SmartLab SmartLab Toys Ultimate Secret Formula Lab

Great product interesting Had a slight problem assembling 1 of the valves company was great they sent me a replacement part fast Would definitely work with em again

We received this item as part of the Amazon STEM kits subscription service (which we have really enjoyed). I would probably not have ordered this kit on my own otherwise as I think it looks kind of gimmicky and silly. When we got the kit I was obviously not super excited about this selection but all of the kits I have received before this have been well done, and my 12 year old was actually kind of excited by the packaging on this one.
We finally got it out and set up and got a chance to play with it today. I was actually VERY IMPRESSED with this kit. We had a TON of fun using it and it was actually extremely well thought out, and did a really great job of it’s task – helping kits understand gas and fluid dynamics. Here are some key points to help you decide if this kit is right for you:
* – It does take some time, patience and effort to set it up. The tubes have to form air-tight seals in the containers, so that obviously means you have to push them in forcefully but without smashing them up.
* – It is not the type of kit that you kid is going to get out, set up, play with and put away all by themselves without supervision and assistance. Setup and tear down aren’t horrible, but it is enough that putting it back in the box is kid of a hassle if you plan to use it again soon. This is pretty typical for these kits and sets though, so I wouldn’t consider it a deterrent to this particular kit.
* – This kit adds fun things like baking soda a vinegar to make the whole thing more exciting along with lots of various experiments in the book that could really be done completely without the kit. For example, saturated salt water solution, comparing warm and cold water reacting with food coloring, testing ph, etc. A LOT of the stuff in the book has absolutely nothing to do with the kit itself. That may also seem like a deterrent to the kit. I mean, you don’t actually NEED it to do the water and food coloring thing (you supply both the water and the food coloring), BUT it actually provides a really beautiful place to view the experiment and whole level of fun to later send the water through the various tubes and containers, etc.
* – And that is where the kit really shines! The experiments themselves can certainly be done other ways with stuff I already had (I have a lot of science stuff), like we already have learned about air pressure by using little baby medicine syringes, but doing it with the fun plunger really helped it hit home for my son. Figuring out how to clean and empty the system without a horrible mess is actually the BEST part of this kit. He spent so much time watching the fluid levels in various things, seeing what happened when he opened valves, added water, added more air, etc. Nothing else we have done has been quite as engaging for him in terms of learning about fluid dynamics and air pressure as this kit has.
* – The set is all around well made. You are certainly going to need to help an 8 year old. You are using a plunger on a pressurized system and it is attached in a top heavy way on an awkwardly shaped vertical surface….so, yes, it is a bit fiddly. But all of the pieces work properly and well, that system is air tight when properly assembled and the pieces have help up nicely with decently visible markings, etc. All around it seems very reasonably sturdy – I have not concerns about any of the pieces breaking under appropriate use cases.

This was our toddler’s favorite gift for his 5th birthday. He loves this lab more than any of the Hot Wheels and LEGO kits, and left those sitting in the boxes while he played with this lab for hours. Bath color drops are used to make different color water. This comes with a nice instruction manual that describes many different experiments, but you can also improvise and just play around with the valves and move the water around to different vials. The instructions and chemicals are optional, so I would say this is fun for ages 4+.

A few pieces in the kit were broken and unusable, which was unfortunate. Setup definitely requires adult assistance. I would recommend 8/9+++ on age group for this. After setup there were some experiments my child could complete but most needed assistance. Good hands on learning here, though!