Bubble, bubble - toil and trouble! (ELC Bubble Machine)

Member Name: Pinz72

Product:	ELC Bubble Machine
Date:	19/06/09 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of bubbles.

Disadvantages: Hard on batteries and prone to leakage.

Like most children I've met, our little girl is mesmerised by bubbles so when ELC had a special deal on their Bubble Machine recently - the toy and a big bottle of bubbles for £15 all in - we decided to treat her. The four C batteries adds a bit to the overall price.

Our model is dark and pale pink, made of sturdy plastic. The bubble mixture is added to a bowl within the bottom of the machine and the bubbles blow out, by way of a small fan, through an opening in the front. With new batteries it works well, lots of bubbles are produced at a fast rate and the children toddle around trying to catch them.

We've been apprehensive about using ours indoors as we've heard horror stories of the bubbles staining fabrics/carpets so we've stuck to outdoor use which means plenty of running around after the bubbles.

One difficulty we have encountered is that unless the machine is laid flat on a steady surface then the bubble mixture leaks out the back. As we've placed ours on a crooked lawn a few times, we've had a few spillages. It's also a challenge stopping children from trying to lift it up and spilling the liquid.

The large bottle of mixture lasts well but the batteries do deplete quite quickly. Nice product but blowing the bubbles manually would cut out the need for lots of batteries and would get the same effect - lheaps of bubbles to chase.

Summary: Great concept but blowing bubbles the old fashioned way can be just as fun!