Grumpy's Jigsaw Puzzle Review

  This is the 25th puzzle we have completed from Buffalo Games and Puzzles and our 48th puzzle since 30 April.  Of the 25 Buffalo Games puzzles there were two with missing pieces (both purchased retail and not from Goodwill).   This was a replacement puzzle I received for one of those puzzles ( Butterfly Spectrum ).  I have not received the other replacement yet (which was actually the first requested). This puzzle was not as difficult as I expected, as we finished it on the same day we started.  The truck and the fireworks went together easily.  I did have a few false fits; they should have been obvious because the cut used by Buffalo has four adjacent pieces all meeting at a point making a cross, and none of the false fits satisficed that condition. Also, this puzzle did not include the usual poster that Buffalo provides.  This was my first Buffalo puzzle missing the poster. When we finished there seemed to be a piece missing, but we found it underneath one of our sorting trays.  Thi

  This puzzle is called " American Diner " and is made by White Mountain .  We picked it up last week at Goodwill.  I did not know that White Mountain made smaller format puzzles until I started working on this one.  The previous White Mountain 1000 piece puzzle we did was 30" x 24", and I thought this one was the same size until I started putting the edge together and discovered it is only 27" x 20".  Actually, it is smaller than that as the finished puzzle is only 19 3/8" on the short side and a bit under 27" on the long side.  If I had been paying more attention I would have realized from the size of the box that something was different.  The product code for this one is 1397T (the standard format is 1397 and appears to be available on the White Mountain website currently).  Next time I will pay more attention as I prefer the bigger size. The artist for this puzzle is Steve Crisp, who was the artist on the White Mountain " Old Candy Store

  This puzzle is the 46th we have finished since we started puzzling this past April, and is titled "Serene Retreat" by Bits and Pieces (artist Cody Carlson). Currently this puzzle is out of stock . We found this puzzle at Goodwill last week for about $3 which I thought was a steal.  We have finished 7 Bits and Pieces puzzles now (nearly all from Goodwill), but none with 1000 pieces from this brand before this one.  The puzzle is a good size at 27 x 20 inches. There is no poster unfortunately, and the picture on the box is not really adequate to thoroughly search for a lot of pieces.  The picture is like an oil painting (my wife described it as being like a "paint by number" picture).  I found a picture on line, but the actual puzzle was darker than the online photo so the photo was not that useful. The fit is very loose, and you cannot generally move segments of pieces without them falling apart.  I did not notice any false fits, but that is typical for a random c

After putting together 45 puzzles in the past few months, and trying 8 different brands of puzzles, I thought it would be interesting to show the different cuts that I have encountered.  I think these variations pretty much cover all the main possibilities, but I might be wrong. Ribbon Cut A puzzle with a ribbon cut has pieces arranged clearly in rows and columns.  You can calculate the number of pieces in the puzzle by counting the pieces on the side and the bottom and multiplying them together.  Sets of 4 adjacent pieces meet at a point, making a cross.  Pieces also share borders with only 4 other pieces.  The brand I have done the most of with this cut is Buffalo Games and Puzzles .  Here is an example: You can see that 4 adjacent pieces meet at a point and make a cross in every case.  I find this useful because it is helpful to prevent a false fit; often when you make a false fit the surrounding pieces will not meet at a clearly defined corner.  Nearly all pieces in a ribbon cut ar

  Brand:  Buffalo Games and Puzzles Title:  Frederick the Literate Series:  The Cats of Charles Wysocki Artist:  Charles Wysocki Number of Pieces:  750 Size:  24" x 18" Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Very good   - Missing pieces:  None   - False Fits:  Only if you're not careful   - Sections stay together when moving:  Sometimes   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  None   - Uncut pieces:  None   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges:  Yes, if you're careful   - Image quality:  Excellent   - Puzzle dust:  None What I liked:  I like cats and I like everything Charles Wysocki, so this was fun to put together What I didn't like:  Nothing This was a recent Goodwill find.  

  Brand:  Hallmark Title:  Japanese Garden Series:  N/A Artist:  N/A Number of Pieces:  550 Size:  24" x 18" Poster included:  No, but an image can be found online easily. Quality:  Good   - Missing pieces:  None   - False Fits:  Yes; we got held up at the start because we had the lower left and upper right corners switched, and some false fits along with it that confused things for a bit.  The image was no help because Goodwill put the prices sticker right over the lower left corner.  I found an image online which was good enough to help us figure out where we screwed up.   - Sections stay together when moving:  Yes, the fit is good generally   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  None that I noticed.  The pieces are thick.   - Uncut pieces:  None   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges:  Yes   - Image quality:  Acceptable; it looks better at a distance but is soft when you look at up up close   - Puzzle dust:  None, but this was a Goodwill puzzle and has been put together m

  Brand:  White Mountain Title:  Old Candy Store Series:  N/A Artist:  Steve Crisp Number of Pieces:  1000 Size:  30" x 24" Poster included:  No Quality:  Very Good   - Missing pieces:  None   - False Fits:  None   - Sections stay together when moving:  Yes, the fit is very good   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  None were bent; a few show slight beginning to delamination.   - Uncut pieces:  None   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges:  Yes; I could probably flip it though I didn't try.   - Image quality:  Good.  The picture is a little soft.   - Puzzle dust:  None What I liked:  We enjoyed working on this one.  I like the cut of the pieces and the good fit.  This is a large puzzle for 1000 pieces at 30 by 24 inches, which made the pieces big and easy to handle. What I didn't like:  Nothing. This was another Goodwill find.  We will be keeping this one.

  Brand:  Bits and Pieces Title:  Dream Landscape Series:  This is the last of a 4-puzzle set called Scenic Beauty we bought at Goodwill. Artist:  Alan Giana Number of Pieces:  500 Size:  20" x 16" Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Fair   - Missing pieces:  None!    - False Fits:  No.    - Sections stay together when moving:  No, almost never.   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  No   - Uncut pieces:  No   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges: Nope.   - Image quality:  Very good.   - Puzzle dust:  Didn't notice any, but these have been assembled before. What I liked:  This is a nice colorful image and was fun to assemble.  What I didn't like:  Again, the thin pieces.  Also, the posters included in this set show an image which is larger than the puzzle, so it is not easy to tell what the edge looks like exactly, which is slightly annoying.

  Brand:  Bits and Pieces Title:  Colors of the Season Series:  This is the third part of a 4-puzzle set called Scenic Beauty we bought at Goodwill. Artist:  Alan Giana Number of Pieces:  500 Size:  20" x 16" Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Fair   - Missing pieces:  This puzzle had 6 missing pieces originally.  I found two of them in the last puzzle in the series, leaving 4 missing pieces.    - False Fits:  No.    - Sections stay together when moving:  No, almost never.   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  No   - Uncut pieces:  No   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges: Nope.   - Image quality:  Very good.   - Puzzle dust:  Didn't notice any, but these have been assembled before, What I liked:  I like the random cut, and the image is very colorful.   What I didn't like:  Thin pieces, like the first puzzle, which are slightly difficult to pick up depending on the shape.  The fit is loose.  I also don't like how the edge doesn't hold together with the random

Brand:  Bits and Pieces Title:  Heaven on Earth Series:  This is the second part of a 4-puzzle set called Scenic Beauty. Artist:  Alan Giana Number of Pieces:  500 Size:  20" x 16" Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Good   - Missing pieces:  Two missing originally, and there was an extra piece which was one of the missing pieces from the last puzzle we did from this series (Spring Light).  I found one of the missing pieces in the final puzzle, leaving 1 missing piece.  - False Fits:  No.    - Sections stay together when moving:  No.   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  No   - Uncut pieces:  No   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges: Nope.   - Image quality:  Very good.   - Puzzle dust:  Didn't notice any, but these have been assembled before, What I liked:  I like the random cut.  This is a nice image, and was not difficult. What I didn't like:  Thin pieces, like the first puzzle, which are slightly difficult to pick up depending on the shape.  Poster image is again l

 Brand:  Bits and Pieces Title:  Spring Light Series:  This was part of a 4-puzzle set called Scenic Beauty. Artist:  Alan Giana Number of Pieces:  500 Size:  20" x 16" Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Good   - Missing pieces:  There were 3 missing pieces at first, and 2 extra pieces from some other puzzle.  I subsequently found all 3 of the missing pieces in the bags from the other 3 puzzles in this set.  The missing pieces did not belong to any of the other 3 puzzles.   - False Fits:  No, this is not a problem due to the random cut.   - Sections stay together when moving:  No   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  No   - Uncut pieces:  No   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges: Nope.   - Image quality:  Very good.   - Puzzle dust:  Didn't notice any, but these have been assembled before, What I liked:  I like the random cut.  This is a nice image, and was not difficult. What I didn't like:  The pieces are on the thin side and slightly annoying to pick up.  They fit

  Brand: Kodak Title:  Variety of Colorful Ice Cream (Amazon sells this puzzle under this name, but it is  not on the box). Series:  N/A Artist:  N/A Number of Pieces: 1000 Size:  27" x 20" Poster included:  No Quality:  Good   - Missing pieces: 1 (this puzzle was not purchased new; I bought it at Goodwill)   - False Fits:  Yes   - Sections stay together when moving:  Generally not   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  None   - Uncut pieces:  None   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges:  No, the fit is not good enough,   - Image quality:  Excellent   - Puzzle dust:  Not much What I liked:  A very colorful image and a challenging puzzle to assemble.  There are many similar colors and textures in different places. What I didn't like:  A poster would have been nice, the photo on the box is not quite good enough to be useful without a magnifying glass. Some Amazon reviewers complained about flimsy pieces.  I found the pieces to be very good, reasonably thick, and sturdy.  T

  Brand:  Buffalo Games and Puzzles Title:  Noah and Friends Series:  N/A Artist:  Charles Wysocki Number of Pieces:  1000 Size:  26.75" x 19.75" Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Excellent   - Missing pieces:  None   - False Fits:  Yes, there was one or two on the edge which held me up   - Sections stay together when moving:  Yes, generally   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  None   - Uncut pieces:  None   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges:  Yes   - Image quality:  Excellent   - Puzzle dust:  None What I liked:  The price (only $4.99 at Goodwill!).  This was a fun image to assemble, especially the animals though the rhinos, elephants and hippos are quite similar in color.  The arc was more difficult. What I didn't like:  Not much. Our first 1000 piece puzzle since we restarted doing jigsaw puzzles in April.  

  Brand: Ceaco Title:  Untitled Series:  This puzzle was in a set of 5 we bought at Goodwill, each puzzle in the original bags. Artist:  Unknown Number of Pieces:  750 Size:  24" x 18" Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Fair   - Missing pieces:  None   - False Fits:  Only if you're not careful   - Sections stay together when moving:  Generally not   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  None   - Uncut pieces:  There were a number of pieces with hanging chads of cardboard, similar to the other puzzles in this set.   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges:  No, the fit is not good enough   - Image quality:  Excellent   - Puzzle dust:  None that I noticed What I liked:  This was a fun Disney image with a lot of little detail to look for.  Almost all colors appear in multiple places which made it fun to put together.  This took us a little over 2 days working part time on it. What I didn't like:  The pieces again are thin, and annoying to pick up.

  Brand:Ceaco Title:  Untitled Series:  This was was in a set of 5 we found at Goodwill Artist:  Unknown Number of Pieces:  500 Size:  18" x 14" Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Fair-Good   - Missing pieces:  None   - False Fits:  Yes, there were one or two that slowed me down   - Sections stay together when moving:  Sometimes   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  None   - Uncut pieces:  None   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges:  Only if you are very careful   - Image quality:  Very good to excellent   - Puzzle dust:  Didn't notice any What I liked:  This was a fun Disney image; it took us a little less than a day part time to assemble it. What I didn't like:  Like the others in this set, the pieces are thin and difficult to pick up.  They fit well however.

  Brand:  Ceaco Title:  Untitled Series:  This is part of a 5 puzzle set we bought at Goodwill. Artist:  After a little internet sleuthing, I think the artist is Tim Rogerson Number of Pieces:  300 Size:  11" x 15" Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Fair   - Missing pieces:  None   - False Fits:  None   - Sections stay together when moving:  Sometimes   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  None   - Uncut pieces:  None   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges:   - Image quality:  Very good   - Puzzle dust:  None What I liked:  A fun Disney image, and quite easy to assemble.  This puzzle was better quality (slightly) than the fist two Disney puzzles from this set. What I didn't like:  The pieces again are very thin and difficult to pick up.

  Brand:  Ceaco Title:  Untitled, this is part of a 5 puzzle set we bought at Goodwill Series:  N/A Artist:  Unknown Number of Pieces: 500 Size:  19" in diameter Poster included:  Yes Quality:  Fair   - Missing pieces:  None   - False Fits:  None.  The pieces fit together reasonably well.   - Sections stay together when moving:  Sometimes   - Bent or delaminated pieces:  None, but there were a number of pieces with hanging chads of cardboard blocking one of the tabs.   - Uncut pieces:  None   - Finished puzzle can be picked up by edges:  Yes, if you are careful.   - Image quality:  Excellent   - Puzzle dust:  Not noticeable What I liked:  This was a fun and challenging image to work on.  It turned out to be more difficult than we expected and took us just over a day to complete.  There are not that many different colors, and it is often very difficult to figure out where a piece goes from the poster.  Because the puzzle is round the piece shape is quite interesting, somewhat betwe