Hello, we are looking to save by buying a used product. One of the better deals we found is in eBay, we are not familiar with product packaging and therefore would like to ask which is the best one for a complete starter set.
There is the HexBug and Genius Vex category, which seem to be starter kits, they’re in a small package and are fit for younger kids 8-11 years old. There seems to be numerous HexBug Vex IQ Construction Sets which are a hundred dollars lower than the complete set. But there are super kits with 750+ Parts.
We are a little confused. Do sets like the super kits include both charger, controller and additional sensors? How is the Hexbug different from the super kit? Has anyone found success buying from other sites like Amazon and eBay and which should we look out for?
Just my two cents, but I would never buy used. These kits receive a lot of wear and tear and have lots of small pieces. The pieces get lost and broken. It’s worth it to pay the extra to get a brand new system. (VEX is designed to be very cost-effective.)
Regarding the different sets. The starter kits are fun little sets that are designed to build a specific item. They rarely include motors or sensors. And, those motors and sensors that they might include are NOT legal for competition.
There is also the Hex Bug VEX IQ Construction Set. It is competition legal, but it doesn’t include a rechargable battery or charger (it uses AA batteries) and it has fewer sensors than the Super Kit.
The super kit is a well-balanced kit. It includes the rechargable battery, charger, controller, motors, and sensors. I would recommend buying it new. We order ours from robotmesh.com. They offer the same price as VEX robotics, and free shipping.
It depends. I have 2 kits that have never (ie, opened but never built out/assembled). I might sell one. I had bought one couple years back as a beginning mentor so I could have my “own” kit. Programming, for example, required a brain because debugger can only do so much without a physical connection. The kid got frustrated so I bought one and thought superkit was good to have.
Then another private team got started by another mentor as they went to middle school. That kit was bought as a “spare” and they never had to use it. Their reasoning was to use 1 as much as possible due to self-funding but did not want to choke at the worlds. So I bought that from them thinking we could use it. This also still sits in the box.
As it so happens, we had 3 kits from the school that we used collectively and I never had to use either at home. The kid reasoned that he would rather use the built robot instead of playing with the brain with connected motors on bench. He could actually run the robot instead of testing a dud.
In summary, as with “any” used item, it depends on the condition vs assumption. Note that over time regardless of where you purchase the kit, the plastic parts/beams etc will need to be checked and replaced as needed prior to a competition. If the kit is not part of a competition, it makes sense to use used pieces for learning and demo. There are several schools (and one that bought large qty) that I know use these in a stem classroom environment and will never go into a competition…
What is your proposed usage? Is it for school use and do you want to take part in the VEX IQ Challenge? What country are you in?
I would NOT trust the sellers in general because Murphy’s law, they may be damaged or broken parts. I would get them from your local distributor. For me, its RobotMesh.