Choosing an equipment for a school or division may be complicated for the following reasons. First, there is the budget to consider which you want to maximize.  Second, technology changes so what has been evaluated to be good today may not be the same at the time the budget becomes available.  Third, ability of teachers in the various sub-skills found in robotics will bias what to initially purchase.  In the end, if we are looking at a multi-year program, expect variances in equipment.  But like everybody else, we want equipment to at least be good for instructions for a minimum of 4 years.

To answer this question, I will not give something definitive as a brand but you can get in touch with us so we can provide you our latest research and evaluation of the various brands and kits in the market.  Hopefully our findings can help you decide what is appropriate for your school.  At best, I will only present criteria that we use for evaluating kits and equipment.  Keep in mind that this evaluation is for equipment used for learning and not used for contests.  Some competitions have specific requirements that alternative parts are used.  Take note that if you are experts, this may not be for you.

1. Support training materials
2. Product support and continuous improvement (maintenance and batteries)
3. IDE – Ease in Programming and transition
4. A big programming library
5. Sturdy building blocks (prefer metal over plastic)
6. Pre-built [no building required – just add-on]
7. Batteries and charger included
8. Availability of sensors or adaptability to other sensors
9. Excellent motors
10. Safe against accidents