In general, unit
building blocks
are a kind of industrial toy. Big, heavy, crude, indestructible -
a clunky aesthetic, more like a box of bolts than a feather boa.
Blocks beg abuse over the years. Making tall towers and
toppling them, throwing blocks out of the upstairs window on a
parachute, beating them with a hammer, using them to prop open the
kitchen door, playing with dirty hands - these things take a
toll. Your blocks will last forever in spite of this battering.
They can take it. But this is not a delicate toy - your kids are going to beat
the stuffing out of their blocks and they will still search for
them in your attic about 30 years from now because they were (in the
words of numerous customers), " . . .
the best toy we ever had."
What matters is their long term durability: hardness, resilience, fine cell
structure, and uniformity of size. The hardness and resilience
resist dents. The cell structure of Maple eliminates splinters
since the slivers are too tiny and weak.
The uniformity allows large buildings. Personally, we think a
smaller set of fine blocks beats a larger set of cheap ones every time.
We sell four different levels of
quality: (1) Premium Hard Maple,
(2) Hard Maple First & Seconds,
(3) Imported European Beech and
(4) Imported Economy Birch. Please read the following carefully so that you
understand the differences among them.
Our Premium Hard Maple Firsts -
Our premium sets are all firsts. Lumber is vulnerable to all
sorts of enzymes that produce stripes, spots, and other defects of
color. Our firsts are hand picked to eliminate these cosmetic
problems. Our firsts are milled from the highest
quality Michigan and Indiana Rock Maple and carefully inspected for
color and uniformity. There are no blemishes and they will last
a lifetime. They are hand sanded on the ends and the end edges and
corners are rounded. This is the kit for the parent or
grandparent that wants quality. Your blocks will last a long time
and will get much more rough play than ordinary toys. Children
typically play with blocks until they are 8 or 9 years old and then the
blocks are saved in an attic trunk by ever hopeful grandparents.
We see block sets that are 50 years old. Blocks are expensive, but
if you calculate the amount of play for the dollar, they are very cheap
indeed. Like good pots, good tires, and good tools - sometimes it
pays to go high.
Our Hard Maple First & Seconds are exactly
like our premium sets, but some of the blocks may suffer from defects of color (only):
natural spots, dark streaks, etc. These blocks may vary from nearly perfect to
some with marked spotting or streaks. Some people like first and
seconds and think they look more
"natural." They are a terrific bargain and a favorite of schools. There are no chips, machine marks, digs, holes,
inclusions, checking, splits, knots or other surface defects
– the problems are with color (only). These blocks are large, heavy,
hard maple school
size blocks and will shrug off generations of use. The blocks shown in the pictures of the kits are actual seconds, and a close
inspection of the enlarged pictures will give you a pretty good idea of
their appearance.
If you want American-Made, Hard Maple blocks - these will save you a
little money.
Our Imported European Beech Blocks
are the same size as our Hard Maple Blocks. There is no Hard Maple
available in Europe, and toys in these countries have long been made of
Beech. This is an attractive hardwood of very similar appearance to Hard Maple but slightly more tan. This is the perfect block for those seeking German
blocks. They are identical to European Beech Blocks sold elsewhere on
the Internet and are very high quality - comparable to our Maple Firsts
and Seconds. We like American Maple, but these are really excellent blocks. They can be mixed with our Maple
blocks without a problem of size though the appearance is slightly
different. Beech is slightly more tan and has tiny tanner spots
called "flecks." The sanding is slightly different - more a matter
of style than anything of importance. And these blocks may
occasionally have tiny knots (about the size of a pencil lead) and spots
that would classify them as "seconds" if they were made of Maple. We also have these available in
School/Bulk Packs for large buyers.
Our Alphabet Blocks are made of Basswood
(Linden) for us by Uncle Goose Blocks. The use of this hardwood
employs embossing, a process in which the letters are pressed
into the end grain of the wood allowing raised letters. These
classic blocks are painted with inks from an American Company.
They inks are tested repeatedly by an independent laboratory for safety,
and then the blocks are also tested after manufacturing to assure that
no poisonous chemicals have been used. These fine alphabet blocks
will last for years.
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