Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel
by Melissa & Doug
|
List Price: Our Price: $33.49 You Save: $46.50 (58%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $32.95 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
|---|
Toys and Games Reviews of Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel
Customer Review: Nice Easel, but missing stuff!
Summary: 3 Stars
We purchased the M&D Deluxe Easel from Amazon and ultimately were happy with it. It's adjustable for kids height and is a great art/learning tool to keep the kids busy; however, ours arrived unassembled with no instructions for assembly, no paper roll (which you need, and only costs $5!), no colors or paint. Really?
I just find it weird that the manufacturer couldn't throw in some paper and a couple of dry erase markers/writing utensils. Instead, now we have to go online and search for all the missing pieces/accessories - something that is extra irritating when I spent half an hour online trying to find instructions for how to assemble the easel, which is not self explanatory. And just for the record, what's shown on the outside of the box isn't the same as what you get inside. There were several noticeable differences, including the locking mechanism on the side and the way the legs of the easel fit together.
Have you noticed that you can't buy anything these days without having to put it together?! I think Melissa & Doug could've done a better job, especially considering the steep price increase in this easel in the past 4-6 months (it went from $45 to $65, practically overnight!) Hello inflation!
Customer Review: loads of fun!
Summary: 4 Stars
great easel! bought it for our 2.5 year old boy and it arrived days before scheduled arrival.
we used WASHABLE CRAYONS on the whiteboard - writes and erases perfectly! i recommend the crayons over markers because they don't dry out. DO NOT use regular crayons on the whiteboard - they don't write well and are a pain to erase.
3 adjustable heights make it usable height for any kid. i even used it while sitting and had no trouble at all.
setup had lots of pieces but it was actually quite fun! it didn't take long and no tools are required. solid wood legs (2 pieces per leg, 8 total) and particle board strips around the whiteboard and chalkboard. looks very well-made and sturdy when complete.
does not come with paper, markers, or any supplies. box includes an easel, whiteboard, chalkboard, and the trays. comes with a nice simple tray (red) plus one with round and square paint/marker/crayon holders (blue), a rod to hold a paper roll, and clips to hold the paper in place.
we bought giant coloring books as a CHEAPER alternative to the paper rolls. they work fine with the plastic clips!
overall, great product!
Customer Review: NEEDS IMPROVEMENTS
Summary: 3 Stars
I approved this as a Christmas gift from Grandma, not so sure it was a good decision. While putting it together, you notice how cheap the wood is for the legs. Bare wood with splintering, also this one right out of the box has a split up the side that must be replaced before it breaks off which will cause the entire easel to collapse. (very dangerous). The entire thing is held together with screws that come out through the back and held on with colorful plastic knobs in front - my 2 year old can easily loosen them which can cause the easel to come apart!! AGAIN DANGEROUS!! Chalkboard is plastic - I purchased the Melissa & Doug chalk and it doesnt even write well on the plastic. I have yet to try the dry erase side - other reviews say the marker doesnt erase well. The wooden legs have a serious flaw - they are not angled on the bottom, so they rest on the corners instead of laying flat which is putting a great deal of pressure on this cheap wood. They should have cut them at an angle or included caps for them. I have yet to contact M&D for replacement legs, but I will update my review with results!!! This is a very nice design if they would have perfected it and made it safe.Customer Review: Fantastic - Built well, grows with child - can't go wrong!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fantastic piece of furniture. It is so easy to put together - I did it myself and I'm notoriously terrible at putting things together like this. But it was very easy. I was a tad concerned at the beginning of putting it together because it looked like the chalkboard and white boards were a little warped - but it fit together just fine and looks fabulous and perfectly straight. I love the fact that the surfaces and the trays are height adjustable as my child grows. That was a major factor in the decision to buy this one. It doesn't take up too much space and is a fantastic buy.
We were looking at a more expensive one also - but it didn't have the adjustable height and since our child is only 2 1/2 I wanted one that he will be able to use for years to come. The other one was also much bulkier looking and would have taken up more space. This fits the bill. I do recommend getting the accessories for this so you can have the paint cups, paper roll, etc... The paint cups have covers which is nice to keep paint for a bit between paint sessions.
But this - it is worth it and your child will love it!
Customer Review: Very impressed but was a little scared from other reviews
Summary: 5 Stars
This easel is wonderful!! We have two older daughters that we had got the crayola one for awhile ago. That one was good but I was never happy with the chalkboard so when I was looking at reviews of this product and some people complained about the chalk board not working... I was hesitant. I love Melissa & Doug's stuff so I decided to give it a try. It took about 15 minutes to put together. Very easy. And it is so well made. I love the trays and the chalkboard worked perfectly!! I did "prime" it before allowing my youngest to use it. All priming is - is taking the side of a chalk and basically coloring the entire board - then erasing it. Never had a problem as soon as she started drawing. I also love the way that they have the paper dowel in the middle of the easel. This was cleverly created and I truly am happy. We did buy the accessory kit from Melissa & Doug and it made it so easy for set up (came with a dry-erase marker, eraser, chalk, paints, paint brushes, spill-proof cups, and a roll of paper. My daughter was ready to become the next famous artist in a total of 20 minutes and I didn't have to go to the store either!!