Pros: -Stays longer in air than hacky sack.
-easy to learn
-easy to control
-extremely fun, especially doing tricks and long distance kicking (like badminton)
-Brings back good memories as a kid growing up in rural China. Great conversation tools too. A Vietnamese security guard was telling me how he played it when he was little. And another Filipino co-worker recalled how they used to make hacky sack out of a rock and rice papers? I don't remember. But it was a cool story.

Cons: -Poor build quality. We broke it within 2 weeks. The feathers came out. We continued playing by stuffing the feathers back in. We did that for about 2 more weeks. Now its utterly hopeless. We also stepped on it twice.
One tip on using this is do not hold the birdie by the feather. Hold by the base. Or you will wear out the feather faster.

Other Thoughts: I work at a government building as temporary student. This toy is a huge hit among my peers. It started with me and a friend, then it grew to about 9 people. We couldn't wait to kick around on our breaks. It is great exercise and hilarious when people screw up.

Bottomline: Cheap, doesn't last long, but amazingly fun. I am gonna order 2 more.

Pros: Once you learn what to do with it, it's a fun thing to try with kids or the kid at heart (e.g. grandparents).
Something else to do at the park besides jogging, cycling, and badmiton.
It can go pretty high and there's a nice clink sound whenever you kick it up.
It also looks nice on the bookshelf when not in use.

Cons: I wish it came in a box or something. one of the feathers were bent funny from being crushed up in the envelope mailer. Otherwise, it would balance/fall better when we're playing with it.

Other Thoughts: My hubby played this a lot when he was a kid in China. They used to make them with real chicken feathers, peices of metal cans, and cardboard. This homemade one would last about a month, all the while replacing the cardboard when needed. He was delighted to see that something similar was still used (there's soda can peices in this one) and he even taught me how to play.

Bottomline: A great, simple toy that brings back memories for those that are old enough and semiaddictive fun for those who are new at it.