Uncle Milton - National Geographic - Critter Catcher Bug Vac

A little expensive for a plastic vacuum, but it seems to work really well and my 5 year old was having a blast sucking up ants and pill bugs on our front walk way. It didn't seem to have a good suction when I put my hand over it, but it was picking up bugs and grass clippings together with know problem. Viewing canister comes off and goes on easily. My only worry is how long the magnifying lid is going to last since it just hangs open when attached to the vacuum on plastic hinges. Guess we'll see. Otherwise very happy with this product so far.

The suction is good, kids really enjoy it. They've had a good time finding bugs to feed their geckos. The only thing that is tough about this compared to other bug catchers I've seen is when you suck up the bug, it doesn't immediately fall into the little cup and there is no block to capture the bug in as you attempt to get it into the cup. You have to cover the top piece & finangle the bug into the cup while twisting it off & shutting it fast. It is definitely for an older audience 8-9 year olds.

Works perfectly, as advertised. It's on the expensive side compared to, for example, the Summit Backyard Safari Bug Vacuum for around $14. That one comes with batteries, but read the reviews, the batteries are cheap and often worn down, giving the impression it doesn't work well. I ordered that one first. It was good when it worked, but the battery door screw was stripped to begin with (new product) and the batteries seated poorly. This one feel much better built, and the battery screw and compartment are much more robust. The Summit one is shaped like a gun; hold the handle and pull the trigger. But that leads to what I suspect makes many users think the vacuum is too weak. Yes, the vacuum on any bug toy is weak so it doesn't damage the bugs. This means it can't suck very well STRAIGHT UP. With the Summit, the temptation is to hold it vertically over the bug, and that just isn't effective. With the Uncle Milton, the end of the sucker is cut at an angle, encouraging one to hold it at just a little over horizontal. This works wonders for the vacuum of both units, although this one works even better since it is cut on an angle.At first it seemed it would be clumsy, without the Summit's pistol grip. But again, this encourages one to not try to suck straight up. The battery compartment has a flat bottom, and this makes it very convenient to set on a floor or table for observation of the bugs. It has both an on-off switch and a push button. Seemed like this might be extraneous, but it's a good feature. The push button is used for on/off during a bugging session. Then, the unit can be turned off with a slide switch so if it's put in luggage or a toy chest etc. it won't accidentally come on.What a relief to find this one well constructed, after I spent almost an hour trying to make the Summit battery connections work reliably.

The suction on this unit is extremely low - to the point where a human can hardly feel it. That means while it will snatch up a cute little millepedes and ladybugs to keep their smelly oils off your fingers, and will pick up pill bugs/rolly pollys that are hesitant to be scooped up, using this on a centipede will cause the creature to turn on you and result in your unsuspecting, slow-moving human fingers to be caught in their venomous mandibles of death. Larger spiders will also look at you with all eight little eyes like "Seriously, human? Seriously?" then just walk away from you. I tried it on a wasp that I suspect had a role in a Japanese monster movie, and the wasp was actually caught, but then just flew out even though I still had the suction engaged. I never did find him, so you can guess how I felt when so much as my own hair gave me a slight sensation on my face for the next several hours, and how well I slept that night.On the plus side, I doubt this would ever harm even the most delicate insect, and after all, I don't want to hurt the little guys. This was a catch and release mechanism for us, and so it's not bad, though you still need to use the old index card and a cup trick for the bigger creepy crawlies.

We have a covered/screened patio which seems to attract caddisflies no matter how hard we try to keep them out. This kids toy is more than just a toy - it's capable of vacuuming up caddisflies like there's no tomorrow, and you don't even have to kill them! We vacuum out the inside of our screened patio and then dump the bugs elsewhere. My only complaint is that the battery life is less than stellar and requires more batteries than I'd prefer. Otherwise, a good purchase considering the price!

Love this critter catcher! I'm a Colorado person that moved to Texas. Well, Texas has lots of bugs! The pesky things seem to get in my house somehow, and I could smash them (if I'm quick enough)-- but I really don't like squashing bugs. This device is the best ever for easily swooping them up and putting them back outside. One reviewer remarked that the suction isn't very strong, but actually, it's strong enough to get the job done. I've vacuumed up all sorts of bugs, from big to tiny, works like a champ. Biggest thing I used if for was a rather large spider. I wasn't sure it would fit, but since the legs are bendy, it went right in. Once in a while you can get a very energetic bug that tries to escape by scrambling back up the nozzle--but it's not a problem, I just tip the nozzle up towards the ceiling and shake it a bit while giving the critter a one-way trip the the outside world. Batteries seem to last a long time, too!

I bought this for sucking up crickets and spiders from my house. I know it's more for kids, but price-wise and feature-wise, it was worth a try. Works OK (if the cricket doesn't see you coming) but I'd prefer a more powerful motor and less fake molded 'machinery' on the handle. You turn the little on-off switch, and then push the button to activate the vacuum. Also, the angle of the handle is completely wrong; to make this thing ergonomically comfortable to use, the handle would need to be raked forward instead of backward (as the picture shows).

My grandson can't wait for Spring to really try it out.We tested it on rice grains and it does a really good job.

Great, thanks!