This is like the 4th time these have been for sale in the past week. At least it seems that way.

Last year we bought our grandkids (3 and 5) a large Hexbug set for Christmas from Costco (this set did not glow-in-the-dark) and they have loved them. They do go through button batteries so I found a source on-line and ordered them in quantity. My daughter uses them as a reward toy - if they go through the day without fighting or throwing a tantrum, they are allowed to play with them an hour at night.

My three year old keeps begging for these things
She saw them on TV. She loves Bugs and Hexagons... Well, Octagons but close enough
But I have no clue what the heck these do?
Glows: always cool
HexBugs: not so cool?

Anyone actually have something good to say about these?
soon to be on the island of misfit toys along with my old Pogs...

idealreptiles wrote:My three year old keeps begging for these things
She saw them on TV. She loves Bugs and Hexagons... Well, Octagons but close enough
But I have no clue what the heck these do?
Glows: always cool
HexBugs: not so cool?

Anyone actually have something good to say about these?
soon to be on the island of misfit toys along with my old Pogs...

I want to say this is the third season they have marketed these (not necessarily the glow in the dark ones but hexbugs in general) - usually toys like this don't have that kind of staying power so apparently kids like them well enough. My experience with them is that they are fun for about 10-15 minutes then get old real quick. If the kids are responsible to put them up (don't loose them) they will take them out on occasion and still get some use, but they are not as played with as much as toys like Beyblade.

If you get some of these, be sure to pick up some replacement batteries from Amazon. You will get ripped paying $5 for two of them at a retail, but you can get 50 batteries for $3.99 shipped from Amazon.

For those of you who want to spend a bit of fun educational / building time with your kids try building your own bristle bot with them. (TIP: you can get the tootbrush and other supplies for $1 each at most Dollar Tree / 99Cent only stores).

If you are more of the evil scientist type, how about a LARGE bristlebot:



Evil Mad Scientist has instructions to make your own smaller sized bristle bot as well.

theguruguys wrote:
If you get some of these, be sure to pick up some replacement batteries from Amazon. You will get ripped paying $5 for two of them at a retail, but you can get 50 batteries for $3.99 shipped from Amazon.

That is a great suggestion on the batteries - just be careful which ones you get. A lot of reviewers talk about the batteries exploding - which is not a good thing for a hands-on children's toy.

I got this deal last time. Here are my observations:

1. This is a woot exclusive. You won't find this glow-in-the dark version for sale ANYWHERE else.

2. It doesn't have retail packaging. It just comes in a cardboard box. (Not a big deal, but a little less christmas sparkle)

3. It only comes with one bug. (The specs say that, but I'm repeating it -- Get at least one more bug from a store)

All in all, I like this kit, and I'm glad I got it. I have other hex bug stuff, and this kit folds up nicely and can get put away fast. I'm excited for my son to open it in a week.

Can the HexBugs climb up the ramp?

baronz wrote:I got this deal last time. Here are my observations:

1. This is a woot exclusive. You won't find this glow-in-the dark version for sale ANYWHERE else.

2. It doesn't have retail packaging. It just comes in a cardboard box. (Not a big deal, but a little less christmas sparkle)

3. It only comes with one bug. (The specs say that, but I'm repeating it -- Get at least one more bug from a store)

All in all, I like this kit, and I'm glad I got it. I have other hex bug stuff, and this kit folds up nicely and can get put away fast. I'm excited for my son to open it in a week.

It's good that you mentioned that it doesn't come with retail packaging.

I didn't know that when I bought two of them the last. One is for my son for Christmas and I was going to give the other away as a birthday gift.
I didn't think the packaging was gift worthy. I'll probably just keep both for my son.
It would have been nice if they stated that on the description for the product.

Nesher wrote:Can the HexBugs climb up the ramp?

Yup. They climb, they fall off, they climb back up. This kit connects to other hexbug stuff like the battlezone too.

As for the retail packaging - that is true - although a perfect thing for Santa to leave.

ThunderThighs wrote:Any comments from those that bought this last time?

The toys great.

They came in plain brown boxes with a small white sticker to identify them. No retail packaging, which might bother some. I just considered that a bonus. My favorite part of getting a gift is the anticipation, so anything that drags out the discovery is good.

I tend to double box gifts to obscure the contents. A video game goes in a cracker box, for example.

I pulled off the sticker and wrapped them up. Now the kids won't have a clue until they start pulling the thing out.

Will this set connect to other habitats?

My son loves the hexbugs and is 18 months. We have let him chase it around on the floor since he was 10 months (with supervision) It helped him learn how to crawl, grasp, and he giggles every time he sees it. We do currently have one MIA behind the fridge, but I would recommend these for kids of all ages. Me and my husband also like to play with them.

babalouie wrote:Will this set connect to other habitats?

Yes, you can hook it up to other sets.

For what it's worth, my son is 10 and he loves Hex Bugs too. When he asked for them last year I assumed it would be a fad and we'd be finding a good home for them this year. But that's not the case. Whenever we go somewhere, he brings these along, and typically any boys around join in the play. If you have a kid who likes to play with cars or action figures then I think they will enjoy these, whether they are 5 or 10 years old.

theguruguys wrote:For those of you who want to spend a bit of fun educational / building time with your kids try building your own bristle bot with them. (TIP: you can get the tootbrush and other supplies for $1 each at most Dollar Tree / 99Cent only stores).

If you are more of the evil scientist type, how about a LARGE bristlebot:



Evil Mad Scientist has instructions to make your own smaller sized bristle bot as well.

Holy gift that's loud.

(Cool, though.)

http://www.amazon.com/Innovation-First-Labs-Inc-440-1435/dp/B003IT5NHK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=GFBMUJC02OFU&coliid=IV4PDMDXGWFNJ


I found this deal on amazon. How is the woot HEXBUG better than the one in the link?

Kuntaldaftary wrote:http://www.amazon.com/Innovation-First-Labs-Inc-440-1435/dp/B003IT5NHK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=GFBMUJC02OFU&coliid=IV4PDMDXGWFNJ


I found this deal on amazon. How is the woot HEXBUG better than the one in the link?

This was a set put together specially for Woot so you won't find it anywhere else.

my kid wants 3 of this exact set, so i bought 3. happy i can make him happy without totally busting the bank!

Kuntaldaftary wrote:http://www.amazon.com/Innovation-First-Labs-Inc-440-1435/dp/B003IT5NHK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=GFBMUJC02OFU&coliid=IV4PDMDXGWFNJ


I found this deal on amazon. How is the woot HEXBUG better than the one in the link?

I think both are good deals but they do different things. I would get both actually. WOOT had a deal awhile back that had a setup similar to the amazon one that was a good deal. My kid uses the pieces in the amazon set like a train track, takes them apart and puts them together in different configurations, and we also have this one (not glow in the dark) that she connects to the long tracks and the bugs move around in different ways depending on where you put the posts/pegs/whirly things.

They can keep her busy for a long time. It is a pretty nice toy.

namzaps wrote:That is a great suggestion on the batteries - just be careful which ones you get. A lot of reviewers talk about the batteries exploding - which is not a good thing for a hands-on children's toy.

I read that. Personally I have bought over 300 total of these types of batteries and given many away to friends and customers. I have bought some from Amazon and others from eBay. I've also purchased the CR2032 types this way. I've never had a problem with them exploding.

[quote postid="5280589" user="namzaps"]Yup. They climb, they fall off, they climb back up. This kit connects to other hexbug stuff like the battlezone too.
Thanks!

When frightened, do they (Hexbugs) scream like the souls of the damned?

If my kid ate the bug whole, would he live?

ALL of the Hexbug sets are modular, meaning they can be rearranged and reattached in lots of combinations with each other. Our kids have around 7 Hexbugs and a few different sets. There is a design and building aspect to this toy that the kids find very satisfying. We most recently got our kids a Hexbug zipline set, which is pretty amazing, for Chanukah (Yes, there are a couple dozen of us non-Christmas types on Woot).

I don't think they are a fad toy. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that the hexbugs are able to right themselves if they knock each other over and they can usually work through bottlenecks if they happen, without being touched. Sometimes that can take a minute, but it's fun to watch.

As for the packaging, do you think your kids would like knowing you decided against getting them a fun toy because it didn't have colorful packaging? The packaging goes in the trash. It's the toy they play with.

A couple warnings - The batteries can drain quickly if your kid leaves the bugs switched on and forgets about them for awhile. Also, don't leave the bugs sitting around unattended if you have cats!