Brio 33214 Freight Battery Engine Reviews Summary

Performance

Pros:

• "This engine runs nicely on our Kidkraft tracks. Yes it is not super-fast, but it is surprisingly powerful."
• "Has held up well to daily play, pushes/pulls other wooden cars like a champ."
• "This works like a champ. It can pull or push a train of seven cars up a hill."
• "It is brilliant and pulls both of the 'push' trains my granddaughter has easily up the incline of the bridge."
• "This brio battery powered engine is strong enough to pull 7 free wheeled wagons for 12+ hrs straight without needing battery change!!"
• "It works really well and can successfully pull up to 2 trains behind on an incline and 4-5 trains on a flat track at full battery power."
• "It's powerful enough to pull a longish train."

Cons:

• "Total JUNK. Rocker switch is crap, hard to change batteries, eats batteries like there's no tomorrow... save your money."
• "This train cannot even pull its own weight up a hill."
• "It won't seem to climb the small bridge that comes with the standard train set even with only 1 or 2 carriages."
• "While this engine has good towing power for its size, it is PAINFULLY slow even with brand new batteries."
• "Very slow and has trouble pulling 3 cars behind it."
• "Train is so slow and doesn't have the power to pull a single carriage."
• "It could pull several carriages up over the bridge section."

Build Quality

Pros:

• "It is also rather kid proof."
• "Really well constructed toy, that’s sturdy."
• "This train looks really nice and the quality is there."
• "Love the detail and the obvious quality in this piece."
• "It is sturdily made and has survived being thrown and dropped."
• "Decent plastic build quality and magnets."
• "The design and quality of the toy is good."

Cons:

• "You will strip the gears and damage the motor irreparably."
• "Should have listened to the bad reviews. The wheels on this train are all bent and wonky."
• "The only annoying problem is that it derails too often."
• "For the price of this small locomotive, it runs very slow."
• "Very noisy and the battery cover screws are not good enough - extremely slow and too large to fit through tunnels. Not great."
• "The ‘stop’ button on the bottom never worked as it should."
• "The rubber wheels wear off in a couple of months and the locomotive won't be able to pull itself over things like Brio Viaduct Bridge."

Design

Pros:

• "It is also gorgeous and the switch forward and reverse though discreet it is easy to operate."
• "It also works very well off track and is compatible with wooden train sets and magnetic trains."
• "Magnets front and rear make it possible for this to push as well as pull."
• "The working light is super cute."
• "I love the color and the little headlight on the front."
• "It really is lovely and such a pleasure to see him playing with it."
• "Very slick looking engine."

Cons:

• "The main drawback is the lack of auto-stop timer."
• "The switch is a bit flimsy but once I have checked it is actually well made but will wear out eventually, and can not be replaced normally."
• "The ‘stop’ button on the bottom never worked as it should."
• "The center row of wheels has difficulty touching the track on any tight turns."
• "The train is taller than many bridges and tunnels in the standard brio set."
• "The 'Forward-OFF-Reverse switch is easy for small hands to operate, but you need a screwdriver to change the single AA battery."
• "The biggest design flaw is the switch on the bottom of the train."

Battery and Power

Pros:

• "The battery lasts way longer, and the price is about half of the other one."
• "Power comes from an A battery so goes faster and up hills much better than the other yellow or green Brio train."
• "Battery outlasts my kids attention span for the day and I would recommend a rechargable AA kit."
• "Battery life is fantastic ... haven’t measured it but it gets used extensively every day and we’re only on the second battery after a month."
• "One battery (AA) lasts long enough."
• "Battery lasts for ages and the train itself is a strong one."
• "Our grandson loves it, doesn't go too fast and keeps on going all day with one 'normal' AA battery."

Cons:

• "Total JUNK. Rocker switch is crap, hard to change batteries, eats batteries like there's no tomorrow... save your money."
• "Eats through batteries and the switch gives out for no reason."
• "Really rubbish! Either it is faulty or it drinks through batteries like no tomorrow!"
• "The batteries run out quickly with normal usage in about three days time."
• "This train has so much more power, but eats batteries."
• "My kids frequently forget to switch this off, draining the whole battery in a matter of hours."
• "Only takes duracell batteries, any other make will not work."