Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Melissa and Doug Wooden Workbench: Post-Play Product Review

Average Price in Canada: $115.00

My two-year-old son is a real man's man!  He loves his trucks, climbing on furniture and eating!!  He also loves his daddy's tools so choosing to WishGift a play workbench and tools for this 2nd birthday was an easy decision.

There are many pretend play workbenches for kids on the market.  Choices include companies such as Little Tikes, Step2, Black and Decker, Home Depot and many others.  Our decision to go with the Melissa & Doug model was due to its high review ratings and because it's made out of natural wood.

Since there are already so many blog reviews on the product, this blog will focus on the post-play handling of the workbench against my not-so-delicate tot.


Assembly:

My hubby assembled the set and his feedback was:

- Took about 1 hour
- All 20 pieces were clearly labelled
- All pieces fit together easily
- Everything lined up

**Hubby is very handy!  Has a room full of tools, knows how to use them and can build and renovate himself.  Probably would have taken me double the amount of time. **

When Done:
- Structure was super solid (no shaking, wobbling or creaking).
- Will definitely stand-up to a rough housing tot with little chance of breaking or toppling over.


Assembly Instructions:
002369 Workbench Assembly Instructions 20121128




 

2-Month Post-Play Review:

Scott's been enjoying the Workbench for over 2 months and it's still his go-to toy in our playroom!  His favourite tools are the saw and hammer...most likely cause of the sounds they make.  He loves the vice and sawing the guide.  He equally loves hammering the pegs (or anything else that's within his range).


Minor Downfalls: 

-Although a solid wood structure, the Workbench and pieces dent fairly easily.  There are marks on the table top, on all the pegs and guide.  Although we have no intention of keeping it looking new, the set is constructed from pine (a soft lumbar) and looks worn fairly easily (NO splinters though :)





 

















Wooden Model Instruction Booklet:

- At two-years-old, my son is too young to take advantage of the awesome building guide included however, the manual has awesome projects designed for older toddlers.




Complimentary Add-ons:

- Although my son keeps busy with the nuts and bolts, hammer, saw, screw driver and wrench, all the tools in the Wooden Project Workbench is natural coloured with red handles...kinda boring.  When he received the  Melissa & Doug Take-Along Tool Kit, he was definitely taken with the bright, attractive colours of the kit.  It's a great addition to the Workbench, is completely compatible and has vibrant colours that is definitely appealing to toddlers.


Final Thoughts:

- Scott loves the Wooden Workbench and often plays with it.
- Hubby loves how simple it was to assemble.
- I love that the bench is solid and can with-handle my son's roughness.

- Could be improved by having more colourful tools
- Dents easily


Price Range and Where to Buy




**All content of this review is solely my own. My opinion, my experiences and my thoughts.  All about being honest to help you choose the right product.


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