Friday, December 6, 2013

Choo-Choo Choices: 4 Wooden Train Set Brands That Deserve Your Attention

By Elizabeth Henry


When considering which wooden train set brand to select for a gift, you are probably seeing the same names over and over. If you are curious about some other brands that also have great and unique products to offer, read on!

Maple Landmark - A New England-based small business, this organization specializes in wood crafted toys and gifts. Although they are on the more expensive side, Maple Landmark as some special characteristics. One of the most important things that buyers of this line enjoy is that their wooden train sets are made in the USA. As you may know from doing your choo-choo homework, this is a very rare find among other brands offering a similar product. The utmost attention to quality and detail also sets this brand apart from the pack. Maple Landmark tracks are not only compatible with major brands, but they sport slick looking laser etched ties that makes them look closer to real tracks than other brands. If you need more reason to consider this brand, you will find it in their dedication to quality materials down to using wood even on the train car wheels. Finally, if you really want to make the train special for the recipient, consider NameTrain cars from this brand that let you buy a train car for each letter and then connect them to spell the child's name. Bottom Line: Made in the USA! Top notch quality.

Nuchi - Wooden train sets created by this brand sport a rare but subtle look and feel that makes them easily to identify among other brands. Reviewers often cite the high quality of these sets and tend to feel that the higher price is warranted. Peruse some of the train sets offered by this brand to determine if it strikes your fancy. Bottom Line: well made with charm.

Plan Toys - Several characteristics make this Thailand-based brand shine. The first of which, is the brand's focus on eco-friendly concepts, including utilization all of the parts of the trees that they use to make their products. Their material, called PlanWood, uses sawdust and wood chips remaining from their other productions, and mixes them with formaldehyde-free glue. They are able to use special techniques to make a very high density fiber that is not loaded with nasty chemicals. Another special characteristic are the plastic instead of magnetic parts used to connect the train cars. Be aware that this will limit your ability to connect your cars with trains of other brands, however Plan Toys has made this change in an effort to put safety first. From a visual perspective, you will fins Plan Toys wooden train sets to have a contemporary design and many even have tracks that flip over to go easily from train track to road. Bottom Line: Eco-friendly with special touches.

IKEA Lillabo - IKEA is not a wooden toy expert, they win on affordability with many parents and gift givers recommending their Lillabo sets. Keep in mind that you won't be able to stock up on tons of accessories from this brand, but you can get the basics and stock up accessories elsewhere. Buyers give rave reviews over and over to the product you get for the price. While IKEA does not claim track compatibility with other brands, many reviewers have made them work successfully with their other tracks depending on brand (and sometimes with a little effort). Bottom Line: Simple train set for a simply awesome price. Track compatibility may be an issue.




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