Product Description
Science, bitch! This nostalgic electricity ball combines captivating art with simple science to create a fun, interactive, and mildly educational toy ... [Read more]Top Reviews
You don't want this oneby Real Mike P (1 out of 5 stars)
January 8, 2016
I purchased this well ahead of the holidays as a gift for my son. Unknowingly, I purchased it too far outside of the return policy time limit. When my son opened this, we set it up and within 30 minutes it broke. First it just stopped working, then the small ball inside of the dome broke off.
I tried to resolve this with both the manufacturer and Zany, LLC but neither would stand behind the product since the stated warranty period had passed. Typically during the holidays warranty periods are extended to allow for advance purchase and gift-giving. Not in this case.
Unfortunately this Plasma 360 will live it's life in a landfill instead of on my son's shelf.
Can't say enough good things about this amazing light
by JustKelly (5 out of 5 stars)
June 1, 2016
Can't say enough good things about this amazing light. Everyone who visits is SO impressed! We've had no issues with it overheating or breaking, and we've been using it steadily for a month. It crackles, zaps when you touch it - I mean, it's very active. So it seems like basic common sense to not run it on and on. It doesn't come off like a night light at all - it's WORKING. So if you want it to last, it seems logical not to run it for hours on end. One word of warning... my daughter was next to me touching the bulb while I had both hand on my MacBook. She touched me with her other hand while still touching the lamp, and gave me a distinct shock. So if you're touching the bulb (and it's QUITE) addictive, lay off of any other electronics!
Okay, but you get what you pay for
by Phillip U. (3 out of 5 stars)
December 18, 2015
I always wanted one when I was a kid so I got one for my children. This model has a glass sphere instead of plastic like many others. But the orb and its base are very light so I don't think the glass is particularly thick. Also while not top-heavy, the base feels like it is an unweighted hollow plastic cone that would benefit from a more sturdy build.
Note that the photos used seem to have been taken in a darkened room and then cut out against a white background. In a well-lit room, the orb is nowhere near as colorful as shown in the photos. It is, however, quite nice looking in a darkened room.
Overall this plasma ball is okay, but you get what you pay for. More expensive models that are upwards of 10x more expensive are definitely nicer with thicker glass orbs, more colorful arcing effects and wooden or metal bases. But this one is obviously very affordable and should hopefully resist the scratching and denting seen in even less expensive versions with plastic orbs.
PLASMA BALL EXPLODED!!! It's a week after ...
by JAREMY (1 out of 5 stars)
January 1, 2018
PLASMA BALL EXPLODED!!!
It's a week after Christmas, and our four children are still enthralled with their toys from Christmas. One of those toys, a plasma ball, was being played with tonight. Two of our children were sitting by the ball and seemed to be mesmerized by the lights it was displaying. I smiled as I watched them - I could practically see the pictures in their mind coming to full, vivid color.
This serene moment was interrupted when an intense "pop" overpowered the laughter of our children. After the ball had only been on for a couple minutes, it exploded and shattered into several pieces in the faces of our children.
By the grace of God, no one was harmed - although our ears are ringing, and our heads are pounding from the sound.
I am posting this as a warning to other parents- if you have a "Plasma Ball 360", then I highly suggest sending it back/returning it to the store.
STAY AWAY!!! JUNK!!!
by chilly balls (1 out of 5 stars)
November 12, 2015
I figured that I'd give this plasma ball a chance, seeing as the reviews were mixed. I should have stayed away. First off, it was delivered without any protective boxing around the original box, and the box was not secured with tape or anything. Very bad packaging for something so fragile. As soon as I got it, I looked it over and plugged it in to see if it would work, and surprisingly, it did! So I set it aside for my son's birthday, about 2 weeks later. When I gave it to him, he was very excited. We carefully plugged it in and I explained to him that he has to be very careful around it because it is very fragile. He listened, and began to play with it. It had been running for approximately 10 minutes, so we turned it off and he left to go play. About 5 minutes after being turned off, my wife and I heard a crack coming from the plasma ball, and we found that the little glass ball in the middle had broken! We turned it on again, and it didn't work. Closer inspection found the other half of the small glass ball broken in the bottom of the big glass ball. All in all, this is a poorly made piece of junk. Amazon accepted a return for refund only, so my son is incredibly disappointed that he no longer has the coolest toy ever.
Great Gift for Those with Scientific Curiosity
by Bottle Infrontofme (5 out of 5 stars)
March 23, 2015
For those of you that are curious about the inventions of Nickola Tesla, having this plasma ball is a good place to start. It had me asking basic physics questions from the start. The globe uses argon gas as the conducting medium. Why argon? It's certainly not because it is a good conductor of electricity. It isn't. It is a better insulator than air. Actually air or almost any gas or a vacuum would work in the globe. Is it the colors? Partial credit. A trace of neon produces blue along with soft red of excited argon. Also, it is interesting and relaxing to watch. The streamers are actually plasma, sometimes called the fourth state of matter. For those of you with some knowledge of physics, it gets you thinking about what's going on; under certain circumstances, a plasma can be a compressible electron gas. So this got me thinking about longitudinal EM waves and how this would impact special relativity. I don't have the answer yet! If anybody knows, please post something.
I have had mine for some time and it still functions perfectly. The quality is quite good. This is the perfect gift for your nerd loved ones, especially a youngster who is starting out in science.But nerds of any age will appreciate this.
This is pretty cool when it first comes out of the box
by jm downing (3 out of 5 stars)
January 6, 2016
This is pretty cool when it first comes out of the box. It's quite entertaining and my little one (7 years old) enjoyed playing with it. It has found a home on the shelf on the head board over his bed. I was slightly disappointed in the color; I thought it would be more of blue or purple color, instead it is mostly pink- still very pretty to look at but just not what I expected.
As other reviewers stated, once the initial thrill wore off (one day), it was placed on the shelf and hasn't been played with since. It really wont be an everyday toy, but I guess that is to be expected.
Piece of JUNK!
by Beeswax (1 out of 5 stars)
December 25, 2015
This was a Christmas gift for my daughter and it was great, for the whole 30 seconds it worked! That is NO exaggeration, it worked for 30 seconds max! This was a piece of junk! If you buy this through this seller, be aware they have a 30 day return policy from date of purchase. This was a Christmas gift and was purchased about 5 weeks prior to Christmas. We didn't find out it didn't work until their 30 days was up and this seller will not deviate from the 30 days. Thankfully Amazon has no problem accepting the return!
Doesn't last
by jbh (1 out of 5 stars)
December 26, 2015
This was a Christmas gift. It stopped working a little over 24 hours after the gift was opened. Very disappointing for the recipient who had wanted one for a long time. We are re-ordering in the hope that we will have better luck with a replacement. If not, we will go to a different manufacturer. The packaging was in decent shape when we received it, which was a miracle since there was no outer wrapping. It was delivered in the box it was packaged in, left sitting on the porch with the unsealed top open. We could look right down in to the box. The styrofoam casing was intact so it did not seem to have damaged the ball. That may have nothing to do with the lack of longevity.
Short-lived Fun
by sara-34 (3 out of 5 stars)
May 31, 2013
My 8 year old son went mad for this toy when he got it for Christmas. He played with it often and used it as a night light when he went to bed. It also started some great conversations between him and his electronics-technician-dad about electronics and Nikola Tesla. It is a good size - large enough to see well and small enough to fit easily on his shelf.
Downsides: It made this soft but horribly annoying high-frequency buzzing noise. Apparently not everyone can hear it, but I can, and it drove me nuts. In February or March, after 2-3 months of use, it abruptly stopped working. Honestly, I was relieved. I know my son was disappointed, but he hasn't asked for a second one.
Unless your child specifically wants one of these or has an interest in electronics, I'd get a lava lamp instead. They last much longer and are silent.
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