Category Archives: Puzzle Brands

Wooden Brain Teasers (also known as Mechanical Puzzles)

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Browse some of latest additions to our collection of wooden brain teasers (mechanical puzzles) from Creative Crafthouse. These guys handcraft these high quality wooden puzzles in Spring Hill, Florida. Many of the puzzles are inspired by puzzle designs that have not been made in years. Aside from individual puzzle, they also have beautiful gift boxes with 3 or more puzzles included in a wooden box. Some of the brain teasers are easy to solve, rated a 1 out of 6 on the difficulty level, where others are rated 6 out of 6. For more information and to see prices and even more designs, visit our collection of Creative Crafthouse Puzzles on our website.

How to Pick the Best Puzzle Brands

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So, we’ve posted before on how to select a high-quality puzzle based on the brand and the quality of the puzzle pieces and printing. But I wanted to give you a little more insight into what makes each of our most popular brands unique. We’ll also take a look at quality and prices.

This is to give you all some insight into each brand we carry, starting with the most popular puzzle brands. I have tested many of the jigsaw puzzles myself and have also talked with many people who love these puzzles! More will be posted later.

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Sunsout:

This brand carries thousands of different images, in piece counts ranging from 100 piece mini puzzles to 6000 piece giants. They are made from eco-friendly material in the USA. Sunsout puzzles are also on the cheaper side – with 1000 piece puzzles only $15. Pieces are both ribbon and random cut, depending on the image.

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Ravensburger:

Often touted as one of the best puzzle brands, it is probably true. These puzzles have true interlocking ribbon cut pieces – they really snap together well and don’t move around. They also use grained paper which makes the image glare-free with a nice, durable finish and great color. These puzzles are perfect for framing. Their 1000 piece puzzles are $17, and they also have great 500 piece puzzles for only $13.

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Springbok:

These puzzles are known for the fact that no two pieces are ever the same. They use random cut dies to cut their puzzle, a unique look and interesting challenge. They use 100% recycled materials and are made in the USA. They also limit the number of new puzzles each year in an effort to focus more on quality than quantity. 500 piece puzzles from Springbok are just $12.

Heye:

Heye puzzles have some of the most unique images – from gothic art to highly detailed cartoon puzzles. The pieces are ribbon cut and slide together nicely – but be careful – often times with ribbon cut puzzles pieces of similar shape and color can make it to the wrong spot. Make sure it really fits before moving on! These are top-notch quality – with 1000 piece puzzles upwards of $25 – but they are well worth it if you plan to keep and frame the puzzle. (I myself have 3 mounted on my wall from Heye!)

Aquarius:

If you’re into pop-culture, this is the brand for you. They have everything from vintage Beatles puzzles to I Love Lucy, John Wayne and Rush. Their puzzles are also printed with high-quality ink so the images are bright and crystal clear. These are the perfect puzzles for teenagers or fanatics with 1000 piece puzzles around $15.

Ceaco:

This brand is known for its low prices. You’ll find a smaller box and slightly thinner pieces than a higher-end puzzle, but the fun is still the same! These are great party puzzles or for keeping and doing over and over with the kids or family. 1000 piece puzzles are only $12 and they have great painters like Thomas Kinkade!

Love a particular puzzle brand and want to submit your review of it? Talk to us and tell us what you think and I’ll post it next week!

Question for the comments: What puzzle brand are you loyal to and why?

Discount Jigsaw Puzzles – Why You Should Shop for Scratch and Dent Puzzles

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It can be hard to pick out the perfect jigsaw puzzle. Since you are probably going to spend a lot of time working your puzzle – from clearing off a table in your kitchen or hobby room to putting that last piece in just the right spot to finish your masterpiece – you’ll want to make sure you pick just the right one. With so many choice to make, like the number of pieces, the puzzle image, the type of puzzle (ribbon cut or random cut pieces, panoramic or square, glow in the dark or 3D) and the brand, the last thing you should have to worry about is this: Am I paying too much for my puzzle? Cheap jigsaws are easy to find, but there is always quality to worry about. When you buy a puzzle, it should be something you want to keep forever, not just throw away when you’re finished! That’s why we have our Scratch and Dent section. Here, you can find a cheap puzzle that is still good as new on the inside – it might just have a ding on the outside of the box. These puzzles are from the same high-quality puzzles brands like Ravensburger, Springbok and Buffalo Games – but we sell them for less than retail prices. Let us explain.

Since we are a reseller, we get shipments every day from over 80 different brands. With hundreds of boxes coming off of trucks and into our warehouse, there are bound to be some damaged items. When we sell you a puzzle at full price – we always make sure it is only in perfect condition. If there is damage to the box at all, we mark it Scratch and Dent and give you a discount. In these cases, the bag of puzzles pieces inside is still intact and in perfect condition. Even though these puzzles are discounted, you won’t find missing pieces or damage to the actual jigsaw puzzle you are putting together. Take a look at the pictures below and you’ll see the best-case and worst-case scenarios for these discounted jigsaw puzzle boxes.

So, why not save a few extra bucks and buy the same high-quality puzzle for less? We have puzzles for adults and jigsaws for kids in this section, from 24 pieces up to some our largest puzzles like 3000 piece jigsaws. And since we get so many shipments every week, you’ll see new additions to this cheap puzzle selection almost every day.

Are you wondering what must be wrong with these cheap jigsaw puzzles? Let me give you an example to show you the puzzles themselves are in perfect condition!

This is an example of what the most minimal damage might be for a scratch and dent. Even if the box just has a slight tare like this, we will take a few dollars off the the full retail price and pass the savings onto you.

You'll see, the puzzle inside is just like new - still sealed in the bag with no loose pieces or any other damage. Just like new!

This is one of the worst types of Scratch and Dent Puzzles you will see - where the corner of the box might have been slightly crushed by a forklift of by other boxes.

Again, you'll find that the puzzle inside is just as good as new - with the pieces intact and the puzzle image still perfectly visible on the box!

So, next time you’re having trouble deciding if you should go for the expensive puzzle brands so that you can get the best quality jigsaw puzzle for your next project, try one of our great Scratch and Dent puzzles and save, without giving up on quality!

The (new) Largest Jigsaw Puzzle Ever

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Previously, the largest jigsaw puzzle in recorded history was made by Educa, called LIFE: The Greatest Puzzle with 24,000 pieces. The puzzle came in four packets, breaking the puzzle art up into four slightly easier to manage sections, which all connect together to create a giant puzzle that is 14 feet long and 5 feet tall. A TRUE puzzle challenge, and certainly not for the faint of heart.

But the folks at Ravensburger wanted to take things up a notch and create a puzzle even larger than LIFE! They have passed up Educa and made Double Retrospect, now the biggest puzzle ever, with 32,256 pieces. This mammoth of a jigsaw puzzle measures an incredible 17 feet x 6 feet!

The art for Ravensburger’s Double Retrospect was created by American Artist Keith Haring (1958-1990). Each of the 32 different images show one of Haring’s quirky illustrations, inspired by the cartooning skills he learned from his father, according to Ravensburger’s website. The puzzle is very colorful and vibrant and each scene will make you smile or chuckle. The limited color palate also makes the puzzle even more challenging because it will be harder to separate the pieces that go in one scene from another.

The puzzle pieces arrive in 8 separate bags inside of a box, and a trolley is also supplied so that you can transport the giant puzzle home. When you open the box, each bag will contain 4,032 pieces – each a sure-fire challenge on their own.

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Win this Disney shaped puzzle from MEGA

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We will be giving away TWO of these 500 piece shaped puzzles in the next two weeks. To enter, post a comment in the reply box below about one of your favorite Disney characters – and tell us why!

Two winners will be picked in July. Make sure to use a valid email address – that is how we will contact you if you won! Posting a reply below does not sign you up for anything, it just registers you for this drawing.

What you’ll win? This Mickey Mouse shaped puzzle is recommended for ages 10 and up, with 500 unique shaped pieces that form a complete puzzle in the shape of Mickey Mouse himself! A great family activity and one that will be fun to do over and over. This puzzle is discontinued from MEGA, so these are the last two puzzles of its kind in stock here at Puzzle Warehouse.

While you’re reading – please check out the rest of our blog, featuring great articles related to the love of puzzles.

Update: Both winners have been selected for this giveaway – Congratulations to Shannon and Jodi! Keep your eye out for the next giveaway opportunity – coming soon!