We rec'd the croquet set within a couple of days. The first time we played with our grandchildren (6 and 4) the black mallet broke. The stick broke inside of the head. When notified LLBean sent out another black mallet which I rec'd in 2 days. As soon as it arrived we played croquet. When the 6 year old took one swing with the black mallet the stick broke in half. I am waiting to hear from LLBean. I wonder why just the black one breaks or will the others follow suit. They seem very sturdy and we have played croquet everyday.
got this and the croquet set -- the stand is well worth it. we got it together in 15 minutes or so -- a few small pieces were missing (those that held up the mallets) -- i called customer serivce, spoke to a live human, and the pieces came within 2 days.
The LL Bean Croquet set was expensive but is very durable. I was very pleased with the quality. It will last for a very long time. I had bought a much less expensive croquet set elsewhere and the plastic caps on the mallets have broken off and the wood behind it is not strong. Also, the wires were thin and bent easily. I will discard it. You get what you pay for and this set (that I bought for my 10 1/2 year old grand daughter) will last her a lifetime I believe. I am very well satisfied
So far, since we have not had the opportunity to use it; the set looks great. We gave the same set to our son and family who have enjoyed it for years.
