Ugears - Mechanical Box

I just purchased UGears Mechanical Box for my office desk. The instructions and pieces are excellent except for the TOOTHPICKS which are used as the shafts. The toothpicks are too fragile and fail easily. After assembling the piece, the toothpicks kept failing after I pushed the small lever to open the box lid. After replacing the toothpicks twice where the small gear connects to box, I tried to place the main framework back in place, but this time it snapped in two.This is a great concept, but the toothpick shafts make it a poor choice as a gift. The item will fail after a few uses. The sad thing is I also bought the train as a Christmas for someone and now am concerned it will fail as well.

I purchased the business card holder and love it. It is a crowd-pleaser for sure. It was shipped very securely and arrived quickly and with no broken pieces. The instructions are easy to follow once you get the hang of the assembly icons. There is no narrative; but very understandable diagrams and pictures. The model pieces are laser-cut on very high quality plywood. The quality and accuracy are superb. I was a little nervous about punching the pieces off of the plywood plate (afraid of them breaking) but there was no problem separating them out. The laser cutting is so accurate, there were no mis-fits. If you are a model maker, this is an easy build. If not, it will take a little patience and imagination, but very doable. The end product is just plain outstanding. ... MoreI purchased the business card holder and love it. It is a crowd-pleaser for sure. It was shipped very securely and arrived quickly and with no broken pieces. The instructions are easy to follow once you get the hang of the assembly icons. There is no narrative; but very understandable diagrams and pictures. The model pieces are laser-cut on very high quality plywood. The quality and accuracy are superb. I was a little nervous about punching the pieces off of the plywood plate (afraid of them breaking) but there was no problem separating them out. The laser cutting is so accurate, there were no mis-fits. If you are a model maker, this is an easy build. If not, it will take a little patience and imagination, but very doable. The end product is just plain outstanding. I've already ordered another.

The Etui Box was bought as a gift for a friend. However, at the same time, I also bought the Safe kit. I put it together over a weekend, and I love it. The locking mechanism works perfectly with the default code. It was a challenge getting some pieces into almost inaccessible places, but fun anyhow. I am now working on the truck, UGM-11. It,too, is quite a challenge, but so far, so good.

Box arrived in good condition but interior puzzle pieces or boards were warped when received. This was disappointing as the box will not open and shut on its own as shown in the videos. Puzzle went together well but larger warped pieces affect the operation of the peace. End result is beautiful but not exactly as depicted with its operation.

We first came in contact with UGears at a toy fair. We were amazed by the products and we played with them. Price was too high for us at that time to make a purchase. A year later, my husband suggested we buy the Mechanical box for our offices. I purchased two. I was excited to open the box and start putting it together. Immediately I realized how difficult it is to put this together. I broke a few toothpicks from trying to fit it into a very long and tight hole. I had to take everything apart and build around toothpick so I don't have to push it in a hole. That created another problem. I was not able to get the end piece of wood to fit since the toothpick expands the structure. I had to find a rubber band to tie everything together and fir the last piece in. When ... MoreWe first came in contact with UGears at a toy fair. We were amazed by the products and we played with them. Price was too high for us at that time to make a purchase. A year later, my husband suggested we buy the Mechanical box for our offices. I purchased two. I was excited to open the box and start putting it together. Immediately I realized how difficult it is to put this together. I broke a few toothpicks from trying to fit it into a very long and tight hole. I had to take everything apart and build around toothpick so I don't have to push it in a hole. That created another problem. I was not able to get the end piece of wood to fit since the toothpick expands the structure. I had to find a rubber band to tie everything together and fir the last piece in. When at last, I put everything together. It worked just a few times then one of the toothpicks bend under the pressure of the motion and broke. I was very disappointed.

Fun to Build with a Suggestion

Fun and simple to build. The trick is to lightly scrape to toothpick axles with the sharp edge of a knife, then sand smooth and wax them before assembly. By slightly reducing the diameter of the axles they're much easier to assemble. I'm going to buy another to make for a gift.

Hoping 4 Joy

The Moving Card Holder Kit will be absolutely perfect for my husband to both enjoy assembling AND to then display as pride of place on his office desk. As an Engineering Professor he will be able to offer his business card with inspirational flair to bright prospective students and their parents, esteemed colleagues, and captains of industry! I will definitely look forward to his opening the gift, to see him enjoying the task of assembling (yes, there are more than a few people who do enjoy this kind of challenge), and then hopefully hearing of many people inspired by engineering.

Love Love Love!

I LOVE IT! Only broke one axle (toothpick) while constructing it and they give plenty of extra. Instructions were good, though there was one piece that had to be flipped rather than rotated that gave me a good 5 minutes of frustration. Wax is definitely highly suggested, but otherwise everything needed comes in the kit. Can't wait to get a different kit to put together.

Patience and Finesse Required

I assembled this for my 7 year old grandson as a Christmas gift. He really likes it and was excited to discover how all of the parts worked together. It took me about 2 hours to assemble it. You really have to pay attention to the orientation of some parts as you assemble it. The instructions are clear, and the parts I assembled incorrectly were my own fault for not paying close attention. There were times when I thought I would break parts fitting them together. It definitely takes patience and a little finesse. I chose this Ugear model to start with because it looked like the easiest of their product line. I had some binding on the axles (toothpicks) even though I used wax as suggested in the instructions. I disassembled the gears and opened the holes up slightly ... MoreI assembled this for my 7 year old grandson as a Christmas gift. He really likes it and was excited to discover how all of the parts worked together. It took me about 2 hours to assemble it. You really have to pay attention to the orientation of some parts as you assemble it. The instructions are clear, and the parts I assembled incorrectly were my own fault for not paying close attention. There were times when I thought I would break parts fitting them together. It definitely takes patience and a little finesse. I chose this Ugear model to start with because it looked like the easiest of their product line. I had some binding on the axles (toothpicks) even though I used wax as suggested in the instructions. I disassembled the gears and opened the holes up slightly on the housing using a small drill bit and a pin vise. I waxed the holes a second time and re-assembled. It works flawlessly. I understand that some expect this to be "plug and play" out of the box, but even when I build plastic models there are parts that I drill, file or sand to get a better fit. That's part of the fun for me when building models. If this is your first experience building a model, it may frustrate you a little. Patience. Finesse. You'll get there and it will work when you're done. This was my first model from Ugear and I enjoyed the build. I'll be ordering additional models in the near future.

well made product!

I absolutely love this product! Well made, easy to follow instructions. Cool little gadget! Works very well, and includes lots of spare parts. Box comes with 2 optional walls. 1 for Business cards (easy to grab) and 1 for storing stuff (locked box). These can be changed at will. I was impressed with the details and how well this worked when assembled. Its a bit pricey, but it is a well "built" item.