Arts Reviews

We recently purchased this because I am a Karate nut and collect all kinds of items. I have been teaching Martial Arts since 1992 and although I understand the karate school people's point of view, I realize this is just a toy. My 5 year old daughter loves this item, but she does love classes more often. The only real problem I see with this is that it will become another thing you garage sale when the child gets bored with it. There are many "open minded" schools out in the USA and I suggest you talk with all the instructors if you are interested in enrolling your child. If they bash anything, then they are going against the true code of the arts which instills humility, compassion and integrity. I am not threatened by this "toy" and I purchased one for fun. Just my two cents worth :)

First, it amazes me that other martial artists would not encourage this toy. As an instructor with over 23 years of experience, I found this to be a great toy for encouraging my daughter into praticing more. That said, this is a toy, and at the very very beginner level. This will not teach anyone how to fight or defend themselves, it is merely an educational toy which INTRODUCES the children into the martial arts domain. And as that, it is excellent. I don't beleive anyone is stupid enough to believe this toy will teach their children how to fight, nor do i feel the children are lead to believe this from the video. It merely gives them an introduction into the necessary training for martial arts. If you find your child is watching the video and practicing along regularly, then you should take them to a dojo for further teaching. if your child throws it in the corner, well, maybe martial arts isn't for them yet. It only teaches 3 basic blocks, 3 strikes, and 3 kicks. Its just to get kids interested, not anything else. and as that, I thought it was excellent. it certainly encouraged my daughter.

i have to say to those out there who are "real" black belts in the karate line--HELLO this is a kids toy and I can't believe that all of you are getting all uptight about a toy! I haven't even bought this yet and have only inquired about it because my daughter was interested in it-so i have only put ratings in on the assumption of what i think it would be but also because i mainly couldn't get my reveiw in otherwise-BUT I would hope to think that parents wouldn't actually think that their kids could get an actual black belt for karate from a toy that you use at home. Any normal parent would think, hey this is a different kind of entertainment for my kid that doesn't have them sitting in front of a computer or holding a game playing games. They are getting some kind of exercise which is what we want for our kids. So i say to those of you karate "black belts" RELAX it's only a toy and yes, if you want your child to achieve a real black belt in life, then sign them up for a class. But at least your not spending lots of money on something that they may not like to do--this is a good way of introducing them to karate and what it initially entails. PLus, kids at 5, like mine, just want to have fun and not be competitive regarding belts in karate.

Today is Christmas 2005. My husband and I bought this toy for our 9 year old daughter. I am 34 years old and love to do crafts and I have an I.Q. of 140. This toy reduced me to tears. It is supposed to be suitable for children 8 and up. Yet I couldn't even get it to work. The instructions are incomplete and you have to assume alot. Many of the pieces of the toy don't stay on properly, so the stitches drop constantly. After 5 attempts I was only able to get 3 rows done, and then the stupid claw dropped off the bottom and pulled out all the stitches. I could have knitted a scarf by hand in the time it took me just to complete three rows. Never, ever buy this toy! It is not worth the aggravation or the money. It does not work! I wish my husband had read the reviews before he purchased it. But like they say, hindsight is 20/20. This is a warning to all would be consumers of this product. Please learn from our mistake. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!

I cannot believe this thing has the Singer name on it.
Don't frustrate another child giving this gift that doesn't even work.

I was so happy when I got this toy for christmas. But, the excitement stopped when I found myself unable to 1. comprehend the directions, and 2. WORK THE MACHINE! It has a very poor design and works like a piece of crap. In the time I tried to figure this thing out, I could have knitted 3 scarves manually! Do NOT buy this piece of junk product and look else where for a better quality knitting machine!