Are 3D pens any good?

[Shufflebumnessie]

I'm wondering about getting a 3D pen for 13 year old DS.
Does anyone have an feedback on them, or can recommend a particular pen?
He's chosen DT materials for GCSE so I'm hoping this might be a good idea (but who knows!!) & an alternative to the computer!!
Thanks in advance.

My dd found it disappointingly difficult to get an effect that wasn't disappointingly childish out of her pen. It wasn't as good as it looked at all.

I can't imagine my gcse level dd using one.

Though, it's possible we had a basic model and others are better.

I had a look at these pens on Amazon just now, and as the PP above said, they do not look very good. Look more like frustration causing gadgets to me.

I am not a teacher, and I know nowt about modern GCSEs, but I did just look up the course, and it looks pretty good. Very comprehensive.

I am a Design Engineer by trade, and I reckon the best gift for that course would be an A3 drawing board. Put a bit of the old " back to basics" in, sort of thing.

The best is the Rotring A3 board. It's pricy at about 75 quid, but there are loads of generic copies for about 30 quid that are just as good. I will put an amazon link below, see if that works.

I would add in some technical pencils, 0.3mm, 0.5mm and 0.5mm. Again, Rotring are the best, but there are plenty cheap as chips alternatives. Try to get ones with lead harness indicators on, because most designers likes a selection for different line types. A set of set squares, compass set, stencils, if you really want to splurge. Put in some pads of A3 paper too. Plain, tracing, gridded, isometric grid.

I had my trusty old Rotring board by the side of my desk for 30 odd years, and even when using state of the art CAD systems, that board still got pulled out for doing initial concept sketches. I was pretty upset when it went missing during a move.

It's the sort of thing that even in put away in a cupboard will always end up being used again if your DS does anything technical. The basic drawing board will never go out of date.

rOtring Profil Drawing Board | A3 Size Drawing Table | with Adjustable Ruler/Guidelines : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

As an add to my post above OP, I think also have a think about measuring instruments, to set DS up with his designer tools.

I will link below a cheapish set, but this is just a guide. An ok manual vernier caliper can be gotten for about a tenner, same with a micrometer, steel rule etc. Full pro stuff goes into many hundreds of course, but the set I have linked below is proper "grown" up design tools that should make a 13 yr old happy. And again, might be used for decades.

It's better to have the right tool for the job, rather than faffing about with a plastic Helix ruler.

Again, like the drawing board, this will never go out of date.

NORTOOLS Vernier Caliper+Metal Ruler, 4 PCS Multi Tool Micrometer/Right Angle Square Ruler for Precision Measuring Outside/Inside/Depth/Step/Angle : Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science

@Stompythedinosaur thank you. I had a feeling they might be disappointing & not quite as good as it seemed.

@RedTagAlan thank you so much for all the very useful information. I had no idea about those items. I'll definitely have a look at what you've suggested.
He's currently in Y9 and loving the DT course so far. He's definitely interested in engineering of some kind and I think Design Engineering would near the top of his list.
Thank you again, I really appreciate you taking the time to give me such detailed advice.

You are welcome. It's just something I am passionate about :-)

I reckon an A3 board and set of technical mechanical pencils ( starting about 35 quid + a fiver), coupled with a vernier caliper to measure things ( starting about a tenner), will get him started on how to measure and draw in order to communicate designs.

And if you want to add a personal touch, I thought maybe download an A3 drawing template from the web to personalise and print out a stack to put with the board. If you find an excel or word format one you can add his name into the title block, "DS DESIGNS" or something.

Plenty of resources online teach tech drawing, He will be drawing random stuff in no time. Get him off to a flying start on his GCSE

Sample link here to free drawing templates. If you have a hunt around you will find something that suits, and you just need access to an A3 printer to print.

https://www.yourspreadsheets.co.uk/title-blocks-for-cad.html

I agree with others. DD absolutely loved hers and used it all the time. But she was little, I think she just have been around 8 when we got it. We got a 3D Doodler pen which was a cold melt so no burning little fingers.

She had a lot of fun over several years of making things but as she got older and wanted to be able to create more sophisticated designs she just couldn't. It will always be really obvious strings of plastic layered up.

One of ds' friends has a proper 3d printer. Note that really does make some cool stuff!

@RedTagAlan thank you again for the suggestions. I'll have a look at the templates you've linked 😊

@OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea thanks. DS (& DH!) would love a 3D printer but it's a little out of budget! 😅

DS wants a 3d printer but I don’t want to spend ££££ on something he uses once. I thought a pen may be a good introduction but perhaps not!