US Mathmos Telstar from Lights.com

[Verax]

Hi all - I got a Telstar from lights.com.  The packaging was a little funky (not Mathmos original).  The base and top cap seem legit to me, but the bottle is suspect.  It has a ton of occlusions in it.  (see pictures below)  For those of you that have one, from the pics below, does anything stand out as being out of whack?

https://oozinggoo.ning.com/photo/albums/us-telstar-from-lights-com

thanks much!

Brian

[gunner]

I'm sure it's legit. Modern Mathmos bottles aren't absolutely perfect, from the two I've seen. Better than current lava lite, nicer finish & cleaner, but still a bit starry. That one seems a bit worse, but may be more noticeable on a slim bottle? In such a small lamp, I'm shocked it uses one of those hard-to-find 25 watt clear reflector bulbs. They push serious heat for 25 watts...I've got 2 chinese glitter lamps that use those, using way more clearance space. Have only one sacred spare. I would def try a 25 watt regular clear bulb, that alone might cure overheating? If that works out, hey, wanna sell me the reflector one? ;) How is the flow on this? The pictures bring me relief...from your earlier description I was expecting a hazy, lazy & scruffy chinese bottle.

[Verax]

From across the room, the thing is gorgeous.  You can't see the imperfections in the glass at all.  I hooked it up to a dimmer, and the flow is fantastic.

[Carol]

Nice lamp!!!!!

[gunner]

To find out they put a 40 watt bulb in these, that is insane! Now my question is about the (not original Mathmos) packaging. It doesn't come in a beautiful, heavy stock, vivid-color, glossy finished Mathmos box? That makes no sense at all. I'd love to see this USA packaging. Plain cardboard? My mathmos fireflow from lights.com arrived in 100% original packaging.

[Verax]

Yeah, Gunner, it's really strange.  Here is a picture of the packaging.  Cardboard box within another cardboard box, wrapped in bubble wrap inside.

http://oozinggoo.ning.com/photo/wp-20141104-07-34-33-raw?context=al...

[gunner]

Thanks for the pic Brian. That is strange, as though Lights.com gets a bulk shipment of loose parts and assembles them into complete lamps/box them up themselves (only speculation). I asked over the phone last winter and they do have spare parts & bottles available. Def not how they're packaged in the UK. You'll love the Astro box when it arrives!

[Tim Gill]

Its not Mathmos packaging and as I commented in a previous picture of I think its not genuine Mathmos lamp - I don't know what exactly lights.com are doing but its not a case of just simply forwarding on Mathmos lamps direct from Mathmos.

[Verax]

Thanks Tim.  That's what I figure as well.  I've initiated a return procedure with them.

[gunner]

I shudder to think. The clone priced sale on green/blue was weird too. But geez, they also carry an americanized space projector, fire flows and other mathmos novelty lights. I'm pretty sure mathmos themselves state on their website that lights.com is their exclusive USA dealer and carries a limited by law selection of their products. I sure hope the truth is told.

[Tim Gill]

Mathmos don't state on there websight that lights.com is there US dealer, they dont state one they just say if you want to buy trade orders then contact them. 

I reckon lights.com is mish matching lamps and parts from Mathmos and other companies and passing them off as genuine Mathmos items - out of order and don't buy from them.

gunner said:

I shudder to think. The clone priced sale on green/blue was weird too. But geez, they also carry an americanized space projector, fire flows and other mathmos novelty lights. I'm pretty sure mathmos themselves state on their website that lights.com is their exclusive USA dealer and carries a limited by law selection of their products. I sure hope the truth is told.

[Kirk]

I think lights.com used to be listed as the USA dealer on the Mathmos site, but not now.