Customer Reviews

Little Tikes EasyStore Large Slide

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

My brother has had this Little Tikes EasyStore Large Slide for quite a few years now, with his 3 daughters using it all summer long. It has held up very well and all his girls still love it. (Ages are 7, 4, and 2.) In the summer months, they will put the end of the slide in a little pool for some water fun. The slide is very stable and large enough for even their very tall 7 year old.

While I really liked this slide, I had been comparing it to the Step2 Naturally Playful Folding Slide and trying to see which was better based on reviews. Very difficult as they are very much the same.

I ended up ordering the Step2 version and I'm very happy with it. There are a few differences that I have noticed.

Little Tikes stability wings at the bottom of the stairs is somewhat flat, but enough for little ones to trip when not paying attention racing to the stairs. The Step2 version has angled wings that have to be put together with the staircase with a couple of screws - it says to screw them in with a screwdriver, but I was unable to do this. The wings slide on and stay there unless you lift up the slide to move it, but I'll leave putting the screws in to my mechanically inclined husband so I don't wreck it.

Little Tikes steps seemed to give a little more than my Step2 slide. This may be due to the fact that my brother's Little Tikes version is a few years old and my Step2 is brand new, I'm not sure.

Little Tikes top of the stairs handle is a little shorter than the Step2 version, but not a big deal.

Little Tikes slide has a slight curve/bump in the slide halfway down, while the Step2 version has the curve/bump right at the beginning.

Little Tikes end of the slide has a slight lift, but my nieces and daughter would still fall forward on a fast slide down. The Step2 version has a lot more lift and my 2.5 year old daughter really appreciates it and doesn't fall forward nearly as much.

The Little Tikes dark brown and burgundy is nice as is the Step2's medium brown and grass green. I think I like the brown and green better, but that's just my opinion.

The Little Tikes version seems to be a little lighter in weight than the Step2 Naturally Playful one. I had a harder time lugging the Step2 around than I did the Little Tikes.

They both fold easily and can store on the wall in the garage when not in use which is awesome. Being able to store it somewhere out of the way will definitely keep the slide in great condition for years!

Overall, both great slides and lots of fun. The slide length for both is about 58 inches long. They both stand about 40 inches high (top of handrail to the ground).

Added March 2008:
We've had the slide now for nearly 2 years, and my son still gets on from time to time. He actually likes to watch tv while sitting on the top of it (we keep it indoors in a "play" room).
Since my review seems to bubble to the top (thanks to the kind reception of the readers), I just want to say that it appears Little Tikes listened to our complaints and finally decided to include a metal rod instead of a plastic one. From the most recent reviews, it seems that the installation issues are now things of the past.

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First, I agree w/ the "good fun if you make it past the assembly stage" comments from the other reviewers. That's all been said, so I'd like to offer some of my personal assembly tips for new buyers.

IMPORTANT: By straying from the printed instructions, there is the chance that you can do unexpected damage to the toy (or in a more direct manner, use my suggestions at your own risk).

Here's what the instructions (just pictures, no words) say you should have to begin the assembly adventure:
1. Goggles (!)
2. Hammer
3. Wood block
4. Pencil (to help w/ the threading of the plastic tube)

Additional items that I recommend:
1. Sand paper (100 or 120 is good)
2. Screwdriver (in place of the pencil)
3. Several wood blocks (enough to level the toy for hammering on the second red cap)

The plastic tube is like a brand new wood pencil (best analogy I can come up with right now). Imagine trying to hammer that pencil into a hole that is precisely the diameter of the pencil. Most likely, you'll shatter the pencil on the first hit. Now imagine sharpening that pencil and trying again. First of all, you can easily set the pencil into the hole as the sharpened tip has a much smaller diameter than the hole.

Ok. So now you get the idea... Use the sand paper to LIGHTLY scruff the very tips of the plastic tube. DO NOT sharpen the plastic tube as you would a pencil! You only want to make the very tips of the plastic tube just slightly smaller in diameter (think millimeter). Now, the caps should be easier to hammer on.

In terms of the threading, I was very uncomfortable using a pencil to aid in the task. I found that a screwdriver worked great, and I wasn't worried about it breaking inside the tube.

Ok. I've rambled long enough. I know that this is supposed to be a review, and it's far from one. I, too, was unhappily warping the plastic tube with the hammering at first. Fortunately, I had some sand paper handy and it saved my sanity (i.e. I didn't have nightmares of being hammered into a red cap by a giant plastic tube).

By the way, my 2 year-old son loves the slide. We have it indoors on an area covered by the blue playmats (3/4" thick, I think) sold at toyrus.

Absolutely the worst toy to assemble that I have ever encountered. As with other purchasers of this awful awful slide, getting the tube through and the caps to stick on was nearly impossible. I did succeed, but only after significant contortions and more than a few curse words. I've never cursed over putting together a toy. Never. Even the bike from China with the poorly translated instructions were easier than this.

Little Tikes, here's a few suggestions:

1. Don't ask the customer to hammer the end of a pliable plastic tube in order to jam it into a cap and then expect the tube to remain straight enough to thread through six holes.

2. Spend the $0.50 and provide the stupid wooden block.

3. Change the order of assembly so that first thread the tube of frustration, then cap it on both sides, then attach the stairs. Trust me, it would have been easier that way.

My boys love this slide! We originally had the smaller easy store slide but my oldest out grew it so we bought the bigger one. It is very durable and easy for my 2 year old to climb. It was a bit of a challenge to put together but doable. It took about 20 minutes to get everything to fit together. It was very worth the time though since my boys have had hours of fun on it!

I agree with the previous review, my child used this slide at a toddlers group and first time down fell face first as his feet caught on the bottom of the slide, it needs a smoother landing. As far as giving it 5 stars for educational value......it's an education on how to land face first, he now puts his hands out to save himself, that's all he learned :o( Having used this at toddlers I will not be adding it to my yard toys.

I agree with all who complaint about the assembly. It is one of the worst product to assemble. Little tikes should add a metal rod and some other type to lock the bolt.

One other problem is that it throws off the the baby if the clothing is slippery.

And also, is very narrow and does not provide enough spae for the child to position properly before sliding down.

I wish we hadn't bought this slide because it is really unsafe. The problem is that the slide is fast and ends abruptly at the floor, without any kind of safety lip or drop. A child sliding down this slide will go down really fast, then jam his feet into the floor and catapult forward. Most slides end 6-12 inches from the floor. Now we know why!

We have twin girls. They watched and screamed in anticipation of my putting together their new slide. However, I had to give up. The plastic tube is just to flexible to hammer the end caps on. I tried sandpaper and wax. All to no avail. This is a classic bad assembly. The plastic tube lacks the appropriate rigidity to allow the endcaps to be hammered on. The second problem is customer support is not open on weekends!!! So my baby girls will have to wait. Parents of small children know how hard that is.

After reading everyone's reviews, my wife and I were quite skeptical of this product because of the reported difficulty with the assembly. However, we went ahead and purchased the slide for our son for Christmas (2007). It seems that Little Tikes has solved the assembly problems by supplying a sturdy metal rod rather than the plastic rod that seemed to be giving people so much trouble. With the metal rod, assembly was quite easy and took me only about 20-25 minutes.

I'm not sure how much my son likes the slide since it's not Christmas yet, but I'm hoping it will be a big hit.

The good news - my daughter loves this slide. It's the perfect size for a 3-year-old (not too big, not too small).

The bad news - the assembly SUCKS! As with other reviewers, I agree that the "tube technique" is ridiculous. Also, a word of caution...do NOT assemble this at 1AM Christmas morning (lots of hammering, slamming pieces together, etc) - unless, of course, you want to wake your kids and spoil the existence of Santa Claus. Thank God my daughter is a heavy sleeper :)

It's a real shame that a good toy needs to be sullied by poor manufacturing.