TheaterFire

"That Lamp"

Posted by Fialasaurus@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 638 comments

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638 Comments

Initial_Run1632@reddit

I've said this before on this sub: I *still* have it. It lives in the boiler room, and makes a great work lamp (when painting and doing house projects). Same bulb since about 1993.
View on Reddit #33878565

futsalfan@reddit

still have it but now have to hit it to get it to turn on and change the bulb every few years
View on Reddit #36084894

phil_davis@reddit

I got one of these at a garage sale years ago. Never knew it was so popular.
View on Reddit #33917829

After_Emotion_7889@reddit

Same here! I'm 25 but got it out of my parents house. Works great, but it does produce an awfully annoying ringing sound
View on Reddit #33911204

pikameta@reddit

I have the white version in my living room. Still works too!
View on Reddit #33910526

bgroins@reddit

r/BuyItForLife
View on Reddit #33891900

Twinkletoes1951@reddit

So....I should get rid of the two that I have? I had three, but one of them self-immolated.
View on Reddit #34562271

MiserableCarry5010@reddit

I still have my lamp. And I use it every day.
View on Reddit #34024582

DailyAccountability@reddit

Still have two of these
View on Reddit #34022178

Icy_Profession7396@reddit

fucken hated that lamp, LOL
View on Reddit #34010052

CBAtoms@reddit

I paired mine with the giant CD tower.
View on Reddit #33981882

Fialasaurus@reddit (OP)

You know you had it. And when that halogen bulb finally burned out you just bought another whole lamp because it was cheaper than the new bulb.
View on Reddit #33876062

BununuTYL@reddit

I did! The "torchiere."
View on Reddit #33876934

MarkItZeroDonnie@reddit

Hell yeah , I had multiple, and a fake ficus tree with white xmas lights
View on Reddit #33882423

So_She_Did@reddit

I still have a fake ficus tree 😭 When I tried to donate it, my husband was so disappointed. So now it’s tucked away in a spare room collecting dust. Oh yeah, it’s also the one with red and green leaves 🤣🤣
View on Reddit #33884183

17175RC7@reddit

Mines still out.
View on Reddit #33977781

Firm_Elk9522@reddit

Ours is in the corner of my living room, where I put it (temporarily) when we moved 23 years ago. šŸ¤¦ā€ā™€ļø
View on Reddit #33890054

bluesky557@reddit

Mine is (temporarily for 13 years) on top of a cabinet šŸ˜‚ (we have cathedral ceilings)
View on Reddit #33923901

OreJen@reddit

There's nothing so permanent as a temporary fix lol.
View on Reddit #33910307

So_She_Did@reddit

That makes me feel so much better šŸ¤£šŸ’•
View on Reddit #33890862

Firm_Elk9522@reddit

To terrible decor choices and procrastination! šŸ„‚
View on Reddit #33891108

South_Dakota_Boy@reddit

I had one also with lights. I called it a fakus.
View on Reddit #33910214

MarkItZeroDonnie@reddit

Not the red leaves …
View on Reddit #33885862

Born-Calligrapher794@reddit

You just described my first apartment after college.
View on Reddit #33891450

Koss424@reddit

me too. Exposed brick, that lamp, a plant. And black and white checkered floors in my kitchen!
View on Reddit #33916497

No_Offer6398@reddit

Black and white checkered floors are timeless. After all Martha Stewert has them in Connecticut.
View on Reddit #33951736

Born-Calligrapher794@reddit

I had the same kitchen floors. No exposed brick though. I’m jealous.
View on Reddit #33920556

BabiesLoveStrayDogs@reddit

I didn’t have the ficus but I did have this lamp, a Creeping Charlie plant draped across the top of my ikea bookshelves, and white Christmas lights pinned up along the top of the wall completely around the room.
View on Reddit #33909586

MarkItZeroDonnie@reddit

That’s an okay pivot , I just meant disc 5 in your turn table was Enya or some shit and you best not have it in random when your friends were over
View on Reddit #33912784

midusyouch@reddit

ā€œThe return to innocenceā€¦ā€
View on Reddit #33935338

BabiesLoveStrayDogs@reddit

Oh god is this my old roommate?!
View on Reddit #33928398

ThrowRAboredinAZ77@reddit

Well yeah, obviously.
View on Reddit #33915048

MajorEnglush@reddit

We...might have three of those at various places around our house. And, yes, all have lights.
View on Reddit #33895765

TripsOverCarpet@reddit

I will never outgrow my twinkle lights!
View on Reddit #33908613

Sufficient-Lab-5769@reddit

Holy shit, I had the fake ficus and strung it with pink lights. I have no idea what happened to it.
View on Reddit #33898260

jcgreen_72@reddit

I had a real ficus with white Christmas lights lol why are we all the same?Ā 
View on Reddit #33883300

MarkItZeroDonnie@reddit

Cause we’re awesome … if you also had an exposed brick wall you can smell color . It’s the trifecta
View on Reddit #33883842

jcgreen_72@reddit

100% had a brick wall off the kitchen, winning!Ā 
View on Reddit #33887229

thinkthingsareover@reddit

Because we're awesome.
View on Reddit #33884596

otusowl@reddit

>I did! The "torchiere." Excellent for torch-like house fires, iirc. Wasn't that halogen bulb like 1,000 Watts?
View on Reddit #33895163

edpmis02@reddit

Only 300 watts
View on Reddit #33972309

GhostoftheAralSea@reddit

Yeah, apparently people would get blankets or curtains kind of draped across the top of it and then it was sort of like what happened when Mary left her glasses by the window and burned down the house Pa built.
View on Reddit #33934823

vizette@reddit

Best bug zapper ever! Well, except for the smell...
View on Reddit #33917843

otusowl@reddit

Instead of "bzzzzt!" it was more of a "psssstsssss," but yes, very effective.
View on Reddit #33922204

American_Streamer@reddit

No, for regular households, the strongest ones were 100W, but those indeed heated up to 1.000 °F.
View on Reddit #33901419

otusowl@reddit

I'm pretty sure you are mistaken, in particular because I remember getting a 500 Watt model, and thinking "this is not nearly bright as the old one," which I recall being 1,000 Watts. Maybe I had the commercial - hookup back in the day, though.
View on Reddit #33922152

YouInternational2152@reddit

That's exactly what happened! Ultimately, they were all recalled because of fire hazard. The updated ones have an LED instead.
View on Reddit #33907309

BununuTYL@reddit

Yes! An you were always warned to never touch it when changing it because the oil/residue from your fingers could cause it to explode when turned on. Probably an urban myth, but I followed the rule anyway.
View on Reddit #33899423

American_Streamer@reddit

Yes, that was a real issue with the halogen bulbs in the 1990s. They operate at very high temperatures. When you touch the bulb with your bare fingers, oils from your skin can transfer onto the glass. These oils then create a hot spot on the surface of the bulb when it is turned on, due to uneven heating. This hot spot then can cause the glass to weaken and potentially crack or explode due to the high internal pressure within the bulb. You were advised to only touch them with gloves or a clean cloth. They began to use coating on the bulbs later, removing the risk.
View on Reddit #33901075

BununuTYL@reddit

Another safety issue that makes us wonder how we Xers survived this long!
View on Reddit #33901298

cipher446@reddit

I had more than one of these. Really set the room off with the black deep -screen entertainment center and the futon. We nailed AOL CDs to the wall because we were edgy (you can microwave them for a second or two to give them a lightning strike pattern - like I said, we were edgy).
View on Reddit #33888919

BununuTYL@reddit

Mine was right next to a futon, too!
View on Reddit #33899758

middleageslut@reddit

They were ALL next to futons.
View on Reddit #33909795

katiekat214@reddit

Mine was behind my papasan chair from Pier One (when it was hip, new store)
View on Reddit #33923186

VoodooDuck614@reddit

I *still* fantasize about a papasan chair, as I have never had one. I don’t think I could *get out of* a papasan chair, though. I did have the mandatory brightly printed chaise lounge reading chair.
View on Reddit #33963570

middleageslut@reddit

Right, between the papasan and the futon.
View on Reddit #33925675

Apprehensive-Log8333@reddit

I had the AOL CD fish on my wall
View on Reddit #33915930

jenhazfun@reddit

Purchased at Shopko.
View on Reddit #33908857

Lord-Cartographer55@reddit

Hello fellow Midwesterner.
View on Reddit #33924293

afternever@reddit

To illuminate your Nagel print
View on Reddit #33886654

CoachRockStar@reddit

Still laughing from this one ā˜ļø
View on Reddit #33904387

Ranger-5150@reddit

I went looking for one because they were great for flying bug control … Alas.
View on Reddit #33883814

Careless_Ocelot_4485@reddit

Uff the smell of fried bug.
View on Reddit #33903153

Ihaveaboot@reddit

God forbid a stink bug ever lands in it 🤮
View on Reddit #33894061

Scrotchety@reddit

Lè büg flambèyer
View on Reddit #33895561

Thorpgilman@reddit

Somebody, somewhere, is rich AF because of this shitty lamp.
View on Reddit #33939054

rumblepony247@reddit

Heck ya. Mine was in the corner of the wall where the Ansel Adams black & white nature posters were hung lol.
View on Reddit #33888203

SayYesToGuac@reddit

YASSSS! YOSEMITE ANSEL ADAMS IN ALL CAPS
View on Reddit #33890516

mylocker15@reddit

Anne Geddes print of babies in flowerpots with sunflower bonnets, celestial tapestry, Wyler dolphin print, Alanis Morisette playing in the background.
View on Reddit #33905063

Xrsyz@reddit

I hated those with a passion. Here I am trying to browse a bookstore and these fucking baby in lettuce heads keep popping up.
View on Reddit #33935617

Gloomy_Industry8841@reddit

😭college days 😭
View on Reddit #33921119

Has_Recipes@reddit

Halogen lamp, black and white yosemite, blue lava lamp, 6 nude girls/Pink Floyd albums, neon beer sign, incense holder, a sound system financed by student loan checks.
View on Reddit #33918764

RC_CobraChicken@reddit

Escher litho's and a couple framed Munch prints.
View on Reddit #33898237

rumblepony247@reddit

And of course a Patrick Nagel
View on Reddit #33902425

theazhapadean@reddit

Moonrise over Hernandez.
View on Reddit #33896544

Ok_Storm5945@reddit

Yosemite Lightening Strike
View on Reddit #33890627

JaxExplorN@reddit

Still do 🤣
View on Reddit #33932932

oldschool_potato@reddit

Right behind the Papason(sp?) chair!
View on Reddit #33881869

Fialasaurus@reddit (OP)

To be fair, at some point it was the only way to keep it standing after the base got all wobbly. You had to wedge it in the corner behind the papasan.
View on Reddit #33884821

gardengnome002@reddit

my back still hates me thanks to the papasan
View on Reddit #33886469

PontificatinPlatypus@reddit

Papasan chairs are only comfortable for cats to sleep on.
View on Reddit #33898453

katiekat214@reddit

I was about to say my cat stole my papasan
View on Reddit #33923267

vectorology@reddit

My old papasan became an excellent bed for my greyhounds.
View on Reddit #33907371

Much_Choice9265@reddit

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
View on Reddit #33915391

AndTheElbowGrease@reddit

Wait when were you at my house in 1998?
View on Reddit #33912236

j_grouchy@reddit

The papasan that always ended up sliding down to lay flat and ended up just being where I put my laundry because I was too lazy to fold it.
View on Reddit #33886893

Any_Flamingo8978@reddit

It excelled at being a laundry bin!
View on Reddit #33907052

oldschool_potato@reddit

My cats loved it
View on Reddit #33888417

CriticalEngineering@reddit

Next to the cat tree.
View on Reddit #33906603

Icy-Tough-1791@reddit

This shit is getting too real.
View on Reddit #33883308

Fialasaurus@reddit (OP)

How did you know!
View on Reddit #33882025

Growlinganvil@reddit

Right behind the papasan
View on Reddit #33920350

potsine@reddit

I have it in my living room right now
View on Reddit #33920226

HapticRecce@reddit

Still have one!
View on Reddit #33881321

SnollyG@reddit

I’m staring at mine right now.
View on Reddit #33910456

loesak@reddit

The bulb on mine has been burnt out for over 5 years. I just moved it out of my bedroom and into the garage, where it will stay for another 5 years.
View on Reddit #33919333

deetman68@reddit

Agreed except the bulb part. Our HD had them for like $7. I replaced them several times. I even eventually painted a couple of them silver and extended their lives a few more years. 🤣🤣
View on Reddit #33919279

jpowell180@reddit

Do they have these lamps with LED bulbs now? That would solve everything…
View on Reddit #33919034

--kilroy_was_here--@reddit

Actually still have ours in use. I replaced the fixture with an incandescent bulb screw-in type.
View on Reddit #33918471

vjaskew@reddit

I loved that lamp and have never found another that I like as well.
View on Reddit #33881371

Vprbite@reddit

Fire departments loved them too
View on Reddit #33895565

nite_skye_@reddit

Yeah. I thought they disappeared because they are a fire hazard. The bulb gets so hot anything touching it or close enough to it can cause a fire.
View on Reddit #33896339

vjaskew@reddit

Mine never caused any fires or burned moths, thank goodness. Did burn myself a couple of times. LEDs are so much better.
View on Reddit #33916691

VediusPollio@reddit

Ever get nostalgic for the smell of burning moths?
View on Reddit #33910460

Vprbite@reddit

Or knock it over. And dust buildup I think some near the end of their popularity were built to turn off when knocked over. The more expensive ones were, perhaps. They were banned in the dorms when I lived there in the 90s
View on Reddit #33896494

Prestigious_Oil_4805@reddit

Of you touch the bulb directly with your fingers the new bulb burn because of the oil and fat on your fingers
View on Reddit #33916246

DocFail@reddit

Or when the pole finally got so wobbly/loose you had to admit it was never really not broken.it sorta just tipped over.
View on Reddit #33915200

Retinoid634@reddit

Don’t touch that bulb when it’s on! I loved these.
View on Reddit #33914875

MaybeRightsideUp@reddit

It is still literally in my old bedroom at my mom's house
View on Reddit #33914856

Money-Bear7166@reddit

I did have one but the real question is why is this lamp just randomly outside on the sidewalk....
View on Reddit #33914061

CherrySignal4185@reddit

Yep, kept it for years.
View on Reddit #33913208

linearCrane@reddit

Damn dude. I was about to say how hard it was to find the replacement bulb. And, do you remember if you touched the bulb with your fingers the oil in your fingers would react with the glass on the bulb when it got hot and then the bulb would break? So you had to make sure you installed the bulb the styrofoam covering on it and then remove that covering carefully without touching the bulb.
View on Reddit #33910786

HilariousButTrue@reddit

I used this lamp for a long time until it almost caused a fire in an apartment I was renting back in 03. The ceiling was smoldering. Just lucky to be home.
View on Reddit #33910758

Darth_Meeekat@reddit

I bought a similar "bulb" and made it fit lol
View on Reddit #33910104

jonathanrdt@reddit

Yeah but the old one had the best dimmer switch ever made and the new one only has three clicky brightness options, so it wont do super dim mood lighting and rachel’s coming over… And it’s too late to get the old one back.
View on Reddit #33909263

jaymz668@reddit

and it heated the room up so much and was a fire hazard the LED versions we have now, so much better
View on Reddit #33908418

Crashbandit37@reddit

I still have it plus the matching lamp.
View on Reddit #33906300

MysteriousCodo@reddit

I’ll freely admit to having a couple….and for the heck of it, I’ll admit to still owning one. It doesn’t do much anymore because I just use it to light up my attic. But I still have it.
View on Reddit #33905918

AVGJOE78@reddit

Halogen bulbs - RIP
View on Reddit #33904271

potent_flapjacks@reddit

Couple of moths up there as well.
View on Reddit #33902198

awfl@reddit

...and because they were fire hazards... those open upturned halogens could burn the house down if something landed or placed on top.
View on Reddit #33900568

PontificatinPlatypus@reddit

There are LED replacement bulbs for it now, though I haven't tried them yet.
View on Reddit #33898390

Human_Link8738@reddit

A true fire hazard where curtains were involved. I still remember the gritty way threads felt screwing to sections together.
View on Reddit #33897725

livens@reddit

My parents must have found a cheap vendor for those halogen bulbs, we always just replaced them.
View on Reddit #33896884

Gloomy_Narwhal_4833@reddit

My 13 year old daughter still has the one I bought in friggin 1994, along with the matching table lamps. They all still work, it's utterly crazy.
View on Reddit #33882253

JacquelineHeid@reddit

Your electric bill is $97 per month, and $88 of that is the halogen torchiere lol
View on Reddit #33896774

IAmAWretchedSinner@reddit

If you have the bulbs, those things last bloody forever.
View on Reddit #33895833

Clintre@reddit

"Had it?" We still have one in the office, lol. Hasn't been turned on in a decade, but it is still there collecting dust.
View on Reddit #33887553

Vprbite@reddit

Turn it on but have a fire extinguisher nearby
View on Reddit #33895491

epicrecipe@reddit

Mine succumbed to the back of a borrowed pickup after one too many moves. RIP
View on Reddit #33894830

Ultravod@reddit

In 1996 my best friend in college had a roommate with that torchiere lamp (200W halogen, of/c) and an entire shelf of Spawn toys. One of them ("Future Spawn") fell off the shelf and into the lamp when no one was in the room. Clearly a ghost did it (there were rumors that the next dorm over was haunted.) My roommate smelled smoke and told our RA. She opened the door and he got the fire extinguisher. She (5'2, *maybe*) took the extinguisher from him (who was of Swedish descent and 6'4) and sprayed it in arc trying to reach the lamp. This meant the dust from the extinguisher got _everywhere._ My friend grew to hate his roommate after that incident.
View on Reddit #33891856

baldguytoyourleft@reddit

Back in college my buddies neighbor was trying to dry her panties on one of those lamps. She forgot about them and they caught on fire. The whole dorm had to be evacuated and within hours everyone knew why. Between that and her getting caught loudly fucking someone elses boyfriend in a public bathroom she left campus at the end of that term.
View on Reddit #33890828

GreyBoyTigger@reddit

Don’t forget that the only way to turn it off was unplugging it
View on Reddit #33883716

MissKhary@reddit

Mine had a dimmer knob on the pole.
View on Reddit #33888607

GreyBoyTigger@reddit

You had the fancy one
View on Reddit #33889528

TKD_Mom76@reddit

My parents had this in white! I don't remember when it went away, but it eventually went away.
View on Reddit #33888735

Soundtracklover72@reddit

![gif](giphy|26CalmkpfFU3io3yU)
View on Reddit #33886854

ShivanDrgn@reddit

LOL yes.
View on Reddit #33886425

Skay1974@reddit

Plus you had to wear those weird gloves because you couldn’t touch the bulb.
View on Reddit #33885468

RolandSnowdust@reddit

Guilty of owning 2.
View on Reddit #33884040

imadork1970@reddit

You can buy LED bulbs for it now. Crappy Tire.
View on Reddit #33881262

4thStgMiddleSpooler@reddit

I still have the image of this thing in my brain still sitting fresh and broken down in it's styrofoam packaging, and I can't tell you why.
View on Reddit #33968998

Kittykatkarenjoy@reddit

We called it the Barn Burner.
View on Reddit #33966632

Smart-Honeydew-1273@reddit

It was a Major Award!
View on Reddit #33965405

Jld114@reddit

I’ve had several iterations of this lamp over the years
View on Reddit #33961232

PaddleMonkey@reddit

Did your dimmer click or was it smooth?
View on Reddit #33957561

Fialasaurus@reddit (OP)

I recall mine were clicky but I know they made a dimmer version.
View on Reddit #33961084

BayouVoodoo@reddit

There's one in my living room right now.....
View on Reddit #33957976

rogue_lily@reddit

I did 🤮
View on Reddit #33957170

TheBarbarian88@reddit

We still have one that we got as a wedding gift in 2002.
View on Reddit #33956584

Ok-Chemical-1050@reddit

And then nuts would cross thread and give the lamp scoliosis.
View on Reddit #33955611

SiWeyNoWay@reddit

UGH. I fucking hate how many of those odious lamps i owned in my apartment years šŸ¤¦ā€ā™€ļø
View on Reddit #33950572

Straight-Ad-160@reddit

Was that lamp an international thing? I had one, too (The Netherlands).
View on Reddit #33950018

NeonPhyzics@reddit

Had variations on this. There were knock off ones sold at Target that had a switch instead of the cool dimming knob
View on Reddit #33949672

JacquelineHeid@reddit

The $25 Home Depot special in 1994 that put out 4 million BTUs at the top and light that was visible from orbit.
View on Reddit #33878213

One-Earth9294@reddit

When the power went out you could audibly hear them cooling off.
View on Reddit #33883693

JacquelineHeid@reddit

\*tick\* \*tick\* \*tick\* as the metal cooled and the quieting electric hum from the dissipating charge passing through the halogen bulb. I remember the sounds lol!
View on Reddit #33884068

GhostoftheAralSea@reddit

OMG your flair šŸ˜†šŸ˜†. My siblings all tell each other to take off and call each other Hoser. Nobody *EVER* knows what we’re talking about.
View on Reddit #33935025

JacquelineHeid@reddit

I love Bob and Doug ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
View on Reddit #33949250

IAmAWretchedSinner@reddit

God forbid anyone tried breaking my apartment when that lamp was on. Firetorch, muthafucka!
View on Reddit #33896226

livens@reddit

Lol, I remember my brother tilting ours down one time because something got stuck in the shade. I was maybe 5 ft away from it but almost went blind it was so bright.
View on Reddit #33897141

IAmAWretchedSinner@reddit

Lol, yep. My old roommate in college told me one day how energy efficient they were. I just looked at him and said "Dude. That thing puts out more light and radiant heat than the warp core Mr. Spock fixed in Star Trek II."
View on Reddit #33898522

MarsupialMisanthrope@reddit

They really were highly efficient *if* you counted them as combo light/space heater. I had one in my dorm where the temperature was centrally controlled and too damned cold. It made the room quite comfortable.
View on Reddit #33922177

IAmAWretchedSinner@reddit

Fair point.
View on Reddit #33928644

Mysisterhas9fingers@reddit

In hindsight it was safer to have an open bonfire inside my living room!
View on Reddit #33895614

JacquelineHeid@reddit

I once had a moth in the house that flew into the lamp and literally vaporized instantly into smoke.Ā 
View on Reddit #33895855

Mysisterhas9fingers@reddit

The smell!!!! The thought of it and I'm right back in that house in college.
View on Reddit #33916501

oldschool_potato@reddit

Why do I recall them being $10? Maybe that was the replacement bulbs
View on Reddit #33881696

Blue-cheese-dressing@reddit

Yep, the halogen bulbs were like $8-10. If you forgot to wear gloves (or used a sock mitten) while changing them they would burn out really quickly.
View on Reddit #33883837

oldschool_potato@reddit

Ahh you are wise to ways of science I see.
View on Reddit #33888489

Taste_My_NippleCrust@reddit

![gif](giphy|25JgMcsSndyuBkoaV2)
View on Reddit #33913436

WootyMcWoot@reddit

and somehow still wasn’t able to make the GBA bright enough to see anything
View on Reddit #33908520

Lizzieanne68@reddit

Hah! I just snorted at that. Yes! When we had kids that lamp got relegated to the basement, Free heat, plenty of light, no way for toys/paper airplanes/little fingers to land on that fiery bulb.
View on Reddit #33881641

love2Bsingle@reddit

i had this same lamp until about 5 years ago, for real.
View on Reddit #33948791

Devils_Advocate-69@reddit

The decorative version of a car’s cigarette lighter
View on Reddit #33948108

l00ky_here@reddit

I'm sitting under that lamp right now.
View on Reddit #33946700

sleeping_possum@reddit

We still have that lamp.
View on Reddit #33945942

crankywithakeyboard@reddit

First apartment. 1993.
View on Reddit #33944704

shaggin_maggie@reddit

Funeral parlor chic
View on Reddit #33940253

Thorpgilman@reddit

Oh man, every free lance edit suite I ever stepped into.
View on Reddit #33939025

FrancoisTruser@reddit

I miss it
View on Reddit #33938873

tjarg@reddit

Home Express
View on Reddit #33938068

KongoOtto@reddit

Still got mine since 1995. Replaced the 300W bulb with a 80W since i always keep it dimm.
View on Reddit #33915188

Fistial@reddit

Just replaced my 200W with an LED bulbšŸ˜Ž
View on Reddit #33918701

KongoOtto@reddit

Tried that a while ago but had bad flickering. Dimming still isn't great with LED I guess.
View on Reddit #33937359

Muggenzifters@reddit

Ah yes, the fly burner
View on Reddit #33936014

MissKhary@reddit

30 years ago I left home for college with that lamp, a futon, and a Sony Dreamstation AM/FM clock radio. (I still use that alarm clock) That lamp was where bugs went to die.
View on Reddit #33888452

GhostoftheAralSea@reddit

I was trying to find a regular clock radio to buy the other day because I feel like that was when waking devices peaked. I didn’t check Amazon but I couldn’t find one to buy in person.
View on Reddit #33935423

MissKhary@reddit

My son got one for his room, but of course now they also have USB ports and can play MP3s instead of the radio!
View on Reddit #33935984

Xrsyz@reddit

The original—with the infinitely adjustable dimmer, not the cheap imitation three position switch. 0-300 Watts of illumination right on the popcorn ceiling.
View on Reddit #33935479

TARYN1777@reddit

lol! šŸ’Æ
View on Reddit #33935425

OnlySezBeautiful@reddit

We used to cook toast on this thing.
View on Reddit #33885920

MrsRalphieWiggum@reddit

The toast must of tasted awful.
View on Reddit #33888256

OnlySezBeautiful@reddit

lol I don't remember. high af. then tried to make jelly out of margarine and a grape kool-aid pack.
View on Reddit #33888812

GhostoftheAralSea@reddit

So many things that seemed like an absolutely brilliant idea at the time…
View on Reddit #33935337

MrsRalphieWiggum@reddit

🤮 Lol
View on Reddit #33904454

Taminella_Grinderfal@reddit

It was a pretty nice lamp for the price. Definitely had a couple in my first apartment.
View on Reddit #33878419

vermarbee@reddit

Yes! I thought I had a very chic apartment with one of these on each side of my futon. šŸ¤¦šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø
View on Reddit #33881435

Life-Unit-4118@reddit

How on earth did the futon become a thing? I had one that burned in an apartment fire started by a roommate’s dumb cat…the night before I took the GRE. I STILL blame my lousy score on that cat!
View on Reddit #33888236

ApplianceHealer@reddit

Cheaper than a mattress, and nominally convertible into a couch. SO and I bought one for our first apartment it lasted almost 25 years, tho eventually just kind of got in the way.
View on Reddit #33901365

GhostoftheAralSea@reddit

But SO uncomfortable as both a bed and a couch. I mean, I was all šŸ˜ when my BF first got one and I thought it was like the height of worldly, sophisticated decor. But man, I could never actually sleep on it.
View on Reddit #33935288

vermarbee@reddit

I have no idea šŸ˜† I had to have it and I thought it was the coolest thing ever (except for the lamps.)
View on Reddit #33890162

kerri1510@reddit

Forever leaning
View on Reddit #33934370

ManicOppressyv@reddit

Everyone mentions the heat and burned bugs, but what about the fact if you got a single fingerprint on it it while changing it it could burn that $25 bulb out real quick.
View on Reddit #33924529

Dewrunner4X4@reddit

Haha right. Had to use toilet paper to handle the bulbs. Atleast that's why my parents used.
View on Reddit #33932730

Dewrunner4X4@reddit

Get a moth burning up in it, smalls like childhood.
View on Reddit #33932678

solvent23@reddit

I still have two of these.
View on Reddit #33932471

SandpaperWedgie@reddit

Still have 2 of them in the house...
View on Reddit #33930781

Shellbell204@reddit

Mine had a cd holder on it
View on Reddit #33930115

Ryno-Dee@reddit

I still have mine from 1995. It’s in my office right now.
View on Reddit #33930090

MrExCEO@reddit

It’s soooo hot Mom!
View on Reddit #33930050

GoBlue-sincebirth@reddit

I have a couple in the garage.
View on Reddit #33929974

scotheman@reddit

I bought the cheap/regular bulb version because I was in college and broke. I still have it, it’s a good lamp.
View on Reddit #33929614

ThisGuyRightHereSaid@reddit

Wait are we not using these anymore?
View on Reddit #33898346

twowheels@reddit

I have an LED one from IKEA
View on Reddit #33929452

psiprez@reddit

So damn hot.
View on Reddit #33929397

twowheels@reddit

Remember when they started coming with wire cages to prevent things from coming in contact with the surface of the sun?
View on Reddit #33929229

Laylasita@reddit

I haven't mentioned how awesome this lamp was since... yesterday. Except for how hot it got, it was the best lighting evah!
View on Reddit #33929066

modi123_1@reddit

Towards the end of its life it had a wicked tilt. Maybe it was the brass screw at the base, but it was definitely a "don't touch lamp!" and on the light switch circuit.
View on Reddit #33877630

BloomiePsst@reddit

Every time you unscrew it in the middle to move it to a new apartment, it never screwed together quite properly again. By the time you move to your fourth apartment in five years, you're gently balancing it to keep the whole thing upright.
View on Reddit #33879217

texasroadhause@reddit

The trick was when you screwed it back in you had to put a little ā€œpullā€ on the rod otherwise you’d mess up the thread alignment and it would never be the same.
View on Reddit #33880815

martin@reddit

I have a trick that's worked for any threaded connection, nut or bolt likely to cross-thread: start by turing in the opposite direction until it skips - that's the start of the thread, then gently rotate in the correct direction.
View on Reddit #33902669

Kandorr@reddit

I do this all the time and if I do it in front of someone I have to hear 'Righty Tighty!!" barked at me... I still do it tho
View on Reddit #33928617

BloomiePsst@reddit

NOW you tell me! 😁
View on Reddit #33882915

SXTY82@reddit

The base on mine was full of cement. It eventually broke down to crumbs and the lamp post started to tilt. Few months later it fell and was un-repairable. I loved that lamp.
View on Reddit #33879990

Taste_My_NippleCrust@reddit

![gif](giphy|3o6fJcW4hruxsGp0ic)
View on Reddit #33913467

Liberty_Chip_Cookies@reddit

After four moves the lump of concrete in the bottom of ours disintegrated in a similar fashion, and after that it was so top-heavy that it couldn't stand up without falling over, so it finally went to that great garbage heap ~~in the sky~~ on the other side of town.
View on Reddit #33898950

vashtirama@reddit

I was hoping the second image would be the lamp a little older and tilting.
View on Reddit #33898854

expespuella@reddit

Twice I got rid of the stand and had the top screwed directly onto the base. Once was 22ish years ago in an apartment with vaulted ceilings (we put it on the high ass shelf nothing else could be kept on) and used the cord to wire the dimmer at regular level. Lit up the whole damn living room really well. The other was a few years back when one was left behind in a room I'd rented after a shitty breakup. It went on top of my bookshelf. Had the original bulb and was full of aaalllll the bugs when I found it. Both worked like magic, until they didn't. No fires luckily.
View on Reddit #33896719

DDXdesign@reddit

TIL a lamp can give PTSD. Whooooboy.
View on Reddit #33928614

Fluid-Set-2674@reddit

OH MAN YES
View on Reddit #33928186

SilkyOatmeal@reddit

I still have 3 of these, but they're white.
View on Reddit #33927926

Kariered@reddit

I have that lamp. It's not the halogen version, thank God, but it has a good three way light bulb. I stole it from my parents house. I'm pretty positive it's from the 90s. It's metal and pretty heavy. I use it everyday.
View on Reddit #33927747

bluecanary101@reddit

Dammit! It never quite stands up straight!
View on Reddit #33927636

midnight_to_midnight@reddit

We had like a dozen of these in my mom's house in the early 90s. Lol.
View on Reddit #33927530

One-Earth9294@reddit

I had that lamp. The problem with those is the base would get too wobbly over time and eventually something would bump into it and bend the metal. But I still have this beauty https://preview.redd.it/42jkxyqwe8kd1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bcb0163d8f094b66cf18fe13f1a40f12a5adf124 Watch the boardroom scenes in Robocop, it's that same lamp. This is an original and it's still got the original bulb that still works.
View on Reddit #33883621

Tollhousearebest@reddit

Still got mine too!
View on Reddit #33920289

One-Earth9294@reddit

From what I can gather these babies are worth like 800 bucks now in good condition, too :)
View on Reddit #33926603

Evening-Picture-5911@reddit

Same! Glad I’m not the only one. I love that little lamp and I managed to not let it melt things, unlike with the one in OP’s pic
View on Reddit #33909151

vashtirama@reddit

I replaced the bulb for the first time a few months ago!
View on Reddit #33899037

MissKhary@reddit

Ooooh I forgot about that one!
View on Reddit #33889018

asez5@reddit

I still have mine from ā€˜93/ā€˜94
View on Reddit #33926417

lambent_ort@reddit

Never had one... but all the ones I've ever seen in other people's houses were slightly wonky.
View on Reddit #33926396

Mn2nmixr@reddit

I had 2 at one point.
View on Reddit #33925798

Frabbit4life@reddit

Majestic when on each side of a back pleather sofa with a samurai sword displayed on the wall behind it
View on Reddit #33925389

Temporary_Tune5430@reddit

Lamp/heater
View on Reddit #33878093

MsJenX@reddit

Who needs a heater in the winter when you have this lamp.
View on Reddit #33925321

Blue-cheese-dressing@reddit

That smell after it sat unused for a few weeks and you turned the 250 watt halogen sun bulb! Like an old toaster firing up.
View on Reddit #33883721

magadorspartacus@reddit

This just unlocked the memory of the smell of burnt bugs
View on Reddit #33925017

evilJaze@reddit

Combination of burning dust and atmospheric grease from cooking.
View on Reddit #33888745

eLishus@reddit

ā€œFire starterā€. It had that translucent glass base at the bottom and sometimes it was in different colors. All too many people threw something like a black shirt over the top so only the bottom would glow. Those halogen bulbs are insanely hot and could/would start a fire in few minutes.
View on Reddit #33881881

torknorggren@reddit

RIP to all them moths
View on Reddit #33881974

CuckooCatLady@reddit

When a crane fly would burst into flames...
View on Reddit #33919318

Oldjamesdean@reddit

The smell of burning insects, not going to forget that.
View on Reddit #33885843

Kishmond@reddit

When I was a kid I put a plastic bat (animal) on top of the bulb of thia very lamp, intending to scare the babysitter with a bat-shaped shadow on the ceiling. I just got a room full of melted plastic smell and parents that had to come home early.
View on Reddit #33908321

eLishus@reddit

Oy. Innocent fun turned toxic fumes - lol
View on Reddit #33917147

midnightdsob@reddit

I had (have, I use it in the garage) the desktop version. Someone left it on and bent over. It managed to char a solid wood end table surface before we found the source of smoke..
View on Reddit #33905920

monstermack1977@reddit

the people that threw a black shirt over the top were supposed to be taken out Darwin style.
View on Reddit #33886266

wahznooski@reddit

Some dumbasses toilet papered my friend’s dorm room in college and started a fire cuz they put it over the top of this lamp. The fire killed his pet snake and he lost most of his shit, but luckily it was put out before it spread past his room. It was really sad. Nice guy with some dumb friends.
View on Reddit #33883893

saltymcgee777@reddit

And skull crusher* My ex wife thought it would be a good idea to bedazzle that thing with glass marbles. Hurt like a sob when that thing fell on my head.
View on Reddit #33909365

MsJenX@reddit

How did you get my lamp!?
View on Reddit #33925276

writtenwordyes@reddit

It was so bright and cheap!
View on Reddit #33925258

MathematicianOk7508@reddit

Is there a GenX’er that hasn’t owned this lamp?
View on Reddit #33925121

katiegirl-@reddit

That fricking pole never screwed in straight.
View on Reddit #33924402

DiscountEven4703@reddit

Next We need the Clear glass Octagon Table
View on Reddit #33923858

wildveal@reddit

I still have one in my living room. We call it the sun.
View on Reddit #33923712

Zickened@reddit

Is it weird that I can still smell it?
View on Reddit #33923293

Capable_Honeydew_542@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/adif176nhbkd1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8c670f07dd15364c999a403e31681f043ee464b Looks familiar...
View on Reddit #33923244

Sitting_pipe@reddit

I fucking hated that lamp it was always falling on me.
View on Reddit #33923154

kjfkalsdfafjaklf@reddit

I too gave up when I found out how much a new bulb was. I did keep the 3 sections of the pole for some reason.
View on Reddit #33922783

ShadowArray@reddit

The light would attract bugs and then they would be incinerated when they got close.
View on Reddit #33922661

Reacharoundsally@reddit

I can feel the heat coming off of this photo.
View on Reddit #33922554

EA827@reddit

Will literally burn a stink bug
View on Reddit #33922484

Secure_Listen_964@reddit

I can smell the moth almost on fire in there.
View on Reddit #33922406

m0j0j0rnj0rn@reddit

āœ‹ guilty as charged
View on Reddit #33922384

50Sleeping@reddit

Oddly, I never remember buying one, but were in several of my apartments that I shared with roommates that left them for me. If you did not have ceiling lights, it was almost a requirement.
View on Reddit #33922319

zombuca@reddit

Nuclear hot and close to the ceiling. What could go wrong?
View on Reddit #33922156

ButtOfDarkness@reddit

Millennial here, my parents has one and it lasted like 15+ years. Probably have a photo with it on it. Didn’t know it was one of those things everyone one had like those plates with the yellow markings 🄹
View on Reddit #33922129

santacow@reddit

The halogen bulb used to really make my room warm and cozy.
View on Reddit #33921882

trl718@reddit

Yes I had one.
View on Reddit #33921840

RudeBlueJeans@reddit

Ours is crooked though.
View on Reddit #33921812

Mamaj12469@reddit

Just got rid of mine!
View on Reddit #33921774

Any_Calligrapher9286@reddit

Remember the plastic ones that would melt
View on Reddit #33921718

Sheila_Monarch@reddit

Everyone had it, me included. Except I don’t remember actually buying it, more like it just appeared in my life one day like it was always there. I don’t think I’ve spoken to anyone else that remembers buying theirs either. Where the hell were we getting them?
View on Reddit #33921704

ViKing665@reddit

During moth season, you could have sent out smoke signals to the neighbors.
View on Reddit #33921663

houseofmatt@reddit

I love lamp
View on Reddit #33921613

Current-Nothing1803@reddit

I still have the white version in my bedroom, haha!
View on Reddit #33921479

Walshlandic@reddit

Oh, how I miss its brilliant incandescent glow! Today’s bulbs are a dim shadow of the 90s halogen lamps 😭
View on Reddit #33921383

GenkiElite@reddit

Yup.
View on Reddit #33921309

JG_in_TX@reddit

Those halogen lights pulled what, 300 watts? Man they would totally cook any poor moth that happened to be drawn into the light. Smelled horrible.
View on Reddit #33885505

captain_dildonicus@reddit

yep: 300 watts of blinding white light. if my parents ever knew how much that sucker drew electricity....
View on Reddit #33921112

JuliusTheTailor@reddit

Yep! They got hot as hell.
View on Reddit #33920916

isabps@reddit

The fire starter. Someone mentioned bulb prices but if you got the multipack at Home Depot, pretty cheap. Just moved and bought 4 of the led ones. Not impressed.
View on Reddit #33920786

princess23710@reddit

Still have it. It’s in the spare bedroom. Next to a lava lamp. And one of those round rattan chairs!
View on Reddit #33920691

klausvonespy@reddit

<sniff> Anyone else smell burned carpet?
View on Reddit #33920408

GuidoX4@reddit

Cooked many a ceiling to a golden brown.
View on Reddit #33920216

BaptizedByBitches@reddit

Still in my parents’ house!
View on Reddit #33920132

amethystCEOJ@reddit

Yeah. We all had one and we all pronounced it ā€œtor-shor-rayā€, at least for me until I finally read the name correctly.
View on Reddit #33919960

DisappointedDragon@reddit

I had several and there might possibly still be an old one out in the garage.
View on Reddit #33919821

Brockolee26@reddit

Ugh, I can still smell this lamp. Moths We’re incredibly attracted to it, and would catch on fire when they landed on the bulb.
View on Reddit #33919674

featherblackjack@reddit

I hate that fucking lamp. Lit up the ceiling real good! Nothing else! Below it was still dim twilight because fuck you
View on Reddit #33919656

sawyer_whoopass@reddit

I have that exact same model standing maybe 12’ away from me right now. Still works as good as new.
View on Reddit #33919268

Missus_Aitch_99@reddit

If anyone wants one, I just donated it to the Goodwill in Groton, CT.
View on Reddit #33919263

Hungry-Shoulder2874@reddit

Currently in my garage because I can’t seem to get rid of it.
View on Reddit #33918963

Effective_Drama_3498@reddit

UFO omg!
View on Reddit #33918941

buckeyegurl1313@reddit

Hi. I had one!
View on Reddit #33918924

Express_Comment9677@reddit

I think they figured nuclear fusion years ago with the creation of this lamp.
View on Reddit #33918665

noobllama2@reddit

But... it is not red. Is it real?
View on Reddit #33918317

grahsam@reddit

I totally had one of those for years. Mine was florescent.
View on Reddit #33918272

Tyrigoth@reddit

SOOOO many hours beneath the light and heat of that lamp while I played on my 486x computer.
View on Reddit #33918133

zippyphoenix@reddit

I remember. I wasn’t in that form thankfully. https://iowastatedaily.com/220359/uncategorized/halogen-lamps-under-scrutiny-after-fire/
View on Reddit #33917606

Hamletspurplepickle@reddit

I can smell the bugs that met their fate up there
View on Reddit #33917466

Deshackled@reddit

I think I had the exact model. And 100% tossed it when the bulb blew.
View on Reddit #33917387

FredFlintston3@reddit

Just recently got rid of my last ā€œuprightā€. Then I found an extra bulb.
View on Reddit #33917270

basahahn1@reddit

I felt so accomplished when I got my first standing lamp. I had arrived MFrs
View on Reddit #33917231

ghjm@reddit

I had _two_ of the legendary 500W ones in my dorm room. The idea was to banish sleep and cram for exams through the sheer power of a kilowatt of pure light. You could see the bones in your hand.
View on Reddit #33917097

evasandor@reddit

I had this lamp in my apartment when I was in grad school (early 90s). It was a summer night, I had the window open, the incredibly strong smell of barbecue was in the air. I mean, neighbors are grilling, right? Nah. It was a moth that had landed on the halogen bulb. So yeah, BBQ moth smells tasty as hell 🤨
View on Reddit #33917036

PurpleSailor@reddit

They started lots of fires near where I lived.
View on Reddit #33916975

BoneDaddy1973@reddit

I can still smell the moth burning in there
View on Reddit #33916418

sigilsoldier@reddit

That base is filled with concrete. FYI.
View on Reddit #33916286

keekeegeegeedobalina@reddit

When a moth got into that lamp, oh it smelled like the apartment was burnin down!
View on Reddit #33916105

shadydamamba@reddit

Hahaha
View on Reddit #33916021

Apprehensive-Log8333@reddit

The early versions of That Lamp, with the regular light bulb, sometimes started fires. I remember when it started coming with this little wire cage over the top
View on Reddit #33915906

seanythomas@reddit

I tried to put a plexiglass diffuser over it instead of the glass one that broke. The halogen lamp was so hot the Plexi piece burst into flames and landed on my carpet. Good thing I was home at the time!
View on Reddit #33915896

ghoulierthanthou@reddit

The smell of Drakkar Noir. A blacklight poster. An empty Killian’s Irish Red. Takeout containers from Long John Silvers. A VHS copy of Fight Club from Blockbuster video.
View on Reddit #33913186

FunScore3387@reddit

A jansport backpack. Music CD’s strung about. Casio watch on the nightstand.
View on Reddit #33915835

RavioliContingency@reddit

There she is.
View on Reddit #33915805

Weird-Conflict-3066@reddit

Please if you still have one check for recall they are a fire hazard
View on Reddit #33915741

littleredcamaro@reddit

That exact lamp is in my mother’s house. Still functional after about 35 years.
View on Reddit #33915706

blackbird24601@reddit

oh my the Target Torchiere- funeral edition is think it was a mandatory ā€œfirst place to call my ownā€ purchase?
View on Reddit #33915576

Access_Pretty@reddit

Wait whats that smell? That's the smell of a fly cooking on a halligen bulb.
View on Reddit #33915574

Tracy_Hills@reddit

Used this to light up my Nagel lithographs. Fudge I miss those days
View on Reddit #33915544

Sheepachute@reddit

Mine became a stand for a flex shaft rotary tool. Remove the torchiere top, add a nice, heavy duty steel hook, and now you can hang up your Foredom.
View on Reddit #33915528

Enough_Compote_8678@reddit

Shocking... positively shocking. I have too many stories about people I knew and this lamp/entity, all bad.
View on Reddit #33915408

AustinSpartan@reddit

Fuck these fire starters to hell and back
View on Reddit #33915403

Lost-Combination9206@reddit

It reminds me of my old pole😩
View on Reddit #33915153

Ok_Difference_3037@reddit

Mandatory. There were a few scattered through the house
View on Reddit #33915138

suiznarf@reddit

I can smell the burnt moths
View on Reddit #33915125

ThrowRAboredinAZ77@reddit

If I never saw that damn thing again it would be too soon.
View on Reddit #33915013

JackFuckCockBag@reddit

I still had one of those up until a few years ago. I don't even know what happened to it.
View on Reddit #33914955

Scouts_Revenge@reddit

ā€œI love lampā€
View on Reddit #33914697

kobuta99@reddit

For my dorm and my apt... It was bright, and it was awesome (except is5 you had a light colored head where you might see some dead bugs collecting...).
View on Reddit #33914653

Sword_Queen@reddit

I've thrown out two of mine and one of my partner's. Stupid things never stood up straight even if you got the threading all the way screwed together. And the moment it got knocked into by a strong breeze it'd be permanently at a 15 degree angle.
View on Reddit #33914636

LordsOfWestminster@reddit

Two of these could heat a studio apartment in February.
View on Reddit #33914631

dic3ien3691@reddit

I loathe it. Code name ā€œfire starterā€.
View on Reddit #33914503

theoryxpractice@reddit

I have this lamp. Still!
View on Reddit #33914341

Tension-Available@reddit

the bug burner
View on Reddit #33914241

Quix66@reddit

Had one, or two or three…
View on Reddit #33914129

Money-Bear7166@reddit

Yes I had that lamp and the fake ficus tree too. The real question is why is this lamp just randomly on a sidewalk?
View on Reddit #33913991

RetroBerner@reddit

I remember that thing roasting all sorts of bugs, that ain't a lamp, that's a fire hazard
View on Reddit #33913729

alsatian01@reddit

Did you light your cigs with it in a pinch?
View on Reddit #33913656

Huge_Razzmatazz_985@reddit

Haha I kept getting these for Christmas for my apartment from my mom. Had like 4 I think. šŸ’­
View on Reddit #33913586

Mercury_NYC@reddit

I'm not gonna lie. I have that lamp. It is in my bedroom now. Owned it since the early 90s and kept replacing the bulb every year or so. I honestly should have upgraded it years ago but I honestly love it.
View on Reddit #33913521

docmarvy@reddit

Normally I scoff at these "shared experience" posts. But I'll be danged if for American Gen X'ers at least, we all either had or knew someone who had this particular torchiere lamp. It must have just appeared in the mail with laundry detergent samples or something. But they were objectively kind of everywhere.
View on Reddit #33889925

chawchat@reddit

Was in university in the early nineties in Europe. Everybody had that lamp, including me. This lamp is a transglobal first world shared experience.
View on Reddit #33913503

priapic_horse@reddit

Huh. I guess these were pretty common then. I had one as a hand-me-down from my parents, and I moved the damned thing at least 10-12 times over the years. Finally gave it up when CFLs became common and cheap. The first CFL bulb I bought lasted over a decade of daily use in my nightstand lamp, but the stupid halogens in this black torchiere didn't last long at all.
View on Reddit #33913497

Jonesy7882@reddit

Still have one.
View on Reddit #33913481

The__Unknown__32@reddit

I remember having one of these in my bedroom as a kid. The bulb burned out and never bother to change it. Just stayed in the corner for years until I finally throw it away. It had a 2+ in. Of dust in it when I did.
View on Reddit #33913460

Lugknots@reddit

That lamp caused a fire in my brother-in-law’s apartment. It really was his fault but the lamp was an accessory in the crime.
View on Reddit #33913130

Nopedontcarez@reddit

Still have them.
View on Reddit #33912880

iirriirrii@reddit

The omnipresent’Bachelor Torch’
View on Reddit #33912486

Accurate_Quote_7109@reddit

I had one until 2015.
View on Reddit #33911979

poeboysammich@reddit

I can still smell the smell when a fly/mosquito gets too close to the light lol
View on Reddit #33911968

arabrab12@reddit

I can almost smell the dust burning when it wasn't turned on for a while or a bug being cooked.
View on Reddit #33880726

inbagt@reddit

And the burnt moths and roaches!
View on Reddit #33911620

No-Estimate999@reddit

Yes I did! Because it best matched all the black furniture.
View on Reddit #33911448

BadLuckBirb@reddit

Bonus points for lighting your clove cigarettes on it while also burnings your retinas.
View on Reddit #33911295

DRG28282828@reddit

I had it! Along with my white puffy vinyl waterbed, gray and white checked sheets and giant swatch clock on the wall.
View on Reddit #33910954

mossberbb@reddit

hotter than the sun
View on Reddit #33910932

JennShrum23@reddit

I can hear it
View on Reddit #33910865

Raoul_Dukes_Mayo@reddit

I finally rid myself of that beast 2 years ago. I just wouldn’t die.
View on Reddit #33910825

Youre-The-Victim@reddit

Nothing like the smell of a burning bug and looking up and seeing the smoke roll.off that lamp. I'd probably still have a couple of those lamps if they didn't get so damn hot
View on Reddit #33910809

tarooooooooooo@reddit

this lamp was in my dad's living room and moths loved to fly into it and burn to death and fill the whole house with the smell of crispy burnt dead moth šŸ’–
View on Reddit #33910585

endlesssearch482@reddit

Hahahaha. I remember setting one of those out on my porch one night and it was miller moth migration. I went back outside after and 20 minutes and it was on fire from all the miller moths that flew into it and got trapped under the mesh over the bulb. Insane!
View on Reddit #33910466

zsreport@reddit

Classic
View on Reddit #33910265

nidena@reddit

Mine was green. I think I purged it sometime before I moved to Indiana in 2020.
View on Reddit #33910204

ptm93@reddit

I had three of them.
View on Reddit #33910192

FuzzyScarf@reddit

How did you get my lamp?
View on Reddit #33910158

EdEvans_HotSandwich@reddit

I still have that lamp in my living room…
View on Reddit #33910102

Grendelstar@reddit

Dammit. An entire generation boiled down to a damn lamp. I had 2.
View on Reddit #33909955

AshDenver@reddit

Sooooo many miller moths were killed by ā€œThat Lampā€ when I moved to Denver in spring 1999.
View on Reddit #33909944

LondonDavis1@reddit

These were a fire hazard and taken off the market everywhere.
View on Reddit #33909849

Impressive_Syrup141@reddit

I used it in my attic to keep the pipes from freezing in the winter. That was before I discovered insulating wrap, inkbird controllers and warming belts.
View on Reddit #33909837

BluPapa_t21@reddit

Peak 90s apartment decor heck yeah I had one
View on Reddit #33909541

Most-Satisfaction849@reddit

I still have it! šŸ˜‚
View on Reddit #33909491

larz0@reddit

I loved the blue-green glow of the ring
View on Reddit #33909305

vickyswaggo@reddit

Moths would dive bomb it and catch on fire for me
View on Reddit #33909009

zMadMechanic@reddit

Still use the desktop version as my bedside nightlight šŸ˜…
View on Reddit #33908975

OldSoulSavage@reddit

People who don't know ā˜ŗļø People who know šŸ’€
View on Reddit #33908834

p00ki3l0uh00@reddit

It doesn't stay together, so don't touch it!! Will fall into pieces if breathed on
View on Reddit #33908800

Cerebr05murF@reddit

The perfect lamp to compliment the black velvet couches and gold and black lacquer glass tables. Purchased all of them (new) at the local flea with my first big tax refund. [Tables](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmt6SoESErejsBTQA33OunH7bATL4sgIkFDOaJF2ek9--uY8D_) [Couch](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZlrXGTmD5Y2bYzTCAFib-yyZ-nJc7fe3nPw&s)
View on Reddit #33908351

the_1_that_knocks@reddit

I had the glass table with a black panther as its base.
View on Reddit #33908782

lambchopsandkreplach@reddit

Yep, these were all the rage. Quite the fire hazard! Halogen burned hot and if a bug got under there or a little too much dust or somebody was throwing around a little ball of paper that got stuck up there, better get your fire extinguisher ready.
View on Reddit #33908754

the_1_that_knocks@reddit

Perfectly balanced as all things should be
View on Reddit #33908725

MisfitOutfit@reddit

Fuck that lamp, it always ended up lopsided or one of the threads would break when putting it together. And I still bought 3 knock offs from target in my 20s.
View on Reddit #33908412

MikeyHatesLife@reddit

I really liked those Torchieres, and kind of miss them. Currently I have three paper lanterns; they’re white and gently diffuse a lot of light throughout the room. Two are about 18ā€ tall for side tables, and one is around 6 feet tall. There’s no chance of going blind with these ones.
View on Reddit #33908382

khumprp@reddit

I can still smell it...
View on Reddit #33908240

Cheeky_toz@reddit

I'm not sure this is a gen x thing. I'm either a young millennial or an old gen z (the exact date seems to shift every few years, I was called a millennial growing up but the definition changed in my teens) and I distinctly remember this exact lamp and the smell of the flies that would burn themselves to death on it. I'm pretty sure you can still buy them.
View on Reddit #33907982

TurboFoot@reddit

I had the one with the CD tower attached.
View on Reddit #33907794

GsoFly@reddit

Sigh... We had 4 of them and they were grossly inefficient lol
View on Reddit #33907335

Mrshaydee@reddit

Still kinda miss these and the sizzle of the random flies being barbecued on the bulb!
View on Reddit #33907314

Backdrop2@reddit

Facts
View on Reddit #33907283

94ISS@reddit

HOT fuker
View on Reddit #33907271

Commisceo@reddit

I had it. The moth killer.
View on Reddit #33907248

RichLyonsXXX@reddit

I got my dad's when he passed, and it wasn't until my last move 3 years ago that it finally gave up the ghost. I had asked the guy helping us put stuff in the pod thing to take it apart, and he apparently just moved it as is and it bent during the move. So sad.
View on Reddit #33907220

Immediate-Humor6888@reddit

There is literally one of these in my place right now except with a fogged glass top
View on Reddit #33907116

lashawn3001@reddit

Doubled as a clothes hanger.
View on Reddit #33906887

Impressive_Star_3454@reddit

I have a version that I've had for 20 years. It's the only light in my living room apartment.
View on Reddit #33878802

ScottORL@reddit

Same here. I should probably replace it… one day.. when it’s actually truly dead.
View on Reddit #33878983

Ibelieveinphysics@reddit

We still have one too.
View on Reddit #33879633

Rare-Specific1653@reddit

I still have mine as well. Lights up the living room nicely.
View on Reddit #33906678

doghouse2001@reddit

The homewrecker, the accident waiting to happen, the olympic torch, the giant matchstick.
View on Reddit #33906598

PatheticPelosiPander@reddit

.....dead flies & dust!
View on Reddit #33906544

cr0100@reddit

Ha! I still have one, but it's in my office because the wife doesn't want to see it anymore. When I \*really\* have to find something and need maximum lumens, I fire that thing up and it is DAYLIGHT in here. Mostly it remains off, tucked into a corner where it cannot hurt anything.
View on Reddit #33906413

babyivan@reddit

I remember these being a big fire hazard
View on Reddit #33906296

tbonemasta@reddit

Yep: Wobbly ass lamp. Don’t forget the ā€œfrondā€ lamp
View on Reddit #33906261

nygrl811@reddit

It's been sitting at the top of my stairs for 4 years now waiting to make it's way down, out the door, and into the hands of a charity org that resells stuff. Still works, just don't need it!
View on Reddit #33906108

Jolo1976@reddit

I can smell the fried flies and moths....
View on Reddit #33905752

ZephRyder@reddit

"Had" I still have one!
View on Reddit #33905652

architeuthiswfng@reddit

Didn't we all have these in our first apartments?
View on Reddit #33905610

Dubby206@reddit

Yep I had it too lol kinda miss it hahaha
View on Reddit #33905502

neverinamillionyr@reddit

The bug bakery
View on Reddit #33905450

bjb8@reddit

These things always accumulated dead flying insects on top, nicely cooked.
View on Reddit #33879230

giandough@reddit

I can literally smell it just by looking at the lamp
View on Reddit #33890837

Mirenithil@reddit

Came here to talk about that pungent smell of burnt insects, and by smell I mean unholy stench. Houseflies were *the worst.*
View on Reddit #33905278

dcpanthersfan@reddit

Mmmm.... ā€œcrispyā€.
View on Reddit #33891062

_sam_fox_@reddit

Mmm, freshly roasted dusty dead insects 🤌
View on Reddit #33890078

gravitydefiant@reddit

Raise your hand if you set something on fire with it. I didn't, but some kids down the hall in my freshman dorm draped a towel over the top to dry...
View on Reddit #33877354

clorox2@reddit

I used mine to light cigs. Press the tip to the bulb for two seconds and you’re good.
View on Reddit #33905154

BaconToTheBaconPower@reddit

https://youtu.be/_3eC35LoF4U?si=dRNzux97eZ4EV59I
View on Reddit #33905060

AVGJOE78@reddit

I got one of these when I moved into my 1st barracks room in the Army. All they had were those overhead fluorescent lights that would hum. I got this and a little lamp for my nightstand. Those were my ā€œhappy lights.ā€ I was lucky enough to have my own room.
View on Reddit #33904971

LordOfEltingville@reddit

The 90s called...
View on Reddit #33904964

cc_hg@reddit

I hated it. Was a wedding gift in late summer. After our honeymoon we put it together at our new place. Since Fall was approaching we were getting a bunch of ladybugs in the basement. They kept stinking up the house after paying a visit to our new torchiere lamp.
View on Reddit #33904868

mylocker15@reddit

Every dorm room had one of these and half the time there would be a bunch of clothes hanging from them. The school kept posting notices on how hot they were and no one paid attention.
View on Reddit #33904864

DevlishAdvocate@reddit

I have an updated version that uses a regular lightbulb, and mine's fitted with an LED. The top is also translucent white plastic instead of the black bowl.
View on Reddit #33880008

AVGJOE78@reddit

This is what I got. I got mine from Amazon. They come from China for like $50 with a remote, and some of them can change color. They have yellow/white and dimers. You have to get the one with the highest lumes though. They don’t add the warmth, and don’t have the brightness of the halogen lamp.
View on Reddit #33904750

gt0163c@reddit

OOOOooo....you got all fancy!
View on Reddit #33880910

DevlishAdvocate@reddit

Yes! I spent a whole extra $3.00 !
View on Reddit #33888075

detroitragace@reddit

Those bitches got HOT. I’m sure many a fire was started by these.
View on Reddit #33900699

LynnDickeysKnees@reddit

I once worked at a place that took donations for a thrift store. We were told to never take these for that exact reason.
View on Reddit #33904602

rokken70@reddit

lol! Have two of them right now! $10 a pop at Ikea
View on Reddit #33895656

artbrute@reddit

I got that paper one from IKEA….
View on Reddit #33904502

AbbreviationsGlad833@reddit

Anyone elses parents drip scented oils on the lightbulb that was on that lamp?
View on Reddit #33904360

narvolicious@reddit

lol, I remember this being a total status symbol when they came out. It's like, you couldn't just call it a "lamp"— you'd be corrected and they'd say *torchiere* with some snooty pseudo-French accent lol Funny/sad how with the passage of time, all these things that were once prized possessions end up abandoned and dying alone on a curbside. I felt the same way once I started seeing those big Sony Trinitrons and those old Projector TVs on the curbside years back. Man those things were, at one time, total state-of-the-art centerpieces of the household; things that everyone ooh'd and aah'd over.
View on Reddit #33904043

RockMan_1973@reddit

Still lights up a room better than anything without using the horrid overhead lights!
View on Reddit #33903875

DOWNVOTEBADPUNTHREAD@reddit

Who else can smell the dead flies burnt to a crisp?
View on Reddit #33903760

GTFOakaFOD@reddit

My husband had one. HAD one.
View on Reddit #33903739

mikareno@reddit

Still pretty cool.
View on Reddit #33903709

BrighestCrayon@reddit

Wobbly af.
View on Reddit #33903021

Important-Proposal21@reddit

yes the torchiere- it was so LOUD.
View on Reddit #33902538

PsychologicalMix8499@reddit

Still have mine
View on Reddit #33901915

babbylonmon@reddit

That fucker somehow got looser and looser over the years even though nobody touched it.
View on Reddit #33901584

Pink_Floyd_Chunes@reddit

Fire hazard.
View on Reddit #33901111

PilotKnob@reddit

I can't remember what happened to mine. I think it finally fell over one too many times and was bent beyond repair. Now we have the Ikea version, which is nowhere as skookum.
View on Reddit #33900643

mexicantruffle@reddit

That thing would make my electric guitar hum like crazy.
View on Reddit #33900143

Etrigone@reddit

"Had?" Still have. We don't use it often but where it is it's actually the best option. Due to that, original bulb.
View on Reddit #33900109

clucker7@reddit

I recognized this right away. Everyone I knew in college had one.
View on Reddit #33899756

SlaveToCat@reddit

I had to fucking fight to get rid of ours. Love my partner senseless but his hoarder tendencies drive me round the bend!
View on Reddit #33899753

sulphurephoenix13@reddit

Holy shit my grandparents had these
View on Reddit #33899691

spliceofmice@reddit

I hate it, i have it.
View on Reddit #33899595

GrapefruitSpaceship@reddit

I had one and my girlfriend’s blouse caught fire once after she placed it on top.
View on Reddit #33899587

Kanchoe2@reddit

I can smell the bugs cooking on it
View on Reddit #33899557

OptimalAd8147@reddit

In San Francisco in the 90's these were accompanied with generic blue bottles in the window and a Sun King throw rug over the futon.
View on Reddit #33899553

Klaatuprime@reddit

I still have one of these and a stash of replacement bulbs. It's a light and a heater all in one.
View on Reddit #33898612

phillymjs@reddit

Same, I have it in my spare room with my elliptical. When I want to really get a good sweat going I turn it up to full brightness and shut the door. I got it up to 91 in there once.
View on Reddit #33899394

IpsoFactoReacto@reddit

Oh boy, *that* lamp. Had one in my dorm room. Sat next to the bunk bed, of which I was the top bunk. Came in one day, threw my coat onto the top bunk as I always did. Sleeve brushed the bulb and insta-melted a huge hole in it. Goose feathers flying. Horrible toxic odor. At least the smoke alarm didn't go off.
View on Reddit #33898822

noisemonsters@reddit

How the hell did you just reach THAT deep into my childhood and pull this thing out? I haven’t thought about this lamp in minimum half a decade but probably a lot longer.
View on Reddit #33898748

Much-Chef6275@reddit

It super heated the ceiling above it.
View on Reddit #33898661

candleflame3@reddit

Goes with this TV stand, I have a post on this sub from years ago about it: https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/0844abaa-3293-48d4-b3a0-1ebf553ead3f.54439d14aee61b8140213f81b89612d1.jpeg
View on Reddit #33898599

Saul-Funyun@reddit

So many insects sacrificed on that thing. Our dorm was so old it had horse hair insulation, I’m amazed it never burned down
View on Reddit #33898471

PontificatinPlatypus@reddit

I have 2 of these. The one in my office I use all the time.
View on Reddit #33898333

rink_raptor@reddit

You could warm a room with that thing. Once a moth flew into it, caught itself on fire and flew out. That thing was a death trap waiting to happen!
View on Reddit #33898225

schmearcampain@reddit

Those things gave off so much heat. I bet those were our #1 greenhouse gas emitter. Also, this is a great ā€œIf you’re Gen X, you owned ______ā€ item.
View on Reddit #33897933

ladyjanemurphy@reddit

Fancy a house fire, anyone? Just place that lamp near a curtained window.
View on Reddit #33897865

ImpossiblePizza321@reddit

I smell burning dust.
View on Reddit #33897662

kristen30324@reddit

Hate that lamp.
View on Reddit #33897502

Sithstress1@reddit

I absolutely had one of these in every room except the kitchen. Lol
View on Reddit #33897373

PunkFlamingo69@reddit

I had it
View on Reddit #33897062

Darkmoonlily78@reddit

Still have one, works too lol
View on Reddit #33896961

RedditFullOChildren@reddit

Oh my god...
View on Reddit #33896944

kgturner@reddit

I had one in my living room of my apartment. When I replaced it with a new lamp & fluorescent bulb, my power bill was almost cut in half.
View on Reddit #33896768

Majik_Sheff@reddit

I love lamp.
View on Reddit #33876693

rumblepony247@reddit

Brick, are you just looking at things and saying that you love them?
View on Reddit #33888400

fuzzybad@reddit

That escalated quickly
View on Reddit #33896139

oldschool_potato@reddit

T/C
View on Reddit #33881729

IAmAWretchedSinner@reddit

Hell yeah! I had one of those forever. Even after I realized just how dangerous it was, I kept it. I had a few extra bulbs, and those kept it glowing for years. Those were great lamps.
View on Reddit #33895767

MeasurementExciting7@reddit

The best
View on Reddit #33895991

1quirky1@reddit

And it is a fire hazard, which is consistent with our unsafe childhoods. I smell bugs burning when I see this pic.
View on Reddit #33895808

Qwirk@reddit

I worked retail during this time and would always get the people that were buying replacement bulbs for these lamps. Always had to tell them to use gloves or a napkin so the oil from their hands didn't prematurely burn out the bulb. To be honest, I'm not certain how accurate that advice was now.
View on Reddit #33895726

Catlore@reddit

I still own several, and they're still the best floor lamps ever.
View on Reddit #33895721

McGruffin@reddit

I still have it and the lightbulb has never needed to be replaced since the day I bought it in the 90s.
View on Reddit #33895655

Vprbite@reddit

Man, I thought this lamp made me such a sophisticated man. A player. The kind of man that men wanted to be and women wanted to be with. Known all around town. Not for his arrogance, but his confidence. People didn't mess with him. Not out of fear, but respect. I was 13
View on Reddit #33895414

Penguy76@reddit

We started to call that the ā€œJackie Brownā€ lamp. There’s a scene in the film where Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson) visits Jackie (Pam Grier) to kill her, and he always dials the light off on that lamp before doing the deed. Little did he know, Jackie knew and stole Max Cherry’s .38 special to answer with a click.
View on Reddit #33895316

Mysisterhas9fingers@reddit

Had one of these when I was in college and kept smelling something burning almost chemical like smell while I was studying late into the night. Couldn't figure it out. Finally looked around the lamp and found a spider web from the ceiling above and the charred remains of a spider inside the bottom green part. We all just put these fire hazards in our living rooms. Burning spider smells awful!!!
View on Reddit #33895140

ogre_socialis@reddit

My mom still has these in her living room
View on Reddit #33895074

Reneeisme@reddit

Why was I instantly filled with rage? Not enough light, a bulb you had to replace without touching it, that was fragile as hell and cost a fortune. Small base so that it fell over at a gust of wind.
View on Reddit #33894868

AdequateEggplant69@reddit

Everyone had one, and I’d say at least 3/4 of us had the papasan parked right next to it.
View on Reddit #33894757

ZombieInDC@reddit

I had the Ikea version for many years.
View on Reddit #33894744

Slappy_McJones@reddit

I can still feel the burns on my fingers and the smell of moths cooking away on the globe…
View on Reddit #33894729

ward_bond@reddit

Still have mine. Use it every day.
View on Reddit #33894443

typhoidmarry@reddit

I may or may not have that in the corner of the office!
View on Reddit #33894249

MrLocoLobo@reddit

I definitely had one of these!
View on Reddit #33894201

whosthatgirl79@reddit

So many memories…
View on Reddit #33894148

tallulahtaffy@reddit

Had the ikea ā€œNotā€ lamp instead https://preview.redd.it/y0m5pdyg39kd1.jpeg?width=496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2bbd40ff34592acf83353033b4ec5e17f1c3324
View on Reddit #33893696

litterboxhero@reddit

So, we had one of these lamps, and one day a wasp got into the apartment and was flying around. The wasp alighted on the ceiling above the turned off lamp. I lifted the lamp to the ceiling, covering all the escape routes for the wasp. I then turned on the 500W halogen bulb. After a few seconds we heard some popping and sizzling, and then the stink of burned bug hit us. So, it wasn't just good at lighting (and heating) the room, it was also good at pest control.
View on Reddit #33893637

byndhlp@reddit

I keep mine right next to the brass and glass shelves with my precious moments and crystal elephant collections. You know, right behind the ceramic panther.
View on Reddit #33893466

MrPanchole@reddit

The moth cooker
View on Reddit #33893397

Awkward_Double_8181@reddit

Halogen!
View on Reddit #33893130

Ennuiology@reddit

Wasn’t this a must have for everyone’s first apartment?
View on Reddit #33892915

NothingMan1975@reddit

Welcome to our old apartment.
View on Reddit #33892450

shezcraftee@reddit

That caught your shit on fire
View on Reddit #33892213

HeatherCO24@reddit

Memory unlocked, yep had 2 of them.
View on Reddit #33892166

elsteve-9@reddit

That thing would get so frickin hot!
View on Reddit #33892156

weeburdies@reddit

We were all issued one with our first place 🤢
View on Reddit #33892111

SooperHawk@reddit

omg I forgot
View on Reddit #33892092

Main_Parking4816@reddit

I'm a fire starter, twisted fire starter!
View on Reddit #33892050

ummmm--no@reddit

it doubled as a bug zapper!
View on Reddit #33892019

MenthaPiperita_@reddit

I used to melt pens on the glass shield thing.
View on Reddit #33891580

grumpyhousemeister@reddit

Still have it. It's on my parents balcony. Excellent for burning mosquitos, flies and moths. Just remember to empty it, once in a while. Tends to be be smelly on a busy night.
View on Reddit #33891536

Oldman_Dick@reddit

We still have one in the spare bedroom. Same model by the looks of it.
View on Reddit #33891502

brokenmcnugget@reddit

firestarter!
View on Reddit #33891436

dammonl@reddit

Cook a steak on it or burn down the house.
View on Reddit #33891155

Inevitable-Rush-2752@reddit

When we found out that they were hot and thus a fire hazard, me and a college roommate tried to make a grill grate out of paperclips, then tried to cook hot pockets over it. Toasters were banned on our floor lol.
View on Reddit #33891142

pikachu0929@reddit

I had that exact same lamp in 1992
View on Reddit #33891135

MikeW226@reddit

That lamp called. It's missing its futon.
View on Reddit #33890911

AnalogPickleCat@reddit

We had loft beds in college. I was studying in bed and a piece of paper fell out of my notebook , landed in the middle of the bulb and immediately started to smoke. I didn’t know that I could climb down a ladder that fast! I was able to get the piece of paper off the lamp before the dorm caught on fire, but yea, those things were dangerous.
View on Reddit #33890810

SayYesToGuac@reddit

Was storing mine in the garage and of course it had to fall and dent my car. Still have one in the basement. And yeah, the pole always got crooked, seems it could not screw into the base properly after a time. Too many apartment moves, I guess! šŸ¤”šŸ¤Ø
View on Reddit #33890783

Abbygirl1974@reddit

I had many of these lamps that graced the corners of my apartment.
View on Reddit #33890721

turlian@reddit

Those fucking halogen bulbs. God help you if you put it in with your bare fingers as it would drastically reduce the life of the bulb.
View on Reddit #33890626

SaxaRose@reddit

OMG, did we all buy one ot 5 of these.
View on Reddit #33890604

m0nkeyh0use@reddit

Ah, yes... the indoor bug zapper and dead husk collector.
View on Reddit #33890574

Odd-Independent4640@reddit

My buddy in college put like 3 of these together to make a giant torchiere that went up the three flights of stairs of his house
View on Reddit #33890442

HaloTightens@reddit

Oh yes. Still had it until the cats broke it a few years ago!
View on Reddit #33890036

FickleAcadia7068@reddit

I have one now. It was here when I moved in and I just haven't done anything with it yet
View on Reddit #33889848

RunningPirate@reddit

With the 4000°F bulb!
View on Reddit #33889838

androidguy50@reddit

Holy shit those things got hot! You could cook a steak on one of them. 🄩
View on Reddit #33889684

Lord_of_Entropy@reddit

I couldn't stand these lamps. I'm taller than the lamp, and since there is no shade on the top, it was way to bright for me to look at when I would stand.
View on Reddit #33889540

Honest_Performance42@reddit

Yep. $15 lamp. $20 bulbs that resulted in burns and cancer if you touched it.
View on Reddit #33889441

kat_Folland@reddit

I have two the same shape, but not that lamp. The tops are frosted glass instead of this oddness. I believe they were purchased around 2004.
View on Reddit #33889435

punkndrublic1984@reddit

The bulb was as hot as 100 suns
View on Reddit #33889053

sunnyd_2679@reddit

Even down to the dust accumulated on the base.
View on Reddit #33888944

saki4444@reddit

The lamp that was both loud and dangerously hot
View on Reddit #33888942

XennialEyeRoll@reddit

Mine refuses to die!
View on Reddit #33888701

HacksawJimDuggen@reddit

I once swung one of these like a baseball bat and broke it across my friend’s back. He grabbed a running box fan out of the window and smashed it over my head. Then we both trashed the rest of his room. That was a fun lamp.
View on Reddit #33888666

ImNot@reddit

My cockatiel burned his tail feathers off by landing on one of these.
View on Reddit #33888661

n00barama@reddit

I miss my entertainment center from the Speigel catalog c.1990, particle board painted to look like black marble, but made it thru countless moves. With my Nagel print above and offset by 2 torchiers. A big wicker vase holding those big feathery things. My cats loved it and I called it 'praying to the wicker gods'. Good times...
View on Reddit #33888587

Scooter1116@reddit

Just counted...rip after the 4th move. Only had 1 small fire during it. Have never found one equal to it.
View on Reddit #33888536

wetclogs@reddit

Can confirm. Had one from college through several early jobs and apartments. I think I finally had to give it to Goodwill when I got a wife.
View on Reddit #33888490

fusionaddict@reddit

I have that lamp right here next to me, although it's got an LED smart bulb in it.
View on Reddit #33888431

Life-Unit-4118@reddit

PS: giving you an award for best post of the day: positive, fun, utterly relatable, and not related to body aches or politics. Bravo!
View on Reddit #33888418

thagor5@reddit

Had one. Knocked another one over and broke it.
View on Reddit #33888387

Peachy33@reddit

*Having flashbacks of twisting the parts together when setting up my dorm room*
View on Reddit #33888191

LilyLilyLue@reddit

*FIRE STARTER* 🤪
View on Reddit #33887697

MrsRalphieWiggum@reddit

TWIST FIRE STARTER
View on Reddit #33888157

Corkscrewwillow@reddit

Still in our living room!
View on Reddit #33888139

Life-Unit-4118@reddit

I owned one in, at a minimum, GA, DC, AZ, and MA. I may not win for quantity, but is there’s award for multiple states?
View on Reddit #33888054

Secret-Pizza-Party@reddit

Dorm room chic!
View on Reddit #33887971

WonderfulEducation25@reddit

I had two. Classy.
View on Reddit #33887902

Wu_Oyster_Cult@reddit

This is a quality Gen X post. Absolutely a staple of the 90s.
View on Reddit #33887528

jawshoeaw@reddit

Jokes aside I feel like you guys forgot that every bulb in the house was a fire starter. These lamps were prone to tipping, but otherwise they were putting out almost exactly the same heat per watt as every other bulb in the house. They didn’t heat your basement anymore than a light bulb of the same wattage.
View on Reddit #33887502

the_dark_viper@reddit

I have the lamp/CD holder one. Sill works. Never used the lamp feature much because it burned so hot.
View on Reddit #33880574

Giant_Devil@reddit

Same. Still have it, still works, never use it. I do keep CDs in it still, though I haven't listened to any of them in years now. (I did transfer them all to digital at some point.)
View on Reddit #33887241

Auntie_Venom@reddit

I had two of those halogen lamps in college, for my first apartment. One died after a few moves, and the other finally died about 10 years ago.
View on Reddit #33887130

rastagrrl@reddit

And don’t forget the boob light https://preview.redd.it/rxcsjaepg8kd1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=d6d280e59ca76d55fefc62661e73868fa053a14e
View on Reddit #33884355

Opening_Property1334@reddit

![gif](giphy|ZZKHmD77FD80E)
View on Reddit #33887112

unpropianist@reddit

Had one!
View on Reddit #33887074

IP_Janet_GalaxyGirl@reddit

I prefer the torchiere style, but never bought a halogen one. I use led bulbs in my three.
View on Reddit #33886152

Opening_Property1334@reddit

You can’t buy them anymore. I tried :(
View on Reddit #33886966

bene_gesserit_mitch@reddit

Shit. Are these uncool now? *pulls curtain closed so neighbors won’t see*
View on Reddit #33886718

Opening_Property1334@reddit

They are not uncool however you can no longer buy them because they set houses on fire.
View on Reddit #33886909

bene_gesserit_mitch@reddit

*pulls curtain away from lamp*
View on Reddit #33886957

Opening_Property1334@reddit

Dangerous sure but the spectrum was awesome. It was like being outside, but inside. The three flavors of ā€œwhiteā€ from my LED lamps are all so painfully disappointing.
View on Reddit #33886826

HeavyTea@reddit

Had more than 1…
View on Reddit #33886756

RealWolfmeis@reddit

Shudder
View on Reddit #33886648

MollzJJ@reddit

Haha I can’t think of how many of these I had over the years. They were so wobbly and cheap they could barely survive a move, so I would just put it on the sidewalk with a ā€œfreeā€ sign whenever I moved and buy a new one for the ā€œnewā€ apartment.
View on Reddit #33886574

Karen125@reddit

Mine was white.
View on Reddit #33886539

aunt_cranky@reddit

ā€œWhat’s that burning smell?ā€ ā€œOh shit! The curtain got too close to the lamp again!ā€
View on Reddit #33886538

Downtown-Ad5724@reddit

This post is 'lit'
View on Reddit #33886441

MadPiglet42@reddit

We had at least three at one point. Why? Was it a requirement? We all had them!
View on Reddit #33886350

AhhGramoofabits@reddit

The burning bug smell
View on Reddit #33886236

shockerdyermom@reddit

Mine's silver.
View on Reddit #33886205

monstermack1977@reddit

I kinda miss that lamp. It was super bright. One lamp to light up my whole apartment. Now I have 2 LED bulbs that make me feel like I still need a flashlight in my living room. And honestly the bulb wasn't that bad to replace. And the pack came with 2 so that pack of bulbs outlasted the lamp itself.
View on Reddit #33886196

Avasia1717@reddit

i still have a normal light bulb version of that lamp. it's one of the next things to get replaced.
View on Reddit #33886049

CostofRepairs@reddit

Yep
View on Reddit #33885992

Ignignokt73@reddit

Worked at Target in the early 90s and these came back in droves. The number of these things myself and one of the more fun managers chucked like javelins into the trash compactor is nearly unfathomable. Such a waste, but second only to fluorescent light tubes for going for Olympic gold into the compactor.
View on Reddit #33885883

regeya@reddit

Yep, I went to uni in the mid-90s and these were banned in the dorms.
View on Reddit #33885882

Skay1974@reddit

It got insanely hot.
View on Reddit #33885413

-svetlanamonsoon-@reddit

I had one of those, lasted almost fifteen years! Sad day when it finally broke for good.
View on Reddit #33885187

gulogulo1970@reddit

Oh how I remember toasting marshmallows around ours.
View on Reddit #33884983

shan68ok01@reddit

*side eyes the grey one currently sitting next to my chair* It's my housemates' lamp and though I've suggested my willingness to buy a replacement, she won't replace it because it works.
View on Reddit #33884822

No-Brick6817@reddit

Years ago I was given one of the lamps for free. I use to used it all the time, but I put a Japanese screen in front of it so you could not actually see the lamp at all- you just got the light coming from behind the screen. It looked cool but… don’t look behind the screen! ![gif](giphy|1cID7lWXJl6JW)
View on Reddit #33884552

Soxogram@reddit

Oh man. Yes I had this.
View on Reddit #33884382

Kuriakon@reddit

That lamp got me through my late teens, 20s, and early 30s. That lamp was there for me when nobody else was. That lamp fell over more times than I can count and just kept on shining. That lamp is a real one.
View on Reddit #33884273

Peloton72@reddit

I burned my fingers just looking at that photo. Ugh, I can smell the dust burning too.
View on Reddit #33884253

timmmii@reddit

Dammit, that stupid lamp
View on Reddit #33884131

Von_Quixote@reddit

Z Gallery.
View on Reddit #33883985

Sissyface_210@reddit

Still have one, it's dying after an insane amount of years! About to replace with Exactly the same šŸ˜‚
View on Reddit #33883744

HumpaDaBear@reddit

Loved these until they came with a grate on top. It made the light really strange.
View on Reddit #33883651

aranou@reddit

I got a wicked shock off one of those. I was touching a metal table with my left hand and reached to adjust the dimmer with my right and just vibrated across my arms for a few seconds. Christ.
View on Reddit #33883429

MrSurly@reddit

Ah yes, the "Burning Moth 5000"
View on Reddit #33883407

edWORD27@reddit

Great for spiders to make webs in too!
View on Reddit #33883228

FatFuckinPieceOfShit@reddit

I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
View on Reddit #33883159

hdufort@reddit

Dish full of spiderwebs, dead bugs, dust.
View on Reddit #33883076

killslikeaninja@reddit

The Moth Killer!!!
View on Reddit #33882976

WillDupage@reddit

My mom has two in the living room in brass, on either side of the couch. That room doesn’t get used much at night and I’m afraid to turn one of them on because the inevitable ignition of accumulated dust will take down the house. They are allegedly ā€œcurtain-safeā€ because they have a clear glass cover on the top. But one flaming moth and 6 months of dust going up say otherwise.
View on Reddit #33882971

johnb1972@reddit

The bug cooker.
View on Reddit #33882947

_7tea7_@reddit

Could never find a lightbulb for these. Unfortunately a disposable item in my home
View on Reddit #33882598

01Arjuna@reddit

My electrician father called these ā€œfire lampsā€ and refused to let me have one at college. He said they got way too hot and if they tipped over would easily start a fire and burn down a college apartment.
View on Reddit #33882086

WanderingArtist_77@reddit

Mine burst into flames. Luckily I was sitting right there and was able to take care of it. If I had not been home and left it on, I would have come home to a burnt apartment.
View on Reddit #33878300

Dogzillas_Mom@reddit

I burned one up as well.
View on Reddit #33881850

oldschool_potato@reddit

Right behind the Papason chair
View on Reddit #33881814

zealousreader@reddit

My curtains are on fire
View on Reddit #33881697

concolor22@reddit

We STILL have ours... ... I am become my parents
View on Reddit #33881628

lagrandefille@reddit

Yep. Had it black and white. The darn thing heated up the room like nobody’s business.
View on Reddit #33881582

inky-doo@reddit

And then we had kids and the thing got knocked over every other hour until it broke and we threw it away.
View on Reddit #33881486

Effective_Play_1366@reddit

Make sure you put that close to some curtains so there is a high probability they blow on the bulb while the lamp is on high. Fun for the whole family!
View on Reddit #33881483

cjboffoli@reddit

Proud to say I never owned one. Cheap junk. A horrible quality of light. A fire hazard. Guzzled electricity. No thanks.
View on Reddit #33881324

Great_Office_9553@reddit

Are they vintage yet?
View on Reddit #33879735

Oktokolo@reddit

That shit is vintage since day 1.
View on Reddit #33881250

modi123_1@reddit

Good lord there's an unopened "Halogen Torchiere Black Floor Lamp" by Illuminada for $299 on fleabay! You too can relive the 300w glory and live dangerously! https://www.ebay.com/itm/365026848836
View on Reddit #33881199

DieMensch-Maschine@reddit

Had one as an undergrad. It kept my room nice and toasty in the winter and fried bugs during the summer.
View on Reddit #33881171

gt0163c@reddit

The GenX Lamp! I had British coworkers when I first started working. They called it an "Uplighter Lamp". Which I guess makes sense as it does project light up. But was still sounds like an odd name. Of course the (actual) boomers I worked with at the time thought "GenX Lamp" also sounded odd.
View on Reddit #33881097

face_eater_5000@reddit

Must of been a major power drain on colleges everywhere.
View on Reddit #33881036

PhilosphicalZombie@reddit

Ah, the terrible smell of roasting ladybugs and box elder bugs.
View on Reddit #33880813

RedditSkippy@reddit

When I first moved in with my husband in 2007, he still had one. I don’t remember if it made it to the new place or not, but it’s long gone now. Nobody liked this lamp, but it was cheap and did the job.
View on Reddit #33880707

GothScottiedog16@reddit

I had it…Major fire hazard.
View on Reddit #33880584

WatchStoredInAss@reddit

Still have one. The wattage is crazy.
View on Reddit #33880450

Thirty_Helens_Agree@reddit

Yup. Some geniuses in the dorm thought it would be cool to drape some red tulle fabric over it to make a red glow and it, of course, started on fire. They were banned after that.
View on Reddit #33878067

NomadFeet@reddit

Also not a good idea to drape your clean but still damp underwear over it to finish drying. Oh, they will definitely finish drying!
View on Reddit #33880430

Independent_Ad_5664@reddit

Good for cooking flies 🪰🪰🪰
View on Reddit #33880176

Heatmiser70@reddit

Had one for about 5-6 years maybe.
View on Reddit #33879934

wild-hectare@reddit

the fire starter than uses more electricity than a windows AC unit
View on Reddit #33879616

sciguyCO@reddit

Don't forget its secondary use as a bug zapper. I'd get moths sneaking into my apartment in the late spring. Every few days I'd glance up, see the silhouette a half-dozen charred bodies sitting in that glass circle, and have to turn it off, wait a few minute for the searing heat to dissipate, and scoop them out.
View on Reddit #33879513

kellzone@reddit

The bug collector bowl at the top was an added bonus.
View on Reddit #33879167

LightGrand249@reddit

This F\*\*\* thing that broke every time you moved it...I hated it but couldn't get away from it because it was so cheap to replace.
View on Reddit #33878913

ghostofstankenstien@reddit

Middle class fancy.
View on Reddit #33878721

swissie67@reddit

Useless as a reading lamp. Mine probably still sits in my ex's home.
View on Reddit #33878512

carrythelantern@reddit

I watched "The Brothers McMullen" (1995) last weekend and spotted one
View on Reddit #33877905