CHEM C2000

Our 11 year old son is really enjoying this set! Plenty of interesting and slightly dangerous seeming experiments with good explanations in the booklet. Really scratched the Chemistry itch for him. Definitely requires a lot of parental supervision!

I got this for my 7 year old who has a really interest in Chemistry. With my help he is able to do this experiments and is really learning a lot. It is a nice set with good equipment and clear instructions. The only complaint I have is that it uses cm to measure water instead of ml.

Loved this kit. The first night we opened it I had my 12yo, 10yo, and 7yo all eager to make stuff. We did The first 15 experiments out on my back deck. We made the prettiest salt crystals and Copper Sulfate crystals. The guide has amazing pictures, environmentally safe disposal instructions, and lots of real world applications. I didn't get the CHEM3000 because of cost, but this one has so much in it. My daughter won't even notice. All three of me kids love this set, but I do not leave them unsupervised. The alcohol burner is a very cool feature.

It's a little expensive but it has been great for our 7th and 8th graders at our co-op.

I still have great memories of the science toys I had as a kid, including two chemistry sets: Gilbert and Chemcraft. I always try to give my friends' kids at least one cool science toy for Christmas or birthdays, and I've spent a lot of time searching for something akin to those chemistry sets I remember so fondly. <sigh> OK, it's not the 70s anymore, and we don't trust kids -- even in the presence of adult supervision -- with the same sorts of items and materials that we once did; I've got that. One motivation for my purchasing this set was that it was the lowest-priced set I could find that included actual /glass/ test tubes and an alcohol lamp. All the less-expensive sets I've seen exclude those items, and aren't even worthy of the name "chemistry set" -- they're just toys. But really, for $150, I expected a lot more than what actually came in the box. This set has a well-written manual that will take a dedicated youngster through the basics of chemisty. And it does include real test tubes and fire, both of which a reasonably intelligent 11 year old should be capable of handling safely, with occational adult input. The set even includes safety glasses, which is more than my ancient chemistry sets did. On the other hand, the palate of chemicals provided is quite limited compared to the old chemistry sets. Also, a number of household items need to be added -- which would be OK, if there was a list provided somewhere, so that you could stock-up on what you needed before getting into the experiments. But overall, there just doesn't seem to be enough "stuff" provided with this set to justify the price. I know we're not paying 1970 prices anymore, but if this set had cost maybe $50-60 I would have given it a much higher rating. Now I know why I had to buy this online: if it had been on the shelves in a toy store, where people could actually heft the box and see details of the contents, I doubt very many would have been willing to shell out $150 for it. Kids insterested in science will have fun with this -- for a while, until they use up the meager supply of chemicals provided. Seems like we could do better than this. This should be the C1000 set, and it should cost half (or less) of what it currently costs. Or, we could trust our kids a little more than we seem to, and include some more interesting items in the box.

We bought this for our 11 year old grand daughter for Christmas and she and Grandpa had a great time working on the experiments. Comes with a nice book that walks you through the experiments. You should start with experiment 1 and work your way through them as the knowledge you gain with each experiment is cumulative. As you get farther into the experiments adult supervision is suggested as you are working with an open flame and some more dangerous chemicals.

I was glad to find the book that came with the set included a list of extra needs so I've posted it below. I haven't started using it yet so can't comment on the sets quality yet. The instruction book is very nice so far. Additionally required materials two or three transparent glass jelly jars (250 and 450 g) with lids, cleaned and with their labels removed; called screw-top jars (or sometimes just jars) in the experiments, plastic tub that at one time contained ice cream or hamburger meat, for example; called a basin in the experiments, two small, clean bottles for storing prepared solutions, such as limewater and potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) solution, a larger container such as a preserving jar (1 or 1.5 L) Items that are found in the household or easy to get from the supermarket or specialty store: denatured alcohol (a solution of greater than or equal to 70% ethyl alcohol), distilled white vinegar (5% acidity), distilled (demineralized) water aluminum foil, paper towels, white coffee filters (flat or cone), wooden splints or skewers, tealight candles, steel wool iron nail (4-5 cm long), 9-volt square battery, permanent felt-tip marker, fine artist's brush or fountain pen with steel nib, baking soda, citric acid, plaster (gypsum), ammonium carbonate From the drug store: hydrogen peroxide, 100 ml, 3% solution (bottle with safety cap) iodine solution (recommended solution: Lugol's iodine solution, 2.5% (10 ml in a child-resistant bottle): lodine 2.5% (m/v) in a 2.5% (m/v) aqueous solution of potassium iodide, or iodine 0.025 g/ml mass concentration in an aqueous solution of 0.025 g/ml mass concentration of potassium iodide) ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder without additives)

Bought this for son as a Christmas present. He loves it. Everyday he wants to do some type of experiment. We have had to replace some chemicals, but most are not terribly expensive. We're now on to bigger, better experiments with bigger, better equipment, but he still comes back to this great little chemistry set.

Yes you need to add a number of items from the DIY store (ethanol, steel wool, iodine solution, etc...), but the smile on the face of my daughter when doing the experiments is worth it :) There were very exhaustive instructions, so as long as an adult was around, the experiments could be performed safely and successfully. The equipment was high quality and was easy for a child to handle, except the safety google that were too wide for a child (even for an adult with a narrow head). I bought another pair at the DIY store and kept the one included in the kit for myself.

Fantastic chemistry set - a must for 11 year olds!

perfect

It depends which way you look at this product. In one way there's very little for your £90-£100 when you look at what there is in the box. However it will take a kid a few days to progress through all the experiments safely so it might be a small price to pay for keeping the nipper absorbed. The early experiments are a bit...yawn but it livens up towards the end. The problem is when you have used up some core chemicals. When they're gone, they're gone. After a while it's a bit like having spotted-dick without the custard. Spare ingredients are thankfully available from various sources however but getting Dad open his wallet for the kid to burn, melt or blow up more cash into the atmosphere may prove tricky.

Fantastic set but no alcohol for burner supplied???? Very disappointing for a child who was looking forward to opening it and getting to grips with experiments. You will need to be with your child as nearly everything requires adult supervision. That being said it appears to be a quality product