So far as I have been able to find this is the only currently available gyroscope that uses a motor to spin it up. The motor is powered by 4 AA cells, not included. The rotor is quite massive at about 112 grams and per the manufacturer the motor spins it up to 12,000 RPM. Due to precision build the gyroscope is surprisingly quiet and smooth operating at that speed and the massive rotor, and good bearings, give a considerable run time even with the motor detached after it gets the gyro up to speed.
This is the most versatile gyroscope Amazon offers in that it can be configured the same as "toy" gyroscopes without gimbals for mounting or with the gimbals accessory available from gyroscope.com. In the basic "toy" configuration it can balance on a glass, a string or do any of the other gyroscope tricks seen in illustrations of toy gyroscopes. With the gimbals accessory setup it becomes a typical college lab type demonstration gyroscope useful in teaching Physics mechanics principles. An additional accessory is available to configure it to illustrate the principles of a "rate gyro" as used in aircraft instrumentation too.
It should be the most reliable unit available as replacement rotor support minature ball bearings are available from the manufacturer. He does warn that the bearings can be damaged if the unit is dropped or mistreated which is why replacements are offered.
Based on appearance, feel and documentation this is THE Gyroscope to get if you appreciate precision engineering and like very nice quality "toys", either for serious educational purposes or as an executive toy for science geeks. In my opinion this is NOT a kids toy and considering the rotor rotational speed and energy in it I would not recommend it for kids under 12 or so without close adult supervision. Price alone moves it outside the normal "toy gyroscope" category.
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Great little bit of precision work here, comes in a nice little storage/gift box with drawers and a magnetic closure. Spins for a LONG time and is a great conversation piece. Only reason for 4 stars in durability is that I can see it getting knocked out of balance if roughly handled (falling off a counter etc).
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