Customer Reviews

Hoberman Mini Sphere Expaning Universe Glow

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We bought one small sphere and it's been the favorite toy of my nephews age 3 & 11. It's also amazed my almost 17 year old son. It's a stress reliever and entertainer all rolled into one. It hangs up, plays catch, spins on the floor to open and close and if you start at the top of the stairs with it closed by the time it gets to the bottom it's open. It's amazing. We find new things it will do every day. We just ordered our second one for my nephews and will soon be ordering the large sized one for my 17-year-old. Maybe he'll give me the small one to take to work. Well worth the price for the hours it has occupied my nephews.

Check out the full-size ones, they're more fun and educational. This one is more of a Hoberman 'cube' than 'sphere', and it hardly expands in size at all. Get one of the full-size ones if you can afford it, they're way better. They expand to 3x their size, and you can actually do things with them like wear them, little kids can climb through them, and you can make a hanging mobile with them (there's a kit included, cool!). But if you make the mobile, it's permanent. Anyway, to you that thought this one was so amazing, the big one will seriously blow your mind, it makes the little one seem totally lame in comparison.

I have shared the sphere with Talented and Gifted students, 5th-12th grade, and each grade level clamors to have a turn with it! Great as a kinesthetic activity for the student who needs to have busy hands. Great to use to imagine how the technology could be used in real-life settings. Very durable--will withstand much pressure and pulling! We have the rainbow mini sphere, but am seriously considering up-grading to the larger size. The box provides good additional information, including a very informative web-site for related information.

After all of the things I had heard about this, and other reviews, I expected a really great office toy. But it's not. Ok, that it expands is cool -- but it doesn't expand very much, so there is no real "Wow!" kind of surprise. There is some fun in opening and closing it -- but no more (and maybe a bit less) than with a Slinky(tm).

So, it's a bit of fun but not a whole lot. Best as a decoration that you will rarely pick up and use.

I put Hoberman's Sphere on my desk at work and everyone that stops by has to open it up and have a look. It's construction is endlessly fascinating, an amazing puzzle. More information about its construction and the mathematics behind it should have been included on the box, however. And speaking of puzzles, it ought to be offered as a construct-it-yourself puzzle/kit. Detailed instructions would definitely be necessary.

When looking for a gift for a child with autism or sensory issues this is one item that is sure to delight. Also suitable for an office buddy. This might pinch little fingers though.

Some may say they have a difficult time finding items for special needs kids to give for holiday gifts or birthday presents.

This will expand from 5 ˝" to 12". The texture is very different and actually not pleasant for me due to having eczema on my hands. I feel it irritates my skin, but luckily both my sons have played with the Hoberman® Mini Sphere™ since I introduced it to them.

The Hoberman® Mini Sphere™ consists of black and neon green hubs. They can be snapped in place to keep the circled shape so you can roll it along the floor. We enjoyed the glow-in-the-dark effect by entering the bathroom and turning off the lights to see the magic.

The Hoberman® Mini Sphere™ almost resembles a miniature holiday tree in the upright position. This will stand flat and returns to this position after being opened. I had my non-verbal autistic son sit in front of me on the floor as I demonstrated the opening and closing sequence to the Hoberman® Mini Sphere™. This is quite mesmerizing to watch and it has a sound effect of the hubs flicking one another during this process.

This is a great stress buster for your desk at work or the home office and a fun crowd pleaser at a party. Since this is also glow-in-the-dark it would be good for outdoors in the summer time.

My older son liked to place his hand inside and twirl the Sphere around. The price is a bit steep, but it has stayed in great condition thus far.

I keep one of these on my desk and it's great for when you want to do something with your hands while you're thinking. It even makes trips around the office, because other people borrow it to use while they're brainstorming. When you've got writer's block or are trying to puzzle out a difficult problem, it's better than a squeezy for working out your thoughts.

After seeing this toy in the mall, I just had to order it from Amazon for my daughter. It's like a toy you can't put down and figuer out. It's simply amazing how he designed and fit all the pieces together. An architects dream, a childs wonder! After 6 months, we still enjoy picking it up, rolling it and watching it collaps and expand.

Great innovative toy - hang it, throw it, hang action figures in it. There is no end to what young and older kids will do with it. LOVE this toy!

We have 4 kids in our house and every time we saw this in a toy store, they played with it. I gave it to them on a Friday and by Monday night, it wouldn't collapse any more. They did have fun pulling on it and rolling it around, but it is not made to handle the tug of war games my 3 and 4 year olds put it through. It's fairly expensive for a toy that just opens and closes and isn't very durable. I don't see how people can say it's educational except to teach colors. It's like saying a ball or a slinky is educational. I wouldn't recommend this toy to a family with active children.