ok, after the $90 for 100pc magnatiles deal was sold out on creativekidstuff, i decided to bite the bullet and get a few Playmags knockoff sets.
I was going to order the playmags from Overstock for $70, but they only have the main 100pc set. That comes with ONE "car", and that ain't gonna work for us, with 2 kiddos and a train-obsessed DS.
I wanted to buy just the 50pc Playmags set that has 4 cars, 16 "fence" pieces and squares and then buy a real Magnatiles set later when they went on sale. But that was $59.99 on amazon and that seemed like a ripoff. I found it for $44 on toys4usa.com. Shipping cost was INSANE, but free over $89. There they also had 100pc set for $79. So i got both of those to get the free shipping..150pc for $124.99. If these work out they will be a good deal. if the kids really like them, i will buy a real Magnatiles set later.
i will post review as soon as i get them. i don't have Magnatiles so nothing to compare to but at least i can say if they are decent quality.
Ms Pacman - did you get them? Do you like them?
I'd really like to augment our magnatiles with more cars and playmags looks to be the way to do it. But nervous over the reviews...
I haven't used the one the OP linked, but I did use this knock-off because our library has it: http://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Stick...ref=pd_sim_t_5 There was a big note in the box saying "if you give this product 5 stars on Amazon, we'll send you a free book!" (something like that). My guess is that they send it free to libraries and daycares for the Amazon publicity. It left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't buy the reviews and I don't think "Award Winning!" meaning anything.
ETA- the marketing tactic probably wouldn't have bugged me so much if it wasn't a clear copycat of a successfully independently made toy.
DD - 8
DS - 5
Thanks! looking at these pages via google not through the forum directly so missing some updates I guess.
There is a stick n stack review where the guy says they have xmag on each piece (which he dislikes) and a video review for picasso ones that clearly show xmag on each piece leading me to believe that those two knock offs are the same company. Would be interesting to know how many of the knockoffs are really the same thing.
thanks for posting the link!
Yes, i ended up getting Playmags in 100pc, 50pc accessory and 20pc car+fence set, as well as 100 pc Magna-Tiles. THe playmags seem equivalent and the kids have been playing with them interchangeably. I was afraid due to the fake Amazon reviews but so far they seem pretty much the same. Only difference is color is slightly different, there's no metal screw in each corner, and maybe the plastic is not as clear. the magnet placement and strength seems the same. It's 1pm here and the kids have been still playing with them all day except for a break for lunch. They have thrown them around, my kids are NOT gentle with stuff and nothing has cracked or broken.
I bought this set on Zulily a few weeks ago, http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Colors-M...tro+mags+truck. We have two magnatile sets but they don't come in these shapes. My son built the truck w/o any issues; and they seem to work just fine with regular magnatiles. These aren't Play Mags though they are Metro Mags. Also, the full sets don't seem to be significantly cheaper than magnatiles.
You are thinking of buckey balls. I still have a set up on the top shelf of my closet as dd asked for them a few years ago, and I bought them and then found out about the magnet swallowing issue. The company has since gone bankrupt.
The magnets are plenty strong on magnatiles for building intricate structures. My kids still use them regularly at ages 6 and 8.