Customer Reviews

Magneatos (144 Piece Set)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My children (age 6 and 2) have built some pretty neat things with Magneatos. Unlike the tiny metal balls and rods in a Magnetix, the large rods and balls do not pose a choking hazard. The rods come in two different lengths, that allow the child to explore a wide range of geometric structures.

Pluses:
* It is easy for kids to build complicated geometric structures. The magnetic rods teach kids the properties of magnets.
* In order to build tall structures, the child has to learn how to build strong "crystalline" structures on the lower levels.
* It is easy (and automatic) for young children to assemble balls to rods. No fine manual-dexterity required here!

Minuses:
* There are 144 pieces to return to the box each time. Half of the parts roll, which means that they are distributed evenly throughout the house when it is time to put them away.
* The toy has an additional use as a collection of 40 or so 3" hard plastic covered lightweight metal balls that your child will throw around the house (and my two year-old does just that). My two year old has constructed an improvised atl-atl by putting a ball on the end of a rod and then slinging the ball.
* The ratio between the mass of the parts and the strength of the magnets is less than for the smaller building sets. This means that models will be a bit more fragile than Magnetix models. You cannot build structures that are as tall and your children cannot play with the model they build or carry it to their parents.

We bought the set for our grandson for Christmas. We were impressed with quantity and quality of the parts - that met all expectations. But when you go to build something with it, the magnetic force is so weak that it just falls down - a real bummer and a disappointment. So you are limited to single dimension construction, flat on the carpet, and cannot go up even a single layer without real engineering skill to construct trusses to totally reinforce the structure. Even then, a slight touch brings everything down. And it seemed like such a neat idea....

Just like the review from Grandpa Dave, I too thought this was such a wonderful concept. My daycare kids love to discover with magents and this toy is safe as far as choking hazards. However, we too found that every time they built something it would fall right over. After the 2 sets arrived just yesterday, we've already had many tears over broken masterpieces. This will end up being a great toy for toddlers who will discover magnetism but my preschoolers will probably just let it sit once the "newness" of the toy wears off. Too bad since I paid a lot for them. Amazon has the best price that I've seen though.

I bought this toy for my 5 and 3 year olds. I thought it was a great educational and fun toy since my kids like building toys but unfortunately the magnetic strength is so weak that the slightest bump and the whole construct collapses. I'm very disappointed. I can't imagine how a company that makes a toy based on magnetic strength fails to make it strong enough to do what it claims. I feel like I've been tricked into giving my money away for nothing.

Got this for 3 yr old granddaughter. It is a versatile construction toy for building 3D as well as 2D structures with the magnetized rods/balls. The plastic pieces are solidly built, have a certain heft--feel substantial. The shorter rod (they come in 2 sizes) is about the length and diameter of an adult's curled fingers+thumb when made into a fist. The colors are bright and appealing. The balls are hard and should be limited to building structures or to rolling them on the floor in some made-up game--they obviously should not be thrown.

Initially, your child will need help in putting together 3D structures that do not collapse during the building process. This can be very frustrating. A 4-piece square or rectangular building unit needs a diagonal rod of appropriate length to reinforce the unit or it will collapse when more rods/balls are added. The child easily gets this supportive-rod concept and takes an interest in making the structure sturdier--an added level of difficulty kids like cuz they can master it. It takes a skill they are proud to have learned. The 3D structure will topple on provocation, but knocking these constructions down is part of the fun for toddlers. These are not structures built for the ages...
Stronger 3D structures can be built using 3-rod triangular units that lock the structure together...they are less vulnerable to collapsing.

2D structures built on the floor can be loooooooooooong snakes or skeletal creatures, but they cannot be dragged along the floor cuz the magnets aren't strong enough to hold the rods together. But things don't have to move to be interesting--the shapes can be fun in themselves--like stick drawings.

It's a versatile building toy yet does not earn 5*. Do I wish the magnets were stronger? Yes. Docked one * for weak magnets. Docked another for value for the set is kinda pricey--I don't feel I got 5* value for the price.
Note: I gave it 3 stars for fun value...but the review published fun value as 4 stars (?)

If you accept the fact that it is not a building castle set. Its great for what it does. It teaches kids to connect balls with sticks and guild different geometry objects. You can build 2 level structures (we tested it pretty well), just need to make sure you put lots of middle peaces for better support. We actually managed to get 3 levels (top one would be finishing roof style). So overall i am very happy. My 4 year old loved playing with his little magnetex peaces but now he can play with his 1 year old brother together on the same concept! He loves it, jumped over the top. Not to mention he uses the balls just to have fun with rolling them and staff as well :)
Colors are great. Peaces are durable. Magnets are not super stront. But its a good starter set for a 1 year old. Peaces are big enough!

My 3 year old Grandson just loved these. He plays for hours building things. They are sturdy and very easy to build with.

What a great idea for a toy! Too bad the magnets are so weak. Even when building in crystalline structures- it falls down WAY too easy. We have had these for over a year now- and while they occasionally get some play- it is not as much as the building toys that stay tall when built. Often see these on the ground in single layer for other purposes (e.g. hopscotch board, make shift "corral" for play horses).

I got two of the 36 piece sets for my [...] year old and the whole family loves it. I'm writing the review here because this hasn't been enough pieces for us! Dad and I build complex structures that she can knock down, she likes sticking the pieces together and pulling them apart. We just pile them in a bin when we're done. If you've tried to build anything with straws or Popsicle sticks you know that you need to build support to get tall structures, it doesn't matter how strong the magnets are. We've built all kinds of 3 story objects, the only limit we've found is the number of pieces not the strength of the magnets. I love that she's learning about magnets now, and will learn about structures later. If you want to build a giant tower, this isn't the toy for you. If you want to teach your kids about strength and structure, this is awesome.

It is a nice toy for kids, they love it. Kids play and have fun building things. Thanks.