Customer Rating: - Too weak!
I got this for my daughter for her 7th birthday. She was elated, until she tried to suck up a few bugs. Only the tiniest ones (like aphids and dead flies) were "suckable." She also left it outside one night, which trapped some dirt in it, and it never worked again. I think it should be more durable. I would not buy this, waste of money.

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Customer Rating: - Good Concept, But Weak Suction Makes for a Disappointment
The poor spiders in the basement didn't know what they were in for today. It was more torturous for them than expected though, because the suction on the turbo bug vac wasn't strong enough (even with the extra "turbo" setting on) to pull them into the darn thing. Only the spindly-legged teeny spiders were light enough to get pulled up into the bug vac. Everything else just hunkered down and waited for us to get tired of bothering them.

Per the suggestions of earlier reviewers, I changed the batteries right away. There was a noticeable power difference, but not enough to catch anything larger than a millimeter or two in size. So...the scary-looking tunnel spiders in the basement are still sitting in their lairs awaiting their next meal. So are the fast jumping spiders. And the centipedes. We will have to be content with just a peek at them with our eyes as they flee the flashlight and our curiosity for darker, more obscure corners. At most, the bug vac gave them a brief blow-dry so they'll be at their best for a while.

Great concept in theory (which is why I gave it 3-stars), but the bug vac is not powerful enough to pull in some kinds of bugs unless you "scoop" them up. Doesn't work with insects that cling to rough surfaces or webs. Scooping them up increases the chance that you'll kill or maim them, and that's not supposed to be the point of this educational toy. Too much suction can harm the bug, but too little doesn't catch it at all. I hope they can reach a happy medium in a better product someday. We're back to the ol' glass cup and paper method!

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Customer Rating: - Fun
It's fun to vacuum up bugs and then put them in a bug habitat. The two toys integrate nicely together, as well as a cooperative activity for my girls (5 &3) and me. The suction seems rather weak though, but it might be my batteries, and the 1st one we ordered was broken. Amazon replaced it quickly and we are collecting bugs quickly now!

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Customer Rating: - Fun and educational!
My almost 6 year old son loves this bug vacuum! He saved up his own money for several weeks to buy it. The first thing we (I) sucked up was a black widow - which is something we never woulc have gotten close to otherwise. We looked at it through the magnifiying glass and had the kids draw the shape of the hourglass so that they would know how to recognize them (and stay away from them) in the future.

After we let that go, he sucked up another (harmless) spider and then a fly and got to see the spider catch the fly in it's web. He and my 7 year old daughter were fascinated by the whole thing!