PicassoTiles 101 Master Builder Magnetic Building Block Toy Set Construction Magnet Tile Blocks Education Toys with 22 Optical Illusion Spinning Disk, 27 Gear Wheels and Engineering Columns PTW101

My kids love playing with these. At 18 months they can remove and replace the gears, but they don't understand that there are two different sizes of gears. Also I showed them how to use the octagon instead of the crank to turn the gears because it is easier for their little hands.Other reviews mention that the gears are powerful enough to pull the squares apart. An easy fix is to put a second layer of squares underneath to increase the magnetic force. Another option is to stick them onto a large flat piece of metal like a refrigerator door or an old cookie sheet. That has the added benefit of keeping a messy pile of toys off of the floor.

Colorful, easy to do. Only complaint. My bigger fingers had difficulty with the crank.

I was hesitant at first I figured this item would either be hit or miss with our 6 and almost 4 year olds but they loved it. They figured out how to assemble it on their own and make different things without any assistance. It's the first you they reach for now when they want to build/play with magnatiles.

We bought this as a supplement to a Magnatiles set we already had. It was the best (open-ended, variable) gear toy we could find on here. And, the kids (7, 4, 2) love it. However, there is one major flaw. In order to be able to turn the more complex formations they build, you have to either make sure that the entire design is fortified around the perimeter by other Magnatiles, or else you have to hold it down while you turn the crank. Sometimes both. Or else it breaks apart as soon as you start turning. It hasn't caused my kids to dislike playing with it (hence four stars), but that still doesn't make it entirely functional.

Very adjustable for a range of my grandkiddo's ages and a GREAT addition to our Picasso Tiles collection. I love seeing them successfully creating their "inventions". I have both boys and girls, ages 13 to 4.

My Grandaughter LOVES the other sets she has. But this set does not work as expected.When you turn the handle to make the gears turn, the magnetic tiles come apart.ONLY small build's work. The first one we built was the one on the box cover. No matter what we tried it keep coming apart when the crank was turned. She was very upset. She has multiple sets and enjoys them all. But this one will wind up in the corner because it was not well thought out. It was a birthday present. She was so excited when she unwrapped it and saw the gears and spinning covers. But big fail for this one.

Lots of cool shapes for kids to add motion to their creations. It is a great set to add to the traditional shapes of Picasso Tiles

Others have already noted this poor design feature. Despite showing multiple patterns that ought to work, none of the patterns we have made actually do work to do what gears are supposed to do. It was very frustrating for the child who really enjoys engineering projects and we felt like it was a waste of money. It looks fabulous but does not serve as a useful stem project.