Unbreakable beakers (well almost)

Those of you who have browsed through the site might have noticed the large beakers that I use for the shows. These are a good size for large demonstrations and very easy to transport as they pack flat and are almost unbreakable.

Actually these beakers are vases. They are thermoplastic so warm the a little (with warm water for example) and the shape can be adjusted from the flat configuration used for storage or transport. Once they have cooled, or had cold water poured into them, they will hold their shape. I find that they are great when one is on the road as the pack flat and won’t get broken in transit.

I have only noticed two failure modes, both avoidable. The first is that the seams slowly split if the shape is manipulated when they are cold. The other is that the seam might split when subjected to a sudden shock – such as an unlucky contact with the floor! (Yes, I dropped one, it landed wrong and split.)

I am sure that you are already asking where you can get these marvellous beakers. It seems that Ashburton Products has closed, which is going to make getting replacements a little difficult. However, a search for “Easivase” does bring some up on Amazon. Another possibility would be Everydaythings. At the time of writing, however, they appear to be out of stock.

I’ll have to be careful with the remaining stock that I have!