Customer Reviews

Alex Toys Sticker Factory Kit

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1 star:		(18)

 

 

My daughter received this as a birthday present. She was very excited to use it. It was easy to set up but frustrating at times to use. You need to place your child's artwork to make into a sticker between the bottom sticker paper and a top clear tape. It then goes between two rollers that adheres the top clear tape over the artwork and onto the sticker paper. The first problem is that you have to cut your artwork out closely and then put it through the maker. After through the maker you have to cut around it again but outside where you cut previously because otherwise you cut off the part that adheres the clear tape to the sticker bottom. Another problem is that as you feed your artwork in they tend to static cling to the clear roll on top and thus not going down the chute to be created into a sticker. I almost always have to stick something down to push the artwork down to where it hits a sticky part. This also seems to create a LOT of excess waist for one little sticker. I can see having to purchase many refills. I happen to have a small Xyron sticker maker for scrapbooking and that is far superior. It isn't marketed to kids so it doesn't have the cool colors etc. that this products concept is much better and less wasteful. The Xyron simply applies sticky to the bottom of your artwork instead of sandwiching it between clear tape and sticker paper. I wanted to return this maker by Alex because of it's many flaws, however, my daughter did not and seems to be very happy with it and uses it frequently. I am just not looking forward to purchasing the many refills it will require.

Don't get me wrong: this is a terrible product. It wastes HUGE amounts of paper, the refills are pricey and hard to find in a store, and you can do the exact same thing at home with laminate sheets. But my daughter LOVES the sticker factory. She has coveted it since age 5 and finally convinced a relative to buy it for her this year (2 years of waiting). She loved every minute playing with it--- even though she used up the paper within a day or two (partly her fault, as she was pulling out more than she needed). Parent happiness: 0. Child happiness: 10.

This does not work. We wasted 1/2 a roll of sticker tape trying to feed it through the slot. The cutter doesn't work either. It gets hung up on the tape. This was the biggest waste of $.

This product is a solution in search of a problem. For a whole lot less you can just use package sealing tape*. The product was difficult to assemble and use. We definitely had to watch the online video to figure out basic usage, and other reviewers tips about loading tape, etc is dead on. This thing is a pain in the butt.

Also, it's incredibly wasteful. If your child isn't making a whole series of stickers at once you have a 2-3 inch waste piece before the first sticker actually emerges. There's no way we've found to avoid that.

Seriously, this thing sucks, and we are sorry we let our daughter put it on her holiday/birthday wish list.

*DIY stickers:
Materials needed: Package sealing tape, freezer paper, images/drawings (glue stick, nylon pot scraper helpful)
1. Lay down a sheet of freezer paper, SHINY side UP. (this will be your backing paper)
2. Stick down a length of package sealing tape (this will be the sticky back of the sticker)
3. Cut out the image you want to use as your sticker; be sure it is a little narrower than the width of your tape.
4. Lay the image down on top your strip of tape. (use a small amount of glue stick on the back of the image if you need it to stay put for the next step)
5. Cover with another strip of package sealing tape.
6. Rub firmly with your fingers to seal, or use a nylon pot scraper as a burnishing tool.
7. Cut out your sticker, being sure to leave a border around the edges to make sure it stays sealed.

Alex toys are usually a hit in our household, but this item was a big disappointment. It is very difficult to line the paper up and to use in an efficient manner (you end up wasting the sticker paper to create any one sticker). A lot of adult help is necessary to make the stickers. I would not recommend this product.

I did read the reviews of this product before purchasing. I would now agree with the majority of reviewers. This product is difficult and your labors will be fruitless after spending way to much time and effort. NOT a wise decision to buy this, it is not worth it.

This thing doesn't work even remotely. My husband and I tried over and over to get this thing to work: it just plain doesn't. A huge waste of money, and I can't believe they make refills since it doesn't work so why would you ever refill it? Don't waste your money.

Doesn't work in the least.

After having watched the video instructions on YouTube.com 20 times, I'm pretty sure that it's set up correctly. The video on the AlexToys.com website doesn't work well; it seems to be made in some strange video format that doesn't let you pause and replay without constantly going back to the start, and the play buttons disappear when Full Screen view is chosen. It's hard to follow the video and written instructions because the images are not crisp and not always close-up, so that you can't see the details.

It's hard to stick pictures in to make stickers, the rollers don't work well, the papers constantly get stuck, and the cutter only works in one direction. Save your money and your and your kid's frustration.

My 4-year, sticker-loving daughter received this toy as a birthday present. It took close to an hour trying to figure out how to align it just right and lots of wasted sticker. The previous review describes the process. (I later discovered discovered they mention on the packaging they have a video on their website of how to do this.) I cannot imagine buying refills. My daughter was in tears trying to peel back the paper and was frustrated since you have to cut around the designs, a skill she has yet to master (for small, detailed designs).

TIP! Go to an office supply store and buy sticker back paper. This way you aren't boxed into small size stickers to meet the dimensions of this toy! I ended up photographing my daughter's favorite stuffed animals, reducing them in size and turning them into stickers.

The quality just isn't there. It even looks crappy like someone used duct tape to make a xeroxed image stick. I would not pay $1 for this toy. It's headed straight--disappointingly--into a landfill once the tape runs out.

Do not buy this product. It is completely frustrating for adults, much less for children.