Ian M.
An interesting change & worth exploring
Ericpuzzle’s attractive mini-vid/ad popped up online as we were leaving U.K. towards Christmas; I took a punt on 3 puzzles to be delivered there at least by the end of December, & they arrived on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile I had been experiencing some initial ‘punter’s remorse’ after reading several adverse reviews that suggested the co. &/or its products might not be all they were cracked up to be. The plush purple drawstring bags obvs aren’t the same as the advertised boxes, but do their job OK & are probly less susceptible to damage/distortion in (?) international transit. I tackled the Octopus first & completed it, if not by midnight NZ time, at least by lunchtime next day (=break of NewYr in London). Initially I was disappointed at the small ‘key’ graphic on the card on the neck of the bag (? 2”dia. for a 1-ft finished puzzle, so about 1:6 linear scale & hence too poky for detailed guidance on a busy design). The smell of the material/s (wood? cutting process? inks?) at necessarily close quarters was also somewhat offputting, though this seems to fade with time once it’s spread out rather than confined in its packaging. The cutting of the pieces is very precise, and a great deal more varied in shape than the usual ‘vanilla’ 4-sided not-quite-tessellations of mainstream producers at home in Europe. Whether or not a given piece fits or links is still equally clear (usually) … but the whole ‘grammar’ of the puzzle feels quite different & takes some getting used to ~ not least, achieving the complete circular border to begin with; plus, of course, one might be doing a pic of an octopus (with incidental fish, shells, seaweed &c) but many of the pieces are shaped like something completely different (bear, cat, scorpion, anchor, whatever) which adds to the charm. In all, an interesting product at something of a diagonal from the mainstream, worth obtaining & having a go at … but in terms of ‘time per finished area’ it’s quite challenging work ~ and as such, a worthwhile change for once. This puzzle took me probably about 5hrs for what I’d guess to be about 500 generally small but intriguingly unique pieces. Whether we’ll now leave all/any of the 3 puzzles here, or take them home as gifts for others, remains to be seen … upper-primary age grandchildren seemed passingly interested, but wary of the puzzle as a whole seeming overly ‘niche’ &/or fiddly. (Or mebbe praps they were just too preoccupied with more immediate New Yr excitements?)