Arts of India 7-piece Tibetan singing bowl set review
Seven hand-hammered bowls at 8.5 kg, sold with a healing claim the bowls do not need.
Seven hand-hammered Nepalese bowls from 5 to 10.5 inches with a wooden mallet, gong striker and silk cushion.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bowls | Set of 7, hand hammered |
| Diameter | 5 to 10.5 inches |
| Height | About 2.5 to 4.1 inches |
| Thickness | 3mm to 4mm |
| Total weight | About 8,500 grams |
| Surface | Older hammer marks on the interior and exterior |
| Included | Wooden mallet striker, gong striker and silk cushion |
| Origin | Handicraft from Nepal |
Specifications above come from the manufacturer's published product specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- A graduated set gives you seven pitches rather than one, which is the difference between playing a note and playing a piece.
- Hand hammering produces the uneven wall thickness that gives a bowl its long, complex decay. Machine-spun bowls sound cleaner and die faster.
- Eight and a half kilograms across seven bowls means these are substantial pieces rather than souvenir thickness.
- A mallet, a gong striker and a cushion are included, and the striker you use changes the sound as much as the bowl does.
- At this size a bowl is loud enough to fill a room without amplification, which is what a sound bath actually requires.
Where it falls short
- The listing states that the sound is a type of energy medicine that promotes healing from stress disorders, pain and depression. That is a health claim and it is not supported by good evidence. Buy the bowls for the sound, not for the sentence.
- A set in the under-$500 tier is a serious purchase for something most people use occasionally. One good bowl at a tenth of the price is where most practices start and stop.
- Eight and a half kilograms of metal has to live somewhere, and seven bowls plus cushions is a shelf rather than a corner.
- Hand hammered means variable. Tone, finish and hammer marks differ between individual sets, and the pitches you receive are approximate rather than tuned to named notes.
- Playing seven bowls well takes practice. A set does not make you a sound practitioner, and a badly played bowl set is worse than one bowl played well.
What owners report
Owners of large hand-hammered sets consistently report a fuller, longer sustain than machine-made bowls and consistently note the variability between individual pieces, which is inherent to hand production rather than a defect. Reports of the sets being heavier and larger than expected are common. Nobody who bought a set reports regretting the sound; the regrets are about price and about storage.
If you have not decided whether you want bowls at all, our singing bowl vs chime comparison is the honest starting point, and a chime costs a thirtieth as much. If the purpose is marking the start and end of a sitting, the free meditation timer does that job and costs nothing.
Nothing here is medical advice. If stress, pain or low mood are affecting your daily life, speak to a doctor rather than to a shop.
Who it suits
- People building a sound bath or sound meditation practice.
- Teachers and practitioners working with groups.
- Anyone who already owns one bowl and wants a range of pitches.
- Buyers who want hand-hammered rather than machine-spun bowls.
Who should skip it
- Anyone buying it for the health claim in the listing.
- Beginners, who should start with one bowl and find out whether they use it.
- Small spaces, given eight and a half kilograms across seven pieces.
Alternatives worth considering
One large hand-hammered bowl with a cushion and striker for a tenth of the price. Find out whether you use it before buying six more.
Check price on AmazonDesigned to be easy to play from the first session, with a guide and audio resources included. The cheapest honest way to find out if you like the sound.
Check price on AmazonA single clear tone for opening and closing a sitting, which is what most people actually want a bowl for. No technique required.
Check price on AmazonCommon questions
Do singing bowls have healing properties?
The bowls make a sustained tone that many people find calming, and that is what you can honestly say about them. Claims that the sound is energy medicine that heals pain or depression are not supported by good evidence, and this listing makes exactly that claim. Enjoy the sound and do not treat it as treatment.
Are the bowls tuned to specific notes?
Hand-hammered bowls are approximate rather than precisely tuned. Sets sold as chakra sets are graduated in size, which produces a range of pitches, and those pitches vary between individual sets. If you need specific tuned notes, buy machine-made bowls sold with stated frequencies.
Is a seven bowl set worth it over one bowl?
Only if you are playing for other people or building a practice around sound. For an individual sitting, one bowl or a chime marks the start and the end perfectly well, and most people who buy a set use two or three of the bowls.
What is the difference between hand hammered and machine made bowls?
Hand hammering leaves uneven wall thickness and visible marks, which produces a more complex tone with a longer decay. Machine-spun bowls are consistent and cheaper and their tone is cleaner and shorter. Neither is better, and the hand-hammered ones are what people mean by a traditional bowl.
Keep reading
- Singing bowl vs chime
- How to meditate
- Free meditation timer
- Hihealer large singing bowl review
- Silent Mind singing bowl set review
- Woodstock Zenergy chime review
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.