Customer Reviews

Alex Toys Friends 4 Ever Bracelet Making Kit

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I have 3 daughters ages 9, 10, and 12. They have tried making bracelets before and got bored very fast. Not the case with this item. They have had it for over a month now and are still creating bracelets. I have had to purchase more string for them but the foam discs have held up very well. They have also learned different patterns and made their own. This is a great rainy day activity even though my girls have sat on the porch on nice days and weaved away. Easy to learn, hard to put down.

Let me just first say that I bought this to make bracelets with my 3 year old daughter. She has been into the simple stringing of beads to make bracelets and I thought this might be fun for her. Not only is it fun for her, its fun for me too. She needed my help for the first bracelet, but now she can make them on her own and they come out perfect every single time. We got this less than a week ago and she has already made over 10 bracelets on her own. I love that it comes with 4 different designs. The only thing I wish was there were additional designs you could buy!! Other than that, this is an awesome product and should it ever need replaced due to wear & tear, I definitely wouldn't mind!

This is so great for all ages! I bought it for my 8 year old girl. I thought it was hard at the beginning, but once you get it, it was a piece of cake! I ended up making bracelets too!! I really reccomend this!

We bought this for our 7 year old daughter for her birthday hoping to interest her in a new hobby that would encourage her creativity (and keep her hands busy). The manufacturer suggests this product for 8-12 year olds and I would generally agree (based on dexterity and attention span). However, some younger children, especially those that have the attention span and can repeat a pattern with their hands fairly reliably, will be able to master this activity. Our 5 1/2 year old daughter has given it a try but needs help every once in a while when she gets off the pattern.

We've noticed that the girls don't have as much problem with the circular looms. However, they've had difficulty getting the bracelets from the square looms to come out uniformly. It seems to be a matter of learning how to keep uniform tension on the floss and weave consistently. Not difficult; it just takes a little attention and practice.

The "suitcase" contains four foam looms (2 square and 2 round); 22 skiens of floss; 2 small containers of beads (clear, and multicolored); a beading needle; and instructions.
* Each loom has two patterns (one on each side) for a total of 8 patterns. The finished pattern design is printed around the center hole of the loom, and the notches are painted with the suggested colors used to create the pattern. It's easy to substitute out colors to create your own color schemes. After several months, we've noticed the paint start to rub off the notches on the foam looms (bound to happen over time). Repainting with nail polish may help though we haven't tried that yet.
* The skiens of floss can get used up pretty quickly (only 22). We've found that the local sewing/craft store sells a pack of 50 skiens for around $10.
* We haven't used the beading needle, so I can't comment there. The beads, however, are the right size for the floss and the kids fingers (bigger than seed beeds, smaller than pony beads). My girls haven't shown much interest in incorporating the beads into their projects. They seem to get caught up in the rhythm of the weaving and forget to use them. I would caution that the container lids don't secure down - they slip right off. I would suggest finding another container with a snug lid or taping the lids down to prevent spilled beads.
* The instructions are fairly easy to follow. As has been mentioned by others, the YouTube videos are helpful, especially for those that learn best by watching others. A ruler for measuring out floss has been printed on the fold-out instructions, so all you really need is a pair of scissors for cutting the floss and a pen/pencil (for creating the first loop).
* We still keep the materials, looms, and supplies in the "suitcase" which has proven to be durable.

As our girls have used the product, we've found that they favor the round looms and bracelets over the square. I think this is largely because (1) the weaving rhythm is more continous on the circular looms, (2) it's easier to keep constant tension on the circular looms, (3) the consistent tension yields a more uniform and finished looking product, (4) the round bracelets are usually faster to complete (our experience has been 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the round bracelets compared to 3 for the flat bracelets), and (5) the girls favor the heart and flower designs produced by the circular looms.

Our girls have had a fun time creating bracelets for friends (boys and girls) and themselves. They seem to enjoy planning out the colors and trying to invent new patterns. I would agree with the reviewers who would have liked to see additional patterns. We've also used the floss to create our own knotted/braided/woven bracelets using patterns we've found elsewhere on the web.

Overall, a fun product that was worth the $17.50 we paid for it!

Gave it to my 9 year old God daughter. She and her friends loooove this one. It is a bonding experience for them. Inspires creativity, sharing and fun times. The price is really good, so there is nothing to loose here. Instructional and enjoyable...and it keeps them busy :)

Well I bought this for my daughter and I to do together. She is age 6 and in no way can do this on her own. But I knew that when I purchased it. However when I opened it up to get started I was thinking yikes, what have I done? So I told her to go play with something else while I took the time to figure it out. After about 30 to 45 minutes I got one started but soon realized there was no way she was going to have the patience to make an entire one by herself. Even I was struggling and finally put it down and told her we would work on it later. Well later may be about 2 years from now when she is older! I still think it is a good toy but definately for older kids and moms with some serious spare time on their hands. All of you crafty gals will probably love it!

My daughter received this kit for Christmas, and has really enjoyed making bracelets. The kits comes with a full rainbox of colors, and the instructions are easy to follow. The addition of beads makes things a little more messy and complicated, but the end result is worth it. A great gift for girls between the ages of 6-15.

I gave this to my daughter for her 8th birthday and she loves it! There is an instructional video on [...] that walks you through the steps to make a friendship bracelet. The video is very helpful and my 8 year old started making her bracelet immediately with very little help. Once the initial setup is on the loom, it makes for a great car trip or plane trip activity :) Every time she finishes a row, she cheers that she can see her bracelet growing.

Both my grand-daughters who are 11 yrs old loved this kit. They made all sorts of bracelets, each one different ones, they used their imaginations, and had fun creating their own jewelries.

First let me admit I too was confused by the instructions. Four languages describing the same process steps and all jammed onto a single page? There is so much noise on the instruction sheet, I completely understand when someone rates this product low for being too difficult. However, once I saw the reference on the sheet to a website (alex toys [dot] com) and the fact there are videos available to show how it is done, my daughter and I went there. In just a few minutes, we watched as a young girl demonstrated how to use the looms. Like an old V8 drink commercial, you will be knocking yourself in the head for how easy this truly is.

From the home page of their site, follow the "Product Instructions" link. The video for the [square] loom is available under the link "Best Friend Bands". The (round) or petal loom instruction video is under the link "Friends 4 Ever".

Though all the bands use the same two weaving styles and you are only varying the pattern of colors, this product is a wonderful way to pull your child's attention away from the TV, iPod, NDS and the refrigerator. It is a great way to keep them occupied in the car on a long trip.

Also, the bands created using the round loom may seem somewhat short and you will think the strings need to be cut longer, know that they have a tendency to <---stretch---> once completed. This is especially true if you keep the strings particularly taut while looming.