# Review of Do!Aqua Wabi-Kusa Branch Light with pics!



## JustLikeAPill

I got the Branch Light a couple days ago and am happy, but not impressed. The glass globe isn't frosted perfectly evenly but other than that it is nice I guess. There is nothing remarkable about it. It isn't held onto the stand by anything other than a rubber o-ring and there is a hole in The top to let heat escape. The O-ring doesn't hold it in place particularly firmly. If its knocked over the globe is toast. What I like about this globe is that if it ever were to break (God forbid) it looks like it could easily be replaced by any other glass globe of a similar size.

It's two feet tall so there is plenty of room for plants to grow, and it makes a gentle warm glow so it's good for mood lighting I guess, but what I don't like is the halogen light that comes with it. It's very yellow and the plants a would look much better under a daylight lamp. I am surprised and disappointed that ADA chose to go with halogen instead of LED. I want to get a par30 LED spotlight to replace it with both for color and less heat. The halogen lamp has the ADA logo on it, but there is nothing special about the color and so I will replace it with a regular halogen lamp from Home Depot when it goes out (if I can't find a tiny LED spotlight to replace it with first!) It gets VERY hot and I burnt myself on the globe while adjusting it already lol. The socket is ceramic and the electrical parts look well made and sturdy.

The metal base and neck of the lamp looks nice but for a lamp that retails at $220, it's very flimsy... As I was unboxing it and carrying it to my room, it had a lot of bounce to it as I walked. If you gently flick the globe, the lamp continues to rock back and forth and bounce. Since it was such an expensive lamp (even on sale!) I assumed that it would be rock solid and constructed better, but it's flimsy and is something I'd expect to be sold for $50 at Ikea. I am disappointed in how flimsy it is. I expected thicker/heavier metal. The neck goes under the globe, and I am pleased with that. Before I got it in person, I assumed the globe was screwed onto the body and the neck entered through a hole in the glass or something.

Overall I am happy with the light, but only because AFA sold it to me as a floor model for $160, and because my parents bought it for me as a present since the stereo system they bout me wouldn't work and I had to return it. I don't believe it is worth the retail price because it just seems flimsy for something that costs that much money. If I had to spend my own money on it, I would have never paid more than $100 and even then only because it is MADE to go with my plant glass cylinder (which it fits perfectly.)

My final verdict is that it isn't worth the money unless you have to have the whole wabi-kusa aesthetic, which the light completes perfectly. Other than that, there isn't anything exceptional about the quality in my opinion. That said, it's a very attractive lamp. In person it looks better than in the catalogue.

On the neck there is a sticker that says "60W X 1" and that confuses me. Does that mean the lamp uses one sixty watt bulb? Because it was my understanding that it comes with a seventy watt bulb.

Here are the pics. 











































































































































My camera auto balances the light color. It is very, very yellow in person and the pictures have the white balanced automatically corrected.

The vase is a Plant Glass 3005 I got at ADG for just $27 in case anyone is wondering. The Plant Glass vases are very reasonably priced (unlike the lamp and table-top stand!) It's about 12 inches wide and 2 inches deep. The lamp really fits it PERFECTLY.


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## doubleott05

how much woudl you have paid if it was not the floor model?


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## spypet

I'm surprised the dish is not shaped more like a stemless brandy snifter so it can hold
more humidity closer to the plants, and require less evaporating water replacement.


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## JustLikeAPill

My decision was either buy a silver one from AFA (they only had one silver one, and it was a floor model) or buy a Brand new white or black one frm ADG for $220.

ADG gave me the option of pre-paying for a silver one and they would meet AFA's price ($160) but I would have to wait until their next container came in from Japan. I didn't want to wait several months so I got AFA's used one (no scratches or anythingg and it had the original box so it's cool) instead. Frank went to great lengths to find a silver one for me but the only one he could find was his own, and I didn't want to take his or wait for the next container (even though ADG offered to match the price of AFA's floor model if I paid in advance)

I was prepared to spend the full retail amount, but I don't believe the lamp is worth more than a hundred bucks even with the name. It's very flimsy. Please don't get the impression that it's about to fall apart or anything because it isn't. It is acceptable, but I was expecting hard stainless steel or something considering the price. I think it's aluminum or chrome or something. If it is stainless steel then it sure is bouncy as hell. 

Some of the Ikea or Hamilton Bay desk lamps I have seen are built out of harder metal and only cost fifty bucks. I'm just disappointed that it isn't heavier/sturdier and the frosting isn't even all the way around. I should mention that when the light is turned on you can't tell that the frosting isn't uniform, but for such a premium price I feel that t should be uniform regardless. I feel lke ADA dropped the ball on this one in terms of sturdiness. 

All that said, I think the aesthetics make it worth it if you are like me and want the ADA light to go with your ADA vase and it's important to have the complete look. I guess you could say the style warrants the price, but not the craftsmanship. If you want function over form then you are better off getting a solar mini. If you want form ver function then the branch light is the way to go. It is the perfect wabi kusa light, but IMO the perfect wabi kusa light is over priced for what you get.

SpyPet: Ada makes several different shapes of vases including one like you were talking about. I just picked this one because it had the biggest footprint. The plants are slowly adapting to our low winter household humidity. This one holds almost a whole gallon of water. The vase you use is personal preference.


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## neilshieh

wouldn't it be more cost efficient and easier to gut a usual floor fixture and replace with that kind of bulb socket? it shouldn't be too hard and you won't destroy the original framework.


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## JustLikeAPill

Yeah you could do that.... But that wasn't really what I wanted. 

I am happy with the light and like it a LOT, I'm just glad it was a Christmas gift. A floor lamp is still just a floor lamp. This branch light fits the plant glass vases perfectly, is the perfect height etc. It's just flimsy for the money you pay. If it cost half of wha it retails for it would be a more accurately priced object IMO.


I looked for other desk lamps that fit the plant glass vases as well as this light does and I couldn't find any.


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## TLe041

Maybe the poor build quality is the reason this is sold under the Do!Aqua brand instead of ADA?


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## JustLikeAPill

Yeah but for $220 sheesh lol. Its not really poor quality, but the quality isn't what I'd expect for the price. I am still pleased with the light. 

Btw I read that it uses a 70w bulb but it really uses a 60 watt bulb that is 2 inches across, so that's par16 I guess.


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## spypet

It's amazing how a hobby can glorify such simple objects.
you'd be lucky to get $5 for this setup at a garage sale.


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## Michael

I have a one word suggestion for lamp and dish: Ikea.


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## JustLikeAPill

spypet said:


> It's amazing how a hobby can glorify such simple objects.
> you'd be lucky to get $5 for this setup at a garage sale.


Good thing I'm not selling it at a garage sale then. A "nice wabi-kusa, though" would have made that seem less harsh, but thanks lol.


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## doubleott05

ya i saw something like that at ikea for like 10$. 

and its probably $5 in building materials then you slap ADA on the product and its price increases 215$. but.... it is a nice lamp.

i must admit however if i had 230$ laying around i would buy it too. what Kelvin color is that bulb burning?

thanks
Elliot


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## JustLikeAPill

I don't know the exact number but it's pretty low.


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## Lakehouse

Did you look into the tall wabi-kusa stands? Wondering what the price on those are. Any idea?


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## JustLikeAPill

The short tabletop display is $180 so I'd imagine the tall stand is pretty expensive.

I don't have the room for a tall stand in my dorm and I don't see the point of a small tabletop display... Plus $180 seems pretty expensive just so your wabi-kusa doesn't have to touch the table.

I don't think either ADG or AFA has the tall stand listed but if you email or call ADG I'm sure they can order you one if they don't already have one in stock at their store. The tall stand looks nice but I'd hate to see the price tag.


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## matt12

Michael said:


> I have a one word suggestion for lamp and dish: Ikea.


Dollar store for the dish!!!!!


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## JustLikeAPill

Try to find a cylindrical vase a foot wide and exactly two inches tall.... Not five... Or six.... Two. 

Don't think I tried Ikea, various home stores, craft stores, eBay etc first? Haha. If you are happy with something else then go for it but i couldn't find a vase like this anywhere else. The closest I got was an 11 inch salad bowl that was four inches tall.

You guys are like constant downers huh? Lol


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## Bunbuku

Dude, I like your wabi-kusa and the lamp too (there I am your upper:loco:!). 

Just wondering how you made the ball? On a recent trip to Tokyo they were all over a couple of stores I went too and so cheap! Too bad I could not take one back. 

Another question wouldn't a brandy snifter vase help keep the humidity near the wabi-kusa up so its less likely to dry out.


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## JustLikeAPill

Thanks lol. You can use a brandy snifter if you want. The plants will adapt though.

I made the ball by taking the plastiq netting that fruit comes in,filling it with media and tying it off. En I wrapped it in HC and moss and planted other plants.

I got tired of that and it was messy so I filled the glass cylinder with aquasoil powder and made a dish garden instead. I can't make a good wabi kusa ball that isn't messy despite my efforts lol.


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## JustLikeAPill

I just ordered this bulb:

http://cgi.ebay.com/JDR-HR16-6w-LED...&otn=5&po=LVI&ps=63&clkid=6812287609054487172

in daylight.

Here are some pics of the plant growth. The polygonum has really taken off and the other plants are mostly adapted to emersed conditions in low humidity. The HC looks almost dead but in person there are lots of little green buds appearing that should cover the surface soon.

Overall I'm very happy with the growth and color the included bulb gives the plants. I'm not happy with the actual color of the light though and the daylight PAR16 LED should give better visible light, make less heat and use a tenth of the electricity the halogen light does.























































Plants I am trying to grow are:
Polygonum K
Ammania sp. "Bonsai"
Limnophila aromatica
Rotala indica 
Rotala arcuata
Tonina fluviatilis
Syngonanthus sp. belem
Syngonanthus sp. manaus
Lobelia cardinalis
HC


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## JustLikeAPill

OK guys, I need some help. I bought the above bulb and I got it today.

It is a little bit shorter than the ADA bulb, but the base is WAY too big. I thought if it was PAR16 it would have a smaller base and they would be the same, but nope. The base is the same as a regular bulb.

I put it in a regular lamp and the good news is that it is just as bright and the color is great, but it wont fit the Branch Light and I'm out 25 bucks 

What should I get?


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## niko

Porcelain socket for the new LED light. Go to Home Depot in the section where all the bare bones electrical parts are.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&...q=porcelain+socket&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=

Some of them come with the fiberglass insulated wires I think.

Hope the new socke fits inside the fancy white glass thing. Keep the Home Depot receipt. Or better yet - take the glass dome with you to Home Depot and see if which model socket fits on the spot.

--Nikolay


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## JustLikeAPill

I'm hesitant to start cutting on the Branch light. Good idea and my dad is an electrician so it would be easy but after spending so much money on this light I don't want to cut it. 

Plus if I ever needed to resell it for whatever reason the value would go way down.


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## niko

Oh, I thought you were asking about how to fit the new LED bulb in the ADA lamp. 

If it is not a matter of removing a couple of screws then yes, you will change it irreversibly.

--Nikolay


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## JustLikeAPill

Yeah, apparently just because the bulb is a small diameter, that doesn't mean the base is going to be small too. I'm waiting for the seller to E-mail me to see if I can exchange it.

Does anyone know anything about the sizes of the base? If so, what size does the ADA bulb seem to be?

This website has a base guide and it looks like I have either the "mini screw" or "mini candelabra" base.

http://www.topbulb.com/find/halogen_bases.asp

What does it look like to you guys? It is pointed so I'm thinking it's a mini candelabra base.


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