play set question rainbow vs the woodplay?

[zumbergc]

Anyone one own a woodplay play set for the back yard.

I was looking at getting a play set and was going to pay a little more for the sturdy ones because I saw my neighbor buy a cheaper box one and it had to be dismantled because it wasn't safe only after a year or two.

The other name I know is rainbow, but they aren't local anymore. Anyone know if there quality is still there? The local store who use to carry they, carry the woodplay brand now, but said they stopped selling rainbow because they aren't using as good quality wood?
Anyone know, experience?

How firm are they on pricing. Is it like negotiating a car, where there is lots of wiggle room? They have a sale going on now so I'm wondering how pricing goes since I've never purchased a playset before.

TIA

 

[janey99]

We have a Woodplay that we've had for seven years. It is a superhuge model that we got for 1/2 price because it was a unit they had set up as a demo at the sales place. (I want to say it is called Skyking, but I honestly can't remember). They also threw in a corkscrew slide that could be interchanged with the climbing wall the set came with.

It is still in great shape and I normally don't buy floor models, but the sales rep told us it had only been set up for that season and was otherwise identical to a brand new one. All this time later, I can't say it's made a difference!

If you want to save money, see if you can purchase one from their display.

Good luck!

Jane

 

[tar heel]

We have a 25-year-old Woodplay setting next to the woods at the back of our yard. Since our youngest is about to turn 18, we've not done the proper upkeep on it in years -- I should give it away on freecycle. It was good before then. It did need to be sanded/refinished periodically and we replaced the swings after a few years.

 

[lisa-upnorth]

we got a swingNslide set about a month ago. We ordered the complete set-wood included. It was on sale on their website for about $950 from $2000.It did not arrive on the day they said it would (due to the dumb trtucking company!!)so when I called to ask about it they gave me a $100 credit back on my card

My husband is a carpenter and we debated building one from scratch BUT it would have been about $700 to do a nice one so this was worth it to save on hassels! It took him 4 half days to complete-since he works 2nd shift. He did 90% of it alone. the boards are sturdy-I had done a lot of research and there are MANY bad ones out there!! Nice lumber.

 

[lisa-upnorth]

http://www.swing-n-slide.com/221-Juneau-Wooden-Playset-Kit.aspx

this is the one I have. They had a 10% off of the sale price promo when I got it

 

[mickeymaker2003]

We built a Playstar one (Menards sells them) and it was the type where you cut your own wood. It has held up very well and I am really pleased with it. We have the Powerhouse Gold except we built it with the regular slide instead of the tunnel slide. We also put a patio on the bottom with a railing and a gate instead of the sandbox underneath and used commercial swings and swing anchors. I liked being able to customize it to whatever I wanted and if a part should rot or become damaged (it is made of green treated AC3 lumber), it is easy to replace. Their customer service was great too.

 

[Ginny Favers]

We have had a rainbow for about 4 years now and the quality is phenomenal. However we bought it right from the dealer and it was not cheap as we bought a higher-end one that had a clubhouse the kids could use even when they were older. Great investment... the kids in our neighborhood are 6 and 7 and are getting too big for all the ones in the development, except ours.

 

[SaraJayne]

We've had a Rainbow for six years and it still looks brand new, even though it's been well-loved.

 

[Angie789]

We've had a Rainbow for 2 years and it is great - wood quality is superb, no problems whatsoever.

 

[mjkacmom]

We spent about $3000 on our Rainbow about 10 years ago, and it's still super-solid. We've done absolutely no maintenance on it. All the kids still use it, even the dog (she loves to climb into the clubhouse, and bark at the squirrels). It is definitely the best investment in kid stuff we made.

 

[zumbergc]

thanks for the tips

 

[sookie]

I am glad to see this thread. I have been looking at a Rainbow but they are SO pricey! I'm also worried about the set being too big for my backyard. Is this common? Is it worth the 2k or more?

 

[zumbergc]

i'm the original poster. The neighbors swingset that essentially broke, was played with the same as another neighbors. The other neighbors has a rainbow. Well, we have lots of kids in the neighborhood, and now that I think about it. That swing set is still super sturdy.

I believe the swing set was put in like 7-10 years ago. There have been 3 families that have lived in that house and so lots of kid action... The thing still looks solid.

The one that broke saw everyday action too, but didn't hold up. I think it had to do with weight limits. If your looking ask about how much the swings can hold, and how much the platforms can hold. It is amazing how little, especially if your going up to the platform, or swing next to your kids.


The one that broke, I know adults, myself included swung on the swings, probably at least sometimes 2 adults at a time. Watching the kids play something else. If your going to buy, make sure to read what the weight limits are.

Plus, read about the wood too... diff woods different strength and resistance to break down. like pine weak, ceder better and i believe redwood best. I googled the last part, hopefully the page was accurate.

 

[Ginny Favers]

Rainbow has several different models to choose from. Their bottom-of-the-line (Fiesta) may be a bit more expensive than others, but it's well-made and worth the price.

Do not feel like you need to get something like King Kong or Monster. They are HUUUUUGE and bigger than my house.

Even the original rainbows are huge. We got the sunshine, which is lower-end, here:
http://www.rainbowplay.com/index.php/swingsets/package/original-sunshine-castle-pkg-ii-loaded/

And it is HUUUUGE as well. Way bigger than any other swingset in the neighborhood. It's great for older kids... even 10-12 year olds want to play in it and I can hang out in the clubhouse with my kids, reading. It was $5000.

I do not think you need to go that big. You can get a nice, sturdy one from rainbow for a lot less.

 

[zumbergc]

anyone have any tips on which is better the yellow or green swings, or slides?

The dealer mentioned the yellow slides don't hold the heat like the green ones due.
What about the swings and handle bars. The handles that help you get to the top, and grip bar above the slide? Does the green hold the heat?

thanks

 

[Ginny Favers]

We got green because we liked it better. The slide is in the sun ALL day, and it's not hot at all. Everything we had is green, and none of it gets hot.

 

[juligrl]

If you plan on building your playsystem then you might look towards Craigslist (you disassemble & haul) for a Rainbow set. My husband and I were just considering this idea last weekend. We had a freakishly big storm last week where one of the large trees in our back yard came down and our nice sturdy (Home Depot brand, self-built) playset came down too. Our playset is 6 years old, and our youngest is 6 and oldest is 9 and they both still use it a lot. Not having a playset is not an option at the moment. After looking around at buying new we also consulted Craigslist and found quite a few listings locally for Rainbow playsets - huge ones - you disassemble & haul for $500-$1000.

After assessing our damage we discovered that a rebuild was do-able and that's what we've been working on all week. Fun!

 

[TinaMcTeer]

We just bought this. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=198829&iid=Category|TOPSELLER|Swing Sets and Playhouses|Skyfort Cedar Play Set with Slide#desc With free shipping under $1500. Great reviews and ordered last week, will be delivered Tuesday. Love that there is no fabric to fade and is tall enough to handle my DD10.

 

[SaraJayne]

anyone have any tips on which is better the yellow or green swings, or slides?

The dealer mentioned the yellow slides don't hold the heat like the green ones due.
What about the swings and handle bars. The handles that help you get to the top, and grip bar above the slide? Does the green hold the heat?

thanks

We have a long yellow wavy slide and it is never hot. It's in direct sun all day.