My mission was to investigate the low-cost wooden climbing frames. I would investigate the manufacturers’ on-line offerings for less than £400. The products qualified on the basis of actual prices available on the day I did the investigation.
Why would customers be looking at the bottom of the price range? Firstly of course, they simply might not be able to afford any more. For many people £400 is a lot of money, and there are not many wooden climbing frames in the sub £400 bracket. Or perhaps the children are young, and they don’t need anything enormous right now. Maybe you’re not looking for something that will still be looking good in ten year’s time, but will move on to something else in a few years. All of these are perfectly good reasons to look for something at the cheaper end of the market – it’s not a bad decision or second best.
I first visited the Dunster House website. The JuniorFort Tower at £370 uses pressure treated spruce, and offers 2 swings and a slide for children between 3 and 10. Even cheaper is the MicroFort, which is perfect for younger children from 1 to 3, but probably no older. Another approach to keeping costs down is a simple single purpose apparatus, such as the Dunster House Monkey Bars. At £200 and 2.2m in height they are claimed to be suitable for children from 3 to 14.
Moving on to Jungle Gym, we find the Jungle Cirque. This offers a platform tower and slide for £389. The base of the tower offers scope for role-playing games and activities. The price would seem high compared to the JuniorFort described above, which also has a couple of swings. But the tower of Jungle Cirque is larger in all dimensions, and it’s claimed that it also uses larger timbers, making it more sturdy. I’m not saying one is better than the other – they’re just different.
Moving on to Plum, we find the Tamarin. Like the JuniorFort, it offers a slide and two swings. The Tamarin is smaller in all dimensions and packaged differently, so one or the other might work better, depending on your family and your space. At the time of writing the Tamarin is on offer at £315.
My First Wooden Playcentre is also from Plum, and costing £290 it’s for totally different users. As the name implies, it’s suitable for children from 18 months. It’s low-rise with a ramp and a climbing net, and a den underneath. This will appeal to the same families who might consider the MicroFort.
My final port of call for this survey was Selwood. Their Holt climbing frame has a tower and a slide, offering a similar range of activities to the Jungle Cirque. Selwood emphasises its choice of cedar for quality, long life and safety. Its price just creeps into my review criterion at £399.
All of this just shows that if you’re thinking of one of these products, it’s important to do your homework, and carefully compare the specifications, sizes and what exactly is included. Are ground anchors required? If so, are they included, or extra? Some makers include the tools you’ll need, others don’t.
And as ever, there’s always the temptation to look at the next model in the range. If you like the look of the Selwood Holt, but want swings as well, like the Plum Tamarin or the Dunster House JuniorFort, then the Selwood Meadowside II is only £499. It offers a little more space than the cheaper models, allowing it to cater for children from 3 to 14. Maybe that is the more cost-effective solution – more money up front, but longer lasting.
The choice is yours.
