Customer Reviews

Plan Toy Hammer Balls

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love this toy. When my 18 months got it she played with it for an hour every day. It is such a wonderful quality. The holes have rubber trimmings inside that hold the balls from falling through right away when placed onto the holes. You can even push them down with your fingers if you wish not to have a hammer around - in my case with a newborn in the house just to be on the safe side!
My daughter loved it without the hammer as well. She was fascinated with what happens to the balls when she pushed them down. They always end up on one side of the toy.

Our son loves this toy! It is well made, and the balls are easy to either push or pound into the holes. When he was under 1 year he enjoyed pushing them through. He also seemed to prefer these wooden balls for playing with over plastic ones. Now that he is 1.5 years he is really into pounding and hasn't gotten tired of the simplicity of the toy. It is well made and solid. Perhaps when he is older we may add some material (maybe masking tape inside the holes, around the edges) to make it a little more difficult to pound them through.

I'd say the ideal age is 6 months to 2 years, although I'm sure he will play with it longer. I'm recommending it for young children because they can use it as a very simple shape sorter, pushing the balls through the holes, watching them disappear momentarily, and then roll out.

I love Plan Toys, and this one in particular is a beautiful keepsake. However, the wooden balls are quite hard and just the right size for my 13 month old to throw across the room with ferocious force! I'm worried that if another child or a pet were around, he could really hurt someone. Same goes with the hammer. He hammers away at the balls with energy and force. If this same force were used on a person or a pet, serious harm could be done!

My son loves this toy however. He often pushes the balls into the holes with his hands and the hammer is not even a consideration. He learned quickly how to play with this toy (with and without the hammer). The toy itself is simple enough for him to gain confidence, and he repeats the process over and over again, keeping him entertained.

I would recommend this toy, but only while an adult is sitting with the child while he / she plays with it. Left to his own devices, someone could get injured by the parts. Adult supervision is a must with this one!

I gave this to my 2 year old grandson for his birthday. He plays with it over and over. Although the concept is simple, he enjoys repeatedly putting the balls on top and hitting them so they roll out the bottom. He says "1-2-3" while playing, or names the colors as he hits them. He has a long attention span for this toy!

My 9-month old son initially didn't know what to do with this toy, and I actually didn't think it looked like much fun just hitting balls into holes. He first learned to place the balls into the holes, then to push the balls through. What was beautiful to watch, however, was the other ways he played with this toy. He pushed other little toys through the holes--some fit through while other didn't. He turned the bench upside down and placed the balls on the ramp, watching them roll off. He also turned the bench on its side and balanced the balls on the slit. We let him play with the mallet a couple of weeks later, always under our supervision. This toy is solidly-made with quality materials, withstanding all his banging and teething. I am very pleased with this purchase!

I recently bought this for my seven-month-old son, and, despite the fact that he's a bit young for the whole hammer-to-ball coordination thing (I let him play with the hammer only under close supervision), he LOVES it. He chases the brightly colored balls down, then watches rapt as they get pushed through again. He usually doesn't have the attention span for any one toy but has really been enjoying this one. Plus, it's durable and green!

We have owned this toy for going on 2 years and I am not satisfied with the overall quality. The glue that plan toys uses does not work well at all...this is the second toy that we own from this company that has glue issues. The green track underneath the toy became loose probably a month after owning it from everyday use...nothing abusive just a 9 month old playing with it. The balls are very hard and can hurt a child if thrown, but I expected as much from a wooden and supervised my children accordingly. Recently one side of the green track came off completely. I am really dissatisfied with the quality- I expected that any wooden toys that I've purchased would be saved for my kids to give to their own kids someday. My son still bangs the hammer around alot but that alone isn't worth what I paid for this.

I was looking for a toy of this type for my 13 month-old for Christmas. This one seemed to be the best option based on reviews. I was still unsure that my baby would be able to actually play with it. Sure enough, she only had to be shown once how it worked and she has been a pro ever since. It is so cute to watch her strike the balls with the hammer and see her excitement as they roll out of the side. The edges are all smooth and the hammer and balls are weighted perfectly. The toy is beautifully made (as are all Plan Toys) and will be in our play room for a very long time.

These type of toys are great. But this one is terrible. The balls almost fall through the holes so no hammer is needed. My son just pushed them through with one finger. Choose a different hammer toy.

My son received this toy as a gift for his first birthday. He absolutely loves it! It is well made, sturdy, and will likely last for years through the abuse of multiple toddlers. While simple, this toy holds my son's attention for quite a while. But while I am reviewing the toy, I am really reviewing Plan Toys as a whole. We recently dog sat for a family in our church who had a sudden death in the family. The dog was a problematic chewer, and chewed up several of our kids' toys. One thing he chewed up was the hammer to this toy. We hadn't even had it a month yet when this happened. I contacted Plan Toys to see if there was any way I could buy a replacement hammer. They sent a brand new hammer to me free of charge, and it arrived before an entire week had passed. No questions asked, no proof of purchase, no "we don't cover damage caused by dogs" . . . just "absolutely! I will send you a new one right away!" And NO CHARGE!!! You will be hard pressed to find customer service like this anywhere any more. I could not be more pleased with Plan Toys. This was the first of their products we have ever owned, but it will not be the last.