Product Review: Chuckit LIGHTPLAY Line [Video]

Now that the days are shorter, there’s less light. That means when you get home from work, it’s hard to get outside to play fetch. But Kevin Roberts may have the answer. He tested Chuckit’s LIGHTPLAY line, which features glow-in-the-dark dog toys. Here’s what he has to say about his nighttime adventures with the toys and his pack of dogs.

When I was asked if I’d be willing to review Chuckit LIGHTPLAY line of glow-in-the-dark toys, I jumped at the chance. That’s because the classic Chuckit launcher and orange ball is a stand-by in our house. Well, not only our house – we also have one in the truck, one in the garage, one in the camper, and one at the cottage! Our dogs love to chase and play with the regular Chuckit, so we were excited to see their reaction with the Max Glow toys.

I received a comprehensive sampler of Chuckit LIGHTPLAY line: the Max Glow Ball, the Max Glow Kick Fetch, the Max Flow Fumble Fetch, the Max ParaFlight and the Max Glow Pro 18M Launcher. And I gotta tell you, they all went through a rigorous testing process.

Chuckit Max Glow Ball

The Max Glow Ball is a small, hollow, super glowly (that’s totally a word) ball that fits perfectly into the Chuckit launcher. It’s made of a durable, high-quality synthetic rubber, which means it should stand up to heavy chewers. Our pup Belle will only play with two types of toys: one is a Frisbee, and the other being an orange Chuckit ball. She will run after other toys we throw, but most often just leaves it on the ground and walks away.

On our testing evenings, we charged up the Max Glow Ball and launched it; Belle barked excitedly and took off after it… and then refused to tire out after an extended session of fetch! Eventually, we had to take the toy away and hide it, because Belle kept finding it anywhere in the house and bringing it to us. Even if we placed it out of her reach, she would stare at it and drool.

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So you could say that the Max Glow Ball passed the test. Belle loves and we love it. It’s lightweight and bounces well, it goes the distance when we throw it, and because it glows, it’s easy to find again. The rubber makes the toy drool-proof, and when used with the launcher, our hands stay dry and clean. No doggie slobber! That’s a feature Chuckit should really promote, especially in the winter. Frozen drool dogcycles… yuck!

Chuckit Max Glow Kick Fetch

Burger’s favorite toy was the Max Glow Kick Fetch. It’s larger than the Max Glow Ball, and is made of rubber, foam and polyester. When Burger gets his paws on a soccer ball, they last about 15 seconds. He can fit a whole soccer ball in his mouth, and when he does, he simply bites down on it, and POP!

The Max Glow Kick Fetch is foam-filled, not air-filled, but it’s still a light-weight, solid ball. This means when I gave it a good kick, it went flying… and so did Burger! He loves to grab the ball with his face and front legs, and sort of wrestle/tackle it. It was easy for him to grip, because of its welt design. The Max Glow Kick Fetch also held its glow well. After each charge, it kept glowing well for about 30 minutes, which is about the same amount of time that Burger’s attention span lasts.

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We did notice that his teeth punctured the polyester fabric on the outside of the ball, but it’s still useable and has held up well as a fetch toy. We never leave our dogs unsupervised with toys, and the Max Glow Kick Fetch is no exception. This toy is designed to be kicked and fetched, and is not suitable as a chew toy.

Chuckit Max Glow Paraflight

The Max Glow Paraflight is a flying disc made of rubber, foam and polyester. Basically, it’s a ring with a hollow middle that glows in the dark. River is a retired Disc Dog Champion, so she was chomping at the bit to test this toy out! It’s important to note that regular plastic flying discs aren’t suitable for cold weather play. The plastic can shatter when the dog catches it, resulting in cuts to the mouth (ouch!).

The Max Glow Paraflight has a foam core, so it flew smoothly and River snagged it out of the air over and over again, without us having to worry about it shattering. Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! River did puncture the material a few times, but again, this is used only a fetch toy, which allows for minimal wear and tear.

It was fun to watch the flying disc glow, and then snatched out of the dark sky by a camouflage dark dog. The nights we played it was so dark, that the disc helped me keep track of where River was! And if you are playing with a disc in the dark, be sure to keep the throws low to avoid injury to your dog from a bad landing.

Chuckit Max Glow Fumble Fetch

The Max Glow Fumble Fetch is shaped like a football and made of rubber, foam and polyester. Not only was it fun for throwing and kicking around, its erratic bounce kept the dogs running all over the place – they never knew where it was going to end up. We wanted to see how the toy would hold up to an extreme workout, so we enlisted the help of our friend Syd, also known as “The Destroyer”. Syd is an intense yellow lab – she loves her toys and she gives them a solid chew-out.

When we tossed the Max Glow Fumble Fetch, Syd went for it right away, intent on destruction! We sat back to see just how durable it really was. It lasted for nearly two hours before Syd was able to get through the fabric and make a small hole in the foam. There was no mess from the foam, and since no small pieces came off, we let Syd keep playing. Again, these toys are designed for a game of toss and fetch. Used for what they are meant for, we didn’t have any problems. I was impressed that it took Syd so long to even make a mark on this toy.

Would we buy these toys? As a fetch toy, YES – we would buy any of these toys for our dogs. They won’t hold up as a chew toy, but remember that your dog should not be left unsupervised with a toy.

With our busy schedules, my husband and I take the dogs out in the morning, and again in the evening and from November until March. That means much of our recreation time will be in the dark. The Max Glow toys are designed with today’s busy pet parents in mind, which perfectly discribes us, so they’ll come in handy after work during playtime the park.

We tested these toys in both the fall and winter, and used them in the house as well. In warmer temperatures the toys hold their glow charge a little longer than out in the cold. Each toy glows for about 30 minutes on a full charge. While they do glow a little less in the cold, we stay out a little less time in the cold anyways… so it all works out.

I really like the rubber welts on the Fumble Fetch and Kick Fetch balls, as it made them easy for the dogs to grip and for me as well. If you have a dog who hasn’t mastered the art of dropping a toy, this gives lets you hold on during a rigorous tug-of-war.

Don’t let the dark scare you – grab the Chuckit LIGHTPLAY toys and get outside to play! And watch the video of these toys in GoPro action.

Note: PetGuide.com was NOT compensated for this review. Our reviewer received a Max Glow Ball, a Max Glow Kick Fetch, a Max Flow Fumble Fetch, a Max ParaFlight and a Max Glow Pro 18M launcher to review. The opinions expressed in this post are the author’s. We provide unbiased feedback of the products and share products we think our readers would enjoy using and learning more about.