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France
1 Level
699 Review
75 Karma

Review on 🎡 UGears Hurdy Gurdy: Unleashing Musical Magic Through Mechanical Self-Assembly by Joshua Follansbee

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Works and looks great! But.

I made one for my sister about a year and a half ago. He ran well and played well. but when I came to visit her, I found that the chewing gum was drying out and breaking. YOU CANNOT replace them without breaking your neck! (strips below left) So I bought a second one and intentionally cut off the grommets attaching the neck to the body and instead drilled holes and used a 3" peg on each side to attach the neck to the body. NOW it can be repaired if necessary. These types of patterns should be designed to become elastic again. I've made over 60 models (more I think I'm losing count). All trains, cars, trucks, big rigs, etc. will all be a nightmare to replace tapes. Rubber bands last about a year before drying out and breaking. My models are rarely used so they just sit on the shelf but when I pick them up later and try to use them I find that the straps just break. I've replaced many of them and some of them aren't that bad, but some require disassembly and can break in the process. I really wish the engineers would remember that those rubber bands need replacing and design them with that in mind. It would also help Ugears sell more of these devices. When people come to my house and see all my models, they fall in love with them. Then when you show them how it works and tease them, the streaks break and it's embarrassing and makes this company look stupid. (me too). It will take more effort and time and possibly cost more to make them editable in the future, but it will be worth the cost and will be the main selling point. They will be passed down to my children and should last for many, many years, but they will not. No one but me would have known how to rip and replace these rubber bands so that they become a static, non-functioning work of art. it's a shame.

Pros
  • Great for outdoor activities
Cons
  • Bad experience