Doctor Who - The Tenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

Product Description

Call me Doctor. Not quite as fancy as the one on the show, but a practical little gadget none the less. Look like... [Read more]

Features

• Includes a hidden UV pen & UV light which reveals your secret writing
• Button activated lights & 'Sonic Screwdriver' sound effects
• Requires 3x AG13 Batteries (included)
• Flip open the cap at the end of the Screwdriver to reveal an additional button that activates the light and sound effects when it is in full extension OPEN mode.
• Pressing the button on the side of the handle activates the LED and Sound FX which operates in CLOSED mode.

Top Reviews

My Favorite Sonic Screwdriver (but then again, I'm sorta biased ;)
by basalawarmi (5 out of 5 stars)
December 13, 2013

God, ok, I know this is just plastic but this is the best one I've got yet! ;D I love, love, love David Tennant, thought he was the best of all of 'em, so this one is also my emotional favorite. Here goes:

Construction: Solid feeling in the hand, a denser kind of plastic than the Eleventh's, even though its skinnier and about 3/4ths the size. Design slightly reminiscent of the old toy Men in Black neuralyzers I had when I was a kid ;) it looks about as realistic as some sort of vague, wide angle shot hero prop- dealie. There's a kind of unsightly blue line painted in between the two triggers (more on that below) which badly tries to imitate some sort of blue power core, but the glass vial thingie in the middle is nicely detailed, and the light is pretty, even off ^-^ The bottom "pommel" thing opposite the blue emitter on top switches out between regular and invisible ink (you get 1 tip each; the emitter, btw, is a real UV light so please try not to stare directly at it for too long) and so far mine is still pretty secure on there, but I can see it being an issue to jam this into your pocket frequently, maybe even causing you to lose the cap or the entire tip. The extender button, apparently, also has a history of falling off, simply design flaws I guess- try to pull the emitter tip out gently and push it back down from the top, this will cut down on the wear and tear of the extender button.

Replica functions: the design is a simple circuit switch attached to a sliding, manually operated sound f/x maker. When closed, the bottom trigger closest to the pen tip is active, but the opposite is active when open. The triggers are simpler than the 11th's replica, you simply cycle through 4 effects every time you press and hold a trigger.

Pen function: Ink tips are fairly small; the regular ink is quite ordinary, and the invisible ink tip (more of a marker rather than a pen tip) really works well with the UV emitter, but if you are dead set on writing invisible letters I recommend getting a real UV Pen because the tip provided can't be replaced easily (or, possibly, at all after all these years); also, a black light bulb in a desk lamp will help you to see the ink as well (though I guess that defeats the purpose, lol... also, should probably mention that this invisible ink only seems to work on white paper)

Conclusion: For the price, a really good thing to have for Halloween, cosplay, conventions, and most importantly, fun! ^-^
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Just What I Hoped For
by Drakmanka (5 out of 5 stars)
June 20, 2012

I ordered the Sonic Screwdriver a few days ago, and it just came in the mail today. I must say, I am quite impressed with the toy overall, it looks great and seems quite durable, as long as you keep in mind this is a plastic electronic device. I doubt it would survive a fall from the Empire State Building like the one in the show did.

I think it would be useful to list both the pros and cons that I have observed so far(granted I've only had it for about an hour.)

Pros:
1. It is a great replica of the screwdriver used by the Tenth Doctor in the show, perfect if your a cos-player.
2. It is reasonably hardy - although if you want to purchase this for a younger child or someone who is known to be rough with their toys it may not be the best choice.
3. The functions(light, sound, extending and retracting) work great.
4. While it is light-weight due to being plastic, it feels good when held in either hand - like it should feel.

Cons:
1. The battery installation can be a pain if you don't have a large enough collection of small Phillips-head screwdrivers. (I used one of the smaller screwdrivers on my swiss army knife)
2. It uses three AG13/LR44/L1154 batteries(aka watch batteries), which can be quite expensive. Fortunately it does include three.
3. While the sound is quite good, and very authentic, I honestly wish it were a little louder.
4. When it lights up, the light is purple instead of blue - not a huge issue, but still something I found to be a bit irksome. This is caused by the actual light being a UV light to go with the UV ink in the pen.

I haven't actually played with the pen portion of the screwdriver yet, so I don't have anything to say in that area.

Overall I would have to say that this is a great prop and a must-have for any Doctor Who fan. It is definitely worth the price.
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PERFECT FOR US WHOVIANS
by Jenster (5 out of 5 stars)
July 21, 2016

We bought this for my daughter for her birthday. She LOVES it! the invisible ink pen is cool and really works! The light is a blacklight to reveal the ink. It also comes with a standard black ink pen. they both don't attach at the same time however so find a safe place for the one not attached. It is NOT however really a toy so it isn't super durable. No issues besides the slider button popping off when it got dropped but it popped right back on but I can see it not handling too much actual PLAY or if it were carried around in a pocket or something a lot. It has decent "sonic" sounds and looks AWESOME! Definitely the perfect gift for the Whovian in your life.
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Great look, a little light weight but overall a great toy.
by Joe (4 out of 5 stars)
December 25, 2015

I got two of these for my kids for Christmas 2015 and they were a huge hit. The appearance is very good, but as a parent there are a few minor quirks to be aware of. First, the slider cap does come off, its not attached. So this could get lost, you can probably super glue it yourself, but just beware. Second the device is extremely light weight and not much to it, so it feels a bit flimsy in your hand. I personally wish there was a sound effect switch where you can set one sound to use at a time, but it actually has a sequence of sounds in a set of 4. So each time you press the button you get the next sound in the set. My kids like the sound the screwdriver makes in the show most of the time and wish they could set it to just that one sound, but its again a minor quirt. Overall this is a great prop and will bring a lot of imaginative fun for my kids and their friends.
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Be aware that sonic screwdrivers being sold here are different!
by Kestrel (4 out of 5 stars)
August 12, 2014

I bought this item for my son a few days ago. It came packaged looking like Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver. Unfortunately, the product wasn't as advertised. While it telescopes and plays all four sounds, the black cap that's supposed to come off to expose the "pen" wouldn't come off, no matter how hard I tried to remove it. It was obviously not meant to come off at all--meaning that there was actually no pen underneath. The light wasn't a UV light either, just a regular blue light.

I wrote to the sellers of the item and they apologized and issued me a quick refund, telling me that I could keep the screwdriver. I then asked about the ADVERTISED screwdriver, and they told me, "We're sorry, this is the only one we have."

The next day, I came back on Amazon and noticed that this same screwdriver was being sold by a different seller. I took a chance and ordered a second one. The new one came yesterday and it's in totally different packaging. It comes with TWO pen nibs, one with a highlighter that you can see with the UV light and one that's a regular ballpoint-style pen. This is the CORRECT item that is being advertised here.

Today I came back to write this review and noticed that a third seller is now selling this item. Whether they're selling the one I got with my first or second purchase is unknown. Both items are official Doctor Who items, but they're in different packaging, with the second one being advertised "with ultraviolet light and pen."

All in all we're happy with our purchase, since my son now has two sonic screwdrivers (which, when he's feeling generous, benefits his sister too). But I wanted to leave this review for potential buyers. It may be prudent to contact the seller first and make sure you're getting the actual item advertised.
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Cute- but very flimsy.
by L. Davis (3 out of 5 stars)
July 19, 2016

I struggled with how many stars to give this. I am a huge Doctor Who fan. I decided this would be a fun addition to my collection.

On the plus side:

It is cute.

The UV light is brighter than I expected and it does work.

The UV Pen works great. (I tested it out by drawing silence hash marks on my son's arm- if you get that reference, 10 points to you!)

The regular pen tip works ok, but I'm spoiled because I like certain ink and pen tips. I never intended to use this as a pen, so I didn't deduct points for that at all.

My issues:

It's smaller than I expected.

The plastic seems very cheap.

It is not very loud- I would have preferred a louder sound. I am very disappointed in how quiet it is.

Again- I go back to the cheap plastic. The buttons you push to turn it on are flimsy. the pen tips are flimsy. The entire thing just feels like it could break easily- not fragile- just cheaply made.

I bought this to go in my collection, so it will not get much actual use, but overall I'm disappointed. I expected a better crafted product.

I will not buy another one unless I can see it first. For a kid who only uses toys once or twice then tosses them aside, this would be ok and you wouldn't be out a lot of $$. For a collector, I think you would be disappointed.
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Love the pretty packaging! Love the lights and sounds too. Do not count on using it as a pen.
by Little Whovian (4 out of 5 stars)
February 16, 2014

Okay so I haven't taken this one out of the package yet. But this is my second time purchasing the same sonic so I am going to rate using a combination of how my last one was and how this one looks. I bought the last one so long ago and I do not remember the packaging being so pretty. Maybe because I tore it apart so quickly to see how it worked. This time around, I took the time to appreciate the packaging and it is so pretty. I am torn between leaving it in the packaging and taking it out to play. What happened to my last sonic was the little plastic part that slides back and forth to extend the sonic broke off. To be fair, the thing was abused by my 5 year old so I am not saying anything bad about it. Just be careful if you are going to let little kids play with it because it is just plastic and can break. Now after that piece broke, it stopped making the sounds and lights at the push of a button. It only does it if I pull the top outwards with my hand and then it keeps making noise (because after awhile, it just sounds like noise) until I push the piece back down. However, I loved the sounds and lights that it made before it got broken and I am excited to have a new one. If I do decide to remove this one from its packaging, I will update my review. I am just so scared that it will get broken and it looks so pretty on my shelf right now. I just got it last night though so I might be unable to resist the urge to play with it. :)

So why 4 stars instead of 5? Lets talk about the pen nibs. If you want to use this as a pen, it can get a little bit frustrating because the pen nib constantly falls off. At least, mine does. Mid-writing, it starts to fall off. It is frustrating if you have to do a lot of writing. Or even writing a simple note; it will fall off. I have heard of people gluing it on so it does not fall off. Also, it is easy to lose those pieces - especially the UV one which, to be honest, I never even used. It is still wrapped in plastic and tossed in one of my drawers cuz I found no use for it. So I would say it is a good idea to glue the regular pen nib onto the sonic if you want to use it as a pen.

Other than the pen parts, I love this thing. I also have 11's sonic (two of them because I originally got a defective one and then they sent me a free replacement but let me keep the defective one so I have one for display and one for play). I bought both of those and my first 10's sonic on thinkgeek but this time around, I decided to buy it here on Amazon. Anyway, it is a fun toy and a pretty addition to your collection if you are a huge Doctor Who fan as I am and love David Tennant as much as I do.
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Worth the price but keep in mind it is a toy
by Michael Haywood (4 out of 5 stars)
October 9, 2014

It's not bad for the price. I bought it as a little stocking stuff for Christmas and I have no real issues with it unlike most people. The pen works well and the screwdriver itself is fine. Although, I think the quality of the sonic would have been a lot better if they didn't make it a pen and instead worked on adding other details and things like that to make it more "real".

People also need to keep in mind that - THIS IS A TOY. Why they would expect such high quality in the first place baffles me. Go to a local store and look at toys price in the 20-30 dollar range, Their quality is far from the best (not to say that this sonic isn't good quality because I'd certainly say it's a step up from the norm). It's a toy so why expect the best when common sense tells you not to. If you wanted something better then that generally means you have to spend a lot more. Just accept it as a toy and move on.

Note - The 11th Doctor's sonic is a big step up. Doesn't have the pen part that the 10th Doctor's has and has a lot more features.
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Bought both 10th & 11th- a Comparative Review
by Wayfinder (5 out of 5 stars)
August 13, 2012

I purchased both the 10th and 11th doctor sonics, so am reviewing both and comparing where warranted. : )

Here's the main thing: This isn't just a replica of the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver. It *is* the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver. Word is when the folks at the show got wind of this they realized they could buy these more cheaply than they could make them by hand, and procured a bunch of them (they were after all, prone to get lost or damaged during filming). So for Doctor Who fans... how much better a collector's item could you have than the very item that was used on the show itself? When you play the Doctor with this you realize-- David Tennant used the very same device. You don't get much more authentic than that. This is the sole reason I bought this. It is a must-have for any true Whoobie... especially Tennant fans. It's the "real McCoy".

General ratings:

Fun: Depends on the individual. If you go to conventions as the Doctor, you'll have a blast. Otherwise it's likely to sit on a shelf as a fine collector piece. I'm not sure it's made to be "fun"... just awesome. : )

Educational value: You'll learn something trying to figure out how it comes apart and installing the batteries with proper polarity. The instructions are well-written enough, which encourages reading. Putting it back together can be educational as well. Beyond that, it doesn't really take universal sonic readings nor unlock doors, which clues one into the facts of reality.

Durability: Rather poor. Cheap plastic and parts that slip into place rather than clipping or screwing or twisting together.

Rating overall: Probably a 4 or 5, again depending on the individual.

Observations:
* Be sure to install the batteries correctly, with polarity the right direction (instructions are very clear). Note that batteries install the exact opposite direction of the 11th version, so don't take anything for granted. You will need an incredibly small phillips screwdriver, which is a downside as most people do not have those in their tool drawer. You may be able to use a larger jewelry-flathead screwdriver instead. Be careful of stripping the screw heads.
* The device itself is rather flimsy overall, made of rather cheap plastic. That's okay, it suits the purpose and looks fine. But it warns in the instructions "dont' do this, don't do that"... which does not inspire confidence in durability. It looks like one drop would break the inner workings and render it non-functional. I do not intend to test and find out. ;)
* The volume of the sound effects is significantly lower than the 11th version. It's loud enough to be audible, but fails to render the satisfying ear-shattering nature of the show's amplified special effects.
* The light: split feelings on this. On the one hand it is rather neat that it is UV light instead of a standard LED. However only the tip lights up, not the entire barrel front as I'd hoped (rather disappointing, that). It's not as bright as it could be, but is satisfactory if uninspiring.
* The ink cartridges: The UV "invisible ink" cartridge works well, as well as the reading-light effect. It performs as advertised. The regular ink cartridge (which I would hope to use much more) is non-standard and thus has only one replacement source: the company. I cannot imagine any way to rig a replacement. That is somewhat disappointing as part of the attraction of this is being able to use it as a standard ink pen (although it is quite large for that purpose... it's a great conversation piece). Considering the rate at which many people typically lose pens... that is probably for the best.
* The buttons: There are three buttons, all easily accessible and quite functional. The rather large button that extends the barrel gives the entire creation a rather cheap feel... somewhat of a "this fantastic futuristic device extends by sliding this giant huge button up the side" (it's not spring loaded like the 11th... disappointing). The button cover does come off leaving a much smaller button with a screw head in the middle, so if the size of that great large button puts one off there is the option of just removing it, but then there's the matter of that screw, which is equally tacky (however, let's admit it, tacky/gaudy controls are an earmark of Doctor Who shows and is actually part of the charm). The other two buttons quite adequately control the light and sound (one when collapsed and one when extended), which is a plus over the 11th version (in which the handle button becomes disabled when extended).

A collector can hardly do better than to own the exact show model, with absolutely no question or complaint as to authenticity (unless of course, one purchases an actual show prop). And there's the bottom line. You do not get more authentic than this; they used the same one on the show itself. It is probably unique in the history of collecting.

Would I recommend purchasing this? If you are a Doctor Who fan... absolutely. This should be a main piece of any Doctor Who collection, or the one item you own if you just want a solid piece of Doctor Who memorabilia. At the price offered one could not procure a more authentic collector's item.
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Makes my boss run away, and therefore, work is wonderful
by WolvesHaveReturned (4 out of 5 stars)
March 6, 2017

This has been one of my favorite pens to use at work for a while. It freaks my boss out, and she literally runs away when I push the buttons for the sound effects, which provides endless entertainment to more than just myself. Apparently, she objects to the shape in conjunction with the sounds, but it's innocent and explainable enough that no one can make me stop using it if I look confused when they try to hint that it doesn't look like a "screwdriver" no matter how sonic it might be. It's also outed my fellow Whovian coworkers, which too has provided me with many hours of avoiding work thanks to the Doctor. My reason for docking a star comes from the fact that I had to superglue the inkwell in place to properly use it and the cap never stays on. A worthy purchase overall, and if I could give it another half star for chasing my boss away, I would.

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