Magformers Challenger 112-Piece Deluxe Set - Magnetic Tiles Building Blocks, Educational Kit, STEM Toy Set - Magnetic Building Tiles for Kids to Develop Problem-Solving Abilities and Shape Recognition

I have purchased many set of Magformers since I purchased my first set last June. I already had, and loved Magnatiles, and at the time thought they could be combined. They cannot. The magnets don't line up. There is SO much more you can do with Magformers that just cannot be done with Magnatiles. Building vehicles for one. Building a 2D figure that pulls into a 3D figure for another.My 4 year old grandson has enjoyed playing with mine when he came to visit, but they live out of town so he didn't get many opportunities. I decided to get him this set for Christmas. I knew his twin sister would enjoy them, too. My daughter told me they play with them some every day. She texted me the other day to say they kept him busy playing quietly by himself for 2 hours while the rest of them slept (he's an early riser). She texted me this today," They are counting, using addition, and using spatial relationships. It's so cool watching them develop so quickly." Remember, they are 4.I'm a retired high school geometry teacher. I do not see them outgrowing this. It will adapt as they grow and change. The dads all love playing with them. My son-in-law expressed frustration because this set did not have all of the shapes (which is why I have so many sets!). My solution was to send him another set for his birthday this week. I also sent the pink set since my granddaughter had seen them at Target and expressed a desire for them. They have been enjoying trying to copy some of the things in the booklet. If there is any downside to this toy is that you cannot limit yourself to just 1 set - even if you get one of the larger ones. There will always be a shape you don't have, but feel you must add to your collection! Fortunately, I have found cleanup is easy, even with the number of tiles I have and they get scattered everywhere in the room when several of the grandkids are here. I got a plastic chest with 3 drawers. I started out with the Magnatiles in the top drawer, special shapes in the second one, and basic shapes in the bottom. Now we pretty much just scoop them up and put them in whichever drawer they will fit! Since they cling together, you can get a lot of them in one pass!

I have to add to these fantastic reviews. My boys just love, love, love these magnets. We previously had two sets of the Discovery Kids magnets so I already had an idea that they would like other magnets. I was just looking for more interesting shapes and ways to create with magnets - this set is exactly what I wanted. In fact, I will be expanding on this set this Christmas. I'm hoping to add some of the "super" shapes to their set this year.Background: purchased this set Christmas 2013 for my twin boys who were then 5 and have special needs and my then 3 year old son. This is the kind of gift every parent hopes to find each Christmas - the one the kids open and are giddy with excitement to break it open and start playing!The set comes with a great assortment of shapes to make a variety of interesting things. I think the magnets are quite strong and hold their 3-D shape when assembled. My boys love making tunnels and garages for their Matchbox cars.What I really like about these magnets is that they never seem to tire of playing with them. I don't think more than 1 full day goes by that they don't break these out and build something. Therefore I feel they were totally worth the hefty pricetag.In terms of durability, I couldn't be happier. Three boys have well-loved them for a year, building and breaking many interesting structures. We had one casualty, which was unfortunately one of the pentagons that is the cornerstone of several of the more complex structures. But considering the use, I am fine with that. And one of my SN boys is particularly hard on toys. He always wants to disassemble things and see what makes them tick. He has tried to take these apart without success. If they can survive the DS-test, I consider them a win!My only criticism is that I wish the diagram booklet had more suggestions. But I guess that's what little imaginations are for!If you have a little engineer in your household, I highly recommend Magformers and this set, in particular, for the flexibility and value it offers.

I have a drawer full of these amazing magnets and my grandkids ages 5 to 20 love to create with them. They last forever.

There are already many great reviews on this product so I'll just say that it's a hit with my very bright, 6 yr-old master builder grandson, but will include a couple of negatives:CONS: Buyer beware: the instruction booklet includes instructions for ALL of the sets which only upsets children who don't have THOSE sets, so right from the beginning, one feels like a crumb when the child wants to build something that is impossible due to lack of needed shapes; Very cleverly, the company made sure that each set doesn't include ALL the shapes, so showing those cool models that one cannot make with this set is a bit mean in my opinion. Isn't it enough that I just spent $130+ on this set, without causing me to have guilt that we don't have the other shapes??? Everyone was shocked at the high cost, BUT the kid loves it…Another issue for me is that I save boxes for storage so this is put away after a day of continual play. The problem is that there is no way to know how to place the pieces back the way they came. And there was a particular order/manner in which to do this. I've emailed the company & asked for a photo of how the box was packed upon opening it up. There are wells for the pieces but several don't fit no matter how we try. It's minor to most people, but for those wishing to keep the pieces in the box between visits to grandma's, it's impossible without a diagram.