Conclusion: Spirograph is fun, but it’s a toy. Wild Gears is more expensive, and somewhat more difficult to use, but it’s a more serious drawing tool.

Shop Wild Gears at this link.

The post Spirograph vs Wild Gears Comparison appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

My jaw dropped when I first saw that Kahootz was bringing out a die-cast metal version for Spirograph’s 50th anniversary. So I was delighted when they offered to send me a set to review.

[Disclaimer: I was not otherwise paid to write this article or create the video; I only received one Spirograph Die-cast Collector’s Set from Kahootz Toys. Links to Amazon are affiliate links; if you click them and buy something there, I may get a small kickback – my financial reward for building this website.]

I saved the unboxing for the camera, so the video shows my genuine reactions, real-time fumbles, oohs and aahs.

My conclusions:

It’s a really classy set with the feel of quality, and very nicely packaged. The wheels feel, and clink, like the coinage of a country where a pound used to weigh a pound. (Hello, UK?) They shine like gold bullion. The metal tin has a pressure-fit lid, like a cookie tin, and flocked liners hold everything in place even when you shake it.

There’s no problem with warping as in the new plastic sets; the metal pieces are flat and will stay that way as long as you keep them out of Mount Doom.

Speaking of Lord of the Rings, there’s just One Ring. Does it “rule them all”? Maybe not. I enjoy having all the different patterns you can make with more rings. (If you’re really hooked on gazillions of permutations and combinations, check out Wild Gears).

However, I realized as I made the video that most people will be perfectly happy with just one ring and a smaller selection of wheels. It’s still an awesome toy for adults and kids (over 8 or so). Many people might even have more fun with a smaller set like this, if they find that too much choice makes it harder to get started.

It would make an absolutely brilliant gift for someone who had Spirograph as a kid.

Spiro-putty is included as with the plastic sets. However, small pinholes, like in the old Spirograph sets, have also been made in all the wheels. Pins are not included, but you can buy map tacks if you really want to do it the old way. If so, see my article about using corkboard as a better working surface than the corrugated cardboard of the old sets.

You can still use whatever pens you want, the same as with the plastic sets.

[UPDATE Nov. 25, 2016: I should also mention here that the opaqueness of the gears makes it harder to see what you have done, compared to using clear plastic gears. You can hear my surprise in the video below when I experience this for the first time. As Dhaval Shah, a correspondent from Solapur, India, has pointed out, it’s harder to see if something is going wrong. This issue is more significant with the larger wheels. How big an issue this is for you would depend on your goals. The element of surprise might be part of the fun, especially for more casual users.]

My only disappointment with the Die-cast Spirograph Collector’s Set is that, like the new plastic sets, it is not engineered quite as well as the old sets. The way the holes line up with the teeth, and the spacing of the holes from the edge of the wheel, are less precise than the old Spirograph. The consequences can be seen in the red drawings near the bottom of this review. This is a rather minor point for most people, however, and does not detract from the fun and educational value to be had.

Serious spirographers are still better off finding a second-hand Super Spirograph (try eBay) or exploring Wild Gears.

But for the average person aged 8 to 88 and up (and younger kids with help), this Die-cast Spirograph Collector’s Set is a fantastic drawing set and a wonderful gift.

Here’s the video:

The post Video Review: Unboxing the Spirograph Die-cast Collector’s Set appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Differences due to how they are made

The Full Page Gear Set with some of the wheels and rings removed

The manufacturing methods are very different for the two products. Wild Gears are laser-cut on demand from a flat acrylic sheet. Spirograph pieces are mass-produced in molds. These different production methods necessarily have consequences.

Wild Gears pieces are flat on both sides. Wheel numbers are cut into the pieces with the laser cutter. Holes are not numbered. [EDIT 2024: On newer versions, many holes ARE numbered.] Spirograph pieces have raised markings, created by the mold, which allows for a lot of detail: hole numbers, alignment marks etc.

Spirograph pieces are thicker around the edge, where the teeth are, than in the middle. The inner parts of the wheels don’t touch the paper. This allows them to be lighter, and reduces the friction between the wheel and the paper.

Wheel 64 of Spirograph left, Wild Gears right

Wild Gears are an even thickness throughout. Because they are heavier, and because there is more friction between the gear and the paper, more force is required to move them. I find that the felt pens, with their skinny (~1 mm) tips, sometimes feel rather delicate for the task of pushing the gear around, especially for the bigger gears. However, I haven’t bent or broken anything yet!

Sometimes the force required to move a large gear around has required a helping nudge by my other hand, especially with larger pieces and outer holes.

Because there is more contact between the gear and the paper with Wild Gears, ink that doesn’t dry quickly is more likely to smear. This is most noticeable with high-gloss paper, or viscous gel pens, and can also happen with Spirograph.

Tooth size

Spirograph has smaller teeth. The two products are not at all compatible with each other.

Hole size

Wild Gears’ triangle gear 120 (180/60) has 3 different sizes of holes.

One of Wild Gears’ most interesting features is the different sized holes to be found on a single gear. They allow parallel patterns to be drawn when you use a larger hole and then a smaller hole.

Looking back at my post on hole size and pen size, it was about very small differences in hole size. Wild Gears shows how those differences work on a larger scale.

Here are some examples of parallel patterns made by various Wild Gears combinations:

Hole alignment

Spirograph holes are all arranged in a spiral. The distance from the edge increases by less than 1 mm from one hole to the next. If you are drawing a design with many patterns using different holes on the same gear, you have to line up each hole very carefully with a mark on the ring to make your design work the way you want it to.

Wild Gears holes are usually lined up in a row. This makes it easier to draw patterns using many holes. The lack of markings on the gear is less of a problem as the teeth are bigger. Having the holes lined up in a row means there has to be more radial distance between the holes or else the gear would fall apart. However, many gears have a second row of holes that give you intermediate positions.

Every gear has a corresponding ring

The triangley shape, which you can draw outside or inside – or both.

Every Wild Gear cut out of the acrylic sheet leaves behind a corresponding ring with the same number of teeth. The high quality of laser cutting means there’s virtually no gap between parts. Thus there are lots more rings to use, with many possible permutations and combinations to explore. There are rings in interesting shapes as well, such as the blobby triangular thing.

The result? You can make hypotrochoids (inside designs) in many different sizes, from an inch in diameter to a full 8.5 x 11″ page and even bigger with some of the sets available.

Spirograph has only two rings, and the sizes are similar: one has 105 teeth on the inside, and the other has 96. Other shapes can be created with Super Spirograph parts if you have them. The curves are the same radius as the 144/96 ring. Kahootz Toys has a new Super Spirograph in the works.

Epitrochoids (designs made around the outside of a gear) can be made in large sizes with both sets. Hypotrochoids are generally more interesting, however.

Spirograph for Grownups

The Strange Shapes Gear Set, fresh from the box, backing paper still on both sides.

The Spirograph toy was developed so that all the gears would work with both rings. No disappointed kiddies.

Wild Gears has so many different-sized rings and wheels, and different shapes as well, and some just won’t work together. Don’t be disappointed! Be an adult about it, and find ones that do work.

That’s why I call it “Spirograph for Grownups”. It demands a little more of you, but offers very interesting rewards.

Hole Alignment

Ring 144-96 with wheel 72, holes 1, 3, 5, 7 etc. Design on left with my old Spirograph, on right with the new set, showing less precise alignment and radial distance of holes in the new set.

Hole alignment is important for precise designs. Are the holes lined up with the teeth or with the gaps between them? With Spirograph, it seems to be about halfway up the “hill”. The new Spirograph is less precise than the old in having all the holes lined up properly, as I’ve observed when drawing identical designs with the two sets. The makers of the new Spirograph made the holes bigger, but with the same layout, so there wasn’t as much room to fit the holes in, and the result was a less precise drawing tool. Too bad.

Wild Gears parts are precisely laid out. But there are times when you need to be aware of whether a particular set of holes is lined up with a tooth or with a gap. Most holes line up with a tooth, but you should check the alignment if you’re mixing and matching.

One of the sets of Wild Gears available, the Encyclopedic Gear Set, provides two wheels of each size, A and B. The holes in the A gears line up with a tooth, while the holes in the B gears line up with a gap. This allows you to make designs that use both hypotrochoids (inside a ring) and epitrochoids (outside the corresponding wheel) to line up properly. Clever. But this is a layer of sophistication that grownups (or seriously obsessed kids) are more likely to appreciate than the average user.

Shop Wild Gears here

The post How is Wild Gears different from Spirograph? Comprehensive Review appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

As I’ve mentioned on this site, I still have my Super Spirograph from the 1970s. The extra parts in this picture look the same as in my old set.

I’m starting to post some designs I’m making with my old Super Spirograph.

If you get one, leave your review in the comments below.

Remember to get a variety of pens. I find felt tip pens, work the best and come in the most colors, but there are other ones that work well too (see Pens in the menu). And “Spiro Putty” is really poster putty which you can get just about anywhere, and works great to hold the gears to your paper without fussy pins.

Check out the video about the new Super Spirograph.

The post Super Spirograph is back! appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

If you have something to add, maybe another set to add to the chart, leave a comment.

UPDATE: Since making this chart, the new Super Spirograph has come out. It has the shaped wheels in addition to everything in my old Super Spirograph, from what I can see in the pictures.

	Super Spirograph, by Kenner, made in Canada early 1970s	Super Spirograph, by Kahootz Toys, made in China ~ 2014	Spirograph by Kenner, ~1969	Spirograph Deluxe Set, by Kahootz Toys, made in China ~ 2013
WHEELS (# of holes)
24	• (5)	•	•	• (5)
30	• (7)	•	•	• (8)
32	• (9)	•	•	• (9)
36	• (11)	•	•
40	• (13)	•	•	• (13)
42	• (14)	•	•	• (14)
45	• (16)	•	•	• (16)
48	• (17)	•	•	• (17)
50	• (18)	•	•
52	• (19)	•	•	• (19)
56	• (21)	•	•	• (21)
60	• (23)	•	•	• (23)
63	• (25)	•	•	• (25)
64	• (25)	•	•
72	• (29)	•	•	• (29)
75	• (31)	•	•	• (31)
80	• (33)	•	•	• (33)
84	• (35)	•	•	• (35)
SHAPED WHEELS
Bar		•		• (9)
Quad		•		• (10)
Oval		•		• (13)
Triangle		•		• (10)
RINGS
144/96	•	•	•	•
150/105	•	•	•	•
RACKS (Rounded ends)
144	•	•	•
150	•	•	•	•
MORE
Other	See note 1
Pens	4	3	4	3 (some versions have more)
Pins	•		•
Putty		•		•

*Note 1: Super Spirograph also comes with “super parts” which are snap-together pieces for making a variety of shapes. These included 4 straight pieces in each of two lengths, 4 curved pieces in each of 4 lengths, with the same curvature as the 144/96 ring, a Y-shaped piece and 3 male and 3 female end pieces with teeth. Read more on our Super Spirograph page.

The post Chart of Spirograph Wheels and Rings appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Pattern made with the new 45 wheel.

The people at Kahootz Toys, the company that’s bringing back Spirograph, found my website. Guess it was just a matter of time.

Anyway, they – well, a friendly person named Colleen, actually – noticed what I said about my wheel 45 in my new Spirograph Deluxe Design Kit – its Hole #1 is so close to the edge that it isn’t round, and can’t be used. She sent me a new one in the mail!

She also thanked me for my feedback generally, and said that they are interested in what customers have to say.

So here’s a link to their Facebook page. Please give them a Like and enjoy their posts and ideas of things to do with Spirograph.

And here’s a link to my Facebook page. Please give it a Like too! There’s lots more Spirograph goodness coming right here.

Nice sticker on the back of the letter

And oh yes – check out the sticker on the back of the envelope I got from Kahootz. Nice, eh? I wonder where to get some of those!

The post Friendly Folks at Kahootz Toys appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

What difference does a larger hole make in the designs you draw?

To find out, I made some designs with the old Super Spirograph set and the new Spirograph Deluxe set, using the same pen, a red uni-ball Vision fine point. This ballpoint pen is not particularly thin at the tip, but we can still observe the pattern of differences.

Ring 144/96, wheel 72, hole 1. Left: old set. Right: new set with larger holes. Same pen: a uni-ball Vision fine point.

You’ll notice that the old wheel on the left, with the smaller hole, produces smaller loops. At right, the new wheel’s larger hole allows the pen to move around the hole more as the wheel goes round. The design is just as regular, but the loops are bigger.

In the above pair with wheel 56, the loops made with the old wheel (left) are again smaller. We really see the consequence in the center of the pattern. The smaller loops have made for a more open centre.

Taking the same wheel 56, let’s see what it does in a more elaborate design.

Ring 144/96, wheel 56, holes 1, 3, 5 & 7. Old set left, new set right.

The differences in the overall pattern are slight. The overall geometry, a 12-pointed star, is the same. There is some variation in where the lines cross. In the pattern at left, the central point has been closed in while on the right the weave is a little more open.

Spotting the differences between the two is a bit like another old childhood game, often found in magazines, in which the artist has deliberately drawn different details in two different pictures. What do you see?

Here are some more examples. What do you conclude?

Ring 144/96, wheel 52, holes 1 and 2 (or 3?) Old Spirograph on left, new Spirograph with larger holes on right.

Ring 144/96, wheel 80. Holes 1, 2, 3 etc., moving one tooth right for each pattern.

The post Hole Size and Pen Size – What Difference Does It Make? appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

I still have my Super Spirograph from 40-odd years ago. I just got the new Deluxe Set to compare.

Here are some pros and cons of each, and a few curiosities.

Best new feature: Spiro-Putty

Spiro-Putty attached to ring.

No more pins! No more special working surface required! “Spiro-Putty” is basically poster putty, a.k.a. Blu-tack, a white (or blue, if you have Blu-tack) sticky putty that holds down your Spirograph ring (or whatever you’re using for the stationary piece) while you draw your design. If you run out, you can just buy some “poster putty” or Blu-Tack Reusable Adhesive (affiliate links go to examples on Amazon). It works brilliantly.

When I first heard of using Spiro-Putty, I didn’t think it would hold the ring firmly enough the the paper; I thought it would be bulky and wiggly, and suitable only for small children who weren’t aiming for perfection in their designs. I was wrong. It’s awesome.

Just put a little ball in 4 spots on the ring, then smush the ring flat on the paper. The ring should touch the paper all round so the wheel doesn’t slip under it as you draw. But the putty shouldn’t get caught in the teeth.

It holds the ring tight to the paper, time after time. I haven’t had to pull the putty off the ring to reset it even after dozens of drawings. I just pull it off the paper and press the ring down again in a new spot, and I’m good to go. If it stops sticking, roll it into a ball and press down again.

I’m now using the Spiro-Putty on my old set too. If you have an old Spirograph, I’d suggest you try some Poster Putty (available in office supply stores) and see how it works. Please share your results with the rest of us in the comments below!

My new set does not have the tiny holes required for pins. If you used pins in the larger, pen-sized holes, the ring would not be held as firmly in place. However, if you have an old set with the pinholes, and really, really want to use pins rather than putty, they can be bought – look for “Map Tacks”, and consider getting a good cork board to use as a working surface instead of corrugated cardboard.

More pens, more fun! (But you’ll have to buy them separately)

The pens that come with the new Spirograph Deluxe Set, and some designs I made with them

Back in the day (I’m talking about the 1970s), there were very few pens you could use with a Spirograph. Either the tip of the pen wouldn’t go through the holes, or the tip of the pen would hardly touch the paper. You were kind of stuck with the ballpoint stick pens that came with the set.

How things have changed! I already wrote about thin felt-tip pens that come in many colors and work great with the old Spirograph. They opened up my Spirograph world again.

The new Spirograph is designed to work with many kinds of pens. It says so right on the box, in fact.

Wheels 30, 45 and 60 in ring 144/96 using the pens that come with the new set

The set comes with three ballpoint pens in red, blue and green. They have very fine points and work well enough, but they feel rather flimsy. I like felt pens better because the ink flows smoothly and they don’t skip.

You will want to try different pens with your Spirograph, and now you can. The designers have done two things to make the parts compatible with most pens: (1) bigger holes, and (2) thinner wheels with less distance between the wheel and the paper.

1. The holes are bigger.

The holes in the new wheel are about 20% bigger in diameter.

The bigger holes allow almost any pen to be used.

The holes in the new wheels are about 20% bigger in diameter than those in the old wheels. They look bigger than that to my eye, but that’s because the area of the circle, πr², would be the 156% larger.

So this is great. However, there are consequences to having a larger hole.

Comparing the pattern made with the old #80 wheel, hole 1, with that made by the new wheel with the larger hole. Pens are both uni-ball fine.

The larger hole changes the path a little bit, rounding it more, depending on the design of the pen tip. The effect is most obvious with the larger wheels and #1 hole. In the picture at right, the purple paths were made by the old wheel and the pink with the new. You can see that the purple loops are smaller than the pink ones. This is because of the smaller hole in the old wheel. The pen has less room to move around the edge of the hole as you draw.

The size of the hole probably doesn’t matter to most people, most of the time. It doesn’t take from the fun of making designs. But my geeky side finds it interesting. And some designs look a little different.

2. The wheels are thinner.

Measuring the thickness of the outer rim of a wheel with a caliper

Spirograph parts have a thick rim with teeth. That rim is 10% thinner on the new set than on the old  (2.7 mm vs 3.0 mm), as measured with my brass caliper in the photo.

My caliper can’t read the thickness of the flat inner part of the wheel because the rim is in the way, but the new wheels feel thinner.

The extra thickness on the bottom side of the wheel, the side touching the paper, has been “shaved off” a bit in the new Spirograph. It allows the pen to be even closer to the paper, and allows more kinds of pen to be used.

Being thinner, the parts tend to warp more easily. This is most apparent on the larger pieces, especially after I’ve struggled to remove them from the storage case.

In general, this warping has not proved to be a big problem. Four pieces of putty on the rings hold them down well enough, removing any problem caused by warping.

Shaped wheels

Shaped wheels: Clockwise from top: Eye, Bar, Triangle, Cross

The new Spirograph has some of the non-round wheels that came out in later versions of the old Spirograph. I didn’t have them so was always curious about them.

Eye wheel, midline holes

The shaped wheels are more difficult than the round ones to use, but create unique patterns.

Eye wheel, off-center holes

Using an off-center hole gives an asymmetrical pattern.

Ring 144/96, Wheel 64

Note: The earlier versions of the old Spirograph, the ones without the shaped wheels, had three additional round wheels 36, 50 and 64, which were missing in the versions with the shaped wheels as well as in this new version by Kahootz Toys. I would most miss Wheel 64, used to make the cool triangular pattern at right.

Carrying case

Spirograph Deluxe Set carrying case with working surface left

My old Super Spirograph parts sit in a large open tray made of hard plastic. I lost its cardboard cover long ago. It is hard to store and carry.

The new Spirograph Deluxe Set comes in a carrying case with a handle. The case opens up to reveal a smooth drawing surface in the lid. The blue plastic is somewhat flexible and holds every piece is tightly in place. No more lost pieces.

However, I do find it hard to remove some of the pieces. They bend as I work them out of their places, compounding the warping issue. Maybe I’ll figure out a better method in time, but other people have complained about this as well.

Made in China

The booklet on my old Super Spirograph by Kenner Products Canada Ltd. in Toronto proclaims “Made in Canada” and “Printed in Canada”. So I assume that not only was the booklet printed in Canada, the plastic set itself was made in Canada.

The new set is “Made in China”, as it says clearly on the box. Not surprising; most plastic things are these days.

So how is the quality? It feels somewhat less. But it’s still very usable and fun. All the patterns in this article, unless otherwise indicated, were made with the new set.

The plastic in the new set is less rigid, and the pieces are thinner as I described above. Are they made thinner only so that different pens can be used, or is the intention also to use less material? That’s a question for the manufacturer.

The larger holes result in somewhat less precision, as described above.

The gears are the same, however, and I have mixed the sets successfully, except in one case which I may describe in a future post.

Faulty hole 1 in wheel 45

Wheel 45 in my new set has a faulty Hole 1. It is too close to the edge and can’t be used. This is a disappointment in what should be a precision tool.

ADDENDUM: The nice folks at Kahootz saw this and sent me a new wheel 45!

I notice small imperfections in alignment, but most people won’t, most of the time. Here’s the worst case I’ve found:

Ring 144-96 with wheel 72, holes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17. Design on left was made with my old Spirograph, on right with the new set, showing less precise alignment and less precise radial distance.

Conclusion: Should you get a new Spirograph? Should you give one as a gift?

If you don’t have an old one, and you’re interested enough to read to the bottom of this article, then definitely YES! It’s so much fun.

If your old set is missing a lot of parts, get a new one to fill the gaps. They are compatible. But don’t buy the new one just for the pens, because there are lots of pens available now that work.

And forget the pins! If you have an old Spirograph, hang on to it, and get some poster putty to use instead of pins!

EDITED to confirm that “Spiro-Putty” included with the set can be replaced with poster putty or Blu-Tack Reusable Adhesive.

The post Comparing the new Spirograph® Deluxe Set to the old Super Spirograph: In-Depth Review appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.