Burr Box

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Burr Box is a deceiving name for an Assembly puzzle. When you think of the word Burr, you immediately think of Interlocking puzzles. However, the concept is quite interesting, although not entirely original, since I've seen a few similar designs.

The Burr Box reminded me of Brian Young's Insoma, a 2-in-1 puzzle. The puzzle is presented as a closed box, and at first sight it doesn't let you see very much. It's only when you first try to open it that you are surprised with a Soma-like puzzle inside. Each of the six faces of the cube have pieces attached to them that form a solid cube when assembled. The goal is to take it apart and try to put it back together.

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I don't have much information about its designer, unfortunately. This comes from Brilliant Puzzles and it's actually very well built. The wood is polished and the edges of the cube's faces are beautifully crafted. The size is just right to maneuver it in your hands, measuring 8 x 8cm (3.1" x 3.1").

This actually looks more intimidating than it actually is. Taking it apart is very easy, since it practically falls apart when you pick it up. You need to be careful not to accidentally take it apart when you don't want to. The real challenge comes when you try to put it together, but even this won't be that much more challenging than solving an actual Soma Cube or one of its closest counterparts. It's rated as a level 4/5, but to me it's more like a 3.5/5. The assembly might be a little tricky sometimes, because it's harder to see the empty spaces with the bulky cube's faces in the way, as you try to solve it. When fully solved, the inner cube can't have empty spaces.

Closing Comments:

The Burr Box is very pleasant to play with. The added complexity to a known puzzle type feels refreshing and rewarding to solve. Because of the puzzle's nature I reckon it might have only one solution, but don't take it as a fact, it could have a couple more that I'm unaware of. Either way, I can easily recommend it to anyone with a keen mind for puzzles.

Availability: You can get a copy of the Burr Box at Brilliant Puzzles for about $13 USD.