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.

Monday, January 31, 2022

Underwater Christmas

 Waterford, approx. 300 pieces? I couldn't find a tag and also I apparently didn't take pictures at the outset, or they didn't upload, so this is just to say it was a beautiful puzzle with lots of partial internal color line cutting and an elaborate border. 6/10 Stave scale


Santa's sleigh pulled by fish

picked up by a corner!


 

African Sunshine

 Open Road, 350 pieces. Amazon seller; don't know much about them but piece quality is generally what you'd expect from a midlevel producer--thin but acceptable pieces, engraved whimsies--and the image choice is unusual. 3/5





Fruit Shop, Frans Snyders

 DaVici, 400 pieces. Nicely done though darker than I prefer. Central multipiece whimsy replicating the puzzle image, with lots of twisting vine whimsies on each side. 3/5








Monday, January 24, 2022

The Iris Garden

 BCB Puzzles, 190 pieces. A "Bamboozle," BCB's version of a Teaser. This was fun--like a Stave, it kept me working for the last few pieces. 7/10 Stave scale.






Box Cats

 Zufa, 186 pieces. Small, cute image with paw and cat head connectors. 3/5





View of Murnau, Wassily Kandinsky

 DaVici, 200 pieces. A nice puzzle--Davici tends to increase the piece size for smaller piece count puzzles, and so it is here. A little dark in the image, but still good. 3/5












Friday, January 21, 2022

Underwater

 Dreamton, 400 pieces. New laser cutter for me, by way of Etsy. I like the geometric cut style--I think it breaks up the image in really interesting ways. Good colors, no problem with cuts, a nice reasonably priced option. I couldn't find the last piece--and then did, right after giving up and starting to break up the puzzle. Whoops. 3/5





proof of existence (compare lower left corner above)


Home For Christmas, Lucie Green

Puzzle Michèle Wilson, 300 pieces. I tried a PMW early in my wood puzzling adventures, but revisiting them after a lot of wood under the bridge was interesting. Turns out I still don't like well-done push-fit!



Illusion of Reality

 DaVici, 355 pieces. Beautiful cuts, image a bit too dark for my total enjoyment.











hidden puzzle--maybe there's more?


Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Autumn at Oinase, Kawase Hasui

 II Ravens, 142 pieces. New hand cutter for me. Nice standard hand-cut, interlocking with thick pieces, no whimsies. Moderate difficulty based on the image. 3/5




Two Cats

 Zufa, 185 pieces. I like cats, what can I say? 3/5




Stockings

DaVici, 250 pieces. Very nice and colorful. I think the hidden image might just be extra boots, but I can't say I'm positive. 3/5





extra boots from elsewhere in the puzzle


Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Cat

 Zufa, 173 pieces. One of the nicer cheap Russian producers, with the standard MDF, engraved whimsies, etc. I like the cat paw/head connectors. 3/5