topic A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells in Home

A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

Mominohio — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 18:40:23 GMT

Just received part of my bells, and have to say, I'm not as impressed as most everyone else.

The good first. They are a nice size, not too big, and not too little. The size makes a good statement, without being overbearing.

Lit, they are stunning. They appear cream or ivory colored, elegant, and like they cost way more than they did.

Now, the not so good.

They are very light, I expected them to have more weight, but not a problem really, just surprised.

The battery compartments are really cheap plastic (more so than usual for these items) and I had trouble getting batteries in some.

The switch is very loose on all of them. It doesn't always want to light right away. I look for the switches or the lighting function to not last in these, based on how incredibly flimsy the whole unit appears.

I don't like them unlit. They are too white to suit me, at first look. And the detail doesn't show up like when lit (but I really don't expect it would, just hoped it would look better than it does). My rule is I have to like them unlit as well as lit, for when the lighting fails, I want to still feel good about using them. Not sure at this point that I can say I have met that goal with these, but will look at them longer to see.

One arrived with mold (technically I guess it is more a mildew) all over the outside of the box. Was going to be a gift, but I guess not now.

The lining in a couple of the boxes is tattered and ragged. Very cheap cloth, and it didn't even hold up to original shipping and unpacking before deteriorating. A couple of them look like they are lined with a rag rather than a nice fabric. Doesn't make a nice presentation for a gift.

I knew these were too inexpensive to be as good as I'd hoped, especially for gifting. I wanted them to have a real 'wow' factor when someone opened them, but it comes off more like a Walmart presentation (until lit).

Not sure what I'm going to do yet, as most of these were for gifts. I'm going to look at them a few days, and think about it, because I'm not going to be very proud giving them. I still have the Santa to arrive.

I will say again, they are stunning when lit. And they weren't super expensive, but at almost $25 to the door each, most of them didn't arrive and aren't really nice enough for the price.

Just wanted to post so people who are on the fence can know my experience.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

GinaV24 — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 18:58:53 GMT

@Mominohio aww, so sorry that you were disappointed. I hate buying things and having them not meet my expectations. I know what you mean about wanting to like the item lit or not, otherwise what is the point?

thanks for the review. you provided a lot of valuable information & food for thought.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

Mominohio — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 19:03:05 GMT

My other problem with these, and it is just a personal preference thing, nothing against the product, but they showed these with the most incredible stand. I searched the Internet for something similar. It is so perfect for displaying these.

All ornament stands out there do not compliment the elegance of these. I'm going to have to find the right stand, or I don't think I'll be totally happy with the look of these.

I don't see me ever using them on a tree, or sitting flat, but I will be thinking about them over the next several days.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

Susan Louise — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 19:09:51 GMT

@Mominohio wrote:
My other problem with these, and it is just a personal preference thing, nothing against the product, but they showed these with the most incredible stand. I searched the Internet for something similar. It is so perfect for displaying these.

All ornament stands out there do not compliment the elegance of these. I'm going to have to find the right stand, or I don't think I'll be totally happy with the look of these.

I don't see me ever using them on a tree, or sitting flat, but I will be thinking about them over the next several days.

ITA about the stand. I must have searched for over an hour for a quality stand for the bells. The only ones I see are thin cheap metal stands. Some stands I saw with wood bases didn't seem to have enough space to accomodate the bell when it hung on the hook. I will display it flat or in our tree if it looks nice there, but I don't think our small tree will have branches strong enough for something that big.

I should be getting one of our bells today and I'll post when I get ours. TY for your review

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

lucymo — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 19:37:08 GMT

@Mominohio, I'm so sorry that the bells aren't what you were expecting them to be. I should get one of mine today and I'll post my thoughts later tonight. I wonder if we all got our hopes up too much and were expecting Lenox quality and it isn't going to happen. I hope I like them, tired of returning merchandise but don't want to keep if I'm not satisfied.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

MTH — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 19:39:08 GMT

@lucymo wrote:
@Mominohio, I'm so sorry that the bells aren't what you were expecting them to be. I should get one of mine today and I'll post my thoughts later tonight. I wonder if we all got our hopes up too much and were expecting Lenox quality and it isn't going to happen. I hope I like them, tired of returning merchandise but don't want to keep if I'm not satisfied.

My santa bell just shipped today. I wanted to give it as a gift also. Hope it is nice. JPC seems to really love the ones she got.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

Susan Louise — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 19:56:16 GMT

@Mominohio I would call CS and let them know about that terrible mildew issue whether you return them or not. Sorry to hear about that. I can only guess that some bells were stored in a damp corner of the warehouse...or somehow certain ones got wet...

I just received one of our Cardinal bells and was lucky to get a good one. Our other bell should arrive by the end of the week.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

SHOPR — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 20:01:41 GMT

I have the cardinal (for a gift) and I like it so much that I'm waiting on the snowman that I ordered for myself. I didn't have any of the issues that you mentioned with the cardinal, thank goodness. It is very presentable as a gift.

About the light possibly failing, I worried about that, too, because I don't want just a matte porcelain bell in my decor. I don't find it ugly unlit, but it doesn't go with other things in my home. I figure if the lighting quits for some reason, I will chisel out a hole in the thin plastic battery compartment and insert a flameless votive of some kind. I have two types already. I would then have to use it tabletop only because of the hole.

Not ideal, but I do have a backup plan. Ha Ha.

What's up with all the moldy merchandise. Yuk!

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

MTH — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 20:03:52 GMT

@SHOPR wrote:
I have the cardinal (for a gift) and I like it so much that I'm waiting on the snowman that I ordered for myself. I didn't have any of the issues that you mentioned with the cardinal, thank goodness. It is very presentable as a gift.

About the light possibly failing, I worried about that, too, because I don't want just a matte porcelain bell in my decor. I don't find it ugly unlit, but it doesn't go with other things in my home. I figure if the lighting quits for some reason, I will chisel out a hole in the thin plastic battery compartment and insert a flameless votive of some kind. I have two types already. I would then have to use it tabletop only because of the hole.

Not ideal, but I do have a backup plan. Ha Ha.

What's up with all the moldy merchandise. Yuk!

@SHOPR That's a great idea with the votive. As far as the moldy stuff...not cool.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

SHOPR — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 20:07:15 GMT

Please, if anyone finds any nice ornament stands, let's share them on the forum. If my snowman is a keeper, I will likely want to use a stand. I have one or two ordinary ones packed away, but I'd like to have a nicer one.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

Mominohio — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 22:30:31 GMT

@SHOPR wrote:
Please, if anyone finds any nice ornament stands, let's share them on the forum. If my snowman is a keeper, I will likely want to use a stand. I have one or two ordinary ones packed away, but I'd like to have a nicer one.

I agree with this. I have a couple of ornament stands that are not terrible, but not as nice as they had on air. They should have even manufactured them as an add on.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

lucymo — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 21:45:11 GMT

@Susan Louise wrote:
@Mominohio wrote:
My other problem with these, and it is just a personal preference thing, nothing against the product, but they showed these with the most incredible stand. I searched the Internet for something similar. It is so perfect for displaying these.

All ornament stands out there do not compliment the elegance of these. I'm going to have to find the right stand, or I don't think I'll be totally happy with the look of these.

I don't see me ever using them on a tree, or sitting flat, but I will be thinking about them over the next several days.
ITA about the stand. I must have searched for over an hour for a quality stand for the bells. The only ones I see are thin cheap metal stands. Some stands I saw with wood bases didn't seem to have enough space to accomodate the bell when it hung on the hook. I will display it flat or in our tree if it looks nice there, but I don't think our small tree will have branches strong enough for something that big.
I should be getting one of our bells today and I'll post when I get ours. TY for your review

@Susan Louise, Did you by any chance get any of the Ornamators when LR was selling them? They really help when hanging heavier ornaments on tree branches because you can hook one end on a branch and the other end on another branch so the weight is shared.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

SHOPR — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 18:48:10 GMT

I received my second and final bell today, the snowman. No issues with this one either, thank goodness. No mildew, the satin lining and box are in good shape, no problem with the switch or battery compartment.

The snowman and cardinal bells glow identically. The main difference I notice is that the cardinal scene is much more sweeping and serene, and the snowman scene is more whimsical but loaded with details. Didn't mean to sound so dramatic. They are both so pretty. @Mominohio, Sorry that some of yours were not in good shape.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

ILUVChristmas — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 19:22:48 GMT

I am so glad my experience with the bells wasn't like yours. My box was perfect, no tatter or mildew. I have Lenox products and this bell is quality imho. I stand by that they look more expensive that they actually were. Like I said before I have Lenox, I also have Fitz and Floyd products, I put those bells up there with them. Maybe you just got a bad batch as that does happen a lot. I know it can be a hit or miss lately. Maybe exchange them to see if you can get a better one. But if you're not happy then of course return them.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

Mominohio — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 20:11:05 GMT

@SHOPR wrote:
I received my second and final bell today, the snowman. No issues with this one either, thank goodness. No mildew, the satin lining and box are in good shape, no problem with the switch or battery compartment.

The snowman and cardinal bells glow identically. The main difference I notice is that the cardinal scene is much more sweeping and serene, and the snowman scene is more whimsical but loaded with details. Didn't mean to sound so dramatic. They are both so pretty. @Mominohio, Sorry that some of yours were not in good shape.

@SHOPR So glad your bells were good. I think overall, most people are going to be very pleased with these, and I'm not at all unhappy with them totally, just more the condition of the packaging, and a little disappointed in how cheap the battery compartment and switch are. I'm still concerned that the switches aren't going to last, as most of mine don't really 'click' into place, but just kind of slide around loosely.

I've been watching mine for timer functions, and they certainly are beautiful at night. I do have to admit I really don't care for them in the daytime. I don't hate, them, but definitely don't love the daytime look.

I think I will keep half of what came, one cardinal for me and one cardinal for my mom. The others will go back between the torn up linings and the moldy box, they just can't be used as the gifts I had intended.

Every scene is so magical at night. Someone is a very talented artist, and the detail is stunning.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

Just Plain Crazy — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 23:58:24 GMT

@Mominohio wrote:
Just received part of my bells, and have to say, I'm not as impressed as most everyone else.

The good first. They are a nice size, not too big, and not too little. The size makes a good statement, without being overbearing.

Lit, they are stunning. They appear cream or ivory colored, elegant, and like they cost way more than they did.

Now, the not so good.

They are very light, I expected them to have more weight, but not a problem really, just surprised.

The battery compartments are really cheap plastic (more so than usual for these items) and I had trouble getting batteries in some.

The switch is very loose on all of them. It doesn't always want to light right away. I look for the switches or the lighting function to not last in these, based on how incredibly flimsy the whole unit appears.

I don't like them unlit. They are too white to suit me, at first look. And the detail doesn't show up like when lit (but I really don't expect it would, just hoped it would look better than it does). My rule is I have to like them unlit as well as lit, for when the lighting fails, I want to still feel good about using them. Not sure at this point that I can say I have met that goal with these, but will look at them longer to see.

One arrived with mold (technically I guess it is more a mildew) all over the outside of the box. Was going to be a gift, but I guess not now.

The lining in a couple of the boxes is tattered and ragged. Very cheap cloth, and it didn't even hold up to original shipping and unpacking before deteriorating. A couple of them look like they are lined with a rag rather than a nice fabric. Doesn't make a nice presentation for a gift.

I knew these were too inexpensive to be as good as I'd hoped, especially for gifting. I wanted them to have a real 'wow' factor when someone opened them, but it comes off more like a Walmart presentation (until lit).

Not sure what I'm going to do yet, as most of these were for gifts. I'm going to look at them a few days, and think about it, because I'm not going to be very proud giving them. I still have the Santa to arrive.

I will say again, they are stunning when lit. And they weren't super expensive, but at almost $25 to the door each, most of them didn't arrive and aren't really nice enough for the price.

Just wanted to post so people who are on the fence can know my experience.

@Mominohio so sorry that your bells were not good and the mold or mildew, that is unacceptable.

I received my 5 white glitter tree candles and there was grey tape at one end of the box. When I pulled that off, it looked like the box had been in some type of oil. I was afraid that the candles had melted but when I opened them up, they were just fine. Have no idea what the box was set in and if it happened at the Q or during shipment but someone tried covering it up with the tape

JPC

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

MTH — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 00:06:37 GMT

@Just Plain Crazy wrote:
@Mominohio wrote:
Just received part of my bells, and have to say, I'm not as impressed as most everyone else.

The good first. They are a nice size, not too big, and not too little. The size makes a good statement, without being overbearing.

Lit, they are stunning. They appear cream or ivory colored, elegant, and like they cost way more than they did.

Now, the not so good.

They are very light, I expected them to have more weight, but not a problem really, just surprised.

The battery compartments are really cheap plastic (more so than usual for these items) and I had trouble getting batteries in some.

The switch is very loose on all of them. It doesn't always want to light right away. I look for the switches or the lighting function to not last in these, based on how incredibly flimsy the whole unit appears.

I don't like them unlit. They are too white to suit me, at first look. And the detail doesn't show up like when lit (but I really don't expect it would, just hoped it would look better than it does). My rule is I have to like them unlit as well as lit, for when the lighting fails, I want to still feel good about using them. Not sure at this point that I can say I have met that goal with these, but will look at them longer to see.

One arrived with mold (technically I guess it is more a mildew) all over the outside of the box. Was going to be a gift, but I guess not now.

The lining in a couple of the boxes is tattered and ragged. Very cheap cloth, and it didn't even hold up to original shipping and unpacking before deteriorating. A couple of them look like they are lined with a rag rather than a nice fabric. Doesn't make a nice presentation for a gift.

I knew these were too inexpensive to be as good as I'd hoped, especially for gifting. I wanted them to have a real 'wow' factor when someone opened them, but it comes off more like a Walmart presentation (until lit).

Not sure what I'm going to do yet, as most of these were for gifts. I'm going to look at them a few days, and think about it, because I'm not going to be very proud giving them. I still have the Santa to arrive.

I will say again, they are stunning when lit. And they weren't super expensive, but at almost $25 to the door each, most of them didn't arrive and aren't really nice enough for the price.

Just wanted to post so people who are on the fence can know my experience.
@Mominohio so sorry that your bells were not good and the mold or mildew, that is unacceptable.

I received my 5 white glitter tree candles and there was grey tape at one end of the box. When I pulled that off, it looked like the box had been in some type of oil. I was afraid that the candles had melted but when I opened them up, they were just fine. Have no idea what the box was set in and if it happened at the Q or during shipment but someone tried covering it up with the tape

JPC

@Just Plain Crazy Wow...that does not sound good. That's awful to receive a box like that but I'm glad your trees were alright. You waited a long time to get those trees and it would have stunk to have something wrong with them after all that time.

Re: A different review of the Kringle Express porcelain bells

lucymo — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 00:22:17 GMT

@SHOPR wrote:
I received my second and final bell today, the snowman. No issues with this one either, thank goodness. No mildew, the satin lining and box are in good shape, no problem with the switch or battery compartment.

The snowman and cardinal bells glow identically. The main difference I notice is that the cardinal scene is much more sweeping and serene, and the snowman scene is more whimsical but loaded with details. Didn't mean to sound so dramatic. They are both so pretty. @Mominohio, Sorry that some of yours were not in good shape.

@SHOPR, Hi, my cardinal bell is beautiful and I'm timer testing now. My box was also in great shape with only a few strings showing from raveled edges but I just trimmed them off and it look great. I feel fortunate that both of mine are good and I'll keep them if timers work as they should. Glad yours is acceptable as well. It's that hit and miss thing, it appears.