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I needed a simple prism for a photography experiment, but when I came to Amazon I found pages of negative reviews on just about all of them. In the end I settled on this one, but I'm now convinced that any of them would have worked just fine. If you shine a collimated beam of full-spectrum light (sunlight works great!) at this prism you can see the dispersion light into its various wavelengths (rainbow).

Unfortunately Amazon is getting a growing number of negatives reviews on products due to user error/ignorance. Instead of learn something most are quick to pick up the laptop and vent their frustration. Ironically in this case, the product is a teaching device where the user error is exactly what the device is intended to teach. If it's not working then you're doing something wrong and it's a great time to learn about collimation, light spectrum, and incident angle.

Yes, this one is acrylic, no it doesn't matter. The light transmission of acrylic is far greater than that of the low quality glass you would get for a prism this cheap. This one is hand-sized, big enough to disperse a decent size beam, wide enough to be stable to stand on end. My only gripe is that the edges are filed to prevent chipping but that only effected the ascetics of my photographs, not the function of the prism. For most users the filing is probably a good thing.

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It's an acrylic prism. It works, but it reflects a lot of the incident light. You can use a flashlight and a slit to make a (dim) rainbow with it, but if your slit is too narrow you won't get enough light through it to see anything. If you want a better inexpensive prism for rainbows it would be better to try a glass prism like Prism, Equilateral 3" ~ Glass.

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The prisms work perfectly fine. They refract light as they're supposed to and produce clear, visible rainbows. If you need a cheap, good-quaity prism, this product will do the trick.

Honest reviews on 2.5" Light Crystal Prism

I bought this prism for my grandson's 2nd birthday because he always marvels at the rainbows produced by the beveled glass top on our dining room buffet when the sun strikes it just right. For the most dramatic spectrums from this prism, I use sunlight streaming through a window and project the spectrum on the floor or the opposing wall. Indoors works best when the spectrum is projected onto a wall in the shadows. Outdoors, the spectrum is attenuated by the brilliant sunlight. You have to exercise care (as with all prisms) to orient the prism at just the right angle to disperse the colors for maximum effect. If you have the incorrect orientation, you may just get a reflection from the prism with no colors, or a white shape with color fringes at the edges. When you achieve the correct orientation, however, the spectrum is dramatic and brilliant. My grandson is mesmerized by it. Highly recommended to stimulate the scientific curiosity of children.

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This is what it says it is. A good quality acrylic prism with beveled edges. Will allow you to break sunlight into the visible spectrum without being worried about breaking glass. It came well packaged and promptly and is all you need to have fun with a beam of light. Especially useful toward in the winter with children stuck in the house and the sun at a lower angle so you can use it more easily indoors. Fun physics toy.