Oozing Goo - The Lava Lamp Syndicate

On-going list of quality issues with Lava Lite lamps (post-2003 lamps)

I've slowed down in buying lamps over the years, but I still get tempted when I see Lava Lite put out new lamps. And nearly all of the time, I'm disappointed. 

I wanted to consolidate my experiences/posts into one thread for those who are looking to purchase "new"er lava lamps, specifically ones from 2003 and after. Most of us know that 2003 is when Lava Lite shifted production of their lamps to China. Since that time, there's been an obvious decline in quality, though many new lava lamp fans may not know the difference. I'm not going to argue about how production should be shifted back to the US, but rather send out a strong warning about the quality of most of these lamps. I will never buy a used lamp from 2003 or afterwards. I will only buy them new from places that have good return policies. 

Why am I doing this? Mostly to inform others, I guess. I will fully admit that sometimes I'll buy a lamp to run it, photograph it and then return it. Sadly, I keep far too many of them and they end up being donated or junked. 

I kinda started this topic/thread back in 2011, but I'm still buying these stupid things and they are mostly still crap.

So, here we go again, with updated data!

Overall, quality is still crap, I think. The liquid seems to be clear, which is great, but flow is mediocre and nearly all lava lamps I get suffer from wax that stucks to the side of the globe around the bottom.

On the plus side, the bases and caps are good, and despite a lot of people not liking the "wrapped" bases and caps, I think they're kinda neat. 

Unfortunately, with all the issues I have, I don't tend to buy many of the new ones that come out. 

Your mileage may vary, however. 

I'm fairly sure Lava Lite headquarters has a picture of me somewhere labelled "worst customer ever" as I am rarely kind when talking about that company. 

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Erin, your new grande, yellow liquid red lava, has it held up and still clear and flows well, I want to order one tomorrow before the 20% ends and hope it's still works well.

Yes. So far, so good. However I think my bulb might need replacing as the lamp now takes forever to flow and isn’t as bright. I’ve run the lamp about 15 times at this point. However, sadly, I do expect to see an issue with this lamp eventually. 

The bulb thing, well they should last longer, maybe get on locally at loews or home depot, a better brand bulb as who knows what lava lamp throws in.

Now, can you expand on your expectations down the line? Why? How? blah blah blah :p

Well, I had two Heritage Grandes. The pink one I still have and after only minimal running, there are black bits in the wax and the rubber stopper at the top has started being sucked into the globe. The green one I gifted and it was then lost in a fire. 

Yes, I remember about the rubber plug being sucked in. The other one, sorry about, maybe the new one, it will just be a goody. Only time will tell!

Erin could you post a picture of the mother of pearl?

I got the Mother of Pearl lamp last week. I love it! It's quite nice! The flow is pretty good for a China lamp. I get a couple of snakes every now and then. However a dimmer is a must I think! 

I have started a small collection of non Lava brand lamps, cheap from Amazon. I am actually surprised how well they flow in comparison. The difference is quite striking! I have even stopped buying Mathmos. I feel their quality control isn't as good as it once was, and they are still expensive! I agree with the dimmer though!

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