I bought this for my 6 year old, he loves using it when he's pretending to play . The two downsides are that 1. It doesn't have a switch so putting it down somewhere or squeezing it to turn it on and off doesn't seem like a big deal as the battery has held up pretty well. 2. The only way to access the battery compartment is by using the special key that comes with the kit. I worry if we lose the key, we're screwed if we have to change the battery!