Ocamora Toys vs Grimm's vs Grapat

Today I wanted to do a comparison between the Ocamora toys against a few popular wooden toy brands. 

If you're new to the Ocamora brand you'll notice that they offer a selection of beautiful open ended toys with a wide range of rich, beautiful colors - and a pretty heavy price tag. If you're a seasoned wooden toy collector, you'll notice that the prices are slightly higher than what you're used to seeing from Grimm's or Grapat. 

As wooden toy lovers, and as someone who spent their own dollars into collecting toys - this is my unbiased observation. 

Color. 

Off the bat, you'll notice that Ocamora's selection of colors is more vibrant than what you see from Grimm's. Both brands offer a beautiful range of colors. Many of Grimm's toy come in a few color range: rainbow, pastel, monochrome and natural. Ocamora pieces also come in a variety of rainbow shades - you'll notice that some colors are more vibrant such as pink and blue. And if you're in the market for a wooden rainbow, they do have a larger selection of color ways to choose from. Grapat also does their own take on rainbows. One thing you'll notice is that the colors are more darker, muted while still looking rich. 

Craftsmanship.

• Ocamora made in Spain.
• Grimms made in Germany and Bosnia.
• Grapat made in Spain.
• Hape/Melissa and Doug/Lovevery made in China. 
• Plan Toys made in Thailand.

In terms of quality, Ocamora pieces are stunning - very well made. From the pieces I've seen, they are cut very precisely and evenly. That is one of the major differences I see between that Ocamora rainbow vs Grimms.

Grimm's is another brand that is very consistent in quality. Personally I prefer the pieces that they make in Germany vs Bosnia as I do see a bit of a quality difference. So pieces like their peg dolls, wooden bus, stacking bowls do appear to be higher quality than something like the rainbow or other stacking toys.

Grapat is another brand that is becoming quiet popular. They're well known for their loose parts. Overall the quality is good although I do notice a few items that are not as smooth as I would like. I think this comes down to the wood that is used. All three brands mainly use solid wood.

Hape and Lovevery are made in the same factory. In terms of quality, they are decent for the price tag. You'll notice that most of the toys are made from something like MDF/plywood. So it's not solid wood and the toys are painted vs stained. The brand does a good job sanding and sealing the wood into a sooth finish. 

Melissa and Doug is no where near the quality of the others. I think their soft toys and books are good - but the wooden toys are not well made. Although the brand does do a good job with customer service, so I do give them that. 

Plan Toys is made from rubber tree. Many of their toys are also not made of solid wood. But overall I still think they are well made for the price and they offer the toys at a more 'affordable' price range. 

Texture.

If you're used to a brand like Hape one of the biggest thing you'll notice is the texture of these handcrafted toys. Ocamora probably has the most rough, velvet texture. I think they use a softer wood which makes it feel lighter to the touch. The texture helps greatly when you're trying to stack toys because of the friction. 

Grimm's also has a velvet texture. Very pleasant to the touch. 

Variety.

Ocamora doesn't have a wide range of toys to choose from. They have several building blocks and stacking toys to choose from. I encourage you to take a look at their rainbows and stones.

Grimm's probably has the largest selection of toys and we love them at home too. We're hoping that we'll be able to carry them in the shop one day just because we're such huge fans. Current top picks: peg dolls, wooden balls, stacking bowls, and wooden bus.

If you're looking to dabble in the world of loose parts, Grapat is the brand to go with. They have many beautiful pieces but the brand is more appropriate for older toddlers.

Markings.

As with all wooden toys, markings are natural and to be expected. You can find pieces that are virtually free of markings, but if you end up with pieces with knots or marks - that's all part of the beauty of wooden toys. Each toy is unique and no two pieces are the same. If markings really bother you, you can contact us and we can try to help you find a special piece. 

What is not typical? Cracks, splinters. This is not to be expected. If you ever come across any wooden toys that arrive like that, please contact your retailer for an exchange or refund.

Hope this comparison helps!