Have you checked out Thames and Kosmos on amazon? DS got the chemistry 2000 set for his 8th birthday (I think it's 11and up). He needs his papa for the experiments but loves just reading the booklet! And his father has expressed his satisfaction with my choice ( I always. Get to do the research, he gets to quibble). He's also got the basic electronics set, and loved it too. They all seem pretty well reviewed, so you could just head over there and look what strikes your fancy and blow out the money...
