Article I found on the topic, with a list of brands: https://brickfact.com/blog/bricks/lego-alternatives-the-big-guide
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I'd like to know too. I'd love to use Lego style bricks for robotics, etc, but the price... ๐ฌ
Yes, the prices now are quite insane. And the fact that Lego had a monopoly on the bricks for such a long time doesn't ring too good nowadays.
But I like that they just let the patent expire instead of going all Disney and trying to extend it for another century. I imagine Lego survives based on the manufacturing quality of their bricks, and their licensing (Star Wars, Marvel, etc).
I just want some plain old bricks I can put together and hook up motors and sensors to.
going all Disney and trying to extend it for another century.
They still do somehow: https://www.politico.eu/article/lego-win-design-case-german-company-delta-sport-handelskontor-eu-court/
Wow, I didn't know about that. Shame. Oh well, I like a lot of the sets I saw in your other comment, especially the dune buggy.
My sister got a mega blocks set in the mid-late 80s and while they fit with each other well enough, their compatibility with LEGO was abhorrent. As time went on her collection was rolled into mine, and I spent the next decade purging mega blocks from my LEGO, and on occasion I still find one.
In 2005 or so there was a very cool ork castle from an off brand we decided to get for my oldest daughter. It looked amazing, but had the structural integrity of rotted Lincoln logs. There were a lot of misshapen pieces and even the perfect ones did not quite fit.
I have never tried another knockoff since.