Magnetic constructors are gradually starting to lose their status as a hot novelty, turning into a proven option for children's development. Kits for children from 5 years old, whose parts do not provide for any spikes and grooves for connecting to each other, can be used from an earlier age due to the simplicity of their assembly, but kits for older preschoolers usually have a slightly larger number of parts, which allows fantasies to roam on a larger scale.
How to choose the right one?
In any category of goods, there are both more and less quality copies. In addition, in some cases, even a good product may not suit the consumer due to the fact that he did not take into account the presence of certain unacceptable characteristics. Magnetic designers also need to be able to choose, so it's worth reading the advice of consumers who have had a negative experience of buying such a set.
Most experienced shoppers advise never to go to a store without a clear idea of what exactly you want to buy., and this applies not only to magnetic constructors, but also to absolutely any goods. Of course, it will not be possible to study the entire assortment in advance, and it is better to hold some things in your hands once than to look a hundred times on the Internet, but you need to compile for yourself at least a small list of criteria that a suitable purchase must meet - this will significantly narrow the search ...
Modern technology allows you to get an idea of the desired set even before arriving at the children's store, so there should be no problems with planning.
All products can be conditionally divided into high-quality and low-quality, and if for an adult the low quality would most likely be limited to disappointment and unnecessary costs, then in the case of toys you have to risk much more - the health of the child. Children tend to pull everything into their mouths, and even the age of five is not a guarantee that the baby has completely abandoned such a decision. In addition, children in any case are unlikely to diligently monitor cleanliness - it costs them nothing to lick the hand with which they just held the designer.
Considering that kits are usually made of plastic, we are dealing with synthetics, which are not always of high quality and safe. In this situation, the consumer has every right to demand a quality certificate from the seller. (one should not be limited to one indication of the composition on the package), and in general, it is better to trust large stores that value their reputation than obscure stalls on the market.
If the parents' solvency allows, you can simply trust the world famous manufacturer, who asks dearly for their designers, but guarantees the highest quality and durability. Such manufacturers include, in particular, the well-known Geomag and Magnext.
Domestic and Chinese manufacturers are usually criticized quite harshly, pointing out that their only plus is perhaps a low cost, but among them there are suppliers of different levels.
If parents are not ready to spend large sums on a toy, you should pay attention to the brands Magical Magnet or Magneticus.
To determine the quality of a set of a magnetic designer, the strength with which the magnets are attracted to each other is of key importance - it directly depends on how strong the crafts will be. The best samples can even withstand a fall from a height without breaking, but the store is unlikely to allow a potential customer to throw the product.
It remains to check without explicit destructive methods - you need to try to attach 4-5 others to one part and shake the structure a little. If not crumbled, you can buy.
The connection between the parts is very important, but the quality of the assembly of the parts themselves is no less important, because each of them is already composite, since it is assembled from a plastic case and a magnet. It is important that there is no damage on the surface of the plastic, because this spoils the appearance of the toy and is fraught with small scratches during play.
Many buyers of constructors are repelled by the fact that the more expensive a set is, the better it is, probably. It is possible that it is so, but a child of 6-7 years old is unlikely to be overwhelmed by such an argument - it is important for him to be interesting to play, and this requires a fairly large number of details, measured by several dozen. For this reason, even an inexpensive kit with a bunch of dubious quality parts for a 5 year old child looks somewhat preferable to an expensive, durable and safe kit that can be assembled in a matter of minutes.
Manufacturers
Magnetic constructors themselves are just a type of constructors, and they have appeared relatively recently, so some smaller classification has not yet been invented for them. At the same time, kits from different manufacturers have characteristic features that distinguish them from alternative kits from other manufacturers, therefore it is most reasonable to classify depending on the manufacturer.
Geomag
Perhaps, if you do not mind anything, to please your kid with a magnetic constructor, you should make a choice in favor of the highest quality sets - one of those produced by the Swiss brand Geomag. In principle, in terms of the plausibility of the appearance, such a solution differs little from the famous Lego, only there are no grooves and spikes here - only magnets.
Kids over 5 years old should love the Wheels 710 set, designed primarily for boys - you can build a beautiful racing car from it. Although the set contains only 25 parts, it captivates children due to the believability of the assembled model, which can well be used as an independent toy. As for the parents, they cannot pass by the relatively low, as for a magnetic constructor, cost, which is at the level of a thousand rubles.
Magformers and analogues
If parents have money, and they do not mind spending it on toys, you should pay attention to Magformers - it is this magnetic constructor that is most often presented as magnetic constructors in general. Its design is quite characteristic - the sets consist of colored and flat triangles and squares that have a slot inside the perimeter. Oddly enough, very complex structures can be assembled from such simple parts.
Girls will love the Princess Castle Set, a set specially designed for building a fairytale castle. For a more fun game, the creators put the figure of the princess herself in the package, and the details were released in a more complex form so that the assembled craft really resembles a luxurious palace.
Seventy-eight details will help to puzzle the child for a long time, but you will have to spend money on such a gift thoroughly, because its cost exceeds 10 thousand rubles.
However, the Chinese are not asleep, and voila - there is practically the same set called the Mag Building Carnival Set, also consisting of 78 parts, but already at a significantly reduced price - 4.5-5 thousand rubles can be met. Although Chinese products are often criticized, this manufacturer has earned mostly positive reviews - the copy is called quite high quality. The only thing the consumer needs to know is that not all parts in such a set will be magnetic.
It is somewhat similar to the original and the Chinese Mini Magical Magnet M158 set - here we are dealing with the same squares and triangles, only their sizes are 30% smaller. The parameters of each part were reduced for a reason - as compensation, the manufacturer shoved 158 parts into the package at once.
This solution looks optimal for diligent kids who love construction, or for a small close company of 2-3 children. The pros and cons are similar to those described in the paragraph above, but the price is even more affordable - within 3.5 thousand rubles.
Kribly boo
If the kid breaks all records of perseverance or can boast of a large number of friends and hospitable parents, you can present him with a truly huge construction set from Kribly Boo, which is called "Magic Attraction". The set includes 345 parts at once, including colorless metal balls serving as connecting elements, and magnetic sticks of four colors - red, green, blue and yellow.
On the one hand, such a constructor is unlikely to be able to assemble a plausible model of something, on the other hand, with the proper imagination, you can build a lot of nice accessories for playing with other toys, and an example of a rather complex assembly is drawn on the cover.
Again, in this case, the Chinese origin of the toy does not affect parental reviews, as a rule, consumers do not complain, noting the rather high quality of the connection and the pronounced developmental effect. The price with such a number of elements does not seem serious at all, not exceeding 5 thousand rubles.
For information on how to assemble a magnetic constructor, see the next video.
