This paper offers an overview of didactic reflections on the introduction of the concept of electric field in Physics teaching activities aimed at the secondary level of Basic Education, using a teaching methodology based on a low-cost experiment. We analyze the particular use of the experiment called the electrostatic vector and its use in teaching the idea of lines of force, proposed by Faraday in the 19th century. We analyze how this approach differs from that normally presented in textbooks. We argue that the use of low-cost experiments will not lead to learning, but rather the work of the teacher who provides interaction between the subject and the electrostatic vector. Both the teacher and the experiment play an important role in the lesson.