Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This water table was purchased for my 5 year-old daughter. She's Autistic and is rather obsessed with water. Of all the tables on the market, we felt this one offered the most for the price. When I first got the package home, she was ecstatic. She did a happy dance as I set about putting it together. Assembly was fairly easy (although it didn't go nearly fast enough for her) and she instantly set about sending the balls down the spiral, even without water in the basin. We let her play with it for a time like that, but eventually, she asked for water. Clearly, she'd deduced its true purpose, so we brought it outside and filled it up. She spent the rest of the day playing with it, alternating between the different activities. She mostly ignored the green, twirly thing, but she enjoyed the Ferris wheel and the little gears. Her favorite by far, though, is the spiral. The next day was the real test, as toys often lose their luster rather quickly (sometimes, she casually tosses away a toy in the store she just had to have only a few minutes before). She immediately went to the table, bypassing the swing and trampoline she usually plays with. In her never ending quest to discover new ways to play with her toys, she realized she could put a bucket under the table and pull the plug. Once the bucket was full, she'd put the plug in and fill the table again, only to drain it once more. She amused herself doing that for hours. There you go, Little Tikes, another water feature you can add to the box. Making my daughter happy is one thing, but the true test was when the neighbor girls came over. Aged 3, 5 and 6, they also spent the entire day playing with it. To me, that equals a hit, especially considering our track record for getting toys that rarely get played with. If there are any negatives, it's that the balls sometimes get stuck in the spiral, but even that has become a fun adventure as my daughter pours a bucket of water down the chute and watches the balls come flying out. I haven't had any of the problems mentioned by the 1-star reviews, namely the buckling legs. I do suggest not trying to drag the toy when it's full of water as the legs can bend, but that's an issue easily avoided. All in all, I've paid far more for toys that have made my daughter far less happy.