2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nice, but......, October 19, 2010
This review is from: Battery Operated LED Hurricane Lamp with Frosted Glass Vase & Nickel Base
The package arrived, VERY securely packaged. I was very impressed with the packaging the vendor did (wasn't shipped by amazon). Although packaged to protect against any external impact, sadly nothing could help with the shoddy battery cover the product has.
As soon as I opened the cover, I knew there was going to be a problem. The cover has two flimsy/thin tabs that have to secure the battery plate over the batteries. When I say thin, I mean THIN; I could probably snap one off with very little pressure from my fingers. The thin tabs just leads to a series of problems. When you insert the batteries (size C), they do not lay flat in the enclosure, but rather are dropped down into the cylinder. Once the batteries are inside the enclosure, they do not lay flat, but rather have a spring to them (if that makes sense), so, basically, the battery cover has to be pushed down on an opposing force, while at the same time you have to get the flimsy tabs hooked under the lip of the opening, which by the way is a funky shape (triangle like). Needless to say, one of the little tabs broke off seconds after attempting to close it, and I was being VERY gentle. This probably would not be a problem, but the cover also has a metal connector needed to complete the battery charge/contact. With one of the little tabs missing, the cap could not make the contact to power on, because the batteries continue to push outward. Tape will not keep the cover in place (there is that much spring to the batteries), instead I had to resort to putting aluminum foil inside, between the cover and batteries, fortunately, the little clip that locks the cover still worked. So, with the aluminum foil and the weight of the light unit once it is placed on the metal plate/base, the thing works.
A brand new product rigged to work, is a little disappointing to say the least. I did not contact the seller regarding the problem and it was not worth shipping back, cost wise. Other than the cheap construction of a vital piece, I really love the look of this product. The hurricane frosted glass is delicate, but not super thin/fragile and the base is very nice. I purchased it for our tiny bathroom at the office and it really adds a nice warm touch to the otherwise drab room.
Would I buy the product again? Probably not. I think I could buy the individual pieces locally and get the same effect at the same cost (probably less) without the hassle of a damaged battery enclosure.
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