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This is a really good looking puzzle from Creative Crafthouse, very well made and beautifully presented in a nice wooden tray. The Cigar Nub Challenge is a clean and safe puzzle for smokers and non-smokers alike, can be offered to a cigar lover or simply as a gift to yourself to enjoy a good and fun challenge.
The Cigar puzzle is actually the same as the Lox in Box, but with a different theme. This was something I overlooked when I first saw this puzzle, as it looked like any other packing puzzle. The way it was presented was enough to pass it for another kind of puzzle. But since I'm a collector and I like puzzles, I didn't mind much after all ending up with two identical puzzles. They have different enough designs to still be worth a purchase. Below, you can see the two versions of the same puzzle.
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The goal of the Cigar Nub Challenge is to find a way to pack the extra wooden piece inside the rectangular frame, with the other seven pieces. The puzzle comes in its unsolved state, with the extra piece packed in its own slot. When solved, no empty spaces shall remain in the tray.
The puzzle is made from two types of wood, cherry for the light-colored pieces and walnut for the dark-toned pieces. All the pieces are laser-cut to fit with precision in the frame, and the tray itself is made from plywood. The company logo is nicely placed in the corner of the tray, with the name of the puzzle engraved at the bottom.
Since I already knew how to solve this puzzle - which I found out almost right away when I first attempted to solve it - it didn't offer much challenge. I also think the dark pieces give away too much of the solution. I understand that aesthetically it looks better with the contrasting colors, but it makes the puzzle too easy to figure out.
Closing Comments:
The Cigar Nub Challenge is definitely not a difficulty level 8/10, as it's described in PuzzleMaster's website. Even though I knew the solution I think it's at best a 6/10, since most experienced puzzlers will quickly solve this one due to the color choices. But whoever rated it already knew the solution as well... Nevertheless, I think the puzzle is a great gift to a puzzle lover or as mentioned above, a cigar lover.
Availability: You can find the Cigar Nub Challenge at PuzzleMaster for $17.99 CAD. The see other puzzles by Creative Crafthouse, click here.
I have Lox In Box, and my impression is that making this puzzle 2D would make it easier. Also the dark colored pieces really give the solution away, I do not see any reason for the dark pieces (except aesthetics, I suppose).
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Since I already knew the solution, the darker pieces were obvious, but you're right, the 3D aspect of Lox in Box makes just a little more complex. Well, one more for the collection ;-)
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