If you own any device with a touchscreen, then you know all too well how quickly and easily they get dirt and grease and all sorts of crud all over them. I tend to have a small microfiber wipe with me in my car and my laptop bag at all times, and a couple of my jackets have them on the inside pockets. But for those looking to wipe their screens with a bit more ‘character’ than a simple square microfiber wipe, Toddy introduced Screensters. They sent me a couple to try out, so let’s take a look!
Description
Here are some of the features:
- Made with 100% premium microfiber for scratch-free and liquid-free cleaning
- Playful dual-sided design crafted with plush microfiber and silky microfiber
- Available in 10 character choices including: Harmonia- The Yogi Screensters, Artisha- The Creative Screensters, Gunnar- The Sporty Screensters, Texterella
The Hip Screensters and more - Can be used to clean a variety of devices including smart phones, MP3 players, e-readers, tablets, gaming devices and camera lenses
- Certified as a safe toy for ages 3+
Overall Impressions
For me there were three basic questions about the screensters: do they work, will they last, and will anyone want to use them?
In terms of core functionality, each character has a silky microfiber on one side and a plush microfiber on the other. What this means is that from a really filthy MP3 player that has ridden in your kids’ backpacks too many times mixed with lunch and gum and whatever else, to simply a couple of smudges on your phone, you are covered. In practice I put Biblio through his paces for a couple of weeks. He traveled in my bag, and I used him exclusively to clean my screens. I had absolutely no issues.
Since I had Biblio with me, it meant he went in an airplane 4 different times, a couple of different hotels, back and forth to work in a glass flat panel screen plant each day, and so on. He rode inside the bag, but never showed a sign of excessive wear. But that is an important distinction – with the loop I can see kids attaching him to backpacks, and I am not sure he would last long in that setting or on a key ring.
As for the target audience, the folks at Toddy consider this to be ‘perfect for kids or adults’. I still have Star Wars stickers on my suitcase I take traveling from when my kids put them on years ago, but I would never attach this to my bag, or use it publicly. This is clearly a kids product, and a cute one at that. The problem is that the age group most likely to love these is also least likely to keep them in reasonable shape. And as a $9.99 disposable chew toy the price is a bit high.
But I see some of the characters being attractive to ‘tweens’, and that is where I think this is a perfect product. It is something they will carry, that they will use to keep their stuff clean, and that they will take care of to make it last. So while that narrows the value group quite a bit, it makes these fun little characters a cool buy if you have kids in that group!
MSRP: $9.99 each at Toddy Gear Store
What I Like: Fun design; works perfectly as described; sturdy when treated well; might help kids clean their electronics better
What Needs Improvement: Nothing
Source: Manufacturer provided review sample
Here is my hands-on review: