Small World Kitchen v. Elves & Angels???

[annasmom]

O.k., I know this is crazy, but if I decide to get a new kitchen for my dc for Christmas, I want to buy it in the really early Fall so I know I can get the one I want. And, since my early Fall will be busy with a new baby and Anna starting school I want to decide on which one I want soon.

I am torn between getting the Small World Kitchen (the sink stove combo & the frig) or an Elves & Angels kitchen (prob. only the stove & sink, maybe the frig for another holiday). Both have gotten excellent reviews, and I *think* I have read every single play kitchen post ever written on this board. I can get the Small World kitchen for a pretty good price, but I want to make sure it is worth the money because it is still pretty expensive. If someone has it, would you compare the quality to Kidkraft??

Does anyone have any experience with these kitchens, feedback or opinions??

Here are some links:

http://www.creativebrainsonline.com/smwolisianse.html

http://www.novanatural.com/product.phtml?pr=3064&sec=384

THANK YOU!!!

[holliam]

Okay, I don't have either but local toy stores has one or the other. Plus, I have the PBK one and another friend has the Little Elves one. So, I can compare all 4.

I think the Small World one is better quality than the Kidcraft one. It just feels sturdier. However, I think both the PBK and the Little Elves ones feel a lot sturdier than either of the other two. I might be wrong but I think you have to put the Small World one together. Both the PBK and Little Elves ones come assembled.

I think the Small World one is more "realistic" looking than the Elves one. That was important to DH, but not to me. I was leaning towards the Elves one, then he pushed me to the Small World one, then I fell in love with the PBK one.

I swear I spent more time thinking about this silly play kitchen than my own!

Holli

[annasmom]

Thanks so much Holli!

The reason I asked specifically about Kidkraft is because I have purchased some of their products and have not been pleased at all with the quality (I have never seen or touched their play kitchen irl).

I LOVE the look of the Elves & Angels, but my guess is that Anna would actually prefer the Small World because it is a bit more realistic looking. I think both of my dc would really love a dishwasher though!

I know what you mean about spending so much time on this, I have comparison charts, etc. LOL! With my luck I will spend all this time agonizing over my decision, and my dc won't even touch the thing!!

[holliam]

See, the beauty of play kitchens is that I have yet to meet a kid who isn't drawn to them! Mari plays with hers every single day, multiple times throughout the day. Whenever other kids are here, they are always cooking. :)

I also don't think they care at all what it looks like, as long as it's easy for them to use!

Holli

[zuzu]

We have the E&A kitchen you linked to, and DD loves it. (I see prices have gone way up! :() It was important to us to have one with a dishwasher, and I also wanted shelving above to store tins and food, so this fit our needs perfectly. I also wanted a natural color, since it was going to be in our kitchen/family room area for a while. We also got the fridge and I've been very happy with both pieces. The quality and crasftmanship are excellent, and it's very sturdy. This is the most often used toy in our house for kids ages two through eight.

As Holli said, I think a child is going to love any kitchen set, so this purchase was as much for us as it was for her.

[annasmom]

Thanks for your review! I also found this Elves & Angels dishwasher -

http://www.waldorftreasures.com/naturaltoysandgames/elvesandangels/elvesandangels.htm

Because I already have 2dc who constantly get in eachothers' space, and another on the way, these seperate pieces are really tempting. But it makes it very expensive! BTW the same site above also sells a washing machine - so cute!

[The Review Mommy]

Eileen,

There's a nice "combination" Kitchen by Small World here:
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=227&pcount=0&Product_Id=34932&RememberSectionId=222&RememberCatalogId=1


IMO I would not get a KidKraft Kitchen if you have more then 1 child/want it for heirloom purposes. The durability just isn't there, but it's a wonderful price when they have it at Costco for about $100. You get a ton for the money and its super cute!

I *LOVE* our Elves & Angels one. I was fortunate enough to see it IRL first and was impressed. It already had that "patina" look-very beautiful. Your DC's will play (and be used to) playing with what-ever Kitchen they get, it just comes down to our own personal preferences and which one we want to look at everyday lol!

Rebekah

[annasmom]

Thanks Rebekah! I actually want to buy seperate pieces so that my dc have their own space. Right now we have a very small play kitchen, and when they both want to play with it, the elbows go flying!!

I know my own personal preference definitely has a lot to do with this, but I also have a ds who LOVES to play with our kitchen and is really rough with toys. So durability is really important to me, because none of these kitchens are necessarily cheap.

My ds doesn't mean it, he just uses so much force. On Christmas morning we had MANY broken pieces to our Kidkraft train table - and he was only one! Needless to say we had to put away every piece that came with the set so all we use from that purchase is the train table.

BTW, which Elves & Angels version do you own??

[squimp]

They have the Small world kitchen on display at our local toy store, and it generally has held up well to quite a bit of use, but the paint has chipped and it doesn't look so great. They also have the Kidkraft one, and the quality seems similar to the Small World, maybe with the Small World one being a little heavier and presumably more sturdy. DD likes the microwave on the Kidkraft one. For me it would be a matter of style and function. I'm a big fan of wood, and we ended up with the Little Colorado kitchen, which is a lot like the E&A one. Like everyone else, I think you should get the one you like the most, because for all of these kitchens, they will hold up well, and you will be looking at them for a long time.

[dules]

We have the Small World one and DD (and we) just love it. However, I would have loved the Elves & Angels one even more - I love the look of it and love that it comes assembled. I just couldn't justify the price, esp since I could get the stove/sink and fridge in Small World for close to the cost of just the stove/sink in Elves and Angels.

DD really likes the PBK one in the store but now at around 38 inches is only starting to really reach the controls on the back. It really used to bug her that she couldn't reach them - and the Small World controls are on the front, just like Mama's slide-in range. ;)

Best,
Mary

[jec2]

well, i know you didn't ask, but we bought the Ivy Kitchen from http://willowtoys.com/Kitchens.htm b/c I just couldn't afford the E&A, which I LOVE! We have been perfectly happy with it. I only wish that it had a little shelf inside the oven but honestly we are ok without it. I am hoping to buy the fridge as well, but space is tight so that might have to wait.