Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel
by Melissa & Doug
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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 |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel
Customer Review: Your Child Will Need A Power Sander To Use The Chalk Board!!!!!
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a nice looking easel, and is definitely sturdy, and it is definitely sturdy. It is so sturdy that an adult will not be able to even make a line on it. I wrote Melissa and Doug to ask what to do about the fact that the chalk board cannot be written on. I received a reply stating that the chalk board needed to be sanded, or primed before your child uses it, so I took it into my shop and first applied the recommended primer to remove that high gloss waxy finish. Well that didn't work, so then I tried a light sanding. Still did not work. Being a little on the obsessive compulsive side, I decided to step up my effort and use a power sander. After all this effort my two year old daughter still can only make a couple of light lines, gets frustrated and quits. As an adult male, weighing 170 lbs I find that I need to use allot of elbow grease to make a few lines on the chalk board. Now my daughter tries to draw on the walls. Very disappointing experience. Go out and get yourselves a vintage easel. Back in the old days you were able to actually write on a chalk board. Not like this mass produced " Made in China " junk of today!!!Customer Review: Great easel and fantastic customer service from M&D
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this easel for my not-quite-2-year old daughter and she uses it daily. It was a cinch to put together, however we reached a glitch when the whiteboard panel did not fit the holes on the easel that it would be screwed into. We made a quick call to Melissa and Doug and after being attended to very courteosly it was agreed that another whiteboard would be sent out the next day--it fit perfectly and fixed the slight problem we had with the easel's stability: it seemed to wobble quite a bit without the whiteboard attached. My daughter can not quite reach all the way up to the top of the boards (whiteboard and chalkboard) and they are already on the lowest setting. I'm glad it will grow with her though.
We bought come paper rolls from IKEA and they fit perfectly. The built-in paper cutting area is a plus as are the clips and all the little sections of the trays for keeping writing utensils squared away.
Both boards are easy to clean with a damp rag.
Overall I think it's a great easel for the price and something that will stand up to normal child-induced wear and tear, something the IKEA easel cannot boast!
Customer Review: Could be so much better if it were magnetic!
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm a bit disappointed in this easel for one particular reason, which is that the whiteboard is not magnetic. (Edited to add: it does not claim to be magnetic though) IMHO, whiteboards are not especially practical for kids since most of the markers for them are not washable if they get on clothing etc, and if you use different (washable) markers on the whiteboard it can stain the board. Mainly my issue is that I just think that having a magnetic whiteboard would exponentially increase the usefulness of the board, allow magnetic puzzles and letters, or hold the artwork up on the board with magnets, etc. The plain whiteboard is not useful at all in my opinion. That said, my child won't know the difference and is likely to enjoy this easel anyway. I just think it is very silly if magnetic board is available, and it is, not to use that instead!
Also ETA, to be fair, this easel, esp on Amazon, is an exceptional value, my relative bought it at a retail store for 3 or 4 times the cost here! I would upgrade some of the "stars" here to reflect that, but you can only change the written review and not the stars, sorry!
Customer Review: Great Customer Service; Nice Product!
Summary: 5 Stars
Got this for my 5 year old for Christmas. Her absolute favorite activity at preschool is using the easel, so I knew this would be a big hit. Opened it Christmas Eve to put it together and noticed a few of the items had minor damage (cracked knob and a dent in the whiteboard). We could still put it together and use it....but I planned to call Melissa and Doug after the holiday. Called yesterday (fyi - the number on the instructions just rang and rang but the number from their website worked great). No problems at all. They said they would send the replacement items right out. The only information they asked for was a number on the sticker from the chalkboard.
Note: We did prime the chalkboard first by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk all over it and then erasing. No problems at all with the chalkboard. Note the dates of the reviews that had problems with the chalkboard. It looks like this problem has been fixed as I didn't see that complaint in newer reviews. Also, as noted in other reviews, the instructions were very clear and helpful.
Customer Review: Melissa & Doug
Summary: 3 Stars
Great concept..Awesome bright colors. I too had a problem with the chalkboard. I prepped the chalkboard exactly as the directions instructed and now it has a chip in the board and the chalk actually does cut into the board like another consumer wrote,there are lots of scratches all over the board. Unfortunately they don't make chalkboards like they used to. I called Melissa & Doug, because they need to be aware of this issue. M&D really do try to please you and they stand behind the quality of their products. They have great customer service and they are sending me out a new chalkboard.All is not lost on this easeal. My favorite feature on this easel is that it can be adjusted to 2 different heights at once. The chalkboard can be at the tallest height, while the dry erase can be set at the lowest height, especially helpful if you have 2 children of different ages/heights using it at the same time. We love the paint and chalk trays. The paper roll is awesome and the easel is really sturdy.I wish I could have scored this higher, but the chalkboard issue just can't be ignored.