My kids, 10 and 12, have been using this pen now for a week, after having used the Hatchbox 3D pen for several months HATCHBOX 1.75mm 3D Printing Pen with LCD Screen for ABS and PLA Filaments. They are now fighting over who gets to use the 3Doodler Start pen, for several reasons- according to the kids (in my words):
Pros of 3Doodler-Start Pen:
- internal usb re-chargeable battery; thus no need to have extra power cord sticking out the back and getting in the way
- cool tip, no need to be extra careful
- proprietary "Eco-Plastic" is softer after placing, and can be molded for a very short time by finger (cool enough and malleable enough to smooth out some surfaces, for example)
-plastic is cool enough to even use directly on the provided paper book stencils- the Eco plastic does not stick to the pages of the book, and comes right off the paper!
- less "threading" of filament when taking pen away from project
- less jamming (very critical), so no need to have backwards button to remove filament for cleaning- it appears to have an auto clearing feature that moves the filament backwards and forwards to unstick.
- one big ON button, and auto flow of filament, so you don't have to keep pressing the forward button to squeeze out plastic continuously as you work (slower flowrate, but they don't mind)
-The silicon green circular molds provided in this Mega set are really easy to use, have a lot of useful shapes, and the finished products pop right out.
Cons:
- you run out of filament quickly, because the provided strands are fairly short- about 6"- exactly the length of a US dollar bill, and you have to keep replacing them into the pen, causing delays. also, one larger project uses up an entire pack of filaments- my son could not complete his (not so large) helicopter project (from the book), for example, and needed to change colors after going through all the red (he did say he used some of the red for his Eiffel tower, however). My daughter pointed out that her one dinosaur used 1/2 the pack of whites.
-a negative to the melted Eco plastic not sticking on paper, is that it does not stick on paper!-- thus you can't use the paper to "anchor" a melted blob as easily, and the entire piece may lift up with the pen (but not a major problem)
-several examples of projects in the book use colors not provided in this Mega set, which my daughter found annoying.
This pen and Mega set are great, hands down, esp. for kids, and the proprietary "Eco" plastic is very beneficial and superior in the several aspects covered above, as well as being non-toxic. Also, there is almost no smell from the melted Eco plastic, vs. when my kids use the PLA or ABS filaments for the Hatchbox pen (I usually open a window). I deducted 1 star, because the cost for these great proprietary Eco plastic filaments is REALLY HIGH ($7.99 for one pack of 24-six inch pieces- 3Doodler Start Eco Plastic Pack: Lemon Zest (Lemon Yellow)).
The Eco filaments for this 3Doodler -Start are much thicker than the standard 1.75 mm used by a lot of 3D pens, and i don't want to try using incompatible sizes in the 3Doodler-Start pen. Interestingly, on the 3Doodler-Start Eco filament pack, it says that these Eco plastic filaments are not even compatible with other 3Doodle pens like the 3Doodler 1.0, 2.0, Create, or Pro versions. Perhaps this Eco-plastic filament pretty much only works with this one pen- the 3Doodler-Start.
Our Hatchbox pen, which uses the standard 1.75mm filaments that a lot of 3D pens (and 3D desk printers) use, has options to purchase giant rolls of filament weighing 1 Kg (not sure of length cuz they sell by weight). See pic where i have our our glow-in-the-dark filament roll- HATCHBOX 3D PLA-1KG1.75-GLOW PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.05 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Glow in the Dark priced at $23.99 shown next to an Eco pack) for comparison. The pics below are projects my kids did from the book provided in this Mega set, except for the little green guy with antennae sitting next to the Eiffel Tower, which was previously made with PLA plastic and the Hatchbox pen.
I'd say this pen is a 5 star for ease of use, good Eco-plastic and convenience, but a 3 star for cost and inconvenience of short pieces of proprietary plastic.
Our son really wanted a 3D pen. He could not stop talking about them. Only problem was they all seemed to get pretty hot, and I didn't want to have to supervise every time he wanted to use the pen. Then I found this and it's great! The tip of the pen gets warm, but not so hot that you could burn yourself or start a fire.
They say not to, but you can even "draw" right on your fingertips. It's fun to make a ring right in place on your finger.
This kit comes with a pretty good amount of the filament. Our kid doesn't use the green mold pieces that often, but that will depend on the kid. I would also not presume that you'll be creating amazing models right off the bat. It takes some time to learn how to construct in 3D space.
Pen itself is very cool. My son received one for Christmas and it jammed/clogged the first day. Customer service by 3doodler was absolutely amazing - they replied back to my email asking for help within an hour. After multiple attempts to unjam the pen, and a handful of emails with customer service, the company happily sent me a brand new pen. Replacement is perfect and my son (11 years old) is creating some amazing creations. This is a great gift for anybody who is creative or thinks like an engineer and likes to create and design. Can't rave enough about the customer service.
We bought this for our 7 year old who loves to draw and doodle. I was a little nervous of the learning curve other's mention. But it's a short learning curve! My 7 year old picked it up quickly!! She still has some to learn - she moves the pen faster than the filament comes out. But she'll get more patience in time ;) Within 2 hours out of the box, she'd already made glasses! (photo attached)
This came with a full charge (I was pleasantly surprised!) and an idea book that has templates in it, on thick excellent quality paper. It's a great way to start!! And there's a bunch of silicone molds she has fun with, too! The idea book tells you how many filament strips each design takes - we found that's not accurate. The glasses should have taken 4 strands and really took her 7. It may be just because she's still learning.
It is not hot to the touch at all. Which is great, because it's harder to "cut" a line of plastic when you're done. Pushing it off the end with your finger works best (so far). And there's zero fear of burning yourself!
My only wish is that I would love it to have a speed setting. The plastic comes out very slowly. Which is good for little kids as they trace a template. But when you're just filling in the lines to make the design thicker or connecting two pieces together, it would be nice to double the speed and go faster. All said though, it's a great toy that our 7 year old will love for weeks, months, and probably years to come!
The charging cord is the same style as the kindle fire - which is great. The fewer cords we need at our ever growing family charging station, the better ;)
My daughter loves it. I was a little concerned when the package arrived. The mega pack is much smaller than it appears in the listing, but all items are present. Charging takes quite a while; however, it worked flawlessly from the get go. Outstanding!
Feature Product
- THE ONLY CHILD-SAFE 3D PEN: Designed with no hot parts completely safe for kids aged 8+. Pen nozzle and plastic can safely be touched with no burn risks.
- 3D ART MADE EASY FOR KIDS: Plastic hardens rapidly allowing kids to literally draw in the air with only one speed and one temperature.
- NO RISK PURCHASE: 360 days FREE replacement policy and unrivaled 24-hour global customer service.
- PERFECT FOR STEM LEARNING: As a tactile learning toy, the 3Doodler Start inspires creativity, design, planning, building and spatial understanding.
- COMPLETE 3D PEN KIT: Each box includes 3Doodler Start 3D Pen, 8 Mixed-color Packs of Eco-Plastic, 8 Unique Doodleblocks, Micro-USB Charger, Activity Guide + a ton of creative potential!
Description
With the new 3Doodler Start your creative kids can finally bring all of their wonderful and imaginative ideas to life in 3D. This kid-safe 3D printing pen melts plastic that cools and hardens rapidly, allowing kids to literally draw in the air!
Fun art tool for my daughter. My son likes to use it as well. Good value and keeps her busy for hours at a time. She hasn't used any of the stencils and prefers to "free-hand" her projects. Whatever they may be. Ideabook is nice if they are lacking inspiration at times or need to follow something for a tutorial to get used to how the pen works.
Got this for my 9 year old granddaughter for Christmas.
She absolutely LOVES it!!
She has been usuing it non-stop!
Made all kinds of things including fashion glasses frames that she can actually wear.
You will not regret buying this one for sure!
My daughter really likes this. I ordered it as a bit of a shot-in-the-dark, but she has had a good time making different types of objects. In particular, she likes to make modifications for her other toys, like using it to create shoes for her doll, or other accessories.
Returned it... found refills on this one quite pricey.
My son loved this. It's non stop play for hours. A must have for creative kids. Also I bought the grown up pen version and it was the worst. It clogged up until finally broke. This pen does not clog up, its wireless, and the charge last a while.
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