I'll have to say Lincoln Logs because Legos weren't invented yet when I was a kid.
Which are better Legos or Lincoln logs?
Like Hippy said, we didn't have Legos when we were kids, so Lincoln logs it was ! Used to make some neat stuff with them.
Better in what way and for whom? As others have said Lincoln logs were all they had, and they were fun. I am at the age where Legos were just starting in the US. I had them, but I don't have the nostalgia for them as I do Lincoln Logs. That might be because I don't remember any excuriating pain from stepping on one.
With that said Lincoln Logs are somewhat limited in what you can build. Legos are designed to let the possibilities to be endless. (I don't remember any repilcas of historic landmaarks made with Lincoln Logs, but the list of them made fron Legos is endless.) Because of this they allow for more imagination. They also require more motor skills and understanding of basic physics. So they actually can help child develop those skills.
When I was 5 or 6, I had the Lincoln Logs. They were fun, but because of the relatively large size of the logs constructing a cabin, fence, wall, etc. didn't take very long.
I also had a set of "Bricks." They were similar to today's Legos, but were made of wood. It took longer and required many more bricks (I had more than one set) to build, but I enjoyed the process more than building with the Lincoln Logs.
Eventually, the erector set became my favorite. Lots of nuts and bolts and metal pieces of various shapes and sizes---and if you happened to knock them over, they stayed together.
