HoMedics Drift review – a beautiful zen gadget that comes at a price

If you buy something from a link in this article, we may earn a commission. Learn more

homedics drift 13

REVIEW – Do you need a new way to relax after the stresses of the day? You can binge-watch the popular new show on Netflix, you can listen to music, or you can use the HoMedics Drift which creates a beautiful and almost magical sculpture that you can watch as a metal sphere rolls silently through sand. I vote for the latter. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The HoMedics Drift is a kinetic sand table that creates an automated zen garden for stress relief, calm, meditation, and even home decoration.

What’s in the box?

homedics drift 1

  • Homedics Drift
  • Power cable and AC adapter
  • Sand
  • Ball bearing
  • Rake

Design and features

homedics drift 2

The HoMedics Drift is basically a cream or black plastic bowl with a glass cover on top and is available in two sizes and two colors. There’s a 16 inch version which is the one that was sent to me to review and there’s an even larger 21 inch version. It’s hard to imagine the larger one because the 16 inch version is BIG.

homedics drift 3

The base of the Drift has a power port, a power button, and a light button.

homedics drift 4

The glass top is removable so that you can gain access to the sand platform.

homedics drift 5

The platform where the sand is placed is lined with a white knit fabric.

homedics drift 6

To set up the HoMedics Drift, you just pour in the bag of very fine white sand onto the platform.

homedics drift 7

At first I didn’t feel like there was enough sand included…

homedics drift 8

But you can use the included plastic rake to spread the sand as evenly as possible across the platform.

homedics drift 9

All that is left to do is to put the ball bearing on the platform…

homedics drift 10

Then put the glass cover back in place, connect the power cord and turn on the Drift.

homedics drift 11

And last but not least, you have to install the HoMedics Drift app on your phone.

The app

Once installed, the app will connect to the Drift and then you can choose from a large selection of patterns.

Choosing a pattern will immediately start the ball bearing rolling across the sand to create the pattern. You can adjust the speed and you can also adjust the light’s brightness, color, and more.

There are even special playlists that you can select to download even more patterns.

Ready, set, zen!

homedics drift 12

It’s very relaxing and fun to watch the patterns evolve as the ball bearing moves around in the sand.

homedics drift 14

The patterns are beautiful and intricate.

homedics drift 15

When a pattern has been completed, the ball bearing will stop moving.

homedics drift 16

The combination of the patterns and the light make for some cool “art”.

homedics drift 17

Watching the HoMedics Drift as it draws patterns in the sand is relaxing but it does make some noise. I think it would be great if there was a built-in speaker that you could use for your own music or built-in zen/relaxing tones. That would also improve the value of this device.

Watch the video below to see and hear how it works.

See it in action?

What I like

  • Stress relief sand art table
  • Ability to choose a pattern and download new patterns
  • Cool lighting effects

What I’d change

  • It’s expensive
  • Add a built-in Bluetooth speaker

Final thoughts

homedics drift 18

The HoMedics Drift is a unique device that can help you relax by watching a ball bearing draw patterns in sand. This device is very cool, but it’s also very expensive.  If you have the budget for it, I think the HoMedics Drift can be a great kinetic decoration for your home,  a doctor’s office, a spa, library, etc.

Price: $349.99 (16-inch version)
Where to buy: Homedics
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Homedics.

14 thoughts on “HoMedics Drift review – a beautiful zen gadget that comes at a price”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
    1. Jon, I did mention it in the review. It does make a noise but it’s not annoyingly loud. But it would be nice if the unit had a built-in speaker that could play some sort of soothing music or tones to drown out the motor noise.

      1. I have the 21” and the ‘noise’ is simply the ball rolling thru the sand. No motor noise. You can test this by moving some sand out of the way and grinding noise disappears as the ball passes that clearing. Misleading to label the natural sound of a metal ball grinding on sand as a con. It’s a kinetic device.

  2. Thanks! I did see the reference to “some noise” but the video’s audio makes it sound like a rumble. This helps.

    Happy holidays!

  3. Thank you — very helpful.
    Have been looking at Sisyphus for a long time ($$$$$).
    Just because I can afford doesn’t mean I should.
    This is a great alternative.
    Thx

  4. Perhaps, like me, I used the magnet attachment to the ball rather than the ball. Mine were separated for some reason. The ball was in a bag and the other magnet was on the tray. I had a terrible knocking noise until I replaced the shipping magnet with the ball. Now, I’m very satisfied. I had a little scraping sound, but after the update, I don’t even hear that.

    1. I have 148 patterns downloaded into my drift and it has run out of room to download another. Do you know who to delete patterns that have been downloaded?

  5. W D

    The Real Person!

    Author W D acts as a real person and verified as not a bot.
    Passed all tests against spam bots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    The Real Person!

    Author W D acts as a real person and verified as not a bot.
    Passed all tests against spam bots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    Fascinating device – app needs some work.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *