Thirteen Puzzle Companies Ranked by Overall Quality

I have added a formal review of Buffalo puzzles to the "Company Reviews" page and revised (as a result of more exposure to their puzzles) the numeric totals of a couple of others. I have broken point-ties strictly by a gut feel for which for which company's product I would likely reach for first.

That said, I do use a point-system to rank the companies, and there is still surprisingly little difference along that 35-point scale in many cases. It seems that most companies are strong in some qualities and just average or even weak in others, so the overall ranking can boil down to only one or two category "misses" on the parts of the companies. Some companies produce too many damaged pieces, some produce poor colors, or too loose a fit, etc., but whatever it is, they almost all have one or two weak areas.

I rate eight separate categories from 1-4 points each, and offer up to three possible bonus points for exceptional quality in any of the rating-categories. That means that a perfect score would be 35 points (and no company has approached that number yet). This thirteen-company ranking is based on total points (with the percentage of a perfect score also shown strictly for informational purposes}. 

More reviews and list adjustments will follow as I gain more experience with the puzzles of other companies.

Puzzle Company Ranking List:

1. White Mountain -   29 points, 83%
2. Aquarius -   28 points, 80%
3. The Jigsaw Puzzle Factory - 28 points, 80%
4. Ravensburger - 28 points, 80%
5. Cobble Hill - 27 points, 77%
6. Buffalo - 26 points, 74%
7. SunsOut -   26 points, 74%
8. Dowdle Folk Art -   26 points, 74%
9. Hogan's Harbor - 25 points, 71%
10. Eurographics - 24 points, 69%
11. Ceaco -  23 points, 66%
12. Hasbro - 23 points, 66%
13. Puzz3D (MB) - 15 points, 43%

Detailed Reviews for Each Company Ranked - Click Here


I invite your comments and/or mini-reviews on any of the puzzle companies I've ranked to this point. Just attach your thoughts below in the comments section and I will copy them to my review of the same company. Your words will appear here in the original post AND as an attachment to my review. 

Thoughts, folks?

Buffalo Puzzles: "Fireside Companions," A Treat for Book Lovers

Focal Point of "Fireside Companions," Buffalo, 1000 pieces, 27 x 20 inches

By the time I left for vacation on June 30, I had completed just over 400 pieces of pieces of Buffalo's "Fireside Companions," a 1000-piece puzzle based upon one of my favorite Charles Wysocki images. (I love the way that the painting works books and readers into the setting as a part of everyday life rather than resorting to the same old collages or bookstore or library shelves.) Anyway, I figured that I would quickly finish up the puzzle when I got home...but I quickly learned that my eleven-day layoff had made my puzzle-working skills pretty rusty. Luckily enough, however, it only took a day or two to regain my former "speed," and my first Buffalo puzzle is now done.

My initial approach was to concentrate on the two large buildings that dominate the image, leading to the good start that gave me the false impression that this one was going to come together fairly quickly. 

So next it was on to all of the action in the foreground, people at the bookmobile and all the rest.

All the time I was filling in as much of the foreground as possible, I knew that the sections I was postponing were going to be a good bit tougher than what I was working on. And I was right, because the sections of the puzzle above the buildings and just below the white house did turn out a good bit harder to complete than the rest of the puzzle.

But finally, all the bare tree limbs and sky were done. (I do have to admit that bare limbs are easier for me to work than heavily leaved trees.)

More foreground detail:

I particularly like the inclusion of  this wagon full of underwear making home deliveries.  (Doolies Woolies - Supreme Underwear)

This lady is apparently on her way home with a basket of books to read.

And this little guy couldn't wait to get home before opening his new book.

Buffalo makes a great puzzle, and I'm looking forward to working more of them (I have eight of them on the To-Do Shelf right now). I particularly like the way that the puzzle lines don't show up as sharply as they do on some other brands (the pictures make the lines stand out a lot more than they do to the naked eye) and how well the puzzle holds together when moved. I'll be doing a formal review of Buffalo Puzzles soon and adding the company to my rankings list. 

All in all, I enjoyed this one a whole lot despite the almost-two-week gap I experienced while working it. I see now why Buffalo Puzzles is so often mentioned when puzzlers are asked to name their favorite puzzle companies.

Bufflalo Puzzles Fireside Companions: Shake the Box

I figured that my puzzle solving speed would drop pretty drastically after being away from the hobby for almost two weeks, and I was right. But I was really starting to worry this evening when I struggled more and more to fit pieces into this Charles Wysocki puzzle from Buffalo Puzzles. But just about the time I started to become more and more sure that the puzzle was either missing about 50 pieces or that I had completely lost the skill needed to complete even a 1000-piece puzzle, I picked up the puzzle box for a better look at the cover...and the box made a noise. Turns out that there were at least 60 pieces still inside the box.

Now in my defense, I did complete almost 400 pieces of this puzzle before leaving on vacation for eleven days, so when I finally got back to puzzling a couple of days ago, I just assumed that I had placed all the remaining puzzle pieces on my work-board before leaving home.  Wrong.  All those pieces I was so certain were missing, were right there in the box, and since I had been staring at the puzzle for so long today, I was able quickly to place the first 30 pieces or so that I pulled from the box.  

What a relief! Even though I probably wasted a good two hours looking for the same pieces over and over this afternoon, I'm just happy to find that I can still work a jigsaw puzzle. Lesson learned: shake the box a time or two to make sure that there are no pieces still inside.  #IFeelLikeAnIdiot

Goodwill Store Finds: Amish Country, San Francisco, a European Castle, Pencils, Shoes, and a Mystery

"Lancaster County," Milton Bradley, 1000 pieces, 26 x 20 inches

The puzzle pickings at my local Goodwill Stores were a little bit below par last week, but I still managed to pick up a half-a-dozen interesting puzzles, including this Amish scene produced by the Milton Bradley people. The puzzle is a little dark, meaning that it will probably drive me nuts when I get to that dirt area in the foreground. I always seem to have a real problem fitting together large sections of dark pieces, something that doesn't seem to be getting much better with experience.

"Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!," Springbok, 500 pieces, 24 x 30 inches

This Springbok image is not of a subject that I have a whole lot of interest in, but I got the feeling that I was rescuing this one from a certain date with the trash bin if I didn't buy it. The Goodwill folks had failed to tape the box together and I found three loose pieces  on the shelf alongside the puzzle. That means I'm taking a huge chance that other pieces were separated from the box somewhere along the line too, but for a buck, I decided to risk it. (Too, I really like Springbok puzzles.)

"Along for the Ride," Bits & Pieces, 1000 pieces, 20 x 27 inches

I don't see a whole lot of Bits & Pieces puzzles in the shops, so this nice San Francisco image was too good to pass up.  Not a whole lot of color variation in this one, and that generally translates into a tougher than normal puzzle.  We'll see.

"Neuschwanstein Castle," Buffalo, 1000 pieces

I probably should have left this one on the shelf because I have the identical puzzle in 2000-piece size that I haven't worked yet, but for 79 cents I decided to take it home with me. I've been told that the 2000-piece version is really, really difficult, but honestly, this looks like it would be tough no matter what the piece-count.

"Pencil Pushers," Springbok, 500 pieces, 18 x 24 inches

This older Springbok is the companion to the Springbok shoes puzzle shown earlier. They sat side-by-side on the shelf, but this box was taped together as used-puzzle boxes always should be. I like the colors of this one, and I expect that it will be a nice change-of-pace puzzle one of these days.

"Last Chill & Testament," Bepuzzled, 1000 pieces

This is the second of Bepuzzled's mystery puzzles that I've picked up in the past couple of weeks but I still haven't worked one of them. The image on this cover photo is said not to be what the actual puzzle will show...that's part of the mystery to be solved...so I have no real idea what all I'm getting into here. I just hope it's not quite all as dark brown as this image. The puzzle comes also with a 75-page book to read before building the puzzle and solving the book's mystery.

All in all, I suppose this was not a terrible week of puzzle-hunting at the Goodwill shops. I've certainly had better weeks, but I've also had whole weeks where not a single usable puzzle turned up at the three shops I visit regularly. So I'll take it. (And the new week is already shaping up to be a pretty good one.)