GuJiaXian
Explorer
My Battle Graph dry erase boards came today. When Longtooth Studios said that the product would launch May 1, I expected my preorder to ship then (today), not arrive. Color me impressed with that.
The product itself is quite nice. Obviously I haven't had a chance to do much more than pull them out of their packaging and stick them together, but they seem to be solidly made. I've never owned/handled any of the Tact-Tiles, so I can't really make a comparison there. These seem, as people guessed from photos and the videos, to be a sort of laminate on a board back. They're solid and should stand up to play and travel well. The "grooves" on them are much shallower than I expected (and than the videos suggested); I prefer this, since there's less opportunity for crumbs and such to get caught. The "thick" lines are also nowhere near as thick as the demo ones on Longtooth Studio's website; really, the lines are quite light. The pieces snap together easily but still have enough "give" to come apart easily. I like that the lines/grooves line up from piece to piece.
The Battle Graph pieces reek of something--plastic or some solvent, perhaps--right out of the box, but the smell fades quickly (I've only had mine open for 30 minutes or so).
Not much negative to say so far, though I really haven't used them yet. Dry erase markers are recommended, I know, and the included instructions say to use denatured alcohol to clean them. I'll need to go track some down at Walmart.
I look forward to using them (tomorrow night), and I'll have to post a little more about them then. In the meantime, color me a pleased customer.
The product itself is quite nice. Obviously I haven't had a chance to do much more than pull them out of their packaging and stick them together, but they seem to be solidly made. I've never owned/handled any of the Tact-Tiles, so I can't really make a comparison there. These seem, as people guessed from photos and the videos, to be a sort of laminate on a board back. They're solid and should stand up to play and travel well. The "grooves" on them are much shallower than I expected (and than the videos suggested); I prefer this, since there's less opportunity for crumbs and such to get caught. The "thick" lines are also nowhere near as thick as the demo ones on Longtooth Studio's website; really, the lines are quite light. The pieces snap together easily but still have enough "give" to come apart easily. I like that the lines/grooves line up from piece to piece.
The Battle Graph pieces reek of something--plastic or some solvent, perhaps--right out of the box, but the smell fades quickly (I've only had mine open for 30 minutes or so).
Not much negative to say so far, though I really haven't used them yet. Dry erase markers are recommended, I know, and the included instructions say to use denatured alcohol to clean them. I'll need to go track some down at Walmart.
I look forward to using them (tomorrow night), and I'll have to post a little more about them then. In the meantime, color me a pleased customer.
Can't say I'm shocked--after experimenting on the battle board I use, that was the best cleaner I'd found for dry-erase marker residue.
