All of the above share one similar characteristic: portability. Even a flying carpet, which can seat up to three people and is hardly small, is still by its nature easily moved. There are, however, a few items which -while not immobile- can't be so easily transported.
Bowl of Commanding Water Elementals
This is the largest of the elemental summoning items (X50). It's described as a 3' diameter bowl. I imagine it as a birdbath-like stone basin, but I suppose it could be metal (or an enormous seashell!). Whichever way you imagine it, a 3' bowl is not something one stuffs in a knapsack (weight/encumbrance aside). It only works 1/day and takes 1 turn to prepare. Also, the caster cannot move or cast other spells while controlling the elemental. None of this lends itself to the bowl being moved around a lot. I can even imagine it being a fixture in a wizard's tower, as part of its defenses. This would work especially well if the structure was located near a coastline, river or similar where the elemental can operate easily on or in the water.
Brazier of Commanding Fire Elementals
The brazier is the next largest elemental based item after the bowl. Braziers are defined as a pan for holding burning coals, usually for cooking and typically with a stand or legs. Braziers are designed to be portable for things like camping, but certainly not carried while lit! Cook's Expert doesn't give an exact size, but a foot or more in diameter and height isn't unreasonable. As a DM, I would interpret this item's 1 turn preparation to include lighting a fire for the elemental to "ignite" from. It also carries the same restrictions about the caster moving about or performing other actions while concentrating on controlling the elemental.
Efreet Bottle
"This item is a large, heavy, sealed jug about 3' high." (X50). Now, unlike the elemental items, nothing in the bottle's description says one needs to have the bottle once the efreet is bound to the one who freed it, but it could be fun to require it. Perhaps it retreats to the bottle each day after it's completed the task required by its master. The possessor of the bottle must pop the cork each time he wants the efreet to do something. Remember that "[Efreet] are reluctant and difficult servants and will obey their instructions exactly, attempting to distort the meaning of whatever they have been told to do in order to cause trouble for their masters." (X31) So why would it make things easy for the clown summoning it over and over for 101 days? Making the PC drag around a Nebuchadnezzar full of surly smoky servant would probably amuse it.
Drums of Panic
This item is described as "large kettle drums" (plural). It's even in the name: it's not "DRUM of Panic" after all. Now, timpani come in different sizes, but the large ones are about 30" in diameter. Not something one just totes along through the dungeon. Of course the drums' function is better suited to a battlefield situation. It's interesting to note that the save vs magical fear is replaced when the "optional" morale rules are used with a simple -2 modifier. Again, this is an item I see used as a defensive measure for a castle or keep, but you'd have to work out the logistics of not affecting friendlies who are farther than 10' away when the drumroll starts.
Of course nothing says the DM can't make other interesting magic less of a snatchable bauble and more of a fixture or even occasionally left at home. It may make the players have to think a little harder about how to take advantage of "big magic" in the game.
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