Vectron Wave – A Gift for Dad?
Vectron Wave
The Vectron Wave from Air Hogs is the kind of toy that I would have been so excited about as a kid. It’s sort of like a hovering UFO. If you put your hand underneath, the Vectron Wave soars higher. I knew when I saw it that there are quite a few dads out there who would think it’s a nifty idea, but does it work as advertised?
When you first take the Vectron Wave out of the box, you’re supposed to charge it on the included charging base (the base takes 6 AA batteries which aren’t included). The Wave is supposed to fly up, then down and then up again so it can calibrate itself. We charged it, turned it on and it flew up to the ceiling. It didn’t come down. It flew around up there, blowing dust off our crossbeams, until it crashed into a wall and onto the floor. It took me a minute to figure out how to use the charger to turn it off (it has to be in charge position, FYI) and in that time it had skidded across the floor, terrorizing my kids. We tried again several times using various methods to turn it on and place it on the floor. Nothing worked… it just continued to stay on the ceiling until it hit an obstacle and came crashing down. I took a closer look at it and realized that some of the foam was missing from the inside (like it had been chopped off), so I don’t know if it started that way, or if it was damaged in the first crash and burn.
We decided to try again with the Wave that was set aside for a giveaway since I had no intention of giving away a toy that didn’t work! The second Wave worked just as it as supposed to. It flew up to our cathedral ceiling and hovered there for a moment before coming down and going up again. It then hovered at about eye level for my husband and I. It was fun to wave our hands, legs or other objects below it to send it soaring toward the ceiling. We then tried playing around with the “catching stick” (a small stick attached to the top that allows you to catch/toss the Vectron Wave without coming in contact with the rotor). We could send the Vectron Wave soaring across the room to be caught by the other person and sent back. Big Guy grinned at me at said, “This is pretty cool.”
For $19.95, the Vectron Wave would make a nice gift for dad, or your favorite hard-to-buy-for tween. Here are my pros and cons:
Pros
- It’s just really neat.
- Comes with a charger base that can also be used to turn off a wayward Vectron Wave.
- Doesn’t take up much space, so it would be fun on a trip to the beach or park.
Cons
- Needs to be recharged frequently.
- Doesn’t fare all that well inside, even in a large room with high ceilings.
- Made out of styrofoam, so it could break if not handled with care.
- Plastic rotor is a bit of a menace for small hands, hair and other sensitive items.
[Please note: I wanted a video of the Wave flying outside, but it’s been breezy and I’m concerned it will fly away, or land in our pool!]
Disclosure: We received a sample for review purposes. There was no promise of a positive review and the opinions contained in this post are mine.
My son just got one for his birthday. Your outside concerns were valid. His “flew away” this morning. He doesn’t even know where it fell. It just kept flying up he said.
That’s too bad, Caryn. It’s definitely a temperamental product. Very cool when it works, not at all cool when it doesn’t!