KidKraft Appleton Wooden Swing Set, (Amazon Exclusive)

Got this on sale for $350, which seemed like a great deal. It's been 3 months since I put it all together and so far, it's holding up great. Playset is on the smaller side - don't expect something from a public park, but it's perfect for toddlers and small kids, any under 4'6" and 80 pounds (it's rated for 110 pounds but kids that big are probably on their smart phones instead). Any playset that is bigger will likely cost way more ($1,500+), so this is a great deal all things considered. My set came with all the necessary pieces, nothing broken. Cedar wood is of good quality and smells nice. Cedar is considered a softwood, but these planks seem sturdy enough. Still, be careful when you drill in screws or bolts The wood appears treated in some way as the water beads off, but I'll see how it holds up this winter (I live in Southern California so I'm more worried about sun damage - I'll likely need to stain/seal before each summer). It took me and a friend about 7 hours to assemble it all - we spent an hour organizing and about 6 to build, with a long lunch in the middle that involved a lot of beer (not recommended). Required tools - socket wrench with 5/16 and 1/2 drives along with a power drill. You'll need a Phillips drive bit and the hardware provided include a Robertson drive bit - definitely use it over anything you may already have. Most of the holes are pre-drilled and I encountered only one piece that seemed to be pre-drilled incorrectly (fortunately, I have a power drill). Other tips - you need a flat surface. Sort out ahead of time the wood pieces by number group and the hardware size (bolts, screws, washers, nuts) together by size so they're easy to grab - this is what took so long to organize as we figured out some of the hardware could be set up in advance (bolts paired with their washers and nuts, etc). Don't tighten anything until the end so you can maneuver all the pieces into place, especially when you manhandle the swing portion to the main station. Finally, take your time reading the instructions - they can be a bit confusing and if you look at it wrong, you may mix things up (I actually mirrored the whole set on accident, but that actually worked out to be a better fit for my backyard). I modified my version in order to support installing a pirate ship wheel (basically, there are some horizontal supports you can screw on from the outside of the "fort" rather than inside) and left the back space open, taking out the chalk wall and putting a rope ladder instead. All in all, considering how little it cost, I am happy about this and so is my son, so that's all that counts.

We purchased this swing set for our two boys (2 years old and 8 months). The set and instructions were great! The beginning of the instructions tell you what hand tools you need, and show you each piece of wood and hardware you should have. All of the wood was labeled, all of the hardware was individually bagged and labeled. Each page tells you what wood pieces and what hardware you will need for each step. For 90% off the set up you can do this by yourself. It took me 3 days dedicating 4 hours of work each day. Pros: - Affordable - Good Value - Easy set up - Kids love it Cons: - One small piece of wood had a moderate split (didn’t affect the outcome).

Great swingset however putting it together was quite a challenge It came with so many boards and little pieces Took two people and good tools So, if you are great with tools and directions You will do fine. A few hiccups with the directions but all in all we got it together in about 6.5 hrs and that’s because my bf is good with tools and calm. I could not have not done this without a guy reinforcement! Kids absolutely love it. The swing set is very sturdy .

I am shocked at the size and quality of this thing! I needed a last minute Christmas gift and was super nervous about something arriving on time. Not only did it arrive on time but it was relatively easy to assemble and looks incredible!! It is real wood (you can smell it!!) and my 3-year-old godson loves it. I like that he will be able to get a couple of years out of it.

Took about 8 hours to get together with lots of help. Seems sturdy so far! Instructions were very clear and easy to follow. Perfect size for my 2 year old to enjoy for many years to come! Switched out one of the swings for a baby swing. Great value!!

We are contractors and remodel homes for a living, so building in general isnt a big deal for us....but....You couldnt make a more poor build design if you tried. Lots of parts that may or may not be labled and labeled without any logic or reason like a toddler was rambling numbers and they stamped them to a part. 25+ diffent bags of hardware that may or may not be used including 8 different sizes screws, 7 or 8 different sizes bolts, washers, t-nuts, nuts, etc that literally took up the entire tail gate of our truck when laid out....they too are labeled like a toddler rambling numers. Instructions were beyond horrible. You will need a full bag of tool: socket ratchet set, adjustable wrench x2, hammer, drill (square bit included but did strip the screw heads so we had to improvise), 1/8 drill bit for lag screws, a square, measuring tape, level, 2 step ladders. We had 2 people, again very experienced in construction, took us about 5 hours to complete. Final product: its small, not for adult use at all, wood is flimsy, most is made with 1x4s, and lots of cracking while it was built, i dont expect the tarp roof to hold up to much wind or snow and im shocked that one of the walls on the platform is just a tarp...with screws in it...ment to stop a child from falling 5 ft...yeah im gunna go to lowes and add 2 more boards to reinforce that "tarp wall"... Anyway, likely over priced for the cheap, way overly complicated design. We laugh as we were building it that it would have been easier to make one from scratch...but not for the price i guess. Itll do for a few years but i dont expect much from it.

Took about 2ish days of husband working on it off & on. He’s blue collar, and good with building things. He definitely could have done it all in 1 day if we didn’t have other things going on. Lots of pieces, but he said once he got it organized it was easy. My sister in law has this exact one, and it’s held up nice for years, so that’s why I bought it. Definitely for kiddos age 2-7. It’s perfect!

Was missing a piece. I’ve had it in use with my two kids (now 2 and 5) for two years. Many of the boards have cracked. The whole thing shifts each time my daughter swings back and forth. It’s a nice small play structure but def doesn’t withstand serious swinging.