Oozing Goo - The Lava Lamp Syndicate

Lava Lite's New Website & The NEW Heritage Collection

http://www.lavalamp.com/

The new Heritage Collection will be available to buy 10/28

**Updated the Heritage Collection will be released today on LavaLite Website at 10am CST. Heres a sneak peak!

*** http://lavalamp.com/heritage-collection ***

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I see more reasons to assume that claim is NOT true than true..

Almost every aspect of the formula is completely and totally different than what we were used to with US lamps, so to me yeah, its changed a hell of a lot.

The thing is, you're not disputing LL's claim. You're just saying that the 90's formula was clearly different than the mid-00's formula, which is a related, but different claim (and one that I don't think anyone here would dispute).

What bothers me is the constant disparaging of Chinese manufacturing. Sure, LL's production from the mid-00's to at least 2011~2012 was a great example of low quality Chinese manufacturing, but I find the constant claims here that "China" lamps cannot and will never match the quality of US lamps to be kind of offensive. It certainly requires some work to find and monitor an overseas manufacturer, but there are plenty examples of very high quality products coming out of China these days.

I also think people tend to forget a lot of the problems that 90's lamps had, simply because any of those lamps that are still around are generally going to be the problem-free lamps. I've seen plenty of bubbly, chunky messes from the 90's and I've had several NOS lamps that turned into bubbly, chunky messes after less than 100 hours running. (That formula did not tend to age well.) I even had one that went completely and irrecoverably cloudy over the course of a few months. That obviously isn't as bad as the 2005~2011 lamps (which were basically all cloudy and often leaked coloring) but the 90's lamps certainly weren't perfect.

What did you order?  Grandes?  Wizards?

I ordered the green neon Grande.


Critter said:

Well gang, in a few days I'll have to be asking for forgiveness! LOL The order has been submitted.

Critter

I can dispute the claim. I was always told that the formula was the same, but the process is what was wrong. What kirk said here is exactly right, I did the same tests myself a few years ago.

"China liquid has a specific gravity of 1.010.  Vintage and 90s liquid is more dense and runs between 1.030 and 1.040 -- sweet spot is usually 1.038."

If the formula was the same then the density values would be the same. That is indisputable proof that the formula is not the same. No matter how much back and forth there was between me and Dale I never got him to admit that there was a difference. They are either ignorant of the formula being different or do not want to admit it. The evidence is scientifically proven and there is no disputing that.



Alfred said:

So, you've tested US lamps right before production moved and Chinese lamps right after it moved? No one's disputing that the formula has changed at least once (probably multiple times), but since it's close to impossible to disprove LL's claim that they didn't change the formula when they moved production, I see no reason not to assume that claim is true. Whether 90's lamps generally used a better formula than current lamps is a completely different question.

I agree with you autumn, that's empirical evidence that the formula is different. They may never admit it, or maybe they're ignorant like you said, but it's definitely not the same.

I'm also not saying that the USA formula was perfect, because it did have problems sometimes like you mentioned, bubbly wax was very common but I still prefer that flow over todays.

What people seem to forget is that things like Iphones, laptops, TV's, and the vast majority of all electronics come from China. You don't hear people saying that China cannot produce cutting edge electronic pieces. If they can make that stuff they can make lava lamps. The issue is the factories that make lighting are often run by people who came from small farming villages and lack in ethics. They do not understand why it is wrong to pocket money from cost cutting as it is accepted as part of the culture there. It also doesn't help that the people working in the factories may not have even owned a lamp of any sorts until the past few years, These are people that don't even understand the concept of a lamp, much less a lava lamp. Don't forget that China has grown very rapidly over a very short span of time and a lot of the people there are still catching up with the modern world.

Alfred said:

The thing is, you're not disputing LL's claim. You're just saying that the 90's formula was clearly different than the mid-00's formula, which is a related, but different claim (and one that I don't think anyone here would dispute).

What bothers me is the constant disparaging of Chinese manufacturing. Sure, LL's production from the mid-00's to at least 2011~2012 was a great example of low quality Chinese manufacturing, but I find the constant claims here that "China" lamps cannot and will never match the quality of US lamps to be kind of offensive. It certainly requires some work to find and monitor an overseas manufacturer, but there are plenty examples of very high quality products coming out of China these days.

I also think people tend to forget a lot of the problems that 90's lamps had, simply because any of those lamps that are still around are generally going to be the problem-free lamps. I've seen plenty of bubbly, chunky messes from the 90's and I've had several NOS lamps that turned into bubbly, chunky messes after less than 100 hours running. (That formula did not tend to age well.) I even had one that went completely and irrecoverably cloudy over the course of a few months. That obviously isn't as bad as the 2005~2011 lamps (which were basically all cloudy and often leaked coloring) but the 90's lamps certainly weren't perfect.

Dang, I should have ordered some bulbs. Can these be purchased anywhere else? Are they 100W floods?

i see the bulbs all the time on eBay, so yes you can get them from other places.  they are 100w R20.

Erin said:

Dang, I should have ordered some bulbs. Can these be purchased anywhere else? Are they 100W floods?

100w R20F, yes, floods.   They're 4.99 each on LL's site.

I think I have a box of them downstairs, to be honest. I'll have to look. 

update: after 3 cycles, the b/w and r/y centuries still have wax stuck at the top.  the flow consists of mostly spheres.  when they cool, the wax stays in a dome shape at the bottom and does not flatten out like other lamps.  most of the bubbles in the r/y are gone, but the b/w contains large white chunks and lots of bubbles.  sadly, i'm starting to think that these need to go back.

the neon green grande flows like a champ though!  i'd say it's similar to the flow of a giant.

Same here on the Century, Brad.  Mine never had any bubbles or those white chunks in it, but my Red Wizard had the white chunks, which melted and are not there now.  

I talked to Susan and she wanted the pics I posted of my yellow/red Century here on OG.  I told her it was not an isolated case, that several OGer's who bought these were having the same problems.  Mine also detaches from the coil all the time.   It is working a "bit" better with the 60w bulb, but just a blob flow, a few stretchy, which is better than it was with no flow at all on the 40w, and sticking wax.   These lamps are not getting hot enough. 

I did get my Red Wizard working though.  Not as well as the old lava Wizzies, but much more so than it was.

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