8" Nebula Plasma Ball

by Can You Imagine

Product Features

• 8"glass sphere
• AC power adapter included

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 16.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000VS827Y
• Item model number: 3310
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,726 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #9 in Toys & Games > Novelty & Gag Toys > Magic Kits & Accessories
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

Product Description

A little bit of science, a little bit of art, and a whole lot of cool! This Nebula Plasma Ball is simply the ultimate interactive light show. Blending specially formulated inert gases, it creates a dramatic display of light inside a hand-blown glass sphere! Fascinating to watch, this light is even more fun to play with! Just place your fingers on the glass surface and watch as colored bolts of glowing light follow your every move. You can actually "feel" the energy as the light gently tickles your fingertips! Featuring a super-large 8" glass sphere, the Nebula Plasma Ball can be viewed from any angle, and comes complete with its own AC power adapter and unique designer base that compliments any room. AC powered adapter included. This is really NOT a toy. There is a protective coating on the glass. If you do drop it, and the glass breaks, the Plasma Ball is designed to stay in generally the same ball shape, without flying glass. Simply the BEST Plasma Ball on the market today! Nikola Tesla originally invented the plasma lamp more than a century ago after experimenting with high-frequency currents in an evacuated gas tube. An important contributor to the start of commercial electricity, Tesla produced the work that formed the basis of modern AC electrical power systems, and helped bring about the second industrial revolution. The modern version of the plasma lamp was designed by Bill Parker in 1970, and uses a mixture of xenon, krypton, neon and other gases to create the vivid colors and complex patterns you see in the plasma ball.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine Plasma Ball, March 28, 2009

By 

Matt "Clear Night Sky Buff" (Oregon) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 8" Nebula Plasma Ball (Toy)

I'm no expert on plasma balls - I've seen some at department stores that I thought were rather small and which had somewhat unimpressive light displays. I've found products online that are big and which appear to have dazzlingly bright displays (these are usually a couple hundred bucks). This one boasted an 8-inch globe, with good display, for a reasonable price. It came very well packed, and when I put it on the table I didn't get that "this looks kinda small" feeling. The 8-inch size (a tad smaller than a soccer ball) is a plus for this product when you consider its price. So I'm plugging in the adaptor and thinking the trade-off for the price will be that the display will be weak. We were in our dining room in the daytime with quite a bit of light coming in the window nearby. I hit the switch on the base and it lit up with lots of dancing red tendrils - not stunningly bright but clearly visible. Very much, if not exactly like, the picture on this site. My first impression was that I had absolutely gotten my money's worth. I looked at my two boys and they were smiling ear to ear as they touched the glass and caused the tendrils to converge on their fingertips and become brighter.

Later, the room was lit up with the usual indoor lights, though there was no daylight coming through the window. In these conditions, the tendrils were a little brighter, with a little more reddish-purple color, and more clearly defined. I switched off the overhead light and its display really stood out. There was ambient light from the adjacent living room, but the ball really looked bright and the tendrils were lit up really well. Very cool looking and 500 percent better than anything I had seen at the department stores (of course those are under those very bright flourescent store lights). In total darkness the thing's just beautiful. Worth the money? You betcha.

A couple notes:
The base is not round as it appears in the picture, but oval (8" x 6"). What this means is that an over-enthusiastic hand placement from the "side" can knock the ball over. I actually tried to do this (ready to catch it of course) and I found that it is possible to knock it over. Not super easy or anything, but possible. From the look and feel of the glass (tapping on it) and from the very light weight of the entire device, I'm certain that if it fell over on my dining room table, it would break. I plan to make a base of some sort but initially I just secured it with a couple pieces of masking tape while my kids had their hands all over it. If it did break, I would order another one in a heartbeat.

Also, depending on how your'e touching the ball, it is possible to feel VERY slight arcs of electricity on your skin. These are much less than what you get when you occasionally touch someone or something and get a static spark - nothing like that. More of a slight sensation, and a neat one at that. I found that if I laid my palm across the top of the ball and someone else touched the top of my hand lightly with one finger, I recieved a stronger arc on my hand where their finger was. They couldn't feel it, but for me it was almost a slight stinging sensation. My boys were too chicken to try that one more than once! If you hold your finger on the glass long enough, you can begin to feel a little warmth. The manufacturer advises that you should never put metal objects up to the glass while it's on. My whole point here is that since it could be knocked over, and especially since there can be some slight electrical things happening "outside" the ball, following the manufacturer's warnings (e.g., adult supervision) is recommended here. I stupidly left it on one night and came out to get a drink of water in the middle of the night and I could see a bluish-green arc coming from the ball and going up to the ceiling...just kidding.

It has worked great now for months - just as bright. My kids still love it - everyone who sees it does. I was looking for a good plasma ball at a good price and I feel I found the best one out there. Highly recommended.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plasma mom, January 8, 2009

By 

So many books, so little time "Milly" (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 8" Nebula Plasma Ball (Toy)

The item does exactly as it says and is very fascinating for kids. A fun learning tool. It is a bit delicate and feels like it weighs mere ounces. As long as it is kept on a table or shelf it is fine. Kids should not walk around with it to avoid an accident. It's not the type of toy they can take on the bus to show off at school unless packaged very, very well. One other point is when you try to surround the ball with as much of your hands and arms all at once, you will feel a slight shock. Kids should only use their finger tips. The looks of amazement over the tiny bolts of lightning following their fingers around are spectacular. Very cool toy, just very delicate.

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nebula Plasma Ball - Feel The Power Through Your Fingers!, October 9, 2010

By 

Arthur Senior "Small Engine Mechanic" (A Dimension Beyond Sight & Sound) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 8" Nebula Plasma Ball (Toy)

Length:: 1:49 Mins

There are many different brands of plasma balls to be found on Amazon. I did the smart thing and purchased one of the best kinds that I could. This by far is one of the most impressive light shows I have ever seen. I am more interested in seeing plasma bolts jump and attack my fingers, then to see a stupid walking, talking, beeping, blinking, bleeping robot!

Some of you might be thinking about purchasing a smaller one to save money, take my advice, don't. Trust me on this, once you get this 8" ball, you will be glad you did. And keep in mind you are still saving money, cause years ago these things cost between $100 to $200 dollars. You don't believe me how beautiful and cool this thing is? Just watch the video! :-)

UPDATE NOV, 19 2010

I just wanted to let you all know that my plasma ball has officially already died! I only put a total of 3-hours on it at the most. I now give this product a 1 out of 5.