Customer Reviews

Kosta Boda Snowball Votive

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was disappointed when I opened these because the quality has gone down a lot compared to the old one I have from the 80's. The new ones have a clearly visible mold line half way across the ball, like a mass-produced, cheap acrylic bead would. My old candle has no line whatsoever.

Fortunately I purchased these as a gift for a friend who admired mine, and I don't believe she will notice this. She was extremely happy to get them. I wouldn't buy these new ones for myself because they seem sub-standard.

Kosta Boda has a wide range of votives. These, while moderately attractive, are pressed glass--they are NOT crystal, despite what the product description says--and the mold seam is clearly visible (top to bottom) on each side. They are designed to hold tea lights on an informal table, and do a good job at that.. Before buying, you may benefit from seeing what else Kosta Boda offers, such as their Atoll votive, available in a range of colors. See also the Swedish manufacturer Orrefors, which makes a single votive called the Discus votive, as well as a set of three Lightstone votives. The price on any of those will be higher, and so will the quality. The way the light reflects on either of those is superior by far to the snowball votives. Amazon carries both brands; you don't have to go to Sweden for other choices.

Don't let the beautiful picture fool you. This votive is very low quality. First of all the packaging is terrible. It comes in paper thin cardboard box no bigger than the votive itself, no protection whatsoever so you better hope it is packaged well and handled with care.

The votive looks fine except for the ghastly mold lines traveling along the outside of it. It has a good size to it, a little bigger would have been nicer but its not like it is very small either. It really is disappointing because it really is a nice votive but the mold lines just ruin it. I had purchased this as a stocking stuffer gift but I may just return it to avoid the shame of giving such a low quality gift.

I ordered these votives as a gift for a friend. They really are gorgeous and she loved them. She said that they reflect light beautifully as well.

Kosta Boda's "snowball" votive candle holder debuted back in 1974, but it never really faded from memory because it would show up every few years in American department stores during the Christmas shopping season, usually in that part of the store where Kosta Boda's and Orrefors' other popularly priced glass votives resided.

This is a beautiful piece, widely popular, and has done its native Sweden proud. Despite being essentially cased crystal and mass-produced, no two are completely alike. Much of Snowball's charm depends on its resemblance to a literal snowball, but here one that contains and combines the elusive charm of flickering candlelight -- truly "fire and ice" working together. It is no surprise to me that the culture that gave us the Snowball in the Seventies went on to invent ice hotels in the Eighties.

When you see product photos or displays on boxes, be aware that one snowball does not seem to be larger than the other two from camera distortion or a trick of forced perspective. The largest of three is the same size as or slightly larger than the Snowball that served as a department-store impulse purchase over the years. The other two are significantly smaller, perhaps two-thirds the size. Unfortunately, none of the specs. I have seen call attention to that. Both sizes will accommodate a standard votive candle or tealight, though.

Whether you care to pay the rising price of the Snowball depends largely on taste and desire. Snowball -- and some other popularly-priced Kosta Boda and Orrefors votive holders -- are quite enough desirable to garner something of a "cult" or gotta-have-it mystique, bidding up the price and getting into the forty-dollars-plus realm of those glassworks' deliberate and more expensive votive-size Art Glass. (I think of Orrefors' bias-cut "Desire" series, which is readily available at retail, comes in multiple colors, and has no seam.)

If you're interested in a Swedish votive holder that is beautiful but about as far as possible away from the design of Snowball, consider "Max" by Orrefors, with its smooth sides and Tuxedo tailoring. It, too, is a classic piece still in demand. But I can certainly condone anyone's falling in love with Snowball -- I did!

This Kosta Boda votive is delightful. Its appearance, resembling carved ice, is so attractive, and it's the perfect, small, winter/holiday accent. I love the way candle light is refracted through the rough surface. Using just one, in a minimalist way, is just enough to make a statement about the season in a simple, and simply lovely, way.

My wife wanted to get these after seeing them at a friends house. Kosta Boda pieces are solid quality and these are no exception. Arrived undamaged in nice packaging, took them out and placed them on the counter...they look great!

It's nice, kinda cute, but the flame of the candle just doesn't light up the "snowball" like I hoped.

These are mid-century Scandinavian classics--but would work in any decor. It's like you have chunks of ice with flames inside. Gorgeous! My one quibble is that you can see the seam from the mold in the larger one--but on the table, you don't notice it.

I purchased the items as a christmas present, they arrived broken and now I have to ask people I wanted to please, to get the trouble and return them. I wanted them replaced as soon as possible, but that was not an option. As the items were glass they hurt the receivers finger.