A Necessary Investment for Any Train-Lover
Written: Feb 03 '03 (Updated Mar 26 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: More for your money, multi-purpose, most durable, attractive, accessories available, Brio and Thomas compatible.
Cons: Doesn't have pictures of Thomas & His Friends on it.
The Bottom Line: A wonderful train table, less expensive than others, and excellent for other activities as well.
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| dagny21's Full Review: Nilo Toys Multi Activity Table N51 |
We were very reluctant to purchase a train table. When we first got into the Thomas & Friends wooden railway system with our 2-year-old, we saw both the gorgeous Thomas Deco train table and the much less appealing Brio table and had two thoughts:
A - Too expensive, so we'll just build our own.
B - Not necessary. At least not for awhile.
It's funny how quickly you get used to spending waaaaay too much money once your child starts playing with Learning Curve's wooden Thomas toys. One day I was thinking "No Way!" But pretty soon, I decided we just couldn't live without one.
Do We Really, Really Need This?
I always knew a train table was in our future. "When he starts building complicated, multi-level layouts." or "When he's older." But, two months into our all-consuming Thomas the Tank Engine obsession, we decided that "When" had already arrived.
Up Higher Please? - After my son got over the initial wonder of having his own Thomas, Percy, Henry, James etc. to play with, he got quickly annoyed with having them on the floor. He soon decided that he would rather have what few tracks he could fit on his little "Snoopy" table than play with his trains on the floor. We tried this for about a week. But, though he seemed satisfied with a simple layout, he was frustrated by the tracks sliding right off the slick surface of the table with some frequency, and I was frustrated with having to remove the tracks whenever he wanted to do something else on the table.
The Problem with Carpet - The tracks don't lay exactly flat, and tend to come apart more frequently. My little guy has sort of figured out how to get them back together, but on such an unstable surface more seem to come apart even as he's fixing the first one. The other problem with the tracks not laying quite flat is that the trains derail more easily.
The Suretrack Solution - we did contemplate buying something called "Suretrack" for him. These are little clips made specially for wooden railway play that keep the track from coming apart, even if your little one decides to pick his whole layout up off of the floor and take it with him. This is great accept that A no matter where I look, I can't find suretrack clips for less that $11 for a box of 14, which is not enough to do much with and if you buy too many of those, you might as well by the table. B I want my son to be able to take his tracks apart and put them back together, so I'm saving the Suretrack clips for our multi-level layouts when he's older.
Can We Build It? Yes we Can!
But we really didn't want to. If we built a train table, we for sure wanted it to be well-constructed, safe, and to the right dementions so it would be compatible with any future Thomas & Friends purchases, particularly the playboards. We could have built it, but we figured the cost of the materials coupled with my husband's time and expected frustration, we'd just be better off shelling out the money.
Alms for the Poor
The next time I was on the phone with any of the relatives, I casually mentioned that the next time they wanted to spend some money on their grandson/nephew we were accepting donations towards a train table.
Now Which One?
I am officially a sucker for anything Thomas the Tank Engine. I'd seen the "Thomas Deco" table made by Learning Curve on display at our local train store, and now that I'd decided to shell out the money, that was the one I pictured standing in my living room.
Also on display at our train store was the Brio table, which I was dead set against. You see, I've got this thing against Brio. Their stuff just isn't as cute as Thomas, and their lifetime guarantee is only against factory defects, while the Learning Curve guarantee is unconditional. Their products are every bit as expensive as the Thomas brand, and though they're all well made, they're just not quite as cool as the Thomas stuff. Really, I could go on all day on the subject of why on earth anyone would choose Brio when they can buy Thomas, but the biggest reason I couldn't imagine buying the Brio table is that it's not wood!
On the day I decided we just had to have the table now I called the train store for prices and advice. I was dismayed to learn that the $230 Thomas Deco table was not playable without spending an additional $75 on a "playboard" for it. The Brio table was $200 and their required "playboard" was $85
I was prepared to pay this much, but extremely irritated that they would package the necessary parts separately. I felt like they were trying to dupe me into something. "I'll sell you a car, but the steering wheel's gonna cost you extra."
Fortunately, there was a third option. A table they stocked, but didn't display. A table I'd neither heard of nor seen. Something called a "Nilo" table. This table sounded too good to be true. For the bargain price of $189, this real wood table came with a plain white top that is perfect for just about any play activity your child can come up with, and a beautiful slick plastic mat to place on top of it for train play. It was assured that it is built to the same dimentions as the other more expensive tables, and is compatible with Thomas playboards.
Decision Made
Our Experience Thus Far
This table came in two boxes. One holding the top, the raised sides, and the mat. The other holding the 18-inch legs. My husband was able to assemble this one fairly easily, but he's good at these things, so you might have a bit more trouble.
My son is utterly thrilled with his table. It's the first thing he runs to in the morning, and the last thing he plays with every night. He asked to take it to bed with him the first night, which of course we couldn't let him do.
I don't know how it's possible, but I'm even more enthused about this table than my son. It's gorgeous, solves my sons frustration with derailments and tracks coming apart, and I don't feel like I spent too much on it.
Thinking About the Future
On the sad day when my son outgrows his wooden railway, this table will work for legos, erector sets, or anything else he might be into. There are several accessories available to purchase that are made just for this table that might enhance my son's non-train play. Finally, for about $30 I can by legs that are 6 inches taller than the ones that came with the table.
With this table, I have no buyer's remorse.
FIND RELATED REVIEWS BELOW
Wooden Railway System
Annie - Thomas' Beloved Coach
Barrel Car
Bertie the Bus
Clarabel- Thomas' Beloved Coach
Edward the Blue Engine
Gordon the Big Express Engine
Harold the Helicoptor
Henry the Green Engine
James the Red Engine
Lady
Percy the Small Engine
Rusty with Construction Cars
Thomas the Tank Engine
Tidmouth Milk Tanker
Toby the Tram Engine
Arched Stone Bridge
Single Stone Tunnel
6.5 inch Curved Switch Track
6.5 inch Curved Track
Circle Set
Books
Diesel's Devious Deed
Thomas: The Really Useful Engine
Buying Thomas
All Aboard Toys
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dagny21
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 in Kids & Family |
 - Top 500 |
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Member: Christine D
Location: Alaska
Reviews written: 388
Trusted by: 66 members
About Me:
Happily married mother of one boy.
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