Westminster Sandscapes Art In Motion, Random Color

This would have been cool, if it had been fully filled with the fluid.Instead it the top 1/2 of the 1st level was a giant air bubble. (Which would turn into millions of air bubbles if you turned it upside down to redistribute the fluid and sand.)I tried what I read another reviewer was told by the manufacturer: I used a syringe (with a needle on the end) to poke into the rubber seal at the side. (There is a hole in the metal case for this, apparently. At least, I can't figure out why else there's a hole in the side of the metal case...) I'm an RN so it wasn't a problem getting a 12cc syringe and a 21 gauge needle (I'm glad I didn't use an 18 gauge needle; the hole doesn't seem big enough for that.)Problem is, I did get the needle to go through the seal. I tried to suck the air bubble out, but it didn't work. At all. I tried several times. Because you can't take the metal frame off, you can't really tell if you've gotten the needle actually into the sandscape, so as to get to the air.I finally gave up. Less than 3 months later, of course, the entire thing dried out.... probably because of the hole I poked in it. Or maybe it would have dried out like that anyway, given how much air was in it to begin with, when I got it.Don't buy this. Or at least, not from these sellers. I'm not the only buyer who had this problem, and there are too many of us that it has happened to, for you to bother risking getting a half-defective product (if only it had been half price! but it wasn't).It's a waste of money.Next time I will buy one of those real (electric) wave motion machines like in the movie Diva... the motorized one that rocks back and forth and recreates (in my imagination) Katsushika Hokusai's Great Wave Off Kanagawa painting.Of course, that will cost a LOT more than this did. But it will also probably work and not be defective, unlike this...

I purchased this just to have something interesting to look at while I work. I do account reconcilements which is not the most thrilling profession sometimes, and this little toy actually helps soothe me and give a little variety to my day. At first I was incredibly disappointed with the sharp-angled pyramid shapes that it created and wanted my money back.I then realized that if you vary the speed while the sand falls, the motion it creates and the patterns that result are about 1000x more interesting to watch. The more slowly the sand moves, the more curvature and unique landscapes will be formed. Of course there are better pieces out there, but cost about twice the price considering relative size etc. This is a great buy for anyone bored at work looking for something to spice up their day. My particular color of sand is not as appealing as others and sometimes bits of sand get stuck around the frame, or I would give it a 5.

I've been staring at this thing for days. Sure, it's not the most intricate sandscape out there, but for the price it ain't bad. Mine is full of bubbles, but they actually guide the sand into more interesting forms. Often, the bubbles capture the sand against the top, then pull away like a curtain, painting slowly across the landscape with the sand, leaving unique patterns. A bubble bouncing around under a sand flow makes it land in bursts, leaving stripes. Sometimes - and I don't know how specific this is to my own sandscape's configuration - a row of bubbles will trap a clot of fine white clay against the ceiling, and it will slowly drift down between them in a fine white mist. If this goes on long enough, it leaves a row of tiny, delicate ridges on the sand beneath.I had to dock it down from a full five stars because, okay, color may vary, I get that, but why would they even manufacture these in piss-yellow?

If you want a particular color or style, search your local stores.I am not saying don't buy it through Amazon, but as a warning, you probably won't get thee color you want. I saw blue on the website here, and did see their comment that they will randomly pick one for you... I got green.I also think their quality control is lacking, since there seems to be something inside with the material that will occasionally clog up some of the holes, preventing even flow. It does not prevent overall functionality or beauty of the falling sand and the patterns it produces, it is just a small sticking point in my book.Plus, paying $15 S&H for a $15 item makes me really wish I'd looked harder before buying it here.

I bought this product for my desk at work, and it's been very pretty and soothing. I can stare at it for twenty minutes at a time.Recently, I purchased two more for friends, and when they arrived, they were filled with air bubbles. Well, with too many air bubbles the sand does not move, and the product is useless.BUT:What the product/company does not tell you is that the air bubbles are easily removed with a little syringe. On the frame is a tiny hole, where a syringe needle can be inserted to suck out the excess air, thus making the product fine. But who has a syringe on hand, right?The makers of this product should strongly consider including a small syringe with the product--this would make many customers a lot happier and prevent people from returning the product!

When I read the description it said "case pack of 1". In my head a case pack means you get the colors you see in the picture as a "case pack" because pack infers that there is more than one item, as in a "pack of wolves". Well, unfortunately it did only mean 1 item. I was a little disappointed but it is a very nice piece and it will work nicely in my classroom. I just wish there had been 4 items like I thought because I wanted each student to be able to have one at their desk to help with frustration since my students are all kids with special needs and get overwhelmed easily.