About my ratings

Perhaps because of my day job, I'm a tough rater. Everything 3/5 and above I consider worth the time and money. If I purchase on Etsy or a similar platform and the puzzle is as expected, I will give a top rating on the platform because of how seller ratings work, but here "as expected" is probably a 3/5 in most cases.

Friday, October 16, 2026

Bloomin' Plumage (hand-cut)

 Elms & Fathom, 251 pieces. This is a collaboration, replicating a Fathom laser-cut puzzle in hand-cutting. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Fathom puzzle is so well-optimized to be laser-cut that I don't actually think the hand cutting makes it a better puzzle. It is a very good puzzle, unquestionably! But I ended up even more impressed by the Fathom design for laser-cut. 4/5



The one big difference: it can be picked up and flipped with minimal piece loss:



Sandysaurus

 Tom Moll, 78 pieces. Nice small hand-cut puzzle.





Stocking Stuffer

 Stave, 100 pieces. Three exclamation point Tormentor--plenty of fun and the rating seems right. I like how it's mostly interlocking but with tiny dropouts scattered throughout for a bit of extra challenge. 7/10






Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Yosemite United Airlines

 Liberty, 554 pieces. Really nice wilderness whimsies--I particularly like the multipiece trees and the snake-and-arrowhead combo. 4/5











Aimee Stewart art

 Dogspell, 90 pieces. Some color line cutting here in this hand-cut puzzle. 3/5






double-sided puzzle

 Hello Fairytale, 30 pieces. A cute little hand-cut puzzle.






Friday, October 9, 2026

Midsummer's Eve

 Stave, 470 pieces.





mare+E M+hay+king = merry making





I thought it was the cat & the fiddle, not the chicken & the guitar