I recently had the opportunity to review the new Doodle Create 3D printing pen, which has launched in South Africa. The 3D printing pen is the latest version 2 of the original spec of the pen, and has been greatly improved with a couple of great new features. The original 3Doodler pen caused a huge stir on Kickstarter when it launched and raised almost $2.4 million before the end of the campaign.
The Doodle Create pen comes at a time when 3D printing is starting to make a significant impact in our everyday lives. We are seeing 3D printing being used in a number of ways, and now bringing that ability to the everyday consumer is a game changer.
I did a quick unboxing and first impressions video below. (I’m still learning about this whole video thing, so forgive me if it seems a little bit #awks J)
The review unit we got also came with a very cool book showcasing some of the projects and things you can build with the pen. We also got a set of 6 interchangeable nozzles, and a PVC board where you can create your 3D models on, as well as a cool stand to keep the pen safe while you not using it.
My 12-year-old daughter instantly grasped the concept, even though she didn’t understand that the concept of the nozzle being extra hot (while it’s on) and got stung a few times, albeit not too bad.
We had a look at the 3D Doodle community pages, where anyone can upload designs, and my daughter gave the sunglasses a quick go, which proved to fairly simple, but VERY cool in the end.
Using the pen is very simple. You either use a ABS or PLA plastic stick, which is put into the pen, turn the pen on and in a few seconds you ready to go. There are 2 speeds that you can use to “squirt” out the plastic, and even though it takes a little while to get used to, once you have the idea, it’s so simple.
Although the pen is fantastic, you have to be fairly creative to create some of the awesome things I’ve seen online. As you may have seen in the video above, I’m not very artistic, so will leave that up to the 12-year old who is far better at it that I am.
I think that this could possibly be the hot-ticket-seller for the Christmas season of 2016. The 3Doodler 3D printing pen retails for R1990, and is available at iStore & Dion Wired or on if you are outside of SA. This includes 2 packs of plastic, which can be bought for about R240. If you stuck for ideas for an awesome present for someone who loves to create, then the 3D Doodler is a must!
Disclaimer: The team at Above & Beyond, who are the official distributors of the 3Doodler Pen in South Africa, sent me a review unit. They did not ask me to write about the product and the above review is my own thoughts on the product.