Wooden marble run

[OdeToAutumn]

My son has seen a wooden marble run he likes. It is the Hape quadrilla one which is about £30.

Does anyone know if this is a good one and if it would need an extension pack ? The extension packs seem quite pricey !
Thanks

We have the quadrilla cliffhanger. I waited until the price dropped on Amazon (might get a Black Friday reduction??)
I just felt there probably wasn’t enough of the smaller one to keep dc3 happy as he got older. He’s only six so still loves it at the moment.

Thanks @daisydalrymple
I might put both in basket and see if price drops!

We were gifted a Bigjigs wooden marble run and it’s not as good as the Galt plastic one. It’s not forgiving of carpeted or wonky floors, and each bit has to be perfectly aligned for the marbles to run.

The Galt one is much better IMO.

I know you specified a wooden marble run, but I highly rate the Galt marble run. It's plastic but very sturdy and easy to click together. You can get the super or mega set for around £30 and that has enough pieces and fancy bits to do some great runs.

I love the Hape wooden one and their customer service was amazing when a piece wasn't right.

Don't get plastic, it's so shit for the environment. We loved our wooden one and played for years.

I agree about plastic being rubbish for the environment and I try to minimise the plastics I buy, but I think sometimes buying a quality plastic toy that is long-lasting, can be played with for years then passed on to other kids, and then passed on again makes sense, for example Lego bricks. We have a Galt marble run set in our family that has been played with by children and grandchildren for at least twenty years.

I don’t have that particular set but I really rate Hape. Aldi and Lidl both do marble runs and we ended up with a mix of those and Haba as they’re all complementary.

The plastic ones are easier to use, and to use independently whereas the wooden ones take planning and coordination and concentration, and might need adult help. You do need a flat, hard surface too. Just different things to consider.

I’m a little jealous of your quadrilla. Mine were outgrowing marble runs when I discovered that set. It still comes out now and again but not enough to justify £30.

We have two Hape ones - bought when the kids were 8, 6 and 2. Two years on I don’t think any of them have ever built them; the construction is too complicated and fiddly for them. If I build it up the four year old will play with it but it’s quite fragile and he’ll crash it before long. It is satisfying to watch when it’s working but all in all not a great purchase.

We got much more use out of our cheap plastic one.

We had a quadrilla. It was fantastic. So much fun, sturdy and really well made. I passed it on to someone recently and was so happy when they sent me a photo of the run their DC had constructed.

These are amazing. You will soon want more!

Oh wow, sounds like they divide people! Thank you all for your comments.
We do already have a plastic one which someone bought us last Christmas. He uses it a lot and loves it.

This is a gift for him working really hard on something he was struggling with and he picked it out himself. The thing is, he often picks the first thing he sees. Before that he asked for one of the octonauts, but he isn’t that into them?! I was trying to steer him towards something he might get more use out of.

I bought a very expensive Haba one and I have to say the DC have barely ever used it as it is hard to set up and so easy to get knocked.

To start off with the DCs had to have a lot of help and they do both still knock it over but DS who is 8 and has dyspraxia can set it up and play by himself. I don't think he's bothered if he knocks it over.

I think some of the reason it divides people is independent play. Both DH and I love so we do it with DD. It isn't the best for a child to do alone.

We've had years of use. Might break it out this weekend!

Aw this brings back memories. My DS loved his (plastic) marble run and played with it for a good few years. I have kept it for grandkids etc. It's in the condition I bought it in. It's not a single-use toy!