Customer Reviews

Laser Pod LaserPod- New Space Age Lava Lamp

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

 

 

The basic premise of the Laserpod is simple. Take some LED lights, some lasers, and project them in roughly the same direction. That direction can be limited with included diffusers and domes, but in my opinion using any of the aforementioned items ruins the simple majesty that just letting it run on the ceiling produces.
Technical: The unit consists of three high brightness LEDS (Blue, Aqua, and Purple/UV (yes naysayers, there really are three colors there)), and three diode lasers. It then shines all 6 lights onto a rotating faceted crystal (the crystal breaks everything up into lots of little light shards, and because its rotating, those light shards are also rotating)

I have my Laserpod on top of my TV, which is about 5 feet from the ceiling. At that position, it broadcasts most of its light onto a circle with a radius of 4 feet, and in total darkness, then the effects can be seen out to a radius of about 10 feet.

The rate of rotation is not so fast as to be annoying, but not to slow as to appear still. I would term it "just right" for a pleasant effect.

In truth, I have spent a couple of evenings on my couch, with the stereo on, and the lights off, watching the light show the Laserpod puts on.

Also, as a benefit, it "doubles" as a night light for me, at night hunting for a midnight snack, it is bright enough that the light cast allows me to navigate my treachourous living room.

Operations wise, it is completely silent more then 6 inches from the unit. The housing is very sturdy, and it can run on AA batteries if you want to transport it.

A lot dimmer than any advertising photos would imply. Additionally, the various cover/shells are pretty mediocre as well...

Any positive reviews at sites like engadget are questionable at best (yes, if someone gave me this stuff for free I'd probably give it a better review as well -- especially knowing that good reviews lead companies to send me even more free stuff to review;-)

In a lit room, very little is visible on the walls/ceilings -- there are about 10-15 small points of light that have a rather dull pattern of movement -- the interesting patterns are made up of tiny refractions but these points of light are very dim & are not visible in a lit room.

I'd suggest waiting a while -- I'm sure someone else will come out with a far superior product as LEDs&lasers are becoming brighter & cheaper.

Without the glass diffuser in place, the Laserpod casts a handful of slowly moving, red-laser dots on the ceiling. Yawn. The blue LED doesn't do anything for me either. With the glass diffuser in place it is capable of displaying the kinds of unusual patterns that they show in their adds. It's a step in the right direction but the range is very limited, even in a darkened room, and the figures are not as sharp and bright as they show. Figure about 5 feet as the maximum projection distance. Also keep in mind that the Laserpod is designed to cast projected images on the ceiling, so unless you're fond of looking up a lot, this is a significant inconvenience.

They also include two domed tops which you can use with the Laserpod. These are designed to be looked at; they do not cast an image on the wall or ceiling. The only value I can see in the Laserpod is running it with the glass difusser and one of the two domes in place; it's designed so that both the diffuser and one of the domes can be in place at once. The smaller dome generates the most interesting images, but then you don't have much to look at because it is so small. The taller domed top isn't quite as interesting, but because it's larger you get more to look at, and when I use my laserpod, that's what I keep on it.

Overall, the tried and true Lava Light is more interesting and mesmerizing. If you want something more modern, I suggest either Laser Stars or Laser Vibe. Laser Vibe will generate peculiar patterns which dance to your music and is far more interesting than the Laser Pod. Laser Stars is much more spectacular and hypnotic.

I think they are out of business now as their website has been down since at least the 1st of December but I sent $30 and my entire Laserpod kit to get it repaired and I have no way of getting a hold of them and it has been months and I have not gotten the Laserpod back and they cashed the check!

I got this Laserpod last year as a Christmas gift. It gave out after less then a year of use but since it was purchased in November the company won't honour the warrenty. The person who purchased it for me said they paid nearly $200.00 for it so I think it's a fair price around $50.00 considering how it's made. It's basiclly just 3 LED lights and 1 laser like you get in a $4.00 laser pointer that shine on a rotating crystal. It is now a $200.00 paper weight. The images give a false impression of what the lamp is really like. The lights are much dimmer and only work in a completely dark room. The differnet shades do little to improve the effects or visibility. I had been using it as a night light in my hallway as it makes for an interesting effect on the ceiling when it's dark and while it lasted. Would never buy another product from this company.

If you expect a lava lamp type of lamp made with a laserpointer beam and some LEDs, you'll be happy. If you've seen youtube videos and expect a planetarium-like display or something akin to a disco mirrorball effect all over the ceiling, you'll be majorly miffed. Those videos are artfully filmed and highly misleading. This light is very soft and pretty to lie in bed in a pitch-dark room and gaze at. The mechanism is quiet so you could fall asleep to it. I suggest you put a cheap timer on the outlet though as instructions say to not run for longer than 4 hours.

I just received this product in the mail today. I was fairly disappointed, especially after my friend hyped it up. It's basically either

1) red dots on a blue background, or
2) red wavy things

The diffusers basically just shut off the light, so I don't know what use they are. Also, you're only supposed to have it on for 4 hours.

Might be a good $10 toy, but not worth the $100 + shipping I paid for it.

and will be rewarded with this item. For maximum enjoyment, use the textured disk and forget about the domes. A dark room is a must. I don't suggest using the battery option because they'll barely last for one cyle. As far as I can tell from experimenting, the textured disk is critical in seeing the intricate designs; otherwise all you're likely to see are laser pin points moving about and disappearing. Put the glass disk in place so that it is seated securely, turn the unit on and you'll be seeing patterns forming on your ceiling and walls. Sheaves of wheat unfolding; a strange ocean forming and moving across the ceiling; strange creatures swinging from trees... Designs form in cycles - first a design then dissolving, then another then perhaps a design with something special like those creatures that makes you wonder if you've injested something or perhaps something from 30 years ago has returned to haunt you.

I find the best place for the laserpod is the bedroom. Placed it on the nightstand and thus viewing the lightshow on the ceiling and walls from bed is simple. So far red has been my favorite color.

In future I plan to try other texture glass/colors, placing the unit on a mirror and checking out the designer's website. Was fortunate to have found mine half price as a demonstrator model elsewhere but plan to buy another as a gift.

My only complaint about this product would be that you have to open your eyes to enjoy it. If you like lava lamps you will like this one for sure, I bought 3 of them to mix the 3-4 different effects you can recreate, and the effects are nearly mind blowing. As if you had your personal northern lights at home or watching deep space nebulas, stars and comets passing by. You can also create your own projection patterns with a little bit of imagination. And no I'm not a reseller...
This thing can be improved so I don't give it a 5 stars review.

A lava lamp for the 21st century? I don't think so. I have to say, I have found this Laserpod rather disappointing. For all the talk of a variety of LEDs and lasers in the unit, it basically projects all of two colors, red and blue. You need an almost completely dark room for the LEDs to show up on your walls and ceiling. And the height of the taller diffuser (enabling a self-contained light show) doesn't seem well chosen for the pattern of lights cast. IMO this little light show can't hold a candle to the Mathmos Space Projector or even the Homedics Color Therapy light cube. Perhaps if the Laserpod had a variety of differently colored LEDs and lasers I would find it more interesting. As it is, my feeling is -- ho hum. Next!