My mom got one of these for my nephews this past Christmas (a whole family of Wooters, we are), and unfortunately, it's not going to be staying around through Valentine's day.

The coolest part of this (that kids and adults loved) was the light-up board. It looks legitimately cool. Unfortunately, there are two issues with the markers:
1. There's no clear directions on how to clean them off the board (they don't come off as easily as dry-erase markers).
2. Not sure if it's marketing speak, but these are "special" markers, and once these run dry, you either have to figure out a way to get more (probably by contacting AMAV and buying them direct) or forego half of the board.

The button that controls the light is also very mushy and unresponsive. Not a huge deal, but not ideal for little fingers.

The chalkboard works well enough with the included chalk (as well as you can expect from a chalkboard). However, the magnets wouldn't stick very well to it; they'd just slide down. Not sure if this was just a weak magnetism in our board, or if it's like that with all of them.

The paper is fine enough; requires your own pencils/markers/crayons, but hopefully your kids have that anyway. It's a bit weird sketching over the chalkboard, so more than likely, you're going to just want to cut/rip the paper off and give it to the kids.

It's easy enough to assemble, but a bit of a hassle to disassemble for storage/travel, mainly the trays for the chalk and markers.

Also, unless your kids like standing patiently - or you buy a stool - easels don't really...work. Even after getting the easel, my nephews (3&5, BTW) would sit at a table or lie on the ground to draw. I guess it will be some time before they're at Bob Ross level.

Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/AMAV-5168-Amav-Hi-Lite-Easel/dp/B005HVN15I

(Apparently one of the reviewers contacted AMAV and was able to get replacement pens.)

ETA: Another link, with slightly better reviews. Prices are $71 and $70 respectively:
http://www.wayfair.com/Amav-Hi-Lite-Easel-5168-DDG1001.html#reviews

ThunderThighs wrote:Hello? Since we've sold this once before, how about some feedback from some easel owners?

I bought one on the last go round, sometime in October for my 4 yo granddaughter's Christmas. Unfortunately, I did not open the box until a couple of days before Christmas. After installing the batteries, I noticed the wires from the battery compartment to the unit were broken. Woot's return policy is 21 days. My bad, I had never looked up their policies.

I have been a Wooter for 2 to 3 years and have never been disappointed, however, this is one of the few products I would not buy from Woot. The wiring is too shoddy to withstand the nemorus opening and closings of the Easel.

dabe8830 wrote:I bought one on the last go round, sometime in October for my 4 yo granddaughter's Christmas. Unfortunately, I did not open the box until a couple of days before Christmas. After installing the batteries, I noticed the wires from the battery compartment to the unit were broken. Woot's return policy is 21 days. My bad, I had never looked up their policies.

I have been a Wooter for 2 to 3 years and have never been disappointed, however, this is one of the few products I would not buy from Woot. The wiring is too shoddy to withstand the nemorus opening and closings of the Easel.

Oh no. We're sorry to hear that. Did you try contacting the manufacturer for a replacement yet?

See what they say, and if they give you trouble, drop a line to support@woot.com, okay?

I bought one of these for my almost 3 year old daughter back when they were offered in December. I finally took it out of the box today and put it together. Assembly is extremely easy, but pieces DO NOT snap into place. So if anyone tries to move it, the thing comes apart and collapses. I don't see the need to take it apart, so I'll likely be gluing the pieces together for stability.

Within 2 minutes, she had tried to use the chalk on the illuminated side and put some scratches in the plastic. She doesn't care, but I was irritated that it scratched so easily.

You definitely have to have a good supply of the markers when you have this thing. The two it came with have already been very abused in the couple of hours that my daughter has been playing with them. It comes with a sheet that tells you which markers are good to use with it. I am going to order some from Amazon tonight, hopefully they work out.

The illumination is definitely the best part of the whole thing. I agree with the other poster that said the button is difficult for small hands - it's set in too deeply and too high up on the board. You also run the risk of toppling the whole thing unless you hold on to the side while trying to push it.

The trays are great, no real complaints there. I also like the paper roll, except when the easel collapses and it goes rolling across the floor.

I'm not sure the $50 was worth it on this one. My daughter loves it, but I don't think it will hold up to how rough she will be with it.

If you don't care about the illumination, get a cheaper easel and a set of alphabet magnets for your fridge. Probably a lot less hassle.

ThunderThighs wrote:Hello? Since we've sold this once before, how about some feedback from some easel owners?

I know this is sold out, but in case someone decides to do some research on this if it comes up again, I will give my feedback in the hopes that it helps someone.

My little artist is less than 3, and she absolutely LOVES this. The comments I have read regarding the markers are correct. They are very cheap and do not last more than an hour or two, which is a real drag on Christmas morning. Santa was not looking very good, I can tell you! However, the light up board IS a great item, and assuming you have enough of the correct markers on hand, you will look like a hero and your child(ren) will love it.

The magnets on the letters are not strong, and I will be replacing these with a better set of letters and numbers to stick to the board.

The chalk is also not great, however I purchased a 99 cent box of chalk and the board responds perfectly. That solved that particular issue easily.

I have not received the replacement markers yet, but when I do, I suspect the second issue will be corrected (the ability to draw on the illuminated side of the board will be corrected.)

So, what is my final review? A very good product that could have been excellent by only adding better markers, chalk, and magnets. As a customer, I would be happy to pay the extra 3 dollars or whatever to augment the product in the first place, this would be a home run. Instead, it is a triple. But once I have fixed the shortcomings, this should be a toy my child will play with for a long time.

I did no comparison shopping, so I have no idea if the price is right. But for me it was a good deal.

Great markup and I could not agree more, I already had replaced the chalk that day. But where did you find the markers? What kind of marker is it? Thank you in Advance...
-Mike

kurahee wrote:I know this is sold out, but in case someone decides to do some research on this if it comes up again, I will give my feedback in the hopes that it helps someone.

My little artist is less than 3, and she absolutely LOVES this. The comments I have read regarding the markers are correct. They are very cheap and do not last more than an hour or two, which is a real drag on Christmas morning. Santa was not looking very good, I can tell you! However, the light up board IS a great item, and assuming you have enough of the correct markers on hand, you will look like a hero and your child(ren) will love it.

The magnets on the letters are not strong, and I will be replacing these with a better set of letters and numbers to stick to the board.

The chalk is also not great, however I purchased a 99 cent box of chalk and the board responds perfectly. That solved that particular issue easily.

I have not received the replacement markers yet, but when I do, I suspect the second issue will be corrected (the ability to draw on the illuminated side of the board will be corrected.)

So, what is my final review? A very good product that could have been excellent by only adding better markers, chalk, and magnets. As a customer, I would be happy to pay the extra 3 dollars or whatever to augment the product in the first place, this would be a home run. Instead, it is a triple. But once I have fixed the shortcomings, this should be a toy my child will play with for a long time.

I did no comparison shopping, so I have no idea if the price is right. But for me it was a good deal.