They run on two 2032 batteries, included, and they include a little plastic 'key' to help screw/unscrew the battery compartment. The electronics are waterproof, but the batteries aren't, read more on that below.
The compartment is sealed by a thin rubber oring. I've been using these in a saltwater pool, and everyone loves them.
PROS:
* Cheap, but fun!
* Batteries last surprisingly long.. like, 30+ hours. Wow.
* You get a good number for the price
* Kids love them.. us adults do also!
* Can be tossed around and abused, they really take a beating
* Electronics are waterproof. This is rare.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
* From the factory, some of the orings may not be in place properly. Check them before use.
* Some might have a dimple in one or two of them in the box, which might bother folks.
More details below:
OPERATION:
Operation is simple. You press the button, and it lights up a certain color. Press it again, and it shuts off. After you cycle through all available colors, you will hit the 'random cycling' setting which smoothly transitions constantly through all the colors. Pretty cool.
HOW LONG THE BATTERIES LAST:
For the most part, I am shocked at how long the batteries last. I'm still using the batteries which were included. So far, I've been able to get about 30 hours out of all of them with hardly any difference in light output. Past 30 hours, you can see the intensity beginning to fade. They last longer if you're not on the 'constantly changing color' setting, or if you're on a base color (red, green, blue). Not all batteries are alike, so some folks will get less performance, and others may get more. At around 40 hours you're probably going to want to replace the batteries.
With how cheap 2032's are on Amazon, these things can be used A LOT, and not cost you much at ALL.
COLOR CONSISTENCY:
As to be expected, the colors all varied a little bit. In other words, red on one wasn't the exact shade of red on another. This is due to a lot of reasons, it's not necessarily a quality thing, it's just because with how simple these are made, you're going to get variance in the product. Especially for $3/ea ball. I didn't find it bothered me, I actually feel it adds some character to everything if you're wanting all of them to be the same color.
ORING:
Because the oring is so thin, I suggest taking precaution first before using them in water. Unscrew the cap gently, make sure the oring is even all the way around the threads. Take a thin film of silicone grease (vaseline would work in a pinch, but it will deteriorate the oring!), and put it around the whole oring, as well as the threads. Next, screw the cap back in place. This will keep the oring from binding (which would allow leaks), and will help ensure water-tight enclosure. You could use teflon tape, 5-6 wraps all the way around, to truly seal the device, if you are paranoid.
I mention the oring and grease because after a few hours of play, we were tossing them around, and several times they hit the concrete. They continued to work, but the jarring against the concrete caused one of the orings to snap because it wasn't in place properly. This allowed salt water to creep into the battery compartment, and shorted the batteries out. Replacing the batteries worked. I believe I will use teflon tape in the future, because we are pretty harsh on these little things!
The device itself, even the electronics, are waterproof. The batteries are not. If a device of yours goes out suddenly, check for water. If you notice black or weird sludge around the batteries, it's water which has caused them to short and leak. Simply clean it off and replace the batteries.
DIMPLED BALLS:
One of them was dimpled, like a ping pong ball, as one of the other reviewers noted. I couldn't get it undimpled, but it doesn't keep the ball from floating. It floats and looks fine. The dimple could be pulled out by drilling a tiny hole in the ball and pulling the dimple out either with force, or by using air, but you'd have to seal the hole with silicone. Or you could just let it alone, it still works fine.
THE DESIGN:
For any engineers or electronics folks, it's a simple PCB with 3 LEDs. Red, Green, Blue. One of them might be a dual white on some of the PCB's, as some of the balls show a "true" white, and some show a "blended" white. The microprocessor is covered entirely with your typical silicone. The electronics connections are all covered as well. The only thing exposed are the legs of the LEDs, the SMT switch and the batteries themselves. Very simple.
THE BUTTON:
The button is a simple rubber membrane on one side, providing the water proof properties, and on the other it's a simple screw which gets pushed against a surface mount switch. Be advised, if you're going to abuse them like we have (by tossing them around), if the button gets scuffed or cut, water will enter the unit. This might only happen if you're truly, truly, harshly abusive. We're tossing these around and they're hitting concrete, and have not had an issue. So no fear. I just wanted to give a heads-up. Also, don't SMASH the button. A gentle press should do it nicely.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Ordered a case of these to light up various areas of my home. Overall, the quality is decent. It's pretty cheap plastic and the glue that holds the bottom ring on is messy. The light glows bright when it's dark out. The quality of the orbs is strangely inconsistent in the case. Of the 12 I received, 9 were fine. The other 3 had the following issues:1 orb didn't offer the option to glow white or yellow (all the others did)
1 orb just flat out didn't work (battery probably dead). I noticed the glue was especially messy on this one and I couldn't unscrew the bottom so I'm thinking it may have been returned by another customer.
1 orb was deformed (it was pushed in like a ping pong ball).
I haven't tested in water but I'm pretty skeptical.
Wouldn't say it's the best quality product but for $3-4/orb, I'm ok with it.
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I bought 12 of these things and had to have all the batteries replaced right from the start(seller sent replacement batteries free of charge). When I put them in the pool. they filled with water and all stopped working. They went in the trash. More embarrassing, half were already given as a gift.Honest reviews on Mood Light Garden Deco Balls (Light up Orbs)
I love the way they look but they came with no instructions and we have no idea what kind of batteries they take or how to get in them to change them. Therefore, I use them very sparingly.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Mood Light Garden Deco Balls (Light up Orbs)
I absolutely LOVE these lights! I am an artist, energy healer,& breath work coach. I was looking for something creative I could hang from the ceiling of my treatment room and at the same time incorporate the sacred geometry design that my work is based off of. The design has 12 circular colors in it and when I saw these I knew they would be fabulous!My clients love them and they are getting color therapy at the same time as their other treatments by focusing on the different colors!They didn't come with anything to hang the string through & 3 of them had batteries that weren't working. When I contacted seller, she was really great answered back promptly with a suggestion to open the battery compartment and string fishing line under the compartment. It worked! When I contacted her to tell her it was successful and to send new batteries, she had already sent me 3 new lights in case it wasn't the batteries & I received the new ones the next day! GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!
A MUST BUY!!!
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