Homedics Tabletop Water Fountain, Home Décor Soothing Sound Machine - Automatic Pump, Deep Basin & Natural River Rocks. Indoor Zen Relaxation for Office, Living Room, or Bedroom, 8.25” Tall

This is an attractive and functional little fountain and an excellent value as well. The fairly large number of negative reviews it has received seem to revolve around two issues. One is the plastic (and in the opinion of some, "cheap" looking) construction and the noise of the pump.First of all, regarding the plastic construction...this is a $20.00 pump (a great price for what you get by the way) and you are not going to get a fountain with copper and slate for that price. I did get a little bit concerned when I first opened the package, concerned that I might break it when I unpacked it if I weren`t careful. It had been very well packaged however and I Just made sure I was very careful when unpacking it. Once it was unpacked and set up however, I knew that I didn't have to worry about the quality of its construction. Not only did it seem very sturdy when completely set up, I found it very attractive as well. The fact that it is plastic doesn't detract from its appearance at all in my opinion.As far as the pump goes, when I first started up the fountain, I also felt that the pump was louder than it should be. I was able to adjust the sound of the water by experimenting with the placement of the pebbles in the base and on the 3 tiers however, and the sound of the pump is no longer a problem for me. I think the manufacturer of the pump would do well to add a section to the instruction manual to the effect that by experimenting with the placement of these stones, one can increase the sound of the water flowing to the point where it drowns out the sound of the pump.After having used the fountain for nearly a month now, I have discovered that the pump noise is EXTREMELY sensitive to the water level. It's important to keep the amount of water right up to the fill line (which is small and difficult to find). If the water level starts to drop...even slightly....the pump noise will start increasing and continue to do so the farther the water level drops. If it gets too low, the pump can be damaged. On the other hand, if the water level is kept at the fill line, the pump noise should not be a problem for most people. Also, I found that in warm weather I have to add about 10-12 ounces of water daily to keep the water level at the fill line (your mileage may vary). This is not the fault of the pump, it's just the way things work...in other words, normal evaporation.There is also a water flow control on the pump itself so that you can adjust the amount of water through the pump. You have to remove two screws and take out the pump to do this however and I haven`t found the need to change it so far. Another point about the pump noise is that I was really only aware of it when I was within 1-2 feet of the fountain itself (and I have good hearing). Most people aren't going to notice the pump noise unless they are in an otherwise exceptionally quiet room and fairly close to the fountain. One last point about the fountain noise is that you need to keep the water level at the proper level. If it drops too much, the pump will become noisier but once the water level is restored the pump becomes quieter again.One of the biggest positives in my opinion is that this fountain uses low voltage DC current for the lights and submersible pump. I've always been concerned about indoor fountain submersible pumps which use 120V AC current. Any time household voltage electricity is used in or around water there is a hazard of electrical shock and/or fire. Low voltage reduces this risk to near zero.That is why most building codes these days require the use of a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) in certain household locations (i.e. bathroom, etc.) which will trip a circuit breaker and shut off the electricity if water has gotten into the connections somewhere and is causing potentially hazardous current leakage. You almost certainly have them in the electric wall outlets in your bathrooms (they have a red or black "reset" button between the two outlets) and possibly in your kitchen as well. You can also buy portable GFCI's at your local hardware and Amazon also sells them (http://www.amazon.com/TRC-90265-6-012-Shockshield-Portable-Protection/dp/B000XU5MEG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342325556&sr=8-2&keywords=gfci). They plug into any wall outlet.Since this fountain is low voltage (as I mentioned previously) having a GFCI is not as critical. Still, it's worth having one on it if you want an extra measure of safety or if you are concerned about any water making its way along the electrical cord and into the transformer/wall plug (not likely but still possible). If you have an indoor fountain with a 120V AC pump, you DEFINITELY need a GFCI in my opinion.Another point about this fountain is that mine HASN'T leaked at all. Also, if you inadvertently overfill the water level, such that it overflows the edges of the fountain it can create the appearance of leakage when in fact it is NOT leaking. Splashing over the edges of the fountain can be mistaken for leakage as well. I found that mine does splash a very, very slight amount (an almost imperceptible amount) but after all, it *IS* a fountain and that's what fountains do!! Again, any splashing can be minimized by experimenting with the placement of the stones. Still it's best to place it on a surface that cannot be damaged by water, such as Formica, tile, etc. You certainly aren't going to want to place it on that antique solid cherry lamp table!I also like the placement of the LED lights. There are 3 of them and their placement is well thought out. One is just inside the very top of the fountain where the water streams out. Because the LED is amber, it creates the appearance of dancing water at the top of the fountain. It also can appear to be candlelight. I have also mistaken it for the flame of a candle many times because of this same lighting effect but I consider that a positive.There are two more amber LEDs, one which illuminates the middle tier and the last one which illuminates the bottom tier. Some may find the lower two LEDs too bright but you can easily use a small piece of dark tape to direct the light downward instead of outward. I haven't found that to be a problem however. Overall, the lighting is very attractive, particularly for a fountain in this price range. You can spend $100-$200 or more for a fountain and get only one LED that shines down from its top however this fountain's lighting is far superior.Regarding the sound of the water, it is quite audible and can be heard some distance from the fountain, about 10-12 feet or so. Still, it is not a large stream of water....about what you would get if you let a faucet partly open. It is very relaxing and satisfying however, but if you are looking for a more powerful water sound, you will need to spend more and get a larger fountain.The fountain is very aesthetically pleasing, not only from the sound of the water flow but visually as well. It is also versatile. In addition to being a display fountain, it can also be used as a night light and a cat drinking fountain! As long as your expectations are properly set regarding it, (i.e. don't expect copper and slate for that price and understand that so far, even the very best electric submersible pump is going to make sound that is at least slightly noticeable if you pay close enough attention to it). I like mine so much that I am ordering several more.PROs -- Very Attractive Looking- Low Price, Excellent Value- Operates on Low Voltage DC Ccurrent- Relaxing Water Flowing Sound- Well Placed, Well Thought Out Multiple LED lighting- Power ON/OFF switch on line cordCONS -- NONE - changed from NONE to Stopped Working Properly after little over 1 month.UPDATE - 08/21/12I have had this fountain in service just slightly over one month now. About a week ago, one of the 3 LED lamps in the fountain stopped working and there appears to be no way to repair since it is imbedded in the plastic structure of the fountain. A few days ago, the second of the three lamps stopped working as well. Right now, only one of the three lamps continues to work properly. It is now past the return window with Amazon so I cannot return it or receive a refund for defective merchandise. I am continuing to attempt to get Amazon or the product manufacturer to refund my money.Also, Amazon's policy on reviews does not allow a change in the rating originally provided at the top of the review otherwiseI would be lowering the rating on this item to at least 3 stars.UPDATE #2 - 09/18/12After not all that much pressure on my part, Homedics, the manufacturer of this fountain agreed on August 30, 2012 to replace the fountain if I returned the defective fountain to them using their prepaid shipping label (no cost to me). I had sent emails which were not quickly answered but contacting them by phone seemed to be the ticket to getting the replacement. I received the replacement fountain via UPS today so I guess we will now see if the replacement fountain lights work any better than the ones on the original one. I will update this review again after a reasonable time to report how the replacement fared.

To be honest, I always second guess myself when I read one star reviews on here. I really rely heavily on the advice of counsel when making my decisions, and sometimes that really works against me. Often times I'll find a product that has 70% or higher 5 star reviews, but even three one star write ups can make me doubt everything I've ever considered buying on this site.The same would have gone for this fountain. Except, the critical difference was that I didn't look at the reviews and I didn't buy it. Browsing on the site one day to fill up my wish list for my birthday, I decided that a fountain would be JUST the accent piece that my room needed. So when I saw the look of this one, I was instantly sold! Amidst doing other things, I didn't want to lose track of this item, so I added it to my list to look into again later. Well, long story short I forgot. And when my birthday came around and I unwrapped it, I was both happily surprised and terrified. I would feel so bad if my family and spent the $20 and it didn't work, and when I saw all the one star reviews on amazon my panic only worsened.Either way I set it up that day and turned it on, and at first it was great. But within twenty minutes the motor of the little fountain was louder than my ceiling fan! I was so disheartened thinking that I wouldn't ever use this fountain as I was breaking down the box, when lo and behold, a small slip of white paper fell out.It was a note from the manufacturer, and it stated that you needed to first THOROUGHLY CLEAN the rocks provided and to use filtered water when running the fountain. Thinking that I had nothing to lose I tried it out. So I took out the rocks and cleaned them, and I cleaned the fountain itself too, and I boiled some water on my stove. After letting the water cool and the rocks dry I put the fountain back together, put in the rocks and poured in the water.Turning it on I waited, hearing the motor sputter a bit before it went silent. I couldn't believe that it worked so well and so fast, but it has been a week now and I've been waiting for the motor to get loud again ever since! So far it's been ideal, and I just make sure to refill it when its low with purified water and I haven't had a single issue at all.I don't know if this will work for everyone, and I know that this problem wasn't what others had faced (like cracked plastic bases, dead led lights, and leaking) but it has solved one of the most complained about problems-- the unwanted nosies-- for me!Sorry about the long winded review, but I hope that if you took the time to read it that it will help you get the most out of your purchase like I am. Ever since the problem was fixed I've been in LOVE with this fountain!

This item looks very nice and a dood size for a table top fountain. Positives: It works well does not splash at all, works quietly. The rocks are cute, I wish there were a bit more of them. Negatives: battery operated, no AC or USB charger. The water flows very quietly so all you hear is the sound of the pump. It is not loud at all but I wish water sound would prevail.

I bought this tabletop fountain for a family member for Christmas. Our family drew names last Christmas. Some family members had Wish Lists on Amazon. My hubby drew a family member who had this on her wish list. We were happy to be able to choose a gift we knew she would enjoy receiving. What a great win-win situation for everyone. She was delighted with her gift. Later, she sent me a nice video after she had it all put together on her table at home. It did look nice. She especially liked the sound it made…so soothing. She said it was easy to put together. It was a little pricey, I thought, but it was so easy to shop for. I did not have to waste gas driving all over looking for a gift she might or might not like. It arrived very quickly. It saved me time and I was not anxious wondering if it was something she would like. Wish lists are a great way to let people know what you would like or need.