Customer Reviews

Echo Valley 8140 Glow-in-the-Dark Illuminarie 10-Inch Gazing Globe

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I bought this globe based on the image that accompanied the Amazon ad. In it was shown a deep glowing ball at dusk casting a blue hue to nearby objects and so I naturally assumed that's what I was getting. Instead I got a globe that looks like a plastic beachball during the day and glows for about 10 minutes at night. And when I say glows I'm really stretching - you'd have to be pretty good at seeing in the blackness of night to even know it was glowing.

Not a fan of having to squint at things that are supposed to "glow in the dark". As a daylight garden object d'art it's barely passable - very disappointed with this item.

*** Additional - the above review must have been written by someone with a vested interest in this product since that's the only item they reviewed - glowingly I might add (arf). Suggesting a glow in the dark item should have a bulb placed in or near it is the single most ridiculous thing I've heard this week. But it sort of proves that this product does NOT glow in the dark and should not be advertised as such. ***

I'm a big fan of "glow in the dark". I enjoy them a lot and am always looks for interesting and "off the wall" items. I requested this as a birthday present and even though my partner thought I was a bit "odd", I received this as a gift. I love it!! The blue doesn't glow, but the "white swirl" does -- quite brightly and for a long time. I have a very small lavendar garden and have this as part of that garden, so it gets a lot of sun during the day, with no shadows. By night fall, the swirl is very clear. It won't light up your backyard, so if you want a light, this isn't it. If you want a unique addition to your garden and a spark of interest in a otherwise dark area at night (which is what happens at night in a garden), this is a great addition.

The product pictured on the web site is very accurate. The globe was great to look at during the day and we were excited to see what the globe looked like at night.

With sunsets being as slow as they are, by the time it was dim enough for the globe to "glow" it had released all the stored energy and was just a "dark ball" in the back yard.

While you can use a flashlight or other light source on the globe to "re-activate" the luminescence, the globe is best viewed during the daylight hours.

I ordered this thinking it would glow bright for at least a few hours (4-5 hrs). It glows but it is suttle and lasts only 2 1/2 hours on solar power charge. Glass is very fragile and not very reflective during the daylight. But I do like the uniqueness of the solar glow.

I have this gazing globe among several non-plant features in my gardens, and can tell you the "secret" to getting the most glow from it: You have to treat it like a plant. Garden and landscape designers know that some plants do best in the sun while others prefer shade. It may seem strange, but the same is true for hardscape features such as arbors, fountains, statuary, and even gazing globes.

Just as exposure to sunlight directly impacts the success of plants in a landscape, the interaction between light and hardscape features determines whether or not the object is pleasing to the viewer. And while most plants purchased from garden centers include information on sunlight and soil preferences, the placement of hard features is typically left to the buyer. (But that's okay - that's what keeps garden designers in business!)

Any type of "glow-in-the-dark" garden art - including this Illuminarie Gazing Globe from Echo Valley - needs to be "planted" in exposure to full sunlight if the evening glow is important to the viewer.

When using lighting as a garden design element, there are two very different forms of lighting: active and passive. Active lighting requires a power source, whether from household current or batteries. Passive lighting, which includes "glow-in-the-dark" items, typically uses some form of coating which "absorbs" light energy -- from sunlight and/or artificial lights. Once the sun goes down or the artificial light is turned off, the coating gives off light - it "glows."

Like any other storage system, the amount (intensity) of the glow is directly determined by the amount of light it has received. (Think bank account: you can only take out what has been put in -- and in this case there is no `interest' added!)

The glow starts "paying-out" even before full darkness, as both the incoming and outgoing exchange of light are both gradual - it's not like turning a switch on or off. Be sure the glow-in-the-dark gazing globe is in constant full sunlight; if it's shadowed by trees, buildings, or other garden features -- the glow-back will be compromised.

Here are a couple "tricks" used by garden designers to get the most out of lighting features:

1) Just before an evening garden viewing (outdoor party, whatever), "load-up" glow-in-the-dark features by turning on as many outdoor lights as possible. You'd be surprised how much of a "charge" those gazing globes receive from a standard 150-watt flood light!

2) Create a simple "cheater light" by placing a nightlight inside the neck of a gazing globe. A nightlight with an automatic on/off light sensor is the best - you don't even have to remember to turn it on in the evening! (Make sure the light sensor is below the neck of the gazing globe and facing the sun.)

- Designs by Deuzer

This gazing ball is very nice, the only additional features that I would have liked are: more glow in the dark swirls and less of a knob on the bottom for stands that are open (you can see the knob).

Despite the fact that the globe is in full sun all day, and that my back yard is dark at night, with no surrounding light in the area, the globe does not glow. It is very pretty during the day, but the fact that it doesn't glow at night is most disappointing.

Would not have purchased this item if I knew that in advance.

The gazing globe is beautiful in the daylight but totally invisible at night. The glow in the dark statement is a false claim that should be removed as false advertising.

I love this globe, but don't get too excited about the glow in the dark feature. I put a night light in mine, and it is brilliant in my dark back yard. It is very pretty in the daylight also.

I bought this for my backyard garden waiting anxiously for the evening to see it "illuminated". Sadly it does not, it is pretty and all that but does not illuminate at all. I was sorely disappointed!!!