(Un)Choice Goods Wednesday!

I figured I would change things up a bit. Today I would like to warn you against an item. My goal is to keep my fellow Earthians from making the same purchasing mistakes I've made.

I would like to advise you against buying super-cheap torchiere lamps. I'm not saying torchiere lamps in general are bad, just their cheap-butt piece-o'-crap wannabe buddies. A good quality fella adds a lovely indirect light to a room as well as acting as a vertical decorative object. One that costs you, say ten bucks, is not going to treat you so nicely. Believe me. I know.

In a moment of desperation and low financial assets, I ran out and bought the cheapest little guys I could buy. Big, BIG mistake. Let's examine the picture at left.

1. Notice the green/beige corner in the background and then look at the leg of the lamp. Problem number one: The manufacturers could really care less about the definition of the word perpendicular and certainly do not apply it to the lamp base/leg relationship.
2. Now that we've compared upright vs. angled. Let's discuss the concept of straight. If you look at the lamp leg at the area halfway between the mirror reflection on the wall and the white baseboard you'll see a little bend. Yes, that is where the two joints connect and once again, the manufacturers really could care less about joints that line up. It's apparent that their only concern is standing. Apparently if it is standing, they consider it success.
3. From this angle you can't tell, but when looking from the other side the light bulb sticks up over the diffuser (that white shade part). That's classy, I can tell you. I think this is really related to problem number one, but oh well.
4. The switch is temperamental. It will spin and spin until you get it juuuuust right. Then, and only then, will it grab hold to whatever it's supposed to grab hold of and switch it on (or off). But I'm sure that since the manufacturer's main goal for the lamp was to stand successfully, they would consider the actually turning on and off of the light an extra bonus.

One could say that I just got a bad lot. But I don't think so. I think this is just the quality you can expect from cheapo lampage. Consider yourself warned.

$10 Torchiere Lamps...they are completely not choice!