08-03-2012, 11:07 AM
jwb Wrote:Is $3-500 appropriate for an 11-year-old? Every time I go to Radio Shack, they seem to have much more reasonably priced stuff -- this looks like about the same thing, for less than $20 <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12149441">http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... d=12149441</a><!-- m --> It's cheap enough to let you make your own mistakes.
Well, yes and no. She's been on about it for a year, so to me, that indicates a good interest. Some of the less expensive stuff cannot be repaired, and does not perform well out of the box. So those are two things that could turn a kid off an activity pretty quick.
I am trying to find a decent compromise - say in the range of $200, which a lot of people will throw at a bike, an X-Box, hockey gear, etc, without even thinking.
Thanks,
Andrew