I love this set. I purchased a couple if the smaller sets to see if I would like them since they have mixed reviews. I liked those as well but I wish I had just bought this to begin with. There's plenty of pieces to build some really cool marble runs. Some people complain about these being easy to knock down. True if you are comparing them to typical plastic run that staps together. On the other hand my 3 year old has learned to be more careful around them because he knows that bumping into it means we will need to rebuild. It hasn't been nearly as big of a thing as I worried it would be. There are some plastic pieces (all of the smaller pieces are plastic) which is disappointing but I still like this set a lot. My son can build a small run by himself and has learned how to test the run to make sure the the blocks are facing the right way and the correct block for his purpose. Kids are used to things not working for them the first time, they're new at everything after all. Great set.

We have had other marble runs that my kids really love so we figure to invest in a good quality marble run.

It is sooooooo frustrating though this thing collapse so easily. I wish there was a locking or stablizing design between pieces. It should be feasible with wooden pieces.

The silver lining is taking the opportunity to tell my kids that things could happen, and teach my them that it is okay and that they can rebuild it from scratch. But I honestly feel annoyed and that it wastes my time.

This is a great product! We gave this to my almost 5 year old son for Christmas because he had wanted a marble run. We had bought one a year or two previously that was plastic and the pieces cracked and broke almost immediately, so I was hesitant to spend more money on one - but I'm glad I did.

The construction of this is high quality, nice wood. The pieces are smooth and the packaging is useful for carrying around to different areas of the house. The run comes with a great booklet of multiple designs you can build (in addition to designing your own) and plenty of marbles. We have had great fun building the different sets and testing them. There are some inserts and accelerators you use to make the set work properly, and despite the good instructions, we often forget to put one in, so our marbles go out of the holes to early, but it is fun for the kids to test and determine what we need to make it work - and then of course the joy of a full run.

Some of the pieces have toggles so each marble will switch directions from the previous, which makes the set more interesting as the marbles don't exit the run at the same place each time.

The only challenge I've seen thus far is that because its a marble run with pieces that slot into each other, it can be a bit wobbly, and we have spent a bit of time building and then have someone accidentally bump it and have the whole thing fall down. That is a bummer when you have invested some time, but it happens. I do with perhaps the pieces were made to fit a bit more into each other so the chance of accidental knock-over was less.

All in all, a great set and we are currently considering buying another (or an add on) for my son's birthday since he does seem to enjoy it. I do believe this set will hold up with time and use, so well worth the price.

I wish I could give this 4.5 stars, because it's definitely "really liked" and close to "loved."

My 3 older kids each got a Q-BA-MAZE 2.0 Starter Stunt Set for Christmas. After a frustrating assembly and unsatisfying performance experience, we sent all three sets back and exchanged them for the Hape Vertigo marble run set.

Right away, we all remarked how much more fun this set was than the Q-BA Maze -- fun to assemble, fun to use. We all loved the "pools", the long runs where you can actually watch the marble moving, all the ramps and chutes. It reminded me of those neat marble-run segments on kids' shows when I was growing up.

This set is so much easier to put together than the Q-BA and can be quickly and easily corrected if you make a mistake. My 7-year-old twins and 5-year-old were able to follow the instructions for the most complicated design all by themselves with minimal corrections. My 3-year-old enjoyed joining in to run the "marble factory" once it was all assembled.

The one drawback to the Quadrilla is that it is easily knocked down. Unlike the Q-BA, which is plastic with interlocking pieces, the Quadrilla is made of wooden blocks that don't lock together. It would need to be on top of a table or something sturdy to move it from one place to another once a maze is assembled. But, again, it's so easily put back together -- just a few minutes to re-assemble.

My son IS IN LOVE! My son is 4 years old and tires of toys pretty quickly. He has had this marble run for over 4 months now and he never tires of asking to play with it. The product comes with a guide on how to build certain runs but you can modify and use your imagination and engineering skills to be creative. I love that this product is made of wood. Eco-friendly and more solid adding more longevity than plastic models. This has improved his dexterous movement, spatial orientation and imagination to role play with friends and family members. I will buy this for gifts going forward with friends and family with children. Its so fun to watch his imagination go wild and is also a great bonding experience as I often find myself on the floor building away with him.