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?

Twelve Puzzle Companies Ranked by Overall Quality

I am adding reviews of two puzzle producers today to my ranking list of ten companies previously posted: The Jigsaw Puzzle Factory and Hasbro.

I use a point-system to rank the companies, and there is surprisingly little difference in point-totals in many cases. It seems that most companies are strong in some qualities and just average in others, so it's all boils down to one or two category "misses" on the parts of the companies as to where they will rank. Some companies produce too many damaged pieces, some produce poor colors, or too loose a fit, etc., but it seems that they all have at least one major weakness.

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 ten-company ranking is based on total points (with the percentage of a perfect score also shown 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. SunsOut -   29 points, 83%
3. Aquarius -   28 points, 80%
4. Ravensburger - 28 points, 80%
5. The Jigsaw Puzzle Factory - 28 points, 80%
6. Dowdle Folk Art -   27 points, 77%
7. Cobble Hill - 27 points, 77%
8. Hogan's Harbor - 25 points, 71%
9. Eurographics - 24 points, 69%
10. Ceaco -  23 points, 66%
11. Hasbro - 23 points, 66%
12. Puzz3D (MB) - 15 points, 43%

Detailed Reviews for Each Company Ranked - Click Here

Goodwill Store Finds: Three Very Different Puzzles (Peony Press, Ravensburger, & Mega)

"Children's Games," Peony Press, 1000 pieces, 20 x 28 inches

As regards finding puzzles at thrift shops, June has not been a particularly kind month so far. I am, however, pleased that two of the three puzzles I've acquired this way feature images that I really like - and I expect that they will make for excellent puzzle-building experiences.

I found the one directly above just this morning for $1.50 at the Goodwill Store nearest my house. This never-opened puzzle features a 1560 painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder titled "Children's Games," and appears to be a high quality product in every way. I will only know for sure, of course, when I have explored "Children's Games" more closely. It is a product from a British company I'm unfamiliar with called Peony Press, so I hope that I'm not being overly optimistic. 

"Country Life," Ravensburger, 1000 pieces, 27 x 20 inches

The second image that I really like is featured on this 2005 Ravensburger puzzle that features a nostalgic look at simpler times and lifestyles. I spent much of my childhood summers on the farms of my two sets of Louisiana grandparents, so pictures like this one always bring back good memories for me. This one cost me a dollar at the same Goodwill store already mentioned (the three puzzles came on different days from that store).

"Chinatown," Mega Puzzles, 1000 pieces, 27 x 19 inches

This Mega brand puzzle features an image by Heronim, and although it doesn't appeal to me to the degree that the previous two puzzles do, I found it interesting enough to bring home - especially for its one dollar price tag. I don't think I've ever worked a puzzle by Mega before, so this will be a learning experience for me and will allow me to add another review to my Company Reviews page.

It's still relatively early in the month, so I still have high hopes of bringing home more goodies before month-end. I picked up 22 used puzzles in April and 28 in May, so the pace will really have to pick up if June is going to come close to matching the totals of those two months.

Ravensburger: "Idylic Life" in Large Piece Format

"Idylic Life," Ravensburger, 500 pieces, 27 x 20 inches

I chose "Idylic Life" this time around because I wanted to get one more Ravensburger puzzle under my belt before adding the company to my list of "Company Reviews." I picked this one up at a local Goodwill Store for two dollars a while back, so it doesn't particularly bother me that there's a piece missing in the upper lefthand corner. It's not an image I would have chosen to glue or tape together anyway, so "Idylic Life" will go back into the box - and the box will carry a note about the missing piece.

This is one of those "large piece format" puzzles that generally go together pretty quickly, and that's exactly what happened here (it took just a few hours spread over three days). The box is quite large, and even the oversized pieces did not come close to filling it; in fact, when I first dumped this pile onto the puzzle board, I was afraid that a dozen or more pieces might be missing (turned out to be just the one piece, thankfully). After all, you never know with used puzzles just what you are going to get inside the box, or what didn't make it back from the last time it was opened.

It started out as a matter of grouping the more common colors and fitting them to the frame...a frame where that missing piece announced itself in no uncertain terms. That's what happens with these large piece puzzles, though - one missing piece leaves a large gap. I suppose, however, that I was lucky that the missing piece was almost all-white in color because that makes the empty spot less glaring on the white board that I use for puzzle-building.

After completing the white sections, and the two little girls in the foreground, it seemed logical to go next after the only building in the image. Even that went fairly quickly; the water wheel that just starting to show up here would soon anchor the whole building in place. At this point, I was starting to realize just how much the larger pieces simplify the whole building process. If it's true that a 500-piece puzzle is only one-quarter the challenge of a 1000-piece puzzle, I would say that a "large piece" 500-piece puzzle is maybe one-half the challenge of a regular 500-piecer...so one-eighth the challenge of a typical 1000-piece puzzle.

Soon, the puzzle looked like this, and it was just a matter of 15 minutes or so to snap the last few pieces into place.

If this particular puzzle is any indication, it appears that Ravensburger's "large piece" puzzles will have a tighter fit than the company's standard-sized puzzles. With a little care, I was able to flip this one over onto its face, and could have used tape on it if I had been so inclined to prep it for framing - I was never able to pull off that feat with any of the company's smaller-pieced puzzles.

As usual with a Ravensburger, there was never any doubt whether or not two pieces really fit together because the puzzle's cut is so clean and so precise that the pieces do rather softly "click" into place, just as advertised. But as often happens with something from Ravensburger, the quality I was most impressed by was the application of the image to the cardboard base of the pieces. This is such a seamless process that I can't imagine that any portion of the image will ever start peeling from a Ravensburger puzzle-piece -  a common problem shared by many other companies that do not cut their pieces as cleanly as Ravensburger.

Bottom Line: Despite its missing piece, this used puzzle was fun and quick to build. It's not the kind of image I usually go for, but there were enough contrasting colors and separate little images that I looked forward to getting back to it every morning after breakfast. If you like the large-piece format, you might want to look at this one if you can find it (it's from 2009).

Goodwill Store Finds: Two from Springbok, One each from Ravensburger and Cobble Hill

"Roving Rascals," Springbok/Hallmark, over 500 pieces, 20 x 20 inches

I went to an estate sale on Saturday morning that turned out to be a complete dud, but I had to pass by a Goodwill Store on the way home, and I decided to stop by. Surprisingly, there were more puzzles on the toy shelf that morning than I've ever seen in that store at one time, and I grabbed the four that appealed to me, including the one shown above.

"Roving Rascals," I am guessing is from the 1980s, that period during which Springbok and Hallmark Cards were working together to produce some interesting images and puzzles. This one was marked at $1.99, but with my Saturday Senior Discount it rang up at only $1.39. I have a theory about how this Goodwill Store prices its puzzles...more later on that.

"Beautiful Vista," Ravensburger, 500 pieces, 27 x 20 inches

I'm not particularly fond of puzzles like this one that show some anonymous mountain range and lake, but I can seldom convince myself to leave behind a Ravensburger puzzle priced as low as this one - $2.09 with discount. It's of the larger-piece variety and its finished size of 27 x 20 inches is standard for the larger-count 1000-piece puzzles  used by so many puzzle companies.

"Americana," Springbok, 500 pieces, 18 x 24 inches

This 2014 puzzle was another of the $1.39 values, and I almost left it behind because the color tone is a little too warm and reddish to be attractive to my eye.  But I enjoy this kind of image enough that when someone else started sniffing around the puzzles, I went back and grabbed it before it was too late. Suddenly, it looked pretty good to me.

"Tis the Season," Cobble Hill, 500 pieces, 18 x 24 inches

I haven't had much experience with Cobble Hill puzzles yet, so why not grab something as nice as this puzzle for $2.09 while I could? It will probably sit around until the next Christmas season or two, but should be fun to work on during that time of the year. Too, the box says that this is a "random cut" puzzle, and that's my favorite puzzle cut style.

Now, my theory on how Goodwill prices jigsaw puzzles: sorters are highly influenced by two things - piece count and quality of the puzzle box. Box condition and quality may even be the most important factor, as I've seen 500-piece Ravensburger and Cobble Hill puzzles valued at one-third to one-half more than what the Goodwill store charges for 1000-piece puzzles of equal quality housed in cheaper-looking boxes. 

And the search goes on...sometimes I think I enjoy the search as much as I enjoy actually building a puzzle, and that strikes me as a bit weird when I think about it.

Goodwill Store Finds: Two Puzzles from the F.X. Schmid Company

"Winter Riding School of the Vienna HOF,' F.X. Schmid, 2000 pieces, 36 x 25 inches

It was another good day at the Goodwill Store. I wandered in today (because the store is right down the block from the high school I pick up my grandson at every afternoon) not expecting to find anything new on the toy shelf, and almost missed these two puzzles because the boxes are so large that I at first thought I was looking at games rather than at puzzles. I was charged $2.09 for each of these even though one has 2000 pieces and the other has only 1000. Pricing at a Goodwill Store is, if anything, predictably inconsistent - you just never know what the price sticker is going to show.

"Dear Faces," F.X. Schmid, 1000 pieces, 27 x 17 inches

You will note that both puzzles are by the F.X. Schmid puzzle company, a company that I know was purchased by Ravensburger in 1998. It appears that these two were produced sometime between 1991 and 1994. As far as I can tell, Ravensburger does not use the Schmid name anymore, but I could be wrong - if so, please let me know in a quick comment.

The boxes remind me of the ones being used by White Mountain these days. They have about the same depth, but are noticeably larger than the White Mountain boxes.  Interestingly, the boxes are of identical size and depth, meaning that the 2000-piece puzzle feels "stuffed" into the box, and the 1000-piece one rattles around like half its pieces are missing...sure hope that's not the case.

And my To-Do puzzle pile grows higher and higher...but who could leave these behind?

Puzzle Finds: Goodwill Store

Texas A&M Aggies, Dowdle Folk Art, 500 pieces, 16 x 20

Finally. 

Finally, I found some puzzles at the one Goodwill Store (among a total of three that I visit regularly) that I've never seen anything but a few beat-up children's puzzles. And what a find it was for someone like me who has admired Texas A&M University - and everything the school stands for - for the last several decades. I've seen a few of Eric Dowdle's folk art puzzles around before, but this will be my first experience with one of them. If all the pieces are in the box, this one is destined to be framed for use in my study.

In keeping with the Dowdle Folk Art theme, I also found his portrayal of one of the most popular tourist draws in Mexico: Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarto, Dowdle Folk Art, 500 pieces, 16 x 20

The box on this one is more beat-up than the box holding the A&M puzzle, so it will be interesting to compare the contents of the two boxes for completeness and condition.  The contents of both boxes are packed in plastic bags (and the Aggie puzzle even includes the puzzle poster), so I am hopeful that all the pieces are there.

Finally, I picked up this Ravensburger puzzle for $1.99 even though I'm not terribly drawn to the image. I'm running low on 500-piece change-of-pace puzzles, and any Ravensburger puzzle for a couple of bucks seems like a good idea, so...

Idyllic Life, Ravensburger, 500 pieces, 27 x 20

Goodwill Store Puzzle-Finds (Persistence Pays Off)

Shopping for jigsaw puzzles at Goodwill Stores can be hit and miss, but at those prices, it's hard to go wrong. You're not really risking a whole lot of money, after all. For instance, I found these three puzzles at one of the Goodwill Stores near my house this morning - and paid a whopping $5.12, including tax, for them.

The White Mountain and the Ravensburger puzzles were both marked at $1.99 and the Colorluxe one was marked the same but was on sale for 75% off.  So if there are a piece or two missing, it's really no big deal.

The surprising thing to me this morning was to find ANY puzzles in this particular Goodwill location marked at less than $4.99 (a price I consider too high to take a chance on used puzzles) because they have insisted on that price for the last few months even though the puzzles just sat there gathering dust.  It appears that someone there wised up and got their prices in line with the other Goodwill locations I visit from time to time.  I had given up on even visiting this particular location, but it's definitely going back on my list now.