound, but I am not a physicist, that may not even be possible. So we don't use this mode much, but it's there.

So far after a year this has held up well and works great. My kids love it and it teaches them science. The reason for not 5 stars is because the glass globe is pretty thin and will break easily if you aren't careful. This was a replacement, the 1st was bought from a different company and didn't work out of the box, so I gave this one a try. Glad I did because this works great. You can hook up your MP3 player to it and it lights up to the beat of the music, which they love!