Astro Bottles unsteady on vintage bases :-(

[Johnny]

 

Since mathmos re-shaped the astro bottles i can no longer use the new bottles on my vintage early astro & lantern, as they have tapered the base in to make a lip so the bottle sits on the rim of bases, This tapered part now sits inside the bases but to wide so rests on the inner part which makes the bottles very wobbly and i dont feel safe to use, The lantern base is the worst, slight tap and bottle tilts right over. Also less contents for more money as found out when i just refilled a earlier bottle 

mathmos site states the follow

Q. Why is my Astro bottle not sitting straight in the base?

A. Bottles are now supplied with a lip which runs around the lower part of the bottle, to ensure it will sit straight in the base.  When the bottle is placed on the base, it should sit securely, although it will still be possible to move the bottle from side to side.  If your bottle isn't sitting correctly, please please contact our customer service team .

wonky lava lamp - wonky bottle - bottle wonky

[Callum Carr]

I had the same problem just under a year ago when they first changed the bottles. I contacted me and they sent me an insert which is usually welded into the Astro base. Although it stops the bottle from wobbling, it makes the bottle sit proud which is worse in many ways. I decided to transfer the new fluid to an old bottle

[Johnny]

ahhh well if its free i get em to send me one lol  i have later astro early 2000's new bottle sits perfect, but on the lantern its pretty bad, not sure on later lanterns as mine's one of the very early types,  Like you i do transfer the contents as i prefer using original bottles thou they now short change ya with less fluid in the new bottles :-/  

Not tried the astro mini/ baby/ telstars yet but guessing there just the same, thankfully i have enough bottles and spear empties to keep me flowing 

[Adara]

Also the quality of the bottles has really gone down hill lately, the glass is rubbish. The flow of the new bottles since they went to halogen just produces blobs going up and then falling down. There is no point talking to them as they say this is the way they are now. For me as a company they are totally finished. The quality of the bases has also gone down the drain, the plastic they use for the astro is going all brown as it can't take the heat. Kind of sad really.

[Adara]

There are so many problems with Mathmos lamps at the moment:

1. The Astro, the flow is just pure rubbish, it just produces a few blobs that go up and down.

2. The Astro Baby they have altered the contents of the bottle and it overheats so fast.

3. Telstar, they can't even be bothered to actually even print the name mathmos anymore on the cap and the bottles are rubbish, the quality of the glass is full of air bubbles and marks.

4. Neo aka the butchered Telstar. Don't get me started on that one.

No Jet bottles. No Fluidium bottles. It is just pants.

[Johnny]

i had noticed just blobs and not the long stretchy shapes from the past, as i refill my orig bottles and as the new ones dont have so much fluid i add a little de-ironized water the flow isn't so manic as in blobs now get tradional stretchy up flow, Mathmos flow has gone like the u.s china made lamps, i cant see why they need 2 coils none of my bottles use em :-)

[Adara]

I don't understand why they changed the way they flow? At first I thought it was these new rubbish halogen bulbs. I told them this and they told me this the way they make them now, take it or leave it. Doesn't make sense why they'd do this? The Mathmos Metallic Astro is also pointless as you can't see anything in the bottle moving.

[kero48]

Sounds like another fine company now going down the drain similar to what happened to the lava lamps once they moved to China.

I never understand why any company, that has great success, starts to change things for the worse. I know that dollars and cents is the name of the game but once a company alienates their core buyers, the rest goes down hill from their.

[Adara]

Just ordered a bottle from them and it s a blob mess, just producing gum ball blobs. Can you tell me how much liquid to take out and how much de-ionised water to put in please.

[Johnny]

what bottle is it and what base your using? like 60s copper etc 

[Adara]

It is just a brand new Astro from them, it just produces boring blobs going up and down.

[Johnny]

i tend to remove around 10mm aka 1cm from the level of fluid, and top it up, so put a mark on the bottle before you remove the fluid. do this while the bottles cold, then shake it to mix it, Im not sure what the bulb is in your lamp, as im on copper orig bases i use a 40watt opal bulb, there are halogen bulbs that fit which are slighty lower heat  so may be worth trying that before tampering the fluid plus that will void ya warrenty. If its still blobbing fast take a little bit more out and top it up again, below is pic the bottles been on for 5 hours constant

[Adara]

Thank you. I have tried different bulbs but it still overheats so fast on halogen or old style bulbs. I think they are off their rocker or they aren't testing the stuff before they ship it out.