Ramsey PL500 Advanced 500 In 1 Electronic Lab

I've gone through several "electronic labs" over the years and this one by far is the best. To get any "better" you would have to spend several hundred dollars more for "profesional labs." It's well built, lots of projects documented, and really there probably isn't any limit to the number of projects you could create with this. The fact that the whole thing folds up, attache case style, is also very handy for storing, espicially when projects aren't completed yet. I can use the included pockets for storing the wires, but there really isn't a good place for storing all the other extra parts, resistors, capacitors, etc. So far I'm getting by, by using the self closing bags it came with to store the parts and just spread them out on top of the board before closing the case as there is enough room inside to hold them (without a project in place that is).

Overall, excelent kit.

This is an impressive kit; you could learn a ton about electronics by working through it.

The main thing that distinguishes this from other (less expensive) kits is the breadboard and array of loose parts. In the product image, the breadboard is the middle white area in the lower section of the case, full of tiny holes. This is where you insert resistors, wires, and other parts in precise locations to set up the projects. This gives you great flexibility in wiring up circuits in a way that's more "real world" than other x-in-1 project kits. But it also means the kit isn't right for younger kids who are likely to find wiring up projects on the breadboard frustrating. If your kid is at the low end of the age range or would be frustrated by detailed instructions and putting lots of wires, resistors and capacitors in exact locations, this isn't the right kit.

As an adult who just wanted to learn how to create electronic circuits, though, I love it. I've done about eight of the experiments in the last week and plan to do many more.

Pros: Huge variety of experiments; more like creating real circuits than other similar kits; individual experiments teach you what the components do so you're really learning about electronics; good value considering everything that's included.

Cons: Not for folks who would find the breadboard wiring frustrating; probably need to buy a separate organizer case for storage of parts; Awkward English in lab manuals; first few projects might scare people off (Try the "Back to Basics" projects starting with #7 instead if this happens.)