EDIT: Check the latest post Here

Hi everybody,

I'm being sponsored by ProblemBoden (Sloyd), a Finnish puzzle store. This means that they sent me puzzles for review on my blog, in exchange for store promotion.

So, go read the review on my blog, about two of their puzzles, and visit the ProblemBoden store. They send worldwide. Any questions, you can check the contact page of their site.

Gabriel

You should put a link to them in your signature as part of the promotion!

Thanks for the suggestion . I forgot about that possibility...

Sorry to bump. Tomas Lindén from Sloyd Puzzles sent me another puzzle for review and it's now on my blog. If you like to try and solve it, support the designers by purchasing one at their store.

Gabriel

Hi everybody,

I got a new sponsorship for my blog .
Diff Design, the Finnish company that produces the Bolaris puzzles, have sent me all four available versions in exchange for a review in my blog.

Check out my review and if you're interested, there's a list of puzzle stores that sells them, at the end of the review.

Gabriel

Hello. Nice review!!

I live in Palma (Mallorca). Here we have two puzzle shop from the same man. I never went to the shop of Bonaire street, but at the other (I entered 2 or 3 times), I never seen Bolaris puzzles.

I need to go to Bonaire street and confirm.

I'll go in some weeks and post it here. Now I can't go to the city.

Thank you

The list of stores I have is right out of the Bolaris website. I think they have it up do date or else they would have warned me.

When I spoke to Mr. Hannu, he told me to just put the list of stores that are selling the Bolaris, because he doesn't make direct sales, only wholesale orders with at least 36 pcs/box.

I wish I had a puzzle store close to where I live
Almost all of my puzzles came from abroad.

Gabriel

I know exactly how you feel my friend. Perth (where I live) is the most isolated major city
(when it comes to being near to another major city) in the world. All the puzzles I order are
usually accompanied by some super inflated postage. As for puzzles stores, that is a very
sad story... (I have probably the largest variety of puzzles than the entire Western Australia!).

And the Bolaris reviews are goooooood!
(I got them all from Tomas Linden last year)




Pantazis

You have Mr.Puzzle in Australia, although it's in Queensland, pretty far from Perth. At least, they should have cheaper shipping prices for domestic deliveries.

Tomas Lindén is a fantastic person. He was the one that sent me three Sloyd Puzzles for review a few weeks ago and I have only good things to say about him

...And thank you for your compliment. Coming from you, it means a lot to me

It is nice you mentioned Mr Puzzle (Brian and Sue Young), they were the ones who helped me
to create a quality wooden puzzle for the engineering concept which was in the top 10 at the IPP.
He still sells a limited number here: http://www.mrpuzzle.com.au/prod141.htm

And as you said, our communication was excellent, as it is a local call, while posting the prototypes
to test them, was a breeze. Still, they are so far away! They are rare people very fun and very kind!

Back to the Bolaris and Tomas Linden, I agree with all your comments (I met him many times last year!)




Pantazis

I remember seeing that puzzle in this year's IPP entry list.
Looks amazing and extremely hard . On to my wishlist

Hi Everybody,

I got a new puzzle for review this week and it's now on my Blog. It's the Ball of Whacks and you can get one at the Creative Whack Company.

I had to readjust my signature, as I was running out of space with these sponsored links.

...And there's more coming soon.

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I have another sponsored review up on my Blog. It's for the Haiyan's Cube - Memory, which is redesigned and sanded by Haiyan Zhuang. I'm sure many of you already know him for his blindfolded world records.

He asked me if I know anybody that's interested in buying wholesale from him, so I thought of asking here in the forum. He has a good wholesale opportunity. If someone buys a minimum of 30 Memory Cubes from him, he can give you a discount of 70% off of the sale price ($25). If you or anybody you know are interested, PM me and I'll put you in direct contact with him.

If enough people showed interest, someone here could be in charge of receiving a large batch of them and then resend to each member that was interested. It could be a great opportunity to have a Memory Cube for much less money.

Cheers

Gabriel

I MAY be interested. Put together a final price for me on 30 (with ship).

Thanks

Hi Chris,

I'll check with Haiyan and then I'll PM you when I have more info on that

Gabriel

P.S.: I don't know if I can still talk with him today. Usually we talk during morning time (Portugal), but if not I'll get back to you on Monday.

If there's a large enough interest (IE, 30 people want just one) then we already have the 30 we need. At $7.50 a piece, that's a terrific deal (or 30% off at 17.50, still not bad compared to $25). I'd be willing to do the deliveries if it comes down to it.

I talked with Haiyan a couple of days ago, regarding Chris' interest in the deal, and the final price for him was $350 ($300 ($10/cube) + $50 shipping to the US). It's not exactly 70% off like he said previously (more like 60%), but it's still $15 off of the original asking price.

Let me know if you need my help

Gabriel

Thanks for looking into this for me Gabriel. TheVdude and I are looking into a group sale. I sent him a pm a few hours ago and we will try to make the group sale available to 30 tp members. I think a group sale would be nice for the members on this forum looking for a 3x3x3 speed cube! Once the details are ironed out, we will let you know!

Chris

Just so you know Mizzle576 and theVDude, I would be most certainly interested in buying one off you.

You're welcome Chris

I'm happy to help in anything I can.
I see Haiyan online everyday in MSN, so if you need more details, I can talk to him

I too would be interested in being one of those thirty to purchase one of these cubes! I have been looking at them for awhile trying to figure out if they are the "best" speedcube, and my general research has led me to believe they are, so if this offer doesn't fall through, count me in!

at $350 for 30 of them, that makes it around $12 a piece + shipping to each person who wants one in the US.

Send me PMs if you're interested on being added to the list and for how many. Thanks!

I don't know if Haiyan's cubes are THE best, but when you have a cube developed by a speedcuber, it must be pretty darn good. I liked how they turn and you all can see it cutting corners in my video (for anyone that didn't see it yet). It's definitely a recommended cube

Hi Everybody,

I have 3 new sponsored reviews published on my blog. They're for the Dutch toy company Recent Toys. Check them out...

The 3 reviews are for:

Mirrorkal - You and Einstein

Cubigami7

Wurmm and Bronco

Hope you guys like'em

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

This will be the new 'Home' for my puzzle reviews announcements. Every time I publish a new review (I always try to publish at least one per week) for a puzzle, I'll post it here. Some of them might be sponsored, some will be a random pick from my collection and the rest will be a regular review for a recently acquired (bought) puzzle.

Below is a list of previous sponsored reviews that weren't announced on the Marketplace section. My others topics from Marketplace were merged here...

Reviews for SeriousPuzzles.com

- Cast Puzzles

- Secret Treasure

- Yin & Yang

Review for Svetnashki.com

- Svetnashki-New Versions
_______________

Oh, and if you or someone you know, have a store and would like a review of any puzzle, let me know. I don't charge anything to write them. Just the puzzle of the review itself

Enjoy the reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

There are two new sponsored reviews on my Blog written for the Fourier Idea company.
The reviews are for Quarks, a 2x2 puzzle known by many of you and Topola, a new version, coming up in November, with the same mechanism, but with an original design and much harder to solve. There's also a wholesale opportunity available...

Here are the links:

Quarks

Topola

Hope you guys enjoy reading them

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

There's a new review on my Blog.

It's the 13th Random Pick from my collection and it's for the Pentangle's Mini Puzzlers.

Thanks for reading

Gabriel

For the Ace of Diamonds puzzle, this page has a picture of the goal shape - it's supposed to be a hexagon.

Thanks for your help Jared
I'll edit the review tomorrow with this new information.
...Well, I guess it's now possible to make different shapes with the pieces, counting with the one I thought it was the correct one
I bought the puzzle at an eBay auction and it didn't come with instructions. All I read was the one in the Pentangle website. I still had to read that description from "cleverwood" several times, and looking at the picture at the same time. Very confusing puzzle

Thanks again

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I have a new review on my Blog for the Lexomino Puzzle. It's a puzzle I bought from Eric Harshbarger, where you choose the letters you want to form your name or a word. The goal is to pack them in a cubic box and be able to close the lid. The price varies from the number of letters you choose. Mine cost $65 w/ shipping included. Not bad for a puzzle with your name.

Review

There's a sponsored review coming up (maybe next week) for a new Revomaze design, soon to be commercially available. Stay tuned.

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

There's a new sponsored review on my Blog. This time it's about the Revomaze Obsession (blue in particular) and the new design that will be released soon on their website. This new version is just an update on the old sleeve design. The internal maze is still the same.

Please comment on the review, about your preference between the two versions or what you think about the new design. Because it isn't out yet, the feedback they get could be very helpful to them in fixing any minor details. Thanks

Here's the link to the review: Revomaze Obsession

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

New puzzle review on my Blog. This is part of my signature Random Picks from my collection, and reviewed is the 'X Marks the Spot' puzzle. For Cast Puzzle buffs, this one has a similar mechanism of the Cast News.

X Marks the Spot review.

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

You can find a new sponsored review on my Blog. It's for one of Vinco's puzzles: The Bicone 2.
For anyone that doesn't know Vinco, he is a Czech puzzle builder and designs a lot of cool wooden puzzles.

The Review

Hi Everybody,

I have another sponsored review on my Blog. The Dael 'O Ring is a new and improved version of the classic Dool 'O Rinth, a Hidden Maze puzzle. Right now, the yellow is the only version available and the others will be released one at a time. Once again, for being a novelty puzzle, I would appreciate any feedback on the review's comments page, so that the designers know what people think about this new version. Thanks

Dael 'O Ring Review

Hi Everybody,

I have a new review published in my blog. This is a random pick I make occasionally from my collection. The Pilled Logs is an assembly puzzle and you have to build a cube from its nine pieces. The hard part is in the logs (six aluminum rods) that symmetrically intersect the pieces from one end to another, to make your task a bit more challenging than to just pack them.

Pilled Logs Review

Hi Everybody,

I just published a new review on my Blog. The Cast L'Å“uf is the first of 12 weekly sponsored reviews that I'll be writing for PuzzleMaster. Most will be Cast Puzzles and some will be wire disentanglement puzzles.

Cast L'Å“uf Review

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I have another sponsored review published on my Blog. It's for the Xmatrix, a new type of 3D Maze puzzles and they come with two different versions: the Quadrus and the Cubus, both with two color choice for the labyrinth (yellow and blue).

Xmatrix Review

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I have the second sponsored review for PuzzleMaster, published on my Blog (10 to go). It's for the Cast Hook.

Enjoy

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

There's another Cast Puzzle reviewed on my Blog. The Cast Medal is my last review of the year, so I'll return with more in the first week of January.

Until then, Happy Holidays

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I'm back with the reviews. The first one of the year is for The Destroyer: A Wire Puzzle produced by PuzzleMaster.

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

There's another Cast Puzzle review on my Blog. It's for the Cast Seahorse, belonging to the Hanayama's Marine Series.

Thanks for Reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

This week's review is now published. It's for the Cast Elk and can be read here.

Thanks for Reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

My review of the week is for the Cast W-U.

Thanks for Reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I have another Cast Puzzle reviewed in my Blog: the Cast Duet by Oskar van Deventer.

Enjoy the Reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I have another sponsored review published on my Blog. The Optimal Tumble and Peg Trap are two puzzles handcrafted by William Waite. You can take advantage of his great offer if you buy 3 or more puzzles for him, which is a free $10 puzzle from his site.

Enjoy the Reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

There's another Cast Puzzle reviewed on my Blog. This week it's the Cast Vortex. Only one left to review... for now

Enjoy the Reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I have reviewed a Wire Puzzle on my Blog. It's for the Chain Gang, a puzzle produced and sold exclusively on PuzzleMaster's website.

Enjoy the Reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I have reviewed the last Cast Puzzle for PuzzleMaster. Here's the link for the Cast Quartet.

Enjoy the Reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I just published the last sponsored review for PuzzleMaster (for now). You can read the Panic Attack (wire puzzle) review here.

Enjoy the Reading

Gabriel

Hi Everybody,

I received a new batch of puzzles from PuzzleMaster to review, and the first one is now published on my blog. The review is for the interlocking wooden puzzle, the Star of David.

Enjoy the Reading

Gabriel