Recommended lamp to get

[Aaron]

Hey everyone, new here.

Last year I bought 2 brand new lava lamps. A few months later finding out they were pieces of crap made in China and stopped working. Doing a little searching around here it seems the general consensus is to either buy an older lava lamp off eBay that was made in the USA or buy a Mathmos lamp from the UK. Which would you recommend that is going to most likely not stop working on me in a short period of time? 

[Alex]

It usually depends on your budget. Mathmos are expensive and, if you live in the US, shipping takes a while. Also, Mathmos puts a limited lifespan on their bottles. US lamps are plentiful on eBay with generally good prices. So for me, it's vintage US ones. Welcome to OozingGoo! Good luck lamp hunting!

[Aaron]

Hm well that makes the choice somewhat obvious if the more expensive product won't last as long. Anything I should look for when looking for a lamp on eBay or at a thrift store (IE pictures of it working, or a label on the product/box)? I'd like to avoid the hassle of getting a bad lamp if at all possible.

[Alex]

Well, the Mathmos site lists 2000 hours as the lifespan of a bottle. Pictures of it working are always a plus. If the wax is in two separate chunks, it will need some repair work. Any lamp with odd colors could mean that it's been overheated a lot.

[Keith]

From Mathmos:

Q. What is the lifespan of a bottle?

A. Mathmos lava lamp bottles last 2000 hours.

That doesn't mean that at 2000 hours the wax is going to just fail.  Many people continue using Mathmos lamps after that mark with no or little noticeable difference.

Aaron said:

Hm well that makes the choice somewhat obvious if the more expensive product won't last as long. Anything I should look for when looking for a lamp on eBay or at a thrift store (IE pictures of it working, or a label on the product/box)? I'd like to avoid the hassle of getting a bad lamp if at all possible.

[Keith]

My personal favorite Lava Lamp is an Aristocrat base lamp with a #24 globe (that is blue water/yellow wax, the flowing wax looks green).  I like the color, but the main reason it's my favorite is because it has an excellent flow day after day after day.

You can find these on ebay but you might want to take your time and try to get a good price.  There are a couple on right now at about $150 to $199 but many times you can find them in the $50 to $60 range.

I'm not the only one that likes this particular lamp as noted in the link below:

http://oozinggoo.ning.com/photo/another-great-ebay-lamp?xg_source=a...

[Aaron]

Okay, thanks for all the replies everyone. Hopefully I can find some nice lamps.

Kinda sucks they took the manufacturing to China. I would be willing to pay more for a quality made lamp from the USA.

[Alex]

I love US 52oz globes! They just have a unique flow to them due to the size. That's a great recommendation Keith.


Keith said:

My personal favorite Lava Lamp is an Aristocrat base lamp with a #24 globe (that is blue water/yellow wax, the flowing wax looks green).  I like the color, but the main reason it's my favorite is because it has an excellent flow day after day after day.

You can find these on ebay but you might want to take your time and try to get a good price.  There are a couple on right now at about $150 to $199 but many times you can find them in the $50 to $60 range.

I'm not the only one that likes this particular lamp as noted in the link below:

http://oozinggoo.ning.com/photo/another-great-ebay-lamp?xg_source=a...

[Brad]

i'd go blue/white (03) century or aristocrat from the 90's.  that 24 globe is nice too :)

[Brad]

i'll give you a few tips from my experience from buying a ton of lava lamps on ebay.

always make sure that the lamp flows before bidding.  

make sure a photo of the cap of the globe is posted so you know the year it was made.  http://oozinggoo.ning.com/page/lava-lite-color-codes

those two things will save you a lot of grief.

always feel free to post in the chat or contact someone if you have a question about something.  as well, check out the lava library if you haven't already.  http://oozinggoo.ning.com/page/lava-library

Aaron said:

Hm well that makes the choice somewhat obvious if the more expensive product won't last as long. Anything I should look for when looking for a lamp on eBay or at a thrift store (IE pictures of it working, or a label on the product/box)? I'd like to avoid the hassle of getting a bad lamp if at all possible.

[Aaron]

Thanks for the heads up.