Review: Spy Gear [Wild Planet]

Written on Oct 28, 2009 by RuthJS and filed under Reviews, Wild Planet

Wild Planet has released the new products under their Spy Gear brand, which we saw earlier this year. We reviewed a kit with the Lazer Tripwire, Spy Night Scope, Micro Ear Gear, and Evidence Kit all designed for ages six and up.

Lazer Tripwire

Got valuables or a secret code you need to protect?  The Lazer Tripwire is a “high-tech security system” that uses a red light (not a true laser) and sensors to create an invisible tripwire.  The system is easy to set up with a base that includes swiveling receivers and two sender units, each requiring two AAA batteries. Kids just align the light beam from the sender unit so that it shines into the receiver, wait three seconds, and the unit is armed and ready to go.  If the beam of light is interrupted, a siren will sound alerting you to the presence of an intruder.

Since there’s more than enough noise in my life already, I was worried that the alarm would be loud and shrill.  Fortunately, my fears were not realized and instead of an obnoxious bell, the alarm is lower-pitched and not too loud.  Thus, the toy can stay in the house.  In fact, the whole tripwire system was a total thrill for the kids who tested it for me, and at a cost of $19.99, it’s a real steal (yes, bad pun intended) for me.

Spy Night Scope

A must for any surveillance mission, the Spy Night Scope is essentially a set of binoculars with a red tint to clarify the picture, even in dim light.  While the binoculars are nothing special (though they do have a working focus knob), it’s the pop-up spotlight that makes this toy a hit.  Little spies can illuminate subjects that are close by with a subtle red light, or slide another switch and the center portion of the binoculars lifts to reveal a bright white light.  According to my testers, the dual-light and pop-up action are ”so cool!”  And, frankly, I have to agree.

By the way, since opening the package, I haven’t been able to get the Spy Night Scope back from my 7-year-old son.  He’s spying on everyone and everything in the house.  The dog thinks he’s nuts every time he sneaks into a room and activates the pop-up spotlight.  That’s a lot of joy from a toy that retails at just $9.99.

Micro Ear Gear

Watch what you say!  Wild Planet’s Micro Ear Gear pack has both a light and a listening device that really work.  The Micro Agent Listener has a small microphone attached by a thin wire to an ear bud.  The microphone amplifies sound and can be used to hear around corners while your little spy stays hidden.  Of course, the microphone is not very powerful, but it’s fun just the same and adds to the feeling of being a “real spy.”

This set also comes with the Micro Ear Light.  It’s a stealthy red light mounted on an ear clip that an agent can wear on either ear to provide hands-free illumination.  More handy than any flashlight, this little device will light the way of an agent using the cover of darkness to sneak around.

Retailing at around $10, the Micro Ear Gear set is sturdy enough to withstand little hands and is a lot of fun.  In fact, I had a very difficult time getting these toys back from my testers in order to photograph them.

Evidence Kit

With the popularity of crime dramas on TV these days, it’s hard to say who will have more fun with the Evidence Kit, adults or kids.  An aspiring investigator has everything s/he needs to collect evidence: LED flashlight and UV light that mounts to a 30X microscope, glow-in-the-dark powder, dusting brush, double-sided lifting tapes, tweezers, collection bags, ink pad, ID card, and a handy carrying case with plenty of storage compartments to keep everything organized.  All this, and the kit retails for about $16.

When I opened the kit, I was intrigued, and I quickly set about trying to lift some fingerprints.  Not only were my son and I successful, we also learned that the last person to use the ice cream scoop was my husband, which explains why there was no peanut butter chip ice cream left for me.  Next time I’ll use the tripwire to catch him in the act

Overall, the Evidence Kit has some pretty cool gadgets.  On that note, I should mention that the ink, glow-in-the-dark powder, and UV light are real and should be treated as such.  There are warnings on the instruction sheet not to ingest the ink or powder and not to look directly into the UV light, but I’d also keep this stuff away from furniture and any clothing you really like.  Beyond that, I’d say that Wild Planet has another winner here.

Overall

Wild Planet’s Spy Gear line is really fun and reasonably priced for the young 007 in your life.  Though they weren’t necessarily interested in spying before, I’ve had reports that all of my testers have been found sneaking around their houses keeping an eye on their siblings, parents, and pets since they used the Spy Gear toys.  So, I give these toys high marks for utility, value and longevity of play.

The entire line of Spy Gear is available from Amazon.com.

Editor’s Rating – 5 out of 5 stars – Editor’s Choice

Have a comment about this article? Leave a comment in the KidsTechReview.com forums.