Spy Gear Spy Listener

by Spy Gear

Product Features

• Electronic listening device picks up sounds up to 30' away
• Sunglasses with cool blue protective UV lenses
• Activation knob to spring sound dish into position
• Automatic volume limiter to protect against very loud sounds

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.5 x 8 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005BXN5
• Item model number: 70039
• Manufacturer recommended age: 6 - 12 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,475 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Editorial Review

Remember that Francis Ford Coppola movie The Conversation, where sound expert Gene Hackman eavesdrops on a clandestine dialogue in San Francisco's Union Square? Okay, nobody's going to confuse Hackman's sophisticated sound equipment with the Spy Listener. For starters, Wild Planet's toy is plastic and powered by one button cell battery (included). For another thing, it's conspicuous, with the telescoping condenser microphone and "sound dish" clipped on to the plastic sunglasses over the left ear. And finally, if Gene Hackman were wearing the Spy Listener and turned his head toward the lovers in the park, he'd hear more of his own breathing and footsteps than anything they had to say. --Tony Mason

From the Manufacturer

Amazon Exclusive. Secretly hear up to 30' away. Sleek micro listening device picks up the faintest sounds. Listening scope springs into position to catch all the action. Spy device easily clips off so sunglasses can be worn alone. Single headphone lets you listen in secret. Automatically limits volume of very loud sounds. Lenses are UV protected and impact resistant.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not functional, but looks cool, December 14, 2004

By 

Jessica Rambin "mom of 6 yr old boy" (Nederland, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spy Gear Spy Listener (Toy)

The sunglasses part of this are supersturdy. My son's have been thrown around, stepped on, and toted everywhere with no durability issues. The hearing device, however, it notably nonfunctional. It seems like it might just be a cheap microphone connected to an earpiece. You have to be really close to something quiet in order to pick anything up. I'd say for whispers you would have to be in the same room or at least near the door of the room. Even then, it would be hard to make out whispers that were very quiet or quick. The worst part is that the batteries are EXPENSIVE and kids NEVER remember to turn it off because the switch is so small and almost hidden. The batteries ran down after about an hour of play and about an hour of sitting in the room before he remembered to go turn them off. By then, they were dead. We replaced, and then the next time he played with them, it happened again. After it happened four times in a row, the microphone part got stepped on and broke to bits. This is a frustrating toy because it looks cool, and might even be worth the price if it weren't so easy to forget to turn off and had a bigger switch that is clearly marked "on" and "off." I couldn't tell if they were on or off without picking them up and sticking the ear piece in. I would spend the money on something better, unless you don't WANT your kids to have strong eavesdropping ability, in which case, this might be the way to go if you can remember to remind them to turn them off when not in use. Storage for these needs to be protective due to the earpiece part being delicate. They can't be thrown in the toy box. They need their own pencil box or other sturdy and small storage container. I would recommend this toy for really responsible seven year olds and most 8-9 year olds. My son was five when he got it, and it lasted about four months. He played with it about 6 times. It was always out of battieries due to the forgetting issue, or he would have played with it more. I was almost relieved when it broke because I couldn't afford the time and money to keep buying the batteries for it. He thought it looked really cool and was very upset about the microphone piece breaking, but he learned a lesson about leaving toys on the floor. It's definitely a toy for responsible kids.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars doesnt work well, June 14, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Spy Gear Spy Listener (Toy)

I go this for my birthday. It works poorly, and i can barely hear any better than i can without it.

48 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a keeper, November 10, 2001

By 

Rick Mechling (New London, Oh USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Spy Gear Spy Listener (Toy)

Just did my Christmas shopping and bought mostly
spy toys for my 9 yr old grandson. I always assemble
and try the toys out first so there won't be any
disappointed kids on Christmas. I really like this toy.
If I were 9 years old again I think this would be one
of my favorite toys. My only concern is the on/off switch,
which is very small. I myself forgot to turn it off for a
few minutes. Luckily, I remembered to check it just before
wrapping it up for Christmas.