Why are Magna-Tiles so expensive? 4 things you need to know about Magna-Tiles.

I am NOT including Magna-Tiles in my magnetic tile review series for 4 reasons:

• Magna-Tiles are expensive (well over a $1.00 per tile)!  You are paying for the brand name because, like most other magnetic tiles, Magna-Tiles are also made of high grade ABS plastic and simple ceramic magnets.
• Magna-Tiles have only five different magnetic shapes in their 100 piece set.  If you want unique pieces, you need to buy a deluxe or expansion set.
• Magna-Tiles' customer service is mediocre (You have to buy directly through their website to be eligible for their 30 day satisfaction guarantee).
• Magna-Tiles quality has gone downhill.  Apparently, the old Magna-Tiles used to be super strong. and the new-style is much weaker.  See this youtube video called "Magna-Tiles by Valtech: Old-style vs. New-style".  

If the current style of Magna-Tiles could do what the old style could do in that youtube video, then I would feel confident in purchasing. (Please note, I know of no other brand of magnetic tiles--except PlayMags for one brief episode that I never could repeat--that can do what this video shows the old style Magna-Tiles doing.)

When I contacted the company about their strength and quality declining, they responded, saying,

“The materials for the product have not changed in 20 years :)”.

The response was a little evasive, if you ask me.

Their materials may not have changed, but their design certainly has.  In 2011, Magna-Tiles added metal rivets to their tiles.  I think the design change resulted in a weaker tile that was just too heavy to perform as it used to.  Or perhaps the magnets had to be weaker to conform to current toy safety standards.

Here is a close-up picture of the old-style versus new-style.

http://kk.org/cooltools/magna-tiles/

https://valtechmagnatiles.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/valtech-magna-tiles-square-pyramids.jpg?w=670&h=518

Why don't Magna-Tiles go on sale?

Magna-Tiles has a “Minimum Advertised Price Policy” which means that retailers have to advertise it for a certain company-approved price.  If you're waiting for them to go on sale, stop waiting because even if a store is going to put them on sale, they wouldn't be able to advertise the sale price because of their "Minimum Advertised Price Policy".

Where can I get the best deal on Magna-Tiles?

If you are set on buying Magna-Tiles, then you should get them from Barnes and Noble using the 30% Kids Club coupon.  You would be subject to Barnes & Noble's return policy which is pretty strict ("Returns are accepted within 14 days of the date that you received your order. All returned items must be in their original condition; shrink-wrapped products must be unopened.") OR you could try a Lakeshore Learning store and use one of their store coupons (during Christmas they usually have Buy 1 item Get 1 item 50% OFF store coupons).  OR if you have a Target % OFF coupon/code, you could try buying from Target.

What are some alternatives to Magna-Tiles?

I'm so glad you asked.  I've tested many brands and written a post called Best Magnetic Tile Set, and it contains my most up-to-date recommendations.