How to Choose a Puzzle
I learned quickly when I took up puzzling as a hobby that not all puzzles are created equally. My minor obsession with puzzles began a couple of years ago, when I bought a box of puzzles from TJ Maxx as a gift for a friend. It was a collection of four puzzles, all of various famous landmarks around the world. I didn’t know better at the time, but the puzzles were low quality. The images were dull and pixelated, the pieces were thin, the print was peeling off some of them, and the only reference images to use to build the puzzle was the small picture on the box.
We finished off all the puzzles within a couple of weeks and we went to buy more puzzles. That’s when I found out what we didn’t know about choosing a puzzle.
There are an infinite variety of puzzles, but there are a few general characteristics that make some puzzles better than others:
- Vivid, clear imagery
- Thick pieces that do not bend easily
- Sealed pieces that do not peel
- Pieces that fit together snuggly – but not so tightly that they cannot be pulled apart easily
- Variety in shapes of pieces.
- Poster included
- Boxes that show the actual size of pieces
While some people like larger pieces that are easy to handle and see, others prefer smaller pieces, especially if the puzzle has many pieces, i.e., 1000 or more, so that they can be assembled on a standard-size tabletop.
Some people like unusual shapes, whereas others want more simple, traditional shapes.
High-quality puzzles also have low puzzle dust – those tiny bits of cardboard that make a mess when you pour the pieces of out the bag.
In general, I stick to the best-known puzzle brands, as I have had bad experiences with unknown brands that had great images but low-quality materials and craftmanship.
Here are some of our favorite brands (in alphabetical order):