How do I decide on which jigsaw puzzles to get? - Page 3

nana59 · ‎05-12-2012

@x Hedge wrote:
Depends upon what attracts you to puzzles in the first place.
Do you like slowly building a recognizable picture? Is it the picture that keeps you interested, right to the end?

Not me. I like building order out of chaos. A blank/no picture, but challenging shapes would suit me better.

when my granddaughter was young...my husband would tell her to put a puzzle together...turning the pieces over....and she did!!

LindaSal · ‎05-15-2014

@qualitygal I am not a puzzle person, I get more aggravated than enjoyment, LOL!

My adult kids on the other hand love to do jigsaw puzzles. Every Christmas I order them some Sprinkbok puzzles online (others have mentioned too) as they are nice quality and made in the USA which is important to me. They like 1000 pieces or higher. I just go with hobbies they have or any subject of interest to them.

qualitygal · ‎10-04-2010

@LindaSal wrote:
@qualitygal I am not a puzzle person, I get more aggravated than enjoyment, LOL!
My adult kids on the other hand love to do jigsaw puzzles. Every Christmas I order them some Sprinkbok puzzles online (others have mentioned too) as they are nice quality and made in the USA which is important to me. They like 1000 pieces or higher. I just go with hobbies they have or any subject of interest to them.

LindaSal, you're one smart lady!!!!

Etoile308 · ‎01-04-2014

@pupwhipped, that puzzle looks great and is the type that should be glued and used annually as a decoration.

I also like to do seasonal puzzles. Just one more way to celebrate a holiday.

granddi · ‎03-16-2010

We do lots of puzzles.

We usually do 1000 pieces but it requires a large table. If you only have a card table size area then 500 pieces might be the better choice.

Quality matters. The pieces will fit well and each piece has only one place to go. We tend to favor Ravensburger, Springbok and NY Puzzle Company . We try new brands occassionally and like the quality of Heye, Serious Puzzles, and Buffalo. Pomegranete and Cobble Hill are just ok. We have 2 new brands that I cannot report but they are Galison and Huadada.

Puzzle doers find their own techniques. Sorting is important. If the puzzle has lots of dark then we use a light color paper matt so the colors will show better.

Most people start with the border. We have done puzzles that the boarder was the last "pieces of the puzzle" to fall into place. Sometime there is a puzzle with the puzzle. Such as you can put together the "car" on another board then transfer to the main puzzle.

MildredM · ‎08-02-2019

In addition to the popular favorites already mentioned I would like to recommend Dowdle puzzles by Folk Artist Eric Dowdle. They are very well cut and fit together snuggly. The art work is beautiful and the colors vibrant. I have over a dozen of these in the 1000 piece configuration from cities, to parks, farms, animals, etc.

On the website they run at a higher cost but DH found them at a very reasonable price at both Costco and Kroger (Fry's).

dawdlefolkart dot com

Full disclosure: some of the pieces, mostly in the frame, will fit into multiple spots and may require a bit of swapping. I haven't found it too much of a problem, outside of the frame, but it may be if this is something that bothers you greatly.

I do not care for the Thomas Kincaid puzzles as the colors of the pieces are very indistinct and difficult if you have a red/green color blindness like my son.

One company I do not recommend at all under any circumstances is CEACO. I have two city scapes and did the Venice and won't even start the other. This puzzle is unpleasant because of the thinness of the puzzle pieces and the fact they do not fit together snuggly. Every time I lifted my arm a dozen or so pieces would stick and come loose. Always looking on the floor for them. Even when trying to place pieces or fit a completed segment by sliding it into place the surrounding pieces would come apart. No matter what the price I would say it is low quality product.

wilma · ‎03-13-2010

I love jigsaw puzzles! I enjoyed working them as a child and I still love them as an adult. My 2 sisters also love them. We always take one with us on our family trip to the beach.

I like 500 - 1000 piece puzzles. I like seasonal puzzles, animal puzzles, landscapes, and other themes. I keep my puzzles & rework them from time to time. Some of my favorite puzzles I've owned for several years. When I get tired of a puzzle, I donate it, and buy a new one. 😉

During the COVID lockdown in 2020 I discovered Puzzle Warehouse. They have very unique and interesting designs. The prices are a bit higher then what I was used to paying at a discount store, but I really like their selection.

Here's the last puzzle I completed. 1000 pieces.

gidgetgh · ‎03-09-2010

I have the attention span of a gnat. At the beginning of the lockdown last year, I ordered a few puzzles. Started one on our dining room table. I lasted exactly 3 days.

In the pieces, All I saw was clutter and I had to keep standing up to work on it and bending over, which my back didn't like. It did not bring me the joy and relaxation I'd hoped it would. I saw it, unfortunately, as a task that needed to be completed. I just don't have the temperment for them. I wish I did.

Why is it, when I have a 50/50 guess at something, I'm always 100% wrong?

Witchy Woman · ‎03-15-2010

@qualitygal

Since I have a Halloween birthday, I started buying Halloween-theme puzzles pre-Covid. I had NEVER done a puzzle before.

Started with 500, but graduated to 1000 pieces. I also love folk and Americana art, so found many puzzles by Bonnie White that fit that description. They are sweet, happy pictures, but challenging.

My husband likes cars, so I bought a lot of classic car puzzles for him.

All were done on foam board, flipped and then framed. I looked at a variety of ways to complete them, but knew I wanted to frame them and you've got to have a way to get them from the board to the frame.

All I can say is, we are still puzzling and enjoying it. And, yes we hung all the pictures in an upstairs back hall that no one sees but us.

I even hung a few in my Master bath!

So, pick a theme that appeals to you and enjoy. Maybe start with a 300 or 500 piece to begin with.