What do you think of these blocks from costco.com?

[nrp]

I decided to get some blocks for DS with some money my mother gave me, and I found these:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11182476&search=blocks&Mo=28&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=blocks&Ntt=blocks&No=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

What do you all think? They say hardwood. My alternative is the M&D set that is softer wood, and can be had for $30-something on Amazon these days. Benefit of Costco is that I can take them back to the store if I don't like them.

[shoxie]

These look REALLY similar to the M&D ones. Not sure how much of a difference the hardwood vs softer would make, but do the Costco ones come with a box or any sort of container? That, in itself, is great because these are very heavy. The M&D ones come in a nice wooden "box" with handles.

[C99]

We have the same set in the painted wood version. One thing to be aware of is that the scale of the blocks is much bigger than the wooden blocks you might be thinking of. That said, they are very sturdy, very heavy (DS1 cannot lift the container with all the blocks in it himself) and good for larger-scale projects. DS1 got the set either last year or the previous year for Christmas and he plays with them all the time -- building bridges, garages, roads, etc. They still look brand new.

[s7714]

I wouldn't spend more money on blocks simply because they're hardwood vs. a softer wood. My DDs have some wood blocks that have been passed down several generations (my grandfather originally made them for my aunt when she was little) and they're holding up just fine despite being made out of pine, which is very soft wood.

Unless you like the larger block sizes (based on what the PP said), I'd just go with the more cost effective M&D ones.

[baileygirl]

PP indicated that your son is only 6 months. If that is the case, I would go with a set of Uncle Goose ABC blocks instead. DS just turned 2 and we have gotten a lot of use out of those. Once he starts building more complex things, I'll get him some unit blocks.