I have a collection of Tibetan singing bowls which I use in my Buddhist practice and also enjoy for lovely appearance and the sheer fun of producing sounds. I rang this little bell with my left hand and held the dorje in my right, and rang along with a DVD of Tibetan nuns doing the same. Looks very pretty on my special table on display. Quick delivery. Brings me happiness.

For the amount of money you’re paying for this set, you have to expect you’ll be getting mass-produced. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that what you’re getting is low quality, either. That being said, there are some concessions to be made in what sort of item you’re expecting. For instance, each of the items was obviously formed from a mold, with all of the imperfections that come along with that.

The dorje/vajra is lopsided and has a distinct line from where the two halves were joined. It’s small-ish, about 3.25″ tip to tip, and the details in the design are not nearly as distinct as in the photo. I don’t have particularly large hands, and I can still enclose the entire thing within my clenched fist. There is also a distinct clip mark where it was cut from a sprue, and given that the rest of the item was given a faux-weathered appearance, the raw shiny bronze especially stands out. I expect with a little bit of filing and a touch of work with pliers to bend the orbs on either end into proper shape, it will look much nicer.

The bell is a two-part item: the bell itself and the handle made from the same material, and the two parts are just screwed together. The handle is supposed to have an intricate design on it, but instead it just looks like a blobby mass. It’s a bit less distinct in features than the dorje, the molding evidently did not take as well. Additionally, there are some spaces where the faux-weathering has chipped off and given way to actual oxidation. It seems that it was given some sort of electroplated finish as part of its overall makeover. The bell itself is not nearly as detailed as it appears in the picture: the detailing is smooth and worn down and not very distinctive.

However, one might easily find that it gives both items more of an appearance of great age instead of shoddy craftsmanship; who knows, some of the blemishes might be intentional for this very reason. As decoration pieces, both of the items are acceptable, and the items together constitute a great deal. Beyond that, the tone of the bell is very clear and resonant, being nearly a perfect octave above Concert A.

The striker inside the bell is essentially just a piece of scrap metal hung in with a piece of cotton string; the wooden striker that came along doesn’t resemble the pictured one in the slightest, and is essentially just a dowel with a “made in nepal” sticker on it. Overall though it’s still a great deal for 20 bucks. The bell sounds way better than you’d expect and the dorje is just a dorje, it doesn’t really matter what it looks like exactly. And a striker is always just a dowel turned on a lathe; you could replace it with anything you wanted for very little money.

Plus, the seller seems to mail things *fast*. I got this three days after ordering it.

I was looking for a good bell for the house and didn’t know what to expect because the affordable price… but it’s very pretty and the ring is loud and clear and reverberates for a long time. Great buy.