When I got my nephew one of the smaller sets for his third birthday, he really enjoyed the way these crazy blocks would stick together or repel eachother as if by magic. Since the smaller set was such a success, I thought I'd go big this Christmas (especially when Amazon had their gold box sale, offering the 42 block set for around $60). When I opened the set to repack the blocks since they're traveling this Christmas, I was dusappointed to discover that Tegu has basically sabotaged their own product's potential as a building toy.Let me explain. The best blocks in any tegu set are the small 1x1x1 cubes. These cubes have a magnet in every surface, which makes it possible to stick them (and other pieces) together in interesting ways. The next best are the flat 1x2 planks, which have only two magnets, but since these pieces are so thin, you have four potential sticking points, two on the front two on the back.Had Tegu continued this pattern for all of their pieces, I would have no complaints. Unfortunately, the larger the pieces grow, the fewer magnetic sticking points you will find in each one.The large, flat 1x7 planks have only three magnetic points, one at each end and one in the middle. If you planned on adding plank walls, a second story floor, or a roof to your structure, think again. The blocks' design makes it impossible to build anything with consecutively laid out planks.The trapezoidal blocks that seem to promose the potential for peaked roofs or angles for your structure have only two magnets, and both of those are in the angles surfaces. Because the block has no magnets in the top or bottom, it's impossible to brace, and the magnets arenxt strong enough to hold together any sort of peak on their own. Worse, because those magnets are of opposing polarity, instead of both being negative or positive, angled structures that connect back to the main body usually end up refusing to attach on one side. The only interesting thing you can build with them is the four-part square shown on the box.The absolute worst pieces in the box, however, are the tall 1x1x8 pieces that tegu uses to mock up skeleton houses on the cover illustration. These pieces have a total of two magnets which gives you only two sticking points, one on either end of the block. This, combined with their great weight, means that they can, practically speaking, *only* be used as vertical pillars; but thanks to their great height and lack of any magnetic sticking points on the sides, these pilars are impossible to brace or build out from, so you can only build extremely flimsy empty box frames as shown on the cover. It's not what I'd call a design full of possibilities.I don't mean to rag on Tegu. Sets using mostly smaller blocks can be very compelling and fun to play with. However, any set with blocks and planks larger than 3" ends up feeling cheap and difficult to work with. I understand that the magnets are probably the most expensive component in each block, and that Tegu runs a very worthy work program; but if they want to bill these magnetic blocks as a constructor toy, they should offer large block designs that don't actively hinder construction (i.e. that have a few more sticking points), or else stick to making smaller blocks. It would be a simple fix, and not an expensive one for the plank pieces (since each magnet provides two sticking points, meaning that a 1x6 plank would have the same number of magnets as the little cubes that they have not trouble manufacturong profitably).They could also increase the blocks' potential as a stem toy simply and inexpensively by marking each magnet with either a + or a -- sign depending on its polarity. This would give kids a simple visual marker to show that positive and negative sides stick together, rather than using trial and error, flipping each block until it fits. Tegu already prints its name on each of the blocks, so printing or burning a small polarity sign won't add much, if anything to the cost of the bricks.TL;DR: The small Tegu blocks are great, but the larger pieces are practically useless due to their small number of magnets (some of the largest pieces have 1/3 the magnets found in their smallest cubes). This makes Tegu a poor construction toy, especially compared to something as versitile as Legos. If you buy Tegu, buy a smaller set. Big pieces are more frustrating than fun, and more irritating to incorporate into your structure than useful.They have a weak magnetic connection. Basically it won’t stand up for 3-d building, has to lay mostly flat.Bought this for my 18month. I ended up having more fun than he did. Great gift idea for children of all ages!I encourage parents to think about this toy (and any toy) in a different way.. it isn’t meant to do the work for you, so don’t worry about how strong the magnets are. Also, don’t tell your kids how to use it and see what they can do.I simply loaded a basket with the new blocks, unceremoniously set them down, and sat quietly while they explored! It is very rewarding to see what they can come up with on their own and they have been playing quietly for nearly two hours. Trust the process!A friend uses these blocks as decoration / figit toys on her coffee table. My one-year-old was obsessed so I decided to get a natural colored set for our house.The product itself is wonderful -- well made and fun for all ages. More than the sum of it's parts somehow? I love playing with them myself and sticking them to magnetic surfaces all over the house for my kiddo to find.Unfortunately, the set I was sent seems to have been manufacturing seconds or something. The blocks themselves are as advertised -- but they were sent in the wrong box (natural blocks in the jungle box)! If I were gifting them, I would be embarrassed to give them to someone in the incorrect packaging. Since we are keeping them for ourselves, it's not the end of the world. I just wish I had known about the incorrect packaging when I made a $100+ purchase.I thought this would a great gift for my nephew. I played with him but I was extremely frustrated by how the blocks had to line up the certain way. Also the magnets are fairly weak so what you build can topple or break apart very easily. It is not easy to build what they suggest on the box. It is nice color and nice wooden material so in that sense product gets a 4 but playability wise I would give it 2. Not sure if I would gift it to other kids.These are awesome!They are beautiful, and fun for the whole family; our one year old, our 3 year old, my husband, and me.They are a bit challenging, and my son often still asks for help with how to position them. (because of the magnet polarity and the fact that not all sides have magnets.)Overall they are great though! I like the STEM appeal of the fact that not all sides stick together. It teaches about magnets at a young age.Only down sides I have found are that the paint does chip over a long period of time, and you need quite a few of them to build big things. We don't complain though, especially for our kids ages they are perfect!These are great if you know what you're buying. We just bought this as our second set, and have a different set in the Sunset colorway. They are blocks for older kids or for design conscious parents, not necessarily the best everyday blocks for a toddler. I have an 18 month old and he loves sticking them to the fridge. They also look nicer strewn around my house than a lot of other toys, and they photograph well. However, as just blocks he currently gets frustrated with them because obviously he doesn't understand polarity yet. He gets more use from basic wooden blocks for that aspect right now, although I expect these to grow with him better as they have that added element to keep him interested as he gets too old for regular blocks. My dad actually likes playing with these with him. We have also had an issue with paint starting to chip around the edges. Toddlers are rough, but I would have expected a bit better durability on the finish for the price point. Overall great item in spite of this, especially if you can get them on sale.I so wanted to love these, but I just didn’t! I agonised for ages over spending more than £2 per building block, and was desperate to be delighted by them and for them to become an heirloom toy that my kids would pass down onto their own. We ordered them for my sons Christmas, eagerly I got them out for a play before wrapping, and I’m glad I did. Even as an adult I found their biggest plus, the magnetism, to be their biggest negative. It’s a good strength, but it’s endlessly frustrating trying to build something to find yourself fighting against the polarity, or for the blocks not to be magnetised where you need to make a join. I really wanted to adore them, but I just didn’t. If I’d spent about £30 on them then I’d have kept them, but I just couldn’t justify the £90 for the amount of fun they’d provide. It’s admirable that they’re ethically sourced and fairly produced, but just not a hit in this house. Returned in favour of the Kidkraft Pirate Cove, which has gone down a storm!Five year ago I bought this product in a small set and was very impressed with it. And now I decided to buy a bigger set, I bought it the first time and had to return it because the product was in a poor condition with broken wood pieces and lots of dirt and stain. Then I purchased it again, hoping it would be better, nope it isn't better. This is worse than a used product, the one I bought five years ago doesn't even turn into this condition! The wood cracked and there is this dirt/stain on the spots where the magnets are, I don't know why! This is probably from a very old stock. If the product is a clearance they should have said so! And the product isn't cheap, it's expensive! I didn't pay for this! So terrible!Great toy for various ages. Some people said the magnets don't work well. I like it that only certain angles and combinations work (all of our blocks work but obviously not on all sides as intended) and the little builder has to figure out which way does and it teaches them about the magnet's poles etc. rather than just clicking together any wayThe magnets are not strong enough to create reliable models. You cannot build the models shown on the box - the magnets are in the wrong place - play value is nil. Thoroughly disappointed that we cannot return, as we bought well in advance of Christmas and the return window expired before we opened the product.Expensive but already been played with constantly. Adults love them too, anything that makes adults want to sit and play with their kids is a good toy. We make pictures on the radiators with them. They are very well finished. If you lookon ebay they have an amazing resale value so keep the box.