Jakks EyeClops Bionic Eye Reviews

• Really more suited for older kids

  
  By AHNVT3C6V0GGD on 2007-11-12
  Pictures of the product to the contrary, this thing ain't as easy to use as it looks. The camera has a very specific focal length, and it takes a lot of practice and a steady hand to get an "in focus" image. At 200X the slightest movement of the camera or object being viewed is quite exaggerated, and you end up spending most of your time trying to find what you are trying to look at, and when you finally find it, it isn't in focus, and when you adjust the focus, the camera moves and you have to start all over again. Would definitely be frustrating for impatient kids.
  
  

• Cool Educational Toy for the Whole Family

  
  By A14X8PU4E3APFE on 2007-10-21
  One cord to plug it into the TV, and it's ready to go...couldn't be easier to set up and use!
  
  Amazing detail with all things fibrous -- cloth, hair, fur, paper. Unexpected details in things like plastic, laminates, metals. Easy even for little ones to use, though they need to understand they can't lick, scratch, or otherwise mar the lens.
  
  Comes with a petri dish accessory, and a little plastic tube that can be screwed into the eye for close-up examination of liquids, bugs, and who-knows-what-we'll-think-of-next?!
  
  Ease of use and the effect of seeing things magnified on your TV set is exactly what makes this toy straddle that line between great toy and educational tool.
  
  Wow!
  
  

• Learning without knowing it

  
  By A3HY41Q854BQ2C on 2007-10-11
  I bought this for my five year old and she was absolutely captivated. Started out bored and after 2 minutes was running around the house looking for things to view. The quality of the image is very good and there are some nice attachments that make it easier to view different types of things. Really a great toy that ignites scientific curiosity in kids without them knowing it.
  
  

• EyeClops is among the very best

  
  By A2356QJDB307BK on 2007-10-15
  I purchased the EyeClops for my six year old son's birthday.
  
  When first powered up, the quality of the EyeClops -- how easy it is to use, and how good the image is -- are surprizing. To have such high magnification and such a clear color image in a *toy* is impressive. Maybe the sharp image is what motivates my three year old son to pay attention when big brother is using it. The internal light source means no fuss with aligning a mirror, sunlight, or some bogus "light kit" like with usual microscopes.
  
  The other doodads in the box -- the focusing card, the containers, and the stand -- are neat goodies that make the EyeClops a cool system.
  
  We look at the fine details of other toys, photographs, and printed matter, including dollar bills. We look at wood and cloth, too.
  
  One note: our rechargable NiMH batteries do not provide enough voltage to make the Eyeclops provide a color image. With freshly-charged NiMH batteries, the Eyeclops provides a very good black and white image, but that is far less satisfying than color.
  
  After having the EyeClops for a few months, my son has started asking me about atoms and electrons. So I think this "toy" has had a lasting educational effect on him.
  
  
  
  

• Needs setup and supervision at first

  
  By A1RDKS3F25FX5F on 2007-12-01
  I bought two of these for christmas presents for curious nephews and so have not seen what their reactions will be. But after trying them I labeled the presents as "for" the father and the son together -- I think it really needs an adult to get the younger user started. I took the time to unpack and set up each, then repacked it with batteries in place so it is ready to go. I recommend this to any adult buyer: get it out, put in batteries, and test it before you wrap it up as a present.
  
  The device works much as advertised. It consists of 3 bright LEDs surrounding a tiny camera lens, which images whatever is right up against the plastic "eyeball." The depth of focus is about 1/16 of an inch, in other words the only thing in sharp focus is what is lying on or pressed up against the plastic "iris". It takes a little practice and a steady hand to image something clearly. You can use the provided plastic tube to constrain, say, a live insect, then it will image at least the bug's feet. But if the bug is active, you will see it in flashes.
  
  The device delivers a clear TV signal on a video cable (yellow RCA plug). Before Christmas morning, make sure you have a TV that accepts a plain video signal, and where the connector is -- preferably on the front or side, but likely on the bottom of the back in the dark at the back of the shelf! Alternatively you could connect the Eyeclops into a VCR so you could record the images on tape. There is no provision for computer input. Some computers have TV adapters and you could get images into a computer that way; otherwise your only route to printing the magnified image or using it in a document, is to take an picture of the TV screen with a digital camera.
  
  
• More fun for kid or parents?
  By ASKS003GCDA07 on 2007-11-20
  We bought this for our 7 year old's birthday. I'm not sure who has used it more, him or us! It's a blast to find thing around the house to look at. It does take a little finesse to master the angle to get the right focus, but once you do, it's endless fun. For kids under 7, I'd suggest a parent's help, because they could get easily frustrated. I can see this coming in very handy for things such as splinter removal or tick identification in the spring. Of course, I've already tried to analyze my moles for skin cancer.
  
  
• Excellent toy for entire family.
  By A1W9LPJCHXL3MX on 2007-11-13
  My 8 year old son got this for his birthday. Someone in our family has used it every day. When anyone comes to the house we plug it in and start a show. We love this toy. It is very easy to set up and the kids are having fun with it.
  
  
• I spy with my EyeClops eye
  By A37PV5GMP2ILJC on 2007-12-24
  Things you should know about the EyeClops
  
  1. Even though set-up is relatively easy, kids may need some help in putting it together, connecting it to the TV and bringing the bionic eye into focus.
  a. The lens attachment has to be placed over the bionic eye, and twisted until the red groove is aligned with the arrows.
  b. This toy needs five AA batteries for the "brain case"
  c. It needs to be connected to the TV video input
  d. It has to be focused using the focusing disc (included) before use
  
  2. It's not for smaller children who may shine the LED light in their eyes
  
  3. It comes with a viewing tube (for looking at bugs and other small objects); a viewing dish (for stuff that needs a little more room to spread out for examination); and a base for hands free viewing. These items are made of transparent plastic, and if you're not careful you may throw them away with the packaging.
  
  4. It comes with an easy to understand, illustrated instruction booklet, that's actually written in proper English, and includes a treasure hunt section.
  
  
  Good things about the EyeClops
  
  1. Kids will be fascinated by the 200X magnification, and are likely to spend lots of time looking for objects to view
  2. This is a good learning tool for showing kids what everyday objects look like up close. Hair, skin, salt, coins and banknotes, magazines, cloth and carpets are good examples, as are ants, fruit flies, shells and leaves. You can actually see fibers in cloth, and hair and follicles in skin.
  3. Great gross out fun when disgusting objects appear on your TV screen
  
  
  Bad things about the EyeClops
  
  1. The object for examination needs to be very close to the bionic eye, touching the lens attachment
  2. You can only view objects in the proximity of the TV, up to the length of the cord.
  3. Sometimes the image appears fuzzy and adjustments have to be made to get it into focus
  4. Some colors view better than others
  5. Once the batteries start running down you get lines through the image and discoloration
  6. If you're using this with your kids - DON'T LET THEM SEE A CLOSE-UP OF YOUR SKIN. This device clearly illustrates the aging process, and the difference between young skin and ummm older skin is very apparent. Unless you want them laughing at you for years to come, don't show your epidermis without a fight.
  
  
  A cool educational toy for kids with a little parental guidance required.
  
  
  
  Amanda Richards, December 24, 2007
  
  
  
• Black and white image only
  By A1E4IT987FJ2ON on 2007-11-25
  Got this item with bonus stand. I expect to see some color images on my TV, however, after changing batteries, switching to other large monitors, still frustrated black and white image. My six-year-old boy loves it, but was soon tired of black and white signal. Cable is about 4 feet long, I need to put a TV in kid's room to make it work. Overall experience is ok, however, black-and-white image (compared to the color image on package) makes me decide to refund it.
  
  
• Jakks EyeClops Bionic eye
  By A1Y6KT49ZM3Q3Z on 2007-10-21
  I purchased this toy for my granddaughters 5th birthday. She with the aid of her father are having a lot of fun with it. She is a smart girl and her parents think this is a very educational toy. They live 1400 miles away so I haven't seen the actual toy but so far have received good reports.
  
  
• Easy to put together, it just pugs in and you are ready to go.
  By A1EBIKAWJ5WO74 on 2007-11-16
  I got the Jakks EyeClops Bionic Eye for my 8 year old son, he likes microscopes and science and this was perfect for him. This was really much more fun for him than a microscope, the EyeClops plugs in any television and is easy to use. I was surprised you can't plug it into an outlet. I'm not sure how long the batteries will last, but I know I will need a large supply since he's been playing with it for a few days now.
  My younger son likes it too, this was a great gift and so far the kids really love it.
  Easy to put together, it just pugs in and you are ready to go.
  
  
  
  
• POOR RESOLUTION
  By A3V4NXSSK0L3RA on 2007-11-01
  If this were a computer product it would be worthwhile. It is such a poor camera and on a TV it looks terrable. I took it back for a refund.
  
  
• Eduactional AND Fun!
  By A36L30RLT0FJ3Q on 2007-11-26
  This is the only toy I've gotten for my son he still plays with, most toys he tires of after only a few days(or hours). There's no shortage of things to find to view under the Eyeclops either which adds to it's extended "replay" value. You really can't go wrong with this toy for a Christmas present, we couldn't wait so we gave it to him early... OK maybe because we were anxious to play with it too :) I don't know what the person was talking about with the "black and white" images problem was talking about, these images are pretty nice(and in color). Maybe they should send theirs back and buy another one before they're sold out...
  
  
• Actor from Eyeclops Commercial Loves it
  By A7FC1YUQGVKYQ on 2007-12-03
  Back in July, I shot the EYECLOPS commercial with three kids and a dog. I was the man at the end looking at his bald spot with the toy. I didn't know at the time that this toy would be so fun. The owner of Jakks Pacific gave me an EYECLOPS and ever since I have had a great time with it. The only sad thing is that I will be giving it to my nephew and niece for Christmas and won't have it anymore.
  
  It isn't Thomas and it doesn't have a Princess on it, but for once, a toy like this will actually go beyond being a fad and teach kids without them even knowing it.
  
  Austin Brooks
  
  
• Incredible Eye
  By A1EAWI9GFBBO5C on 2007-11-28
  The eyeclops exceeded my expectations. I got this for my kids age 6 and 9, but I probably play with it more. Bugs are phenomenal to view. The clarity of the picture is amazing. I think some reviewers may not have grasped how to focus, but it is actually quite easy. The eyeclops is focused by screwing the round eyepiece and you can easily adjust it for skin, clothing, coins, etc. This is a great way to learn and have fun. I saw a big white fuzzy catapillar walking into work and I almost grabbed it to view under the eyeclops. Super cool!!!
  
  
• magnifying your world
  By A2SFROW1QUIY88 on 2007-12-02
  Be prepared for your child to spend hours looking at everything he can find. This is an easy to use magnifier for everyday items. Since it only magnifies 200X, it is not meant for bacteria and very small items but is a great introduction to the microscopic world. Our 4 year old got it for his fourth birthday and uses it for hours on end.
  
  
  
  
• Forget the kids, *I* can't stop playing with it!
  By A2WNXS3CNAQS01 on 2007-12-28
  My mother got this for my 4.5 year old this year on my recommendation. I am very impressed.
  
  The design is simple. The eyeclops unit has the eye, a "brain" power pack which takes 5 AA batteries, and a cord which plugs into the yellow composite input on your TV, all connected (the cord doesn't come off, so it can't be lost). The white part of the eye - the "iris" they call it, screws on and off of the unit itself, allowing you to adjust the focal length of whatever you are putting the eyeclops up against. The idea is that you put the eyeclops in direct contact with what you want to look at and adjust the "iris" to focus it. It also comes with a petrie style dish and a tube you can use to look at liquids and other messy things.
  
  The picture is amazing for a gadget like this. I hooked it up to my 1080p 52" HDTV and was very happy with the images, though that size TV is perhaps slightly large for the resolution it outputs, its certainly quite viewable. It looks equally cool on my 32" CRT.
  
  Operationally speaking, its easy to use, there is only one button - on/off, but it does take a gentle touch to find the right distance for the camera to focus, as it has a fixed focal length. However, as an adult I had no problem doing this, my 4.5 year old does not have the fine motor skills to do this well, however, from the look on her face and the long list of things she keeps bringing to look at it, its not a big deal that she needs my help with it. If you do buy this for a preschooler, be prepared to play cameraman.
  
  Technicalities out of the way, the concept is soooo cool. I played with it for 2 hours by myself when I first hooked it up! The magnification is amazing, I can see individual hairs on my cheek, fibers on my arm I can't tell are there, the individual fibers (not threads) that make up my sofa, etc. A great tool for talking to the kids about how things are made up, and to allow them to explore their world. My childhood self is seriously jealous. We have had a blast finding different things to look at and my 2 year old now says 'Ew GROOOOOSSSS!' every time.
  
  I uploaded some pictures to check out.
  
  
• Jakks EyeClops Bionic Eye Stinks!
  By A21DP3TNFU6NJ0 on 2007-12-11
  After watching the video I was very excited for my three sons to use this as they are Science freaks! The product is a waste of money as as hard as they try, they can not focus it nor can I.
  
  I am so sorry I wasted my money.
  
  Do not buy this product.
  
  
• EyeClops is the Greatest !
  By A6P9YZZPB0G0B on 2007-12-09
  What a great toy ! I cant say enough about how this unique toy thrills kids of all ages that play with it. As for the adults , we just sat around and watched the kids play with it and laughed. They were having such a great time.
  This toy was EASY to use , easy to set up for my 9yr old. Younger children may need help installing the batteries and plugging in the cable , but I doubt it. It is recommended for 6-12 yr range.
  I got a good laugh out of the negative comments for this product. There are always a few that gripe about a product when they arent bright enough to use it.
  3 Cheers for a toy that promotes curiosity , and thought !!
  
  
• Does not connect!
  By A29MK2DVIZGYS3 on 2007-12-09
  The EyeClops is a great idea for a toy, and it seems as if many people are enjoying it. However, to enjoy it, you first have to connect it to your TV -- and we have been completely unable to do that. (I should add that we are not technologically incompetent, and are normally unfazed by any kind of A/V challenge.)
  
  We have two TVs -- both older models -- and the EyeClops didn't show up on either one. So we took it to our next-door neighbor, who has two splashy new TVs, exactly the kind shown on the box for the EyeClops. It didn't work with her TVs either. Then we took it to yet another neighbor, and it didn't work with HIS. After five unsuccessful attempts, I'm giving up and returning it to the store!
  
  
• More than just a toy!
  By A3IA56NEF77W34 on 2007-12-06
  I bought this for my grandson's birthday. He was really kind of young to appreciate it very much, he had just turned 4. He had toy trucks and tractors and stuff that got most of his attention. I was rather disappointed in my gift buying skills and even thought about getting him something else, and using the EyeClops for myself. This thing is incredible. I run an automotive repair shop and could see many uses for it with it's 200X magnification. Anyway, the next day I got a call from my daughter telling me that the EyeClops was a major hit! See said that her husbands parents had come by and they had started playing around with it, and then some neighbors showed up. They too were amazed and asked if they could invite over some of their friends. She said before she new it, she had a house full. Who knows what all they were looking at, but everyone was amazed. Only reason it didn't get 5 stars on everything, is because it's plastic design does not lend itself to young kids. I'd say 6 or 7 would be about the starting point...going up to 100 years old!
  
  Mark
  
  
• EXACTLY as advertised! EASY! AWESOME!
  By AN37AH2DV8FHR on 2007-12-16
  My husband and I just presented this to our 7 year-old for his Birthday. We read many of the reviews on here prior to our purchase, and all we can say is that several of these reviews people gave on here are very inaccurate. It was probably one of the easiest toys to get going that our son received for his birthday. Pretty simple, plug and play! The example pictures on the package (for example, salt, looking like ice cubes) are exact. Focusing is not a problem either. Pretty simple, place the eye directly over or on top of an object, and if needed, turn the focus, and that's it. A steady hand is NOT that necessary either. The colors and clarity on our TV are awesome! The resolution is AWESOME! I think any negative reviews found on here are by people who expected multi-thousand dollar CSI like microscope technology for $40. What you get is an amazing toy for $40. One note, we found our best results when plugging directly into the video input of the TV, as opposed to going through a DVD or VCR. Our 7 year old has had no problems! And we love it too!!
  
  
• Superb Product!!
  By A2VUDOU3LVQ5BE on 2007-12-11
  I bought this toy for my 4 year old son. I took it out of the box, set it up to the tv and my son went to exploring different things in the house. Everything he could find to bring out and explore up close. He checked out everything from his own skin and hair to pennies and carpet. He uses this thing still. If a 4 year old can use without any further assistance, I think anyone can!! This toy magnifies so close to your skin you can even see veins through your skin if the veins sit up high, not deep down ones. very cool educational toy!!
  
  
• Lets Go Kill a Butterfly and Look at it!
  By A179IR0XI0W1G0 on 2007-12-13
  I bought one for my 6 year old nephew, Aydan. I actually saw him exploring for stuff all over the house and yard to look at. My only qualm is that it's one of those toys that's only fun to play with after the first few days. I mean, how many times can you look at your skin. That's unless you go catch and kill a butterfly.
  
  Holy Sh**! The list of junk you can look at are endless! Anyways, to the point, I was over at my sister's house awhile back and my newphew looked like he really enjoyed the Eyeclops, so I actually bought one for myself.
  
  It was one of those impulse buys when I was on Amazon looking for some cheap books. I always get suckered into this type of stuff, especially when Amazon displays neat junk on the front page by using a special tracking scheme that reels you into buying more junk that you're interested in but probably don't really need.
  
  I'm 25. When I throw parties, I have the Eyeclops out. Yes, that's strange and presumably nerdy, but when people get plastered enough, no one can resist looking at stuff magnified 200x on a 56 inch plasma screen. All I can say is that it gets really creative and silly, sometimes dirty, at times artsy fartsy, and for the most part, pretty ridiculous...
  
  
• Awesome!
  By A2WE93LJX8PMT1 on 2007-12-13
  This is a great toy! My son received this as a birthday gift and we opened it right away. The entire family (over 10 members) sat in front of the TV saying, "oh, look at this," "no, try this!" We had a great time. In fact my poor 11 year old son didn't get to enjoy it in the first hour or so because the rest of us were having such a great time!
  
  
• So simple you don't need instructions -- except you do.
  By A1SK01V9OI597B on 2007-12-18
  We really wanted to like this "toy," purchasing it as a family christmas present for a friend with two small boys. we opened the box and set it up the day before they came, and were glad that we did. First of all, it is so simple to use that they don't include instructions, so of course we couldn't figure out how it worked. the best we were able to accomplish was accidentally seeing the surface (a very tiny portion of the surface) of one of my fingers by accident. Most of the time the TV only showed a blurry image, made worse by the fact that there is no way to steady the thing with a holder of some kind. It comes with a kind of cup device that we never were able to figure out. If you want a toy that will drive you crazy while you try to make it work as advertised, than this is it! We even used a dime and all we saw was a shiny bumpy image on the screen. We had to go out to a toy store the night before we saw our friends and find something else. what a disaster. p.s. I think it could be improved if they cut the magnification, or at least made it adjustable; created a stand for it, and put some instructions in the box.
  
  
• Eye Clops Room 32-2007-2008
  By ATZ66WKK5MNE2 on 2008-01-18
  Our class viewed the eye clops and really enjoyed seeing various objects magnified up to 200X.
  Our entire class, except for one student, really enjoyed the eye clops. We think that this toy is appropriate for boys, as well as girls, ages 5-8. One drawback is the price; Michael feels that $49.99 is a lot for this toy and his parents would only buy it for him for a very special occasion.
  Our class enjoyed looking at Bella's beaded bird; we were able to see very fine details on the bird. In addition, we looked at an eye glass case, our teacher's ring, and our teacher's finger that had a blood clot. We also viewed Spencer's golden coin, Ben's broken finger nail, Thomas' ruler, and Grant's frog, just to name a few things.
  Aidan didn't like the eye clops because he felt that it doesn't give you a clear view of the object you are looking at. He would like the eye clops better if it could give a more precise view. Our class also felt that the wire for the eye clops was very short. This could make it difficult to look at things far away.
  The students in our class had no major concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the eye clops. Overall, we give the eye clops 5 stars. We highly recommend this toy if you want to have a great time and investigate the world we live in.
  
  
  
  
• Not just for Kids
  By A1OXEJL2E29JVY on 2008-03-15
  My family has LOVED this! We love looking at scabs, carpet, vegetables . . . anything we can think of. It's been so fun and so easy to use. Even the adults love using this. We went outside and grabbed a leaf off a tree, and as we were studying it on the eyeclops we found 2 sets of eggs. It was fascinating. It's easy to focus and the detail is amazing. Wish it were cheaper - we would buy them for all of our friends.
  
  
• Great Family Fun!
  By A1R1Y4DXAK3G4T on 2007-12-23
  We received this today as a gift. It kept the whole family (13+ members) entertained for the evening. I have seen some reviews commenting that it was difficult to focus, but my 6 yr old had no problem. I can't wait to bring it in to school for my students. 200X is good enough to see cells...and we used it on snow to finally convince my daughter to stop eating the snow.
  
  
• OK toy; gets old fast.
  By A1GQ4I3COTTC2L on 2008-01-05
  7 year old daughter got this from Santa. It was fun for about 30 minutes at a time for two days, then she forgot all about it. Once we viewed fingers, fabric, dogs, etc. she was pretty much done with it. I think it's overpriced a bit as well. It does work well; the images are just what you expect from the ads. Seems durable enough and is very easy to set up. Just not that entertaining for us.
  
  

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