Alex Deluxe Pottery Wheel with AC Adapter

by Alex Toys

Product Features

• Your child can become a pottery pro with a real pottery wheel and a variety of included tools
• Electric foot pedal makes the pottery wheel really spin
• No batteries are required as this comes with an AC adapter
• Mould, shape, sculpt, and paint your own pot or vase
• For ages 8 and above

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 18.2 x 13.7 x 3.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000BNC8NS
• Item model number: 168N
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 - 13 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,198 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Your child can become a pottery pro with a real pottery wheel and a variety of included tools! Mould, shape, sculpt, and paint your own pot or vase! When you're done, the clay will air dry overnight. Electric foot pedal makes it so the wheel really spins! This comes with an AC adapter.

Product Description

Your child can become a pottery pro with a real pottery wheel and a variety of included tools! Mould, shape, sculpt, and paint your own pot or vase! When you're done, the clay will air dry overnight. Electric foot pedal makes it so the wheel really spins! This comes with an AC adapter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

147 of 151 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not so great, December 28, 2007

By 

S. Leigh Whitaker "GadgetLover" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alex Deluxe Pottery Wheel with AC Adapter (Toy)

I got this pottery wheel for my daughter for Christmas. I have a real pottery wheel and she wanted her own so she could do pottery with me. Being used to a real wheel, I had fairly low expectations for this toy, but my daughter was so excited about it I went ahead and got it anyway. Even with low expectations I was a bit disappointed in the product.

The wheel is very cute, but a flimsy (and loud). There is a covered slot on the tray. I'm not sure what it's for, but it keeps coming off. The wheel head is made out of orange plastic and slips over a hexagonal metal shaft attached to the motor. After using the wheel only one time, the plastic that slips over the metal shaft is already starting so show signs that it might crack.

If you have used a real pottery wheel you know that centering the clay is the first step. There is no way you could center even a tiny amount of clay on this wheel. The motor just isn't strong enough. The toy comes with a device that is supposed to center the clay for you. It is a small cup that you attach to the wheel, fill with clay and then remove. This is problematic, because the clay wants to stick to the cup and not the wheel. I ended up having to take the cup off the wheel and force the clay out, then stick it back down on the wheel and just try to get it as centered as possible. I can see this causing a lot of frustration for my daughter (and me).

The toy also comes with some tools for shaping the clay. We haven't actually tried them yet, but I did mess around with them. There is a arm that attaches to the base and holds the shaping tools. The plastic screws that hold the tools onto the arm do not seem to stay fastened in place. Maybe they will actually work when we try them on clay, but I am doubtful.

The wheel has a pedal that turns the wheel on and off. When I was using it it wouldn't turn off when I took my foot off. My daughter, however, didn't seem to have this problem, so it may be that I was pressing it too hard.

Even with all the negatives, I have to say that my daughter loved it. She's bugging me constantly to set her up to do some more pottery. Oh, just one more thing... if you do end up getting this you might want to order some extra clay. The clay that comes with the wheel is enough to make maybe 4 items.

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worthwhile, January 10, 2009

By 

L. Pryde "Craft Mommy" (Toronto) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Alex Deluxe Pottery Wheel with AC Adapter (Toy)

My daughter and I just finished using her Alex Pottery Wheel. I would not recommend this craft toy. First of all I think it would be impossible for a child to use without assistance. Second, the clay does not stay centered on the wheel and as a result it is impossible to make an even object. The shaping tools are useless. My daughter did not have any fun as she found it very frustrating and needed me to help a lot. If you are thinking Demi Moore in Ghost when you look at this toy - think again! It's frustration level is rivaled only by the Sticker Factory.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More trouble than it is worth, February 9, 2010

By 

Nancy S. Gilbert (Phila, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alex Deluxe Pottery Wheel with AC Adapter (Toy)

I read the mixed reviews on all the pottery wheels and decided to get this one any way since it was one of two things my son asked for for Christmas. Having used real pottery wheels and knowing what they cost, I wasn't expecting much. My son had a great time playing with it at first, even though he couldn't use any of the tools to shape the pots. I tried and found I also had difficulty using them and finally helped him shape them by hand. He loves the pots and tells everyone he made it on a pottery wheel when in reality, we basically used the wheel as a pedestal to work off of. We only used the wheel once.