Coghlan'sButterfly Net

I would have preferred the wooden handle in the photo, but I received one with an aluminium handle as well. However, it is sturdy and my daughter has been using it a lot. definitely a good investment for a critter-loving kid!

The net seems durable enough.. we have yet to use it but I rated it as such because I bought this net specifically for the wooden handle. Every picture shows a wooden handle and yet when I received it, the handle is aluminum.

I like the longer pole, and it's a sturdy net, but one of the metal wires came out of the pole within a few weeks of fairly frequent use by my five year olds. The single phillips screw in the middle goes through the plastic piece and somehow is supposed to secure the wires in place. But there's no real resistance beyond the frisction to the screw head to actually pulling the wires out. So if you drop the net over something rigid and pull real hard, there's not much stopping you from pulling the wire out. I was able to back out the screw, reset the wire, and re-tighten it, but it is apt to come out again.That's the flaw in it, but after having tried a few other "kids" butterfly nets, this is actually one of the sturdier ones I've tried overall, with a good, deep net.

Purchased for my children to catch bugs, butterflies, frogs, or whatever their heart desired. I purchased this particular net (which was more expensive than others listed) because I believed the handle was wooden and it looked to have very little plastic (which is usually the first thing to break). I was very disappointed when it arrived as it had the same aluminium and plastic handle that all other nets had. It does have a nice long net with a close mesh. My children (4 of them aged 9 yrs down to 1 yr) all enjoy using it. It is very light weight and we often take it on our hikes. But I would have saved myself a few dollars and bought a cheaper one or a multi-pack for the same price.

I teach at a nature center and use these frequently. The netting holds up really well. But the metal prongs that hold the ring to the handle pop out fairly easily. I had bought enough for a class size and more than half of them survived. Many of them I was able to duct tape into place. Some of the kids I get are pretty rough with them. Because the netting lasted longer than some of the other nets I have used, I did order these again. I just wish the rings were fixed to the handle in a better way so I didn't have to duct tape them back on!