Mathmos Model Identification Guide

Why Identification Matters Before You Do Anything Else

If you have a Mathmos lava lamp in front of you — whether it came from a house clearance, a second-hand shop, or a dusty shelf at the back of a relative’s garage — the single most useful thing you can do before cleaning it, replacing its fluid, or even just changing the bulb is to work out exactly what you have. Different models use different wax compounds, different bulb wattages, and different cap fittings. Getting any of those wrong can damage the lamp or simply mean it never flows properly. In other words, identification is not just a matter of curiosity. It is the foundation of everything else you might want to do with the lamp.

Mathmos has been producing lava lamps since the 1960s under various company names — originally Crestworth, then Luminaire, then Mathmos from 1992 onwards. Each era left its own fingerprints on the lamps it produced. The history page covers that timeline in detail if you want the broader context, but for now the practical question is: which physical features tell you which model you have?

Reading the Physical Features

The most reliable starting point is the overall silhouette of the globe. Mathmos models vary considerably here — some have a tall, narrow hourglass profile, others are rounder and more squat, and a few have a distinctive elongated teardrop shape. Alongside the globe shape, look at the base. Is it a simple cylindrical plinth, a tapered cone, or something with a more sculptural, organic form? The combination of globe and base geometry is usually enough to narrow your lamp down to a family of models, even before you read a single marking.

Next, turn your attention to the cap — the metal fitting at the top of the globe. Earlier lamps tend to have simpler, more utilitarian caps, while later models often have more refined or decorative finishes. The cap material (aluminium versus chrome-effect plastic, for example) and its shape (flat disc, domed, or stepped) both carry useful information.

Once you have noted those broad features, check the base for markings. Turn the lamp upside down carefully. Moulded or printed text on the underside of the base often includes a model name, a country of manufacture, a voltage rating, and sometimes a date code. Crestworth-era lamps (roughly pre-1971) may carry the Crestworth name alongside Edward Craven Walker’s original patent references. Luminaire-era pieces typically show a UK address. Mathmos lamps from the 1990s onwards usually carry the Mathmos name clearly, along with CE certification markings for European markets.

The Major Model Families at a Glance

While a comprehensive illustrated breakdown of every variant sits in the sections below, it helps to understand the broad groupings first.

Astro — the classic shape that most people picture when they think of a lava lamp. Tall globe, simple conical base. Has been in continuous production in various iterations since the 1960s.
Astro Baby — a smaller, tabletop version of the Astro, sharing the same basic proportions in a compact form.
Giant / Astro Grande — the oversized statement versions, requiring higher-wattage bulbs and producing a noticeably slower, more dramatic flow.
Telstar — a spherical globe on a low base, one of the more immediately recognisable departures from the standard silhouette.
Neo — a later, more contemporary design with a wider base and a subtly different globe profile.

Each family has its own bulb requirements, cap sizes, and fluid characteristics, all of which feed directly into restoration decisions.

Once you have a confident identification in hand, the basic restoration guide and the fluid and wax chemistry page will make much more sense — because every recommendation there is written with specific models in mind. If something about your lamp does not quite match any description here, the fault-finding guide may also help you read the clues differently.