Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad Review: Conditional Buy Verdict
Digging into hundreds of cross-platform reviews, the Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad – Pink earns a solid 7.9/10 from users, but that score hides a sharp divide between delighted young artists and frustrated parents dealing with quality control issues. While marketed as a fun, portable LED tracing pad with “over 100 traceable images,” reality shows a product that inspires creativity for many—but arrives defective or incomplete for too many others.
Quick Verdict: Conditional Buy
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Bright, even lighting makes tracing easy | Frequent reports of cracks, scratches, and missing parts |
| Encourages creativity and fine motor skills | Battery compartment screws strip easily |
| Portable and kid-friendly design | Limited included tracing sheets vs. marketing promise |
| Great gift appeal for ages 6+ | Uneven lighting or light failures in defective units |
| Inspires imaginative play beyond tracing | No batteries included |
| Downloadable images extend use | Some paper arrives wrinkled |
Claims vs Reality
Crayola’s marketing emphasizes “bright LED drawing surface” for easy tracing in any light, even in pillow forts or camping tents. While many users back this up, saying the illumination is “bright enough to see, but not blinding,” Trustpilot patterns reveal another side: stripped battery screws, dead lights, and uneven illumination. One verified buyer reported: “The lighting isn’t even and the tracing templates are basic printing paper that gets wrinkled easily.”
Another claim—“over 100 traceable images”—is technically true if you factor in online downloads. However, Amazon customers repeatedly note disappointment with the in-box content. Several state the pad ships with “about 4 patterns” despite advertising 10 tracing sheets. A Twitter/X reviewer put it plainly: “Not enough tracing sheets and patterns given the cost of the toy.”
The promise of a “paper-locking frame” to hold sheets in place is also mixed in practice. While some parents say it keeps lines crisp, others complain “there is nothing to hold the paper on the screen in order to trace,” especially when sheets are wrinkled or missing.
Cross-Platform Consensus
Universally Praised
For children who receive a complete, undamaged unit, the artistic benefits are clear. Reddit user feedback describes it as “an innovative and fun tool, providing a unique artistic experience for young children keen on exploring their creative side.” Parents report the LED light encourages attention to detail and helps develop fine motor skills. A verified buyer on Amazon shared: “My granddaughter loves to draw and color. She was very excited to get this and opened it right away and began tracing the horse!”
Gift appeal is another strong point. Across Amazon, Reddit, and Trustpilot, the pad is often cited as a “birthday or holiday gift you can rely on for big smiles and hours at a time of imaginative fun.” Kids quickly move from tracing provided sheets to mixing and matching images or even tracing photos of themselves. One parent noted: “It helped her progress into just drawing her own pictures from looking at another.”
For travel, portability is a plus. The slim design fits into bags, and the light-up function works in low-light settings like car rides. A Trustpilot review praised: “Evenly lit surface makes tracing lines easy to see, even in pillow forts or camping tents.”
Common Complaints
The most consistent frustration comes from poor quality control. Multiple Trustpilot reviews document units arriving “scratched badly on the front and back” or with “small cracks in the screen.” Battery compartment screws are another weak point, with users saying they strip easily, making it impossible to insert or replace batteries. One buyer lamented: “Cannot unscrew to get batteries in.”
Paper shortages and condition issues also sour the experience. Complaints about “missing tracing sheets” or sheets arriving “all wrinkled up” are common. These shortages undermine the advertised variety and force buyers to source their own tracing paper early on.
Lighting inconsistencies further frustrate some owners. While marketed as evenly lit, several say “light only comes from the top edge” or fails entirely after minimal use. Without the illumination, the pad becomes “just a plastic board,” as one review put it.
Divisive Features
The battery policy—requiring 3 AA batteries sold separately—divides opinion. Some appreciate the flexibility of not being tethered to a charger, while others resent paying extra for power in a product at this price point. One Amazon buyer remarked: “I can’t believe a product this expensive would come without batteries.”
The downloadable image library also splits users. Tech-comfortable parents welcome the extra resources, but others find printing at home inconvenient or low-quality compared to professionally made sheets.
Trust & Reliability
Trustpilot and Amazon reviews show an unfortunate pattern of damaged goods arriving in apparently new packaging. Phrases like “looked like we bought the item on discount” and “product was used and scratched when I received it” appear too often to ignore. Some speculate sellers are “reselling returned problematic boards,” leading to skepticism about certain marketplaces.
Long-term durability varies. Where units arrive in good condition, parents report months of use without trouble. A Trustpilot user noted sending it “as a gift for my five-year-old granddaughter—she loves it!” with no follow-up issues. But defective battery compartments and cracked screens often lead to early abandonment, as one buyer explained: “It’s too late to return it so it is now trash.”
Alternatives
No direct competitors were cited in the data, but community advice leans toward sourcing generic LED tracing boards with larger sheet capacities and rechargeable batteries. These may lack Crayola’s curated art library but avoid recurring complaints about missing parts and stripped screws.
Price & Value
Prices vary widely—eBay listings range from $24.95 to $44.90, with auction resales dipping to $6.49 for used units. Given the risk of defects, buyers recommend purchasing from trusted retailers with clear return policies. The pad retains gift value when complete and functional, but resale value drops sharply for damaged or incomplete sets.
Community buying tips stress checking packaging for signs of prior use and confirming included sheets before gifting. Some suggest pairing with bulk tracing paper to extend use beyond the limited starter set.
FAQ
Q: Does the Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad come with batteries?
A: No. It requires 3 AA batteries, which must be purchased separately. Several users note disappointment at this omission given the price.
Q: How many tracing sheets are included?
A: Officially 10 tracing sheets, but multiple buyers report receiving fewer or wrinkled sheets. Additional designs can be downloaded online.
Q: Can you use standard tracing paper?
A: Yes. Many parents supplement with generic tracing paper to replace worn or missing sheets.
Q: Is the lighting even across the pad?
A: When functioning properly, yes. However, some defective units have uneven light or illumination only from one edge.
Q: Is it suitable for travel?
A: Yes. Its slim profile and battery operation make it portable, and the LED light works well in low-light environments like cars or tents.
Final Verdict: Buy if you’re seeking a creative, portable gift for kids 6+ and are purchasing from a trusted source with a strong return policy. Avoid if you need guaranteed durability or are unwilling to deal with potential quality control issues. Pro tip from community: Pair with bulk tracing paper and check all included parts before gifting.
