Hey guys! I'm pretty excited about this post.
About two weeks ago, my office mate and I celebrated Insanity Day (because we were crazy stressed at work) and made a little trip to the toy store to regain our sanity and de-stress.
I went there to buy on of those loom thingies everyone else has been raving about because making crafts is cathartic for me. My office mate ended up buying a pet robot pig. :|
ANYWAY since then, I've bee hooked with making loom band bracelets. I got the Cra-z-Loom, because at that time, it was cheaper (Php799.75) than the Rainbow Loom (Php899.75) and it had a prettier box and its loom was color pink, as opposed to Rainbow Loom's, which is blue. (I know, real mature, but remember, it was Insanity Day! :D)
So my life went on and I enjoyed making loom band bracelets but then I kinda had buyer's remorse, because In my head I knew I didn't get THE Rainbow Loom (I'm weird like that) and I kept on wondering what I was missing :)) (Ang laki ng problema ko, no? :))).
SO I ended up buying a Rainbow Loom set and I decided to post something about comparing the two loom kit brands, so I could maybe help fellow rookie loom band bracelets makers out there to make their choice :D.
This review contains a comparison of the contents of the Cra-z-Loom kit and the Rainbow Loom kit. Yey! Let's start.
PRICE
As I already mentioned, at the time I bought my Cra-z-loom, Cra-z-loom cost Php799.75, and Rainbow Loom cost Php899.75. HOWEVER, when I bought my Rainbow Loom kit this week, it cost Php979.75. Also, when I checked the Toys R Us website, I found out that Cra-z-Loom had a similar price increase. It now costs Php999.75.
Picture grabbed from toysrus.com.ph
Interestingly, though, the price posted there for Rainbow Loom was Php899.75. I think it's because the one posted there is the old version of the kit, the one with the plastic hook still.
Picture grabbed from toysrus.com.ph
To clarify, Cra-z-Loom now costs Php999.75, while Rainbow Loom (the latest version) costs Php979.75. So, even if it's just by Php20.00, Rainbow Loom wins.
PACKAGING
Okay I know that for some this is not a factor, but for me, and for some kids, it is :D. I will shamelessly admit right now that I bought Cra-z-Loom because it had a prettier box :)). In my defense, my office mate also advised me to buy it because of the same reason.
Cra-z-Loom's packaging definitely targets the kikay kids (and kids at heart) out there. There's just too much pink for me to ignore it. :))
On the other hand, Rainbow Loom's packaging is quite straightforward. When I saw it in the store, it didn't make me all giddy.
However, Rainbow Loom's packaging won me over once I opened it at home, because I realized that I can actually use it as a case already! :) The box actually says "Please keep for storage".
In contrast to Rainbow Loom's box, Cra-z-Loom's is pretty useless on the inside.
What was that saying? It's the inside that counts! And for that, Rainbow Loom gets another point. :D
LOOM
(L) Cra-z-Loom; (R) Rainbow Loom
As you can see, the Cra-z-Loom is a little longer than the Rainbow Loom. It has one extra row of pins.
The Cra-z-Loom is opaque, has a solid base, and has slightly slanted pins, with stoppers on top.
Each pin has a number on it. The numbers are used as a guide for making patterns.
On the other hand, the Rainbow Loom is transparent, has holes in its base, and has straight pins with stoppers on top.
Also, the Rainbow Loom can be taken apart, and therefore is not "fixed". I didn't think much of this when I first bought a kit, but then I started to see its significance when I started making more complicated designs. You see, some designs require a parallel loom as opposed to a staggered loom, so being able to adjust the loom does matter.
The holes in the base is also a plus, because some bracelets go downwards as you make it. SO, the holes would just let it go through the loom, as opposed to the Cra-z-Loom, where I had to constantly pull the bracelet out as it grew.
Lastly, I's have to say that the straight pins made making bracelets easier, because Cra-z-loom's slanted pins made the rubber slip out often.
All in all loom wise, I think it's pretty obvious that Rainbow Loom wins.
HOOK
(L) Cra-z-Loom; (R) Rainbow Loom
As you can see, Cra-z-Loom's hook is a plain hook, although it's pink :) Rainbow Loom's hook has two parts: the hook itself, and a safety cover, which is actually also a mini-loom.
Both hooks have the same shape, and both hooks catch bands pretty well, although I'd have to say that Rainbow Loom's metal hook feels more stable.
Rainbow Loom's hook also has a base removal end. This is used when you're done with your design and are ready to take it off the loom. Of course you could do that by hand, but this tool helps.
As I mentioned, the Rainbow Loom's safety cover is actually a mini loom. A mini loom can be used for making fishtail bracelets. I tried it, and it was pretty easy to use. Also, it's very handy.
For having many uses, Rainbow Loom's hook also takes this round.
MANUAL
Who reads manuals anyway? Hehe. Both kits have manuals in them, so might as well include them in the comparison.
Cra-z-Loom's manual is more colorful and has a fun lay out, but content -wise, it was not as helpful as I wanted it to be. I mean, if I were a little girl, I definitely would not have understood the instructions completely. In making my first bracelet, I referred to this manual. I ended up looking very closely at the pictures often to check if I was doing it right.
WHen I saw Rainbow Loom's manual, I found what I was looking for. The instructions were clearer, and it had close-up pictures of each step.
However, Rainbow Loom's manual teaches you how to do two designs, whereas Cra-z-Loom lets you make tree designs already. Nevertheless, considering that there are instructions online on how to make different designs, I think Rainbow Loom's manual is a better manual for beginners.
BANDS
(L) Cra-z-Loom; (R) Rainbow Loom
Cra-z-Loom's bands are slightly bigger than Rainbow Loom's. Also, I noticed that Cra-z-Loom's bands colors are brighter. Cra-z-Loom's bands are also a little thinner.
These factors come into play when you see your final work. I made two bracelets with the exact samew design below to show you the difference:
(L) Cra-z-Loom; (R) Rainbow Loom
As you can see, Cra-z-Loom's bands have brighter , shiny colors, whereas Rainbow Loom's appear to have a pastel, matte shade. Also, since Rainbow Loom's bands are smaller and a bit thicker, the final bracelet looks tighter. I think it's all about preference. As for me, I like how the Cra-z-Loom's bands' colors pop.
I also noticed that Cra-z-Loom had more colors. Namely, it had both light and dark blue and both light and dark green, whereas Rainbow Loom only has light blue and light green. However, Rainbow Loom has black bands, unlike Cra-z-Loom.
For having brighter and having more colors, I'm giving this round to Cra-z-Loom. :)
CLIP
(L) Cra-z-Loom; (R) Rainbow Loom
Cra-z-Loom has "S" clips, while Rainbow Loom has "C" clips. They're both made of sturdy, transparent plastic.
I find that the S clip is more difficult to use, because its ends are too curved, so the holes in it are sometimes too small, especially when I make bracelets with more bands. I didn't have the same problem with the C clip, so Rainbow Loom wins.
SUMMARY
To refresh your memory, here's the tally for each item:
|
Price
|
Rainbow Loom
|
|
Packaging
|
Rainbow Loom
|
|
Loom
|
Rainbow Loom
|
|
Hook
|
Rainbow Loom
|
|
Manual
|
Rainbow Loom
|
|
Bands
|
Cra-z-Loom
|
|
Clip
|
Rainbow Loom
|
We have a clear winner. Don't get me wrong, though, I loved my Cra-z-Loom, but the Rainbow Loom is just much easier to use. If you're a pink girl though (like me) then maybe having a pink loom would be worth having a teeny tiny bit more difficulty :)) Besides, both products are well-made and are made of high-quality materials :)
Both Cra-z-Loom and Rainbow Loom kits are available at Toys-R-Us.
Be happy! <3
Missy
