I was not required to post a positive review.
Doesn’t a 3D Pen seem like something way more futuristic than not? I felt like I was in the Jetsons when we started playing with the AtmosFlare 3D Drawing Pen. The kids were even more excited than I was (hard to believe!) and dove headfirst into learning how the pen worked and how to make the things they were dreaming of drawing in 3D. So, what is a 3D pen and how does it work? Let me explain!
3D Pen
The AtmosFlare 3D Pen (sold at Toys R Us, Best Buy, and AtmosFlare3d.com) is a pen that uses special, UV sensitive ink to create fun and unique 3D drawings. The pen itself is very lightweight and comes with a AA battery. The battery in turn powers a small, but powerful UV light stream that hardens the ink as it comes out of the pen. Here’s a quick look at how it worked as my 12 year old created his abstract art design.
There’s a definite learning curve when it comes to getting your designs out of your head and into the air, but it’s a fun process trying!
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE 3D PEN KIT?
Have you ever bought a product and realized that half of the things you need to use it are not included? Thankfully, that’s not the case with the AtmosFlare at all. In fact, they even include a AA battery with the kit! Genius!
In each kit, you’ll receive 1-AtmosFlare 3D Drawing Pen, 1-AA battery, 1-Red Ink cartridge, 1-Blue Ink Cartridge, and tips for drawing. If you have more than one child (or adult) who is planning on trying it, be sure to grab some extra ink cartridges, as the ink does tend to go quickly when you’re all creating your masterpieces. The best place to get them is on the AtmosFlare website itself, as they offer the ink a wide variety of colors.
3D PEN TOP 10 PROS & CONS
Little Miss, the first to use the pen, helped me with the 3D Pen Review pros and cons below. She is a big advocate for the pen and would play with it all the time if we had enough ink to do so. So, here are the pros and cons of the 3D pen that we tested out:
PROS:
- It’s a lot of fun!
- Draws very nicely (Little Miss, Age 8)
- It’s very unique.
- It’s great for art class and a great tie-in for lessons on technology, art history, and light. That’s a huge bonus for any homeschooling mom!
- It’s very good for if you’re into building sculptures. (Little Miss, Age 8)
- Great price for the refill ink and the pen itself.
CONS:
- It’s hard to use if you’re little. (Little Miss, Age 8)
- The ink is very sticky, so be sure to use it only on a disposable surface like a paper plate or piece of construction paper. This was surprising to us and we initially were drawing on the tabletop…bad move. We’re still picking ink off of the table. The extreme stickiness also made it next to impossible to move the drawings after they were done.
- The ink runs out quickly and refills are not always easy to come by.
- The drawings are not actually in mid-air like we thought they would be. You have to draw starting on a hard surface. (Little Miss, Age 8)
Overall Rating Given by the Kids: 8/10
Overall Rating Given by Mom: 7/10 – Only because the ink is hard to acquire and so, so sticky.
For even more 3D drawing fun, join AtmosFlare for an Instagram Challenge from February 22nd through March 6th where they’ll be doing three additional drawings for prizes!
If you try out the AtmosFlare 3D Drawing Pen, let us know! We’d love to know how you liked it!
Be sure to follow AtmosFlare on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!