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View Full Version : Quadrilla versus the Haba marble run



applesauce
11-27-2007, 02:22 AM
It would be for my 3 yo son. The Haba has a younger recommended age, but I want this to be a toy that grows with my children. Does any one have either. I would appreciate the reasons for your decision and any other feedback any of you wise ladies can provide!

brittone2
11-27-2007, 10:22 AM
We have the Haba marble run pieces to complement a starter set (similar to the one at www.tedcotoys.com.) We found the starter set for $1 at a Waldorf rummage sale, so I never debated it much, LOL. We then added on w/ some Haba components (the Haba marbles are bigger and the 2 systems don't work together perfectly, but with the smaller marbles from our starter set, everything works).

The set requires a lot of parental involvement on our part to set up a big run. It is *very* challenging to set up and challenging to not knock pieces out of alignment. My DS can handle all of that okay, but some kids would definitely find it far too frustrating.

One nice thing though is that depending on what components you buy, they can use just those when they are playing by themselves. For example, DS can set up the Haba ski jump pretty well by himself (he's almost 4). For either Christmas or his upcoming bday, he is getting the Haba whirlwind and the Skyscraper. What I thought was nice about those is that they can be components of a bigger setup with parent help, but they seem like they'd be pretty fun by themselves, kwim? I think he'd be entertained just doing those parts if I couldn't help him.

Quadrilla looks really nice. I've seen it IRL but haven't gotten to really "play" with it ;) I think it is a little more limited in what you can do. I'm not sure how it compares in terms of stability and ease of setup. I think some old threads here have hinted that for younger kids it will probably take some parental involvement.

As you said though, it grows with them. We had two 8 year olds from our neighbhorhood over the other day playing w/ DS and they were all really having a great time w/ the marble run. The catch though is if your kid is going to become easily frustrated or you don't want to have to help a lot with it, you might want to wait (JMO).

anamika
11-27-2007, 10:52 AM
We have the Haba one for my DD (3 y.o). I think it's great. We have to help DD set it up but she loves rolling the marbles. Ours came with a bell which for her is the highlight of the marble-rolling! I anticipate that she will play with for a long time especially once she figures out how to set it up herself. And I can always add some new pieces to keep it interesting.
I have seen the Quadrilla one set up in a store and liked the Haba one better. Just my personal preference.

rgors
11-27-2007, 02:39 PM
We are buying the Block N Roll set from Taurus Toys because in my research, the pieces are easier for a younger kid. It's made in Maine (if you are trying to avoid Made in China), but it IS plastic so not as nice. BUT, it works with Duplo blocks and other sorts, and has rave reviews from parents of tots as being much easier to align and keep in place than the more free-form sets.