Glow brick

I have long understood that Energy saving light bulbs are a bright idea – both for my pocket and the environment. The fact that they use up to 80 per cent less electricity than a standard bulb, but produce the same amount of light is pretty compelling, and over the last 18 months I have systematically replaced every bulb in my house with eco friendly ones.
But I have to say that I missed the traditional ones, not for any logical reason, simply I loved the aesthetic beauty of their curves. As I’m based in Low Fell, home to Joseph Swan father of the original - well the first efficient - electric light bulb there could be a hint of nostalgia mixed in there too.
The Glow Brick is perfect for me, it quite literally encapsulates (in super shiny acrylic resin) the traditional bulb in all its curvaceous glory, and looks fantastic wherever I’ve placed it around the house – being essentially transparent it doesn’t clash with any of the colour schemes in my place...

The product uses a glow-in-the-dark pigment which is trapped inside a real light bulb, and I have to admit that at first I actually wondered whether I’d got a defective one. It sat on my desk soaking up light but I couldn’t detect any glow, however when the lights were switched off in the room it did come to life (the accompanying images were shot just a click of the light switch apart).
The glow was a surprisingly pleasant blue – but possibly not so captivating as to leave the room dimmed for too long, the possibility of avoiding a bruised shin or stubbed toe, for me at least, will take precedence over the display of photoluminescence in action.
I actually like the fact that the functional aspect of the product is a bit poor – it strikes a chord with the shortcomings of traditional light bulb as a solution to our needs– certainly not in terms of illumination but in terms of how inappropriate such designs are in delivering the best solution – given that if each of us replaced three traditional bulbs with energy saving ones we’d save enough energy to power the UK’s street lights for a year* and has provided me with an opportunity to discuss with my kids why I’d like to see the traditional bulb design relegated to that of a museum piece...
Unlike it’s stable mates the Sun Jar and the Moon Jar this product is no practical use as a means of illumination, but as an object which looks damn stunning even when you can’t detect the glow, it’s getting a four star rating from me.
* source Energy Saving Trust
Please note this review was submitted by a member of our staff.