Tested by mum Heather Harkness for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
The SmartMax Lighthouse is a brilliant toy, suitable for all ages. It encourages creativity and imagination, and the possibilities with this magnetic toy are endless. Both my 1, 2 & 8 year olds all enjoyed playing with this toy. The pieces are durable and built to last, they have withstood lots of rough play from my boisterous toddlers! The shapes and colours are both eye catching and help with learning for younger users. Two of the pieces are light up, which fascinated my children. All in all, it is a toy worth buying. We'd definitely buy more sets in future.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
The SmartMax Lighthouse certainly entertains my children for a good amount of time, allowing me to get on with housework! As a magnetic toy, it’s easy to put away in one piece! However, one thing I had problems with was my lovely children kept hiding the balls! Not so fun trying to find them all!
If you could change one thing about this product what would it be?
I wouldn't change anything with the toy itself, as the simple design is brilliant. However I would maybe think about changing the packaging to a storage pot to keep them in! I have had trouble trying to keep the set in the box as it opens very easily.
Tested by mum Amanda Neville for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
I wouldn't recommend this product because it's expensive and only a starter kit. You have to spend quite a bit of money to get the full set. If I was given this toy as a gift I would worry about how much money I would then need to spend to add to it to get the full range. You can't build very many things with only the pieces that come in this set. The colours are very nice and the build is strong but the price would put me off buying this product.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
It keeps my boy occupied for a little while but not long enough. He quickly got bored.
If you could change one thing about this product what would it be?
Price. I think at £34.99 this toy is too expensive. I wouldn't be able to afford this toy.
Tested by mum Melanie Barnes for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
Good for little one’s imagination, good quality pieces.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
Will keep your little ones occupied for a while.
If you could change one thing about this product what would it be?
The price needs to be more affordable.
Tested by mum Rachel Thornhill for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
A good product for children aged 2 and up. My 3-year-old son played with it much more than my 18-month-old son who was the target age group. Nice idea to help teach the children about magnets and creating 2D shapes.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
Not really; my 18-month-old son just scattered the pieces around the room, and played with it for less than a minute before moving on, and my older son was constantly asking for my help to make the shapes on the box.
If you could change one thing about this product what would it be?
Firstly the name is slightly misleading, yes the products can be made to make a house that flashes, but see below for problems. My son was expecting something more akin to a lighthouse, and it isn't possible to make anything taller than 1 storey. This is a toy with lots of separate pieces, so a proper plastic box for them to be kept in neatly would help keep all of the parts together. If this was the case, then it would have been better to have more pieces, so they could make more shapes than the ones suggested. When making the 3D suggested shapes on the box, the magnets are quite weak, which means that the shapes don't properly hold, so my eldest son got very frustrated with it when they kept collapsing. So, they mostly played with it by making 2D shapes and 'snakes' on the floor. It was an interesting product, but I wouldn't buy it at the recommended price.
Tested by mum Carly Surman for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
The Smartmax Lighthouse set was very much loved by my son. The pieces are chunky making it very easy for him to grip. The magnets within each piece have a great design because he only has to hold two pieces together and they attract, so it in a way shows him how to build and what to do. Within a few minutes he was well away building towers and chains. Two pieces contain LED lights, battery operated, which are a great added feature to this product. He keeps going back to this toy so it's defibitely a hit. However I think the price tag at £34.99 is too steep. If it's the pieces that light up that push the price up, remove these. Although they are great, for my son, they are not needed. He enjoys this product just as much, with or without these.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
This toy keeps him amused whilst I'm getting the dinner ready. It makes my life easier because I can get on with the dinner and know he's happy.
If you could change one thing about this product what would it be?
The price.
Tested by mum Lucy Casey for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
For the age range category of this product my 14-month-old played with it but could not construct anything. My nearly four-year-old loved it though and tried to make lots of things with it. When you hold it up, the magnet was not always strong enough and it would fall apart. For the price of the box, I would have liked to have had more pieces. The pictures in the manual to make animals extra could not be achieved with the pieces in the box, which was difficult for my eldest boy to understand.