Magna-Tiles Clear Colors 100 Piece Set

Two sets of these for my son on his 4th birthday and he's building incredible things. These beat legos by far because when you step on these in the middle of the night, your feet are fine! We actually purchased him a third set because I enjoy the creativity.

It takes practice and time and patience. At first I wished the tiles had stronger magnets, but now I've come to understand and explain to my son how you build with structure and support for tall objects...just like in the real world. Some of the creations he comes up with...WOW. Once I taught him how to add support structure, he took off. Now most evenings I get asked to "close my eyes and come into the play area."

My two boys (6 and 2) love these. The soft clicking as they snap together is such a soothing sound, and unlike Legos, these some apart with a good push. Since I feel like our house is quickly becoming a Lego museum full of masterpieces that my kids never want to dismantle, I appreciate the fact that these are actually fun to knock down.
There are only four large squares. As I watched my son open it and start to build a box, I was worried that he would be frustrated by the fact there were only four large squares and a cube needs six. But he immediately realized he could snap together four small squares to make a large square, then snap together two small triangles to make a small square! Everything that people have written about the open ended play, spacial awareness and educational value is totally true. It's a great lesson in shapes, but lead to my only issue with these.
But only complaint is about the long triangles, and I can tell this is going to drive all of us a little nuts. When put together, they ALMOST make a circle. Literally, it is a crack away from a huge gorgeous circle. There are 360 degrees in a circle, so can't imagine why they wouldn't have made these exactly 30 degree angles to all fit together. You can't even shove another piece into the gap, and the magnets aren't strong enough to allow us to pull them together into a bowl. I'm going to put away half of these pieces so my kids stop trying to "solve" this challenge.
My other suggestion is to buy a light box as a building surface. They are pricey, but if you are already paying over $100 for these, look into a light box for the amazing effect of glowing pieces. The light box is also so attractive that it encourages them to keep the pieces there, instead of scattered all over the house.

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My friend had always raved about her son's magna tiles, but they seemed kind of pricey to me and I figured my kids could play with lego's or blocks, which are much less expensive.
For Hannukah this year, I decided to buy my three kids (4 1/2 year old girl and twin 2 1/2 year old boys) a set of 100 magnatiles. I was concerned that the boys wouldn't understand how to stack them up, but I was totally wrong.
I got home from work last night and my nanny and three kids were building a huge tower with the magna tiles. My nanny told me that they had played ALL DAY LONG with the magna tiles and that the kids built all sorts of things with them. I was thrilled!
They were totally worth the money - just to see my three kids sitting there all working together to build something. I highly recommend the 100 piece set. 32 pieces just isn't enough. In fact, I think we need more than 100 pieces because each of my kids wanted to build a huge Empire State Building tower!
For those of you who are scared about the price tag, I assure you it is worth the money. I store them in a clear plastic container so they are easy to clean up and store. At approximately $1 per piece, I also don't want to lose the pieces!!!!

So, how do I begin.... I suppose with some declarations

1. I am not in any way connected to this company, although I'd like to be
2. I have no incentive for writing this review other than to spread good information based on my experience with these blocks

So, my addiction with these blocks started about 2 years ago, when my son turned 1. Given, at that time he was unable to play with the two sets we had bought form a major big box retailer. The sets happened to be 25% off at that time of year and I jumped on two boxes and stored them for a bit. When my son turned 2 the blocks started being played with. Every since its been a uphill battle to not buy more pieces consistently. At this time we have 3 sets in use, approximately 300 pieces and I have two more boxes (100 pieces each) for my sons upcoming birthday, which will put us over 500 pieces. So why are these blocks so important to our lives you ask? Why invest so much money on these blocks? Please allow me to answer in a multi-tiered fashion.

Cost:
These blocks are not expensive, not for when you think about the cost associate with one dinner for a family of 3. Go to your RedLibster or go to AliveGarden one night and tell me how much you spend. Oh.. you spent a 100 bucks on some pasta and breadsticks great... you could have had a toy your child/children would play with for 10 years and hand down to their kids one day or an item you could have easily sold on online auction sites for at least half of what you initially spent. We all know it, 'if u want something good u pay a little more'.. so lets not be delusional about the cost of these being too much. In comparison to other toys... they are but a fraction of the cost, based on the possibilities....(see below)

Possibilities:
These things are almost entirely unlimited in regards to what they will allow someone to produce. When my son first started playing with them he would make 'floors' for his trucks to drive over, then it was simple enclosure unites, then enclosure units with roofs, then villages with roads and buildings, then airports and firehouses, etc... hence the reason we need more blocks. I am having a hard time keeping up with his very creative mind.

Why:
These blocks for 100 bucks, or whatever u spend on them, trumps any other 'setting' toy you can buy, such as a TTT setting to run trains on which gets old after a while, although the tracks allow for imagination. Even with train tracks though you can only run trains on them. These pieces allow for you to, as described above, build whatever. My son has built house for his 'stuffed animals'... heck... we even built some for his dinosaurs and for him on one occasion.

Perks:
So easy to store and for the analytical/OCD type person who loves to clean up after their kids, these blocks are ideal. A few minutes and they are exactly as neat as they were when they first arrived in their original packaging. Not many toys can offer that... not to mention these avoid the infamous 'middle of the night' stepping on a (little block) and screaming murder.

So.. I am here to simply praise Valtech for their exceptional product. These blocks are sturdy, safe and break proof (or so they appear to be). I am a very hands on father and I spend countless hours with my son playing games (he is an only child, that turns 3 this coming week). I've found great joy in playing with him with these blocks and watching his brain develop in a number of fashions.. below are some of the learning benefits I believe these blocks offer:
1. Patience in understanding how long it takes to build something up
2. Mechanical Dexterity
3. Resiliency in rebuilding things that fall
4. Geometry/Shapes recognition
5. Mathematics/Counting
6. Physis; Forces; Magnetism/Leverage
7. Teambuilding
8. Creative play
9. Pre-approach
10....(more I'm sure to come as my child grows)

I DID NOT receive any sort of discount on this product. I do not receive any perks for writing this review other than knowing that I possibly helped lead you to buy these blocks for your child or children to play with. That in of itself would be rewarding enough or me and make me happy for having taken the time to review these blocks.

We have since started branching out with these blocks:
-Plays with them in the shower
-Bringing them to grandmas house
-Bringing them into the sandpit (Mr. Crabbie)

My son calls these things 'sticky blocks' and they are one of his favorite toys. We really have played with them for at least a half an hour to 3 hours for the last 6 months straight. I'd say, its a bit much, (the playing that is), however, I know with my son we are going to play..it is very rewarding to know I am doing my job as a parent and able to find some 'enjoyment' myself in watching his little brain expand before my eyes... These are the epitome of the type of item you buy to enrich your kids life. I took a while to buy a STEM toy/product in that I wanted to buy the right one... this one.. on the 4th purchase continues to reaffirm my belief that there is no better toy available out there.

Cons: None
Additional information: Magnetic Strength is good
Suggestions: Buy Base that avoids using 4 'big squares', buy a carrying case, take pictures of each of your designs

Questions? I'm happy to provide additional thoughts should you have any questions.

Enjoy.. and remember... You cant say 100 bucks is allot of money for a toy, if you are eating out each night, drink, smoke, etc...

To quote my husband, "Anyone who knows what N48 or N52 means will be disappointed."

In other words, it's a good toy and the kids are having fun, but the magnets are NOT super-strong. Building interesting 3D shapes leads to collapse.