A few items from Bits and Pieces
I took advantage of the Christmas sale from Bits and Pieces and got a few items.
These included a number of unique, inexpensive boxes:
Bits and Pieces "Mini Book Box"
This box is marketed as being used to house a gift card or money. I was able to open it, but it was sticky and did not open consistently. It has a simpler, different design from their “Original Kamei Book Box”.
Bits and Pieces "Snap Latch Puzzle Box"
This is clever. Obviously, you don’t just undo the latch.
Bits and Pieces "Secret Rectangle Box"
This has the same mechanism as the “magic” box I mentioned in an earlier post
Bits and Pieces "The MatchBox"
This box was a lot of fun.
Bits and Pieces "wine puzzle box"
This is a version of the standard “magic” puzzle box that is large enough to fit a wine bottle into. I tried putting a wine bottle in, but even though it was relatively thin, it made the box difficult to open and close.
Recent Toys "Writer's Block"
This is an interesting puzzle designed by noted puzzle maker Oskar Van Deventer, made by Recent Toys International in the Netherlands, and distributed by Bits and Pieces. It has 7 pens in the frame, all of which start retracted. When they are all down (in the writing position), the frame can open. The pens’ states are changed using a key that can fit into the frame in one of 4 orientations. I found this puzzle relatively easy to solve and restore to its original state just by trying random moves.
Bits and Pieces "Oskar's Blocks"
This is another puzzle designed by Oskar Deventer. It is an easy 3-piece interlocking puzzle.
Bits and Pieces "Infinity Spiral"
This is a large, sturdy version of a classic puzzle.
I often bring new puzzles in to work so my coworkers can take a crack at it. Here are a couple fellow Mechanical Engineers, Blair LeMire (left) and Craig Johnson. They are working on the MatchBox puzzle box and brass cannon, respectively:
Blair and Craig with puzzles
As you can see, I get quite a few of my puzzles from Bits and Pieces. The puzzles (as well as most other items from them) are cheap. Bits and Pieces is often criticized for having poor quality puzzles. Certainly they are lower quality than expensive premium puzzles running about $50 or more. This does not mean that they are falling apart or their function is otherwise compromised.
Bits and Pieces also has a very good return policy. At least they did, before they went out of business sometime in 2008. I was able to return quite a few puzzles with no hassle. I bought the puzzles mentioned in this post after they came back into business, so I’m not totally certain this is still the case.
Many of their puzzles are custom designed for them by notable puzzle designers such as Frank Chambers, Rocky Chiaro, Oskar Van Deventer, and Jean-Claude Constantin. The designers are mentioned on the Bits and Pieces website if this is the case. Since they mass produce these puzzles, they are much cheaper than if the designer made it himself. For example, check out the “Brass Treasure Chest” on Bits and Pieces. It’s $17 (actually, it’s on sale for $13 right now). When designer Rocky Chiaro had versions he made himself for sale, they were $250. Chiaro noted on his site that the puzzle is available from Bits and Pieces, and is well made.
The great thing about having cheap puzzles is that you don’t mind your friends playing with them. If one gets trashed by accident, so what? You lost 15 bucks or so. Contrast that with the $425 limited edition IRMO puzzle box I got from Cubic Dissection. Not many people even get to see that box, which I feel really limits one aspect of its enjoyment.
