Backyard Safari Bug Vacuum - Review of a Great Educational Toy

So, you've been sucking up bugs from all over with your Backyard Safari bug vacuum. What to do with the cool ones you'd really like to keep? (With mom's permission, of course!) A bucket or jar will work just fine for a few insects. But to build your own insect city, check out the Backyard Safari Bug Podz Habitat.

You can build the habitat however you like, creating your own bug city. Each podz serves as a mini-habitat for the bugs with the tubes connecting them so they can travel from habitat to habitat. Add dirt, grass, leaves - whatever will help your insects make a home they will love. There's more than 50 pieces (that's a lot of bugs!) so you can create quite the bug city with this one.

Note that some people said the podz habitat didn't connect together very well, but the pieces are quite snug and your child probably won't be able to get them tight on their own. So make sure you double-check them before moving the habitat around or you might end up with more habitat than you wanted!

As I was looking at bug vacuums, I wondered if the Backyard Safari bug vacuum really was the best one. It's not the cheapest, but is it the best value?

So I took a look at the Toysmith Bug Vacuum Set because it was half the price and had the same average star rating, although more of its stars were lower than the Backyard Safari vacuum.

My first thought was that the Toysmith vacuum just doesn't look as cool. That's totally a personal preference of course, and your child might not care about the looks as much as being able to suck up bugs. The Toysmith has just two power settings, and many reviewers complained about the sucking power, saying low was worthless and they didn't think high was strong enough. However, their kids were still able to capture insects with no problems.

The Toysmith vacuum also comes with an observation tube with a magnifying lid and a pair of tweezers for bug observation. Overall, if price is a concern, a young child will probably enjoy this one just as much as the Backyard Safari option. Older kids might need the other with its higher power and sturdier construction.