Carson Quick Release Catching Magnifier Children Reviews Summary

Usability

Pros:

• "This is super easy to use."
• "It’s very simple to use and the magnifier works quite well."
• "Easy to use and save to transport the bees outside."
• "You can use it with one hand, which leaves the other free to open the door without it escaping before you get it outside."
• "This thing is easy to use and works great."
• "Easy to hold and use and great to keep kids interested in playing outside looking for bugs."
• "It’s very well-made, and super easy to use."

Cons:

• "The magnifier actually makes it more difficult to execute a capture."
• "The handle position makes trapping a fast or alert bug more challenging."
• "The only way to get insect in the device is to scoop them up with the magnifier bit upturned cup like (off walls etc)... if you try to get them off a floor with the sliding bit you generally kill them."
• "It’s kind of hard to pick up really tiny bugs."
• "The bottom slide that is used to catch the bugs comes off the track very easily and/or bend's making it fairly useless in trapping them."
• "Trapping the bugs might be a little tricky as they have to climb over a small step."
• "The magnifying glass is totally in the way when you try to catch a bug, shoulda been on the side."

Design and Durability

Pros:

• "It is larger and sturdier than I expected which is great in using with children."
• "These are sturdy and simple."
• "It’s pretty sturdy, but dropping it might not be kind to it, just try not to drop, or have some gorilla glue on hand!"
• "This one is very sturdy and will not brake easily."
• "It’s small, portable, and durable."
• "Looks very durable, like it will last forever."
• "Our first one lasted about seven years - this one is a replacement."

Cons:

• "Sadly though, that layer came warped straight out of the box with both of them."
• "The sliding piece that scoops and confines the insect, is flimsy and doesn’t provide a good seal…I was afraid our specimen would escape!"
• "The new version has an incredibly thin and flimsy trap door."
• "The orange bottom is way too flimsy and very quickly gets to the point where it can't shut and the entire thing serves no purpose."
• "The thin orange sliding door though seems like it should have been made of tougher material. It’s morphed after several uses, and doesn’t lay flat."
• "The orange plastic slider warped after a few uses and doesn’t sit flat and makes it difficult to trap the insects now."
• "It is NOT very durable though. It’s been snapped twice now."

Effectiveness

Pros:

• "I am impressed with the device. I was able to capture the spider in my bathroom."
• "This simple bit of plastic actually caused six-year-olds to go from fearing bugs to stoking their curiosity."
• "I've caught bees, spiders, flying ants, crickets and other bugs in this thing."
• "This thing works great for catching and relocating spiders safely from inside the house to the outside."
• "This tool catches bugs so easily, we’ve even nabbed house flies with it!"
• "This bug catcher has worked decently well in capturing insects inside my house, but it can be difficult to get them inside the catcher given the small size."
• "This bug catcher is awesome and easy to use."

Cons:

• "For kids wanting to have fun by looking at bugs, it might be fun, but for me just wanting an easy way to pick up bugs (alive) to release back outside it doesn’t always work."
• "The yellow piece is raised up just high enough that you can't get the bug to go inside the device."
• "Almost a good product but the orange cover that retracts is uneven so there is a hole for small bugs to go through."
• "However, I've found that a lot of smaller bugs are able to slip under the orange slider part."
• "The plastic strip that slides out is concave upward (not flat with the floor) so it will slide right over small bugs."
• "The flat, sliding bottom piece for this device is flimsy and warped (concave) and not built to last."
• "The thick plastic rips off their little legs, antennae, etc."

Child-Friendliness

Pros:

• "Both my 4 and 7 year old love these. They are big into exploring all things outdoors, so getting to see insects up close is a real treat for them."
• "My kids have gotten a kick out of using this to catch and look at bugs outside."
• "We only ever catch our spiders in this now and release outside. Works like a charm, even my kids use it to get the spiders."
• "This is a great gift for kids that want to explore bugs without touching or hurting the bug."
• "Easy enough for my 3 year old to use."
• "My son will look at them up close, while trapped in this, before we release them."
• "My four year old LOVES this bug catcher, catching and releasing bugs all over our yard."