Saturnus

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Saturnus - What a great name for a puzzle! Fortunately, it's not just the name that it's great, but the actual puzzle itself is pretty good with a challenging difficulty level, yet without becoming too frustrating... Well, at least for an average puzzle solver like myself.

The puzzle has that recognizable Saturn-like shape and it's very well built - almost perfect - considering its curvy structure. Made from the usual 3mm nickel plated wire, which is ideal for metal puzzles, since it gives a smooth surface that's easy to handle and doesn't leave that characteristic metal smell in your hands. The size is also relatively big for a metal puzzle, with a diameter of 12.5cm and 14.5cm for the handle (4.9" x 5.7"). While it gives a sense of a more bulkier puzzle, it actually feels really nice to play with.

With a medium difficulty level - I'd say it's about a 7 or 8/10, although highly dependent on whether you're used to solving metal puzzles - the solution is anything but straightforward though. The goal is just to free the handle from the main frame, while being able to return it to its original position afterwards. If I had to describe the solution with a word or two, 'orbit' and 'recession' would fit perfectly. It represents the analogy of planet orbits quite well. You'll understand it better once you solve it.

It actually took me a while to understand the correct orbit of this Saturnus puzzle. Even after I was able to free the handle for the first time, it wasn't before several more attempts that I really knew how to return the handle back to its position. The handle, as hinted by the dimensions above, is longer than the frame's diameter, so it's not that simple to remove it. You need to carefully analyse the puzzle and look for unusual characteristics - They're there for a reason. Assuming you know where the handle will be exiting, and this is not difficult to figure out, there isn't much room for the handle to navigate around. A couple of twists of the handle also help - Actually, they're really necessary in order to progress.

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Closing Comments:

Metal puzzles are always a love/hate thing for me. The Saturnus, fortunately enough, was a nice surprise and I enjoyed it very much. The fact that it doesn't have string parts to make knots appear out of magic makes it so much better and less scary. A worthy addition to your collection.

Availability: You can find the Saturnus puzzle at Sloyd.fi for about €14. Check out other metal puzzles from Sloyd here.