# Which marble run do you recommend?



## Francy (Feb 26, 2003)

Hi mamas,

Unfortunately, I can't search for "marble runs" right now, with the server issues. So, forgive me if this has been discussed a million times before...

My bright and capable son is turning 5 next wee. We've been wanting to get him a marble run, but aren't sure which kind to get. We've seen the uber-expensive Quadrilla, the Haba, and the plastic "Quercetti" type ones. The only one we have actually assembled and played with was the plastic Quercetti type one. I was a bit disappointed in it b/c many of the stacking supports were cracked, and b/c it was a bit tricky to gather up enough of the supports to make a tall and long run. Also, it was tippy.

I want my son to be able to play with this independently (he is usually very independent, but these plastic stacking pieces were a bit frustrating for both of us. But maybe it was just lack of experience?). I want it to be sturdy, and not tip over so easily.

My husband didn't like the Quadrilla that we tried in the store, but I think that was b/c 1. it is so expensive, and 2. who ever put it together did a poor job of it, and the marbles bypassed most of the run, and fell right to the bottom (if that makes sense).

So can you please tell me about your favorite style/brand?
We want: sturdy, easier/more intuitive to build with. Price is not the determining factor, but we'd rather not have to take out a home equity loan to buy one!

Help!

Many thanks!


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

I just have a cheap plastic one which I like because it is transparent, ds doesn't have a problem getting pieces together, they interlock so don't fall apart if nudged, cheap enough to get a second set for more pieces. I do help put it together and can do so in a tripod formation so it is less tippy. The pieces break easily if someone steps on them, though.

We had a small wood one (by Plan) but it got out of alignment everytime it got nudged so it was a disappointment. I love the ones that have musical features, like xylophone steps, or knocking into windchimes.


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## hubris (Mar 8, 2003)

Great question! Griff and I have been drooling over the Haba one, but I haven't actually been able to get my hands on it. Would love to hear from somebody who owns one or has seen it in real life.

Which sets come with musical parts?


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## lisac77 (May 27, 2005)

I splurged on a Quadrilla set for DS and me last Christmas. It is a great set -- we kind of go in phases with it though. We'll play with it for about a month every day then forget about it for a couple of months. However, it is tons of fun for both the kids and the adults, and should last a long time. Highly recommended!


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## Francy (Feb 26, 2003)

lisa,

does the quadrilla "snap" together at all in the way that the plastic ones do? my husband thinks that the quadrilla will collapse into pieces when my 2 yr olod bumps it, whereas he thinks that a plastic one that snaps together will have more staying power when confronted with the 2 yr old.

i looked at the haba one again, and now i've decided that it looks too difficult for my son to do alone. he is very bright, but the haba one is very "free form," and appears to be supported simply by stacking blocks on each other.

sooooo, we're going back and forth on the quadrilla, and the "discovery toys" model, which looks like the galt model. it is a bit sturdier than the quercetti.

the quadrilla is aobut 4 times more than the discovery toys one. but is it 4 times better? (it is so easy to be seduced by wooden toys that come in lovely shapes and colors! happens to me all the time!)

which ones play music?

thanks for your help! i need to get something this weekend.


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## AngieB (Oct 25, 2003)

I can tell you which one not the buy. We did not like the wooden ones that stack together. They were hard for the kids to do alone and did not come with many pieces so you couldn't do anything big. They played with it maybe 3 or 4 times and gave up. My son got a Discovery toy marble run for christmas last year and liked it much better.


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## ParisAnne (Jul 18, 2004)

We have the Discovery Toys one, primarily b/c I sell them. I think 4-5 yo is a good age to start with it. We got it over a year ago and my dd was too young to put it together herself or really want to try, but she'd love to play with it if I put it together. She loves putting it together herself now. Like any marble run and a 4/5 yo combination it may not run perfectly if they put it together themselves, but she loves just to put it together, and I find that watching her try and do it encourages me to help her and problem solve how to make it work.

I like the look of those expensive ones too, but like someone else said, I've seen the marbles fall through when dd tried it out in the store. What i like about the Discovery toys one is that you can replace pieces if they disappear and they sell extra ad on/fun parts for it as well.


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## Malama (May 11, 2002)

We've had the Discovery Toys one for at least 5 years and it's still in awesome shape. We've had very little breakage (one piece with moving parts), and it's very easy to use. We got it as a gift and it's been one of the most played with toys at our house. We were actually thinking about buying some more pieces so that we could make more elaborate structures- but that's not necessary by any means.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *funshine*
Which sets come with musical parts?

http://www.constructiontoys.com/cgi-...=141.151.63.94
Haba does (has extra pieces you can add on), also a brand called Scalino, probably other brands do to.


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## Francy (Feb 26, 2003)

Thanks mamas!

Sounds like the Discovery toys might be our best (and most affordable) way to go.

But ooooooh: those swirly corkscrews on the Quadrilla! Maybe *I* should ask for that one for *my* birthday!

Any other Quadrilla fans out there? Convince me to spend waaaaaay more money than I need to!


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## Fiercemama (May 30, 2003)

I'm just waiting to buy my DD a Quadrilla. But based on all the responses here, I may check out the Discovery Toys. I do like the Hape toys in general - they are well made, environmentally friendly, very open ended.

She is not yet 4.5 yrs, and Quadrilla is still beyond her abilities. I bought another Hape toy recently, and it came with a DVD that showed how to put the Quadrilla together.

I bought DD a beautiful set of marbles about 2 years ago, and I'm saving them til she's ready for a marble run...


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## lisac77 (May 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Francy*
lisa,

does the quadrilla "snap" together at all in the way that the plastic ones do? my husband thinks that the quadrilla will collapse into pieces when my 2 yr olod bumps it, whereas he thinks that a plastic one that snaps together will have more staying power when confronted with the 2 yr old.

i looked at the haba one again, and now i've decided that it looks too difficult for my son to do alone. he is very bright, but the haba one is very "free form," and appears to be supported simply by stacking blocks on each other.

sooooo, we're going back and forth on the quadrilla, and the "discovery toys" model, which looks like the galt model. it is a bit sturdier than the quercetti.

the quadrilla is aobut 4 times more than the discovery toys one. but is it 4 times better? (it is so easy to be seduced by wooden toys that come in lovely shapes and colors! happens to me all the time!)


Quadrilla is similar to building with blocks. So if you knock it down, it will fall. It is also probably too advanced for a two-year-old, HOWEVER I was more inclined to pull it out and play with it because it is fun for ME. DS will play right along with me. Then when he is old enough it will transition into being a great building toy for him. He loves it when I build runs for him.

I guess it depends on what you're looking for. But for us, with me home alone a lot with a young child, it was nice for me to have a toy that I actually enjoy playing with.

Good luck.


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## Jess A (May 26, 2006)

DS has a Quercetti Marble Run Vortis and LOVES it. Is actually building something now. He got it for Christmas shortly after he turned six and can build all the models (and make up some) completely by himself (though I like to play with it too).

I can see how it could crack, etc. but if your child is gentle, I think it's an affordable kit to start with to see if she likes it. DS's kit has 80 pieces, and I got it for 20.00 at an educational store. It is a bit tippy, but DS doesn't seem to mind.


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## lasciate (May 4, 2005)

My youngest brother had a set like this - it's very sturdy and easy for small hands to set up.

https://www.discoverytoyslink.com/ec...roduct_id=3875


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## Francy (Feb 26, 2003)

Thanks again for the input mamas!

I went back to the store to play with the Quadrilla, and while my 5yr old is very smart, I think this model would be frustrating for him (and I need him to be able to use it independently). The design has an element of randomness built into it. That is, when you drop a marble in, you can't be sure which path it will take (not sure if this is b/c of the way the store model is put together, or part of the overall design, or both). While this can be a nifty feature, it sort of frustrated me, and I think it would bug my son (who likes things to go the way he plans them).

Also, his aunt just offered to get the Discovery Toys model (which her son has, and loves).

So, I will have to stop drooling over the pretty wood and colors of the Quadrilla. The Discovery one has some nice accessories as well.

Whew! One parenting decision solved.

Only a couple million more to make....


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## Tamthemom (Jul 23, 2006)

I bought a marble run with blocks that my two kids love (and so does dad). They spend a lot of time playing with them in fact. The marble runs are very simple leaving everything to imagination. They don't 'snap' together and are susptable to being bumped out of position, but the kids learned to be careful by using this toy.

I recommend the set that comes with the blocks, the blocks get use alone a lot too.









There is a neat video showing the marble runs at this website.
http://www.woodtoyfun.com/Video.html

Tamthemom


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## zebra15 (Oct 2, 2009)

The kid in this post is probably 16-17 yrs old know... sheezez


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## Sapphire Sun (Feb 22, 2017)

We had 2 sets of the plastic snap-together type marble runs that found used somewhere (Querceti brand, perhaps?). My kids used them a lot. With the 2 sets, we could build tall things and had fun making all sort of different combinations.

My mother bought them a wooden marble run to use when they visited her house (Quadrilla brand, perhaps?). I would describe it as a nice, high quality, wooden toy. Just the thing I want my kids to play with.

BUT, they really played with the plastic set much more than the wooden set. There just seemed to be a lot more to do with the plastic set. There were a lot of grandma-house-toys my kids wanted to take home with them, but never the wooden marble run.

My kids are older, and we don't have the marble runs anymore, but we have a giant set of Kapla Blocks, and they often use those to make marble runs. A younger child wouldn't be able to do it, but for the engineering-oriented older child, I think the Kapla Blocks are definitely one of our family's favorite toys!


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