Crayons with a twist (Crayola Twistables)

Member Name: mosaic369

Product:	Crayola Twistables
Date:	09/07/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of vibrant colours, sturdy carry-box, long-lasting

Disadvantages: The pencil range is not recommended

Crayola Twistables are regular crayons but with a big difference! Instead of the usual short wax sticks covered in thin paper, the Twistables look more like colouring pens and come in a plastic casing. By twisting the ends, the tips of the crayons protrude just as much as you need them to. I find these crayons absolutely fantastic! They are less prone to breaking than regular crayons and last for a long time. The only way to break them, is if your child twists the crayons all the way out, which happened to us a few times in the past but by now my son understands that's not the way to go. Perhaps that's why the manufacturer's recommended age is 4+ otherwise it would be suitable for much younger children as well.

There are different sets available in various sizes and colour schemes. We have the largest 32-piece pack, which comes in a sturdy plastic box with a carry handle. The plastic box can be yellow, blue or purple. Amazon seems to pick these at random. They sent us the yellow one and we're happy with it. It is a great way to store all the crayons and good for travelling too. Apart from 16 original colours, it also includes 8 metallic and 8 rainbow colours. The rainbow variety has four different colours in one crayon, which makes them kind of special. All the colours are strong and bright and the crayons are easy to draw with - unlike some of the crayons we bought from the Early Learning Centre, which hardly made a mark on the paper, no matter how hard we pressed! They are also easier to hold properly, as they handle just like pens, promoting early writing skills.

We gave these as presents a few times and they were always very popular. The RRP is £9.99 for this product, but a while back Amazon was selling them at around £7.50. The smaller set of 12 costs around £2.99. Considering the longevity of this product, I think it's pretty good value.

Please note that this review was written about the Twistable CRAYONS. The Twistables range also includes a PENCIL variety, which I wouldn't recommend, because we found the pencils break easily if you drop them as they are quite thin. Go for the crayons instead!

Summary: A great product!