You may have seen 3D pens making their way onto the market, as there was a fair amount of hype when they first arrived. 3Doodler offer a range of 3D pens and claim to be the best on the market right now, but now we have been able to get hold of one to try out, to see what all the hype is about, how easy it is to use and whether or not it’s a gimmick. 3Doodler offer three types of 3D pens, a beginner, intermediate and pro pen, so were talking kids having fun, up to professionals building their creations. We got the mid ranged 3Doodler Create to try out.
The starter and create pens are very similar but if you are wondering what makes the pro to top dog, here is what 3Doodler had added/improved. “Our Pro pen has been enhanced with dial-controlled temperature and speed settings, built-in variable fan, and the widest range of materials available on the market, including wood, metal, nylon, and polycarbonate.”
Before I open the box, what is a 3D pen? In its simplest term, it’s a device shaped like a pen, that heats plastic to a malleable temperature, released at the tip of the pen and hardens almost instantly, to create a 3D object. Remember the heated glue guns at school? Made a real mess? A bit like that!
Inside the box is the 3Doodler Create pen, power adaptor, quick-start guide, instruction manual, plastic strands (2 packs) and tools for cleaning, nozzle removal, and temperature adjustment. The pen itself, looks and feels like a pen, on steroids, as it’s a little chunkier than your typical Bic. It’s lightweight, comes in a variety of colours and has two buttons that you control it with.
The pen is very easy to use. Simply turn it on, wait for the red light to turn blue, indicating it’s up to temperature, insert coloured plastic, hit ‘fast’ or ‘slow’ and the malleable plastic comes out. There are two temperature settings, high and low, but high is recommended for every day use. There are also two speeds, fast or slow, which you can experiment with but you can probably guess what happens. Warning! The pen tip gets extremely hot, so avoid touching it at all costs. This does not apply to the 3Doodler start (kids version), which is does not have a hot tip.
Your imagination is the only thing holding you back with this pen. If you can think it, you can doodle it in 3D…or at least try. The applications are endless. It can be a fun thing to play in your bedroom or some professions can use it to create models / prototypes. It does take some getting used to and I would recommend reading the instructions, as it offers tips and tricks to help you out.
Dont judge me, I was never that good at Art in school!
There are a number of accessories you can purchase, including step by step guides, so you can create something super amazing, doodle pads, doodle stands, different nozzles, a pedal so you can control the pen without your fingers and also, an array of different colour plastics.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with the pen. I’m not the most artistic of people but it got me thinking and I enjoyed the challenge of perfecting the things I’d made. Prices start from just £35 and are available now. For more info, visit the 3Doodler website.
News Just In!
LONDON – June 20, 2017 – Captain’s Log, Stardate negative 30 57 33.7 – 3Doodler, under license by CBS Consumer Products, has reached the final frontier today by launching a limited edition product offering of Star Trek Crew Edition pen sets. This special Kickstarter ‘Gold’ campaign will offer a limited release of six Star Trek Crew Edition pen sets that pay homage to both Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. All Crew Edition pen sets come with a limited edition 3Doodler Create 3D pen, numbered engravings, an additional pack of plastic, special Star Trek Project Stencils, and a special 3Doodler Star Trek Leather Pouch. Interested? Visit the 3Doodler website for more info and check out the Kickstarter page http://kck.st/2sO8XU2
