Smartmax Roboflex Plus review
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The SmartMax Roboflex Plus is a great building set that introduces children to in a playful way magnetism and early engineering skills.
With 20 colorful pieces, including flexible rods, kids can build a variety of robots and creations.
In this article I take a look at this set and give my opinion on how good it is to learn from and play with.
- Flexible tubes make it exceptionally fun
- Many creations possible
- Magnets could have been a little stronger
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What we discuss in this comprehensive post:
Overall rating
The recommended age from three years is also correct, because the pieces are large enough and do not contain small parts that could pose a choking hazard.
What really makes this toy stand out is the flexibility of the pieces.
The flexible arms can be folded to make them bigger or smaller, giving kids endless possibilities to customize and experiment with their constructions.
This feature encourages children's creativity and problem-solving skills as they can come up with new ways to use the pieces.
One of the highlights of the Roboflex Plus is the ability to combine the pieces with other magnetic toy sets, especially those from SmartMax. This opens the door to even more building and creative possibilities.
The toy is made of high-quality materials, including soft parts and sturdy round ball bars, which ensures durability and long-lasting fun.
More magnetic robots?
These are all the magnetic robots we've reviewed. Very nice sets that you can also use to build funny robots
Disadvantages of Smartmax Roboflex Plus
However, there are a few drawbacks to this toy. One is that almost every robot, at least those shown in the examples, rely on the same basic piece, which is the yellow body part.
This can be a problem if you have several kids who want to play at the same time, as everyone wants to use this particular part. This can lead to conflict and frustration.
Another drawback is that the flexible arms and legs are not sturdy enough to stand on their own. Although you can build different structures, it is difficult to make standing robots without extra support.
This can be a bit disappointing for kids who want their creations to actually stand and move.
Nevertheless, the SmartMax Roboflex Plus offers a lot of fun and educational value. The colorful plastic pieces feel sturdy and have bright, attractive colors.
Best magnetic robot anywhere
The flexible tubes with magnets on the end make it an exceptional toy, rather than just fun.
The toy is designed to stimulate children's imagination and motor skills.
The magnetic snaps are satisfying and are certainly strong enough to hold the fun contraptions together.
As a tip, before purchasing the Roboflex Plus, I would recommend considering a SmartMax kit with more common pieces.
This gives you more variety and possibilities to build, and you can add the Roboflex Plus set later to expand your building experience.
Smartmax Roboflex Plus alternatives
Smartmax Try Me basic package
Best magnetic rods to build with
Clicking these together is a lot easier than the tiles from Magformers. This makes the toy really suitable from 1 year old as SmartMax says.
Smartmax Try Me (full review here) is from 1 year, but at that age they can't do much with it of course. A toddler can already grab a bar and experience how it is that one of the balls "sticks".
Smartmax is a system of bars and balls aimed at children from 1 year. The rods contain magnets, the balls are metal, but not magnetic.
This system allows the rods to click on each other and on the balls to create beautiful 2D and 3D constructions.
There are straight rods and rods with a bend so that you can also bring two sides together.
The rods are not flexible so bends can only be made by using the curved rods or by building a rod at an angle on a ball.
Conclusion
Overall, the SmartMax Roboflex Plus is a solid choice for kids who love to build, construct and explore magnetism. It offers a good balance between fun, education and sustainability.
While there are some minor flaws, the positive aspects of the toy outweigh it, making it a recommended toy option for ages three and up.
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.
