ALEX Toys Magnetic Artist Easel Set

Bought this for my 2 year old son. He really likes it, especially the blackboard part. The cons are: 1) it does not come with any chalk or magnets and more importantly 2) screws are held by plastic nuts - that design is poor as the tread on nuts does not hold and within first 2 weeks I had to replace most of the plastic nuts with metal ones that I had to go and buy!

I am a Sunday School Teacher and this is perfect for our classroom. It is easy to move and the perfect height for the children. The chalkboard works well as long as you follow the instructions and prep the chalkboard as recommended. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it is a little difficult to adjust height of the chalkboard.

We love the easel. It was easy to put together. Has many useful compartments like the place to put paints. Love the magnetic board. OUr 2 year old granddaughter is learning ABC's using letters on the board. Also like the art paper attached to the roll. I have no negatives about this product.

The white board is not a real white board. It is a layer that has been placed on the board and ours is very bubbled, so it is difficult to write anything. The chalkboard side is horrible. With regular white chalk, pressing very hard still won't produce a solid white line like a school chalkboard.

I bought this item because of the magnetic white board. My kids love playing with magnetic letters and writing on the white board. We use the chalkboard side with the rolled paper for drawing and painting. We have the easel set on the lowest setting. I moved the chalk tray to the top of the easel which works great for keeping the 1 year old out of the crayons and makers. We took the paint tray off since we don't do much painting yet. As other reveiwers have said, the plastic nuts that attach the whiteboard and chalkboard are worthless. If you move the easel around a lot the plastic nuts just pop off. We bought new hardware for it. It's not as cute, but much safer. Since I had read the reviews before buying, I knew there was a problem with the nuts.

My son loves this easel. The base is sturdy and the trays to hold materials are handy. The magnetic white board is a real plus. Cons are that the screws that holds the chalkboard on are not long enough so they came out. We are still using it minus the provided screws. I just need to go to the hardware store and buy longer screws. Also, as other posters have noted the chalkboard sucks. Only faint lines appear on the board when I try to write on it.

This has provided our 3 year old daughter and her friends many hours of entertainment. Definitely worth the price. Its well made and functions just as described. Love that the paper roll comes from the inside. If you're planning to invest in a easel, get this one (or one like it) that is magnetic.

A good set that my one-year-old will probably be able to use for at least two or three years. It seems sturdy, and I like that it's adjustable. What I don't like about it: - The plastic nuts are cheap, strip easily, and are a choking hazard. I replaced them with metal nuts at the first opportunity. - The dowel for the paper roll is held in sockets on the cross-arms that hold the easel open, but the one arm fastens on the front, another at the back, so when you release them to fold the easel, the dowel falls out. I don't see a reason for designing it this way, and it's very annoying. - The chalkboard surface is too smooth and soft. I followed the directions to write on the entire surface to prime it, but this didn't help much. More of the green surface came off onto the chalk than vice-versa.

Really nice chalkboard/White board. Purchased because white board is magnetic which was a must. I wanted kids to be able to use magnetic ABC's with it to help with spelling. Very easy to assemble. The paper roll works extremely well. Only con I wish they had included some erasers with acessories. For some reason I'm having a hard time finding in stores.