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?

Road Trip Puzzle Acquisitions: Impact and Sunsout

"Little Bighorn Battlefield," Impact, 500 pieces, 18 x 24 inches

When I left on my summer road trip on June 30, I had high hopes that I would visit at least a dozen thrift shops along the way in search of jigsaw puzzles. Turns out that I stopped by a grand total of three of them, and that I purchased only one puzzle. There was just too much to see and do for me to take the time to search for and drive to very many thrift shops as I made my way from Texas and on to New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and finally back to Texas. I ended up driving a grand total of 4,586 miles and a total of 83 hours and 29 minutes in eleven days.

All in all, though, I came home with five puzzles in all because I bought four more in gift shops at some of the sites I spent time at. For instance, the one up above is a large-piece puzzle that I purchased in the Little Big Horn Battle Site gift shop. It brings back some great childhood memories, because the second puzzle that clearly remember working as a kid was a classic image of a Civil War battle.

And I bought these two in the Mt. Rushmore gift shop:

"Mount Rushmore National Memorial," Impact, 500 pieces, 18 x 24 inches

"Mount Rushmore," Impact, 1000 pieces, 20 x 28 inches

This SunsOut puzzle is my favorite acquisition, though, what I think is a fantastic image of eight past Republican presidents (including the party's first president, Abraham Lincoln) enjoying each other's company around a pool table. SunsOut makes a similar puzzle for Democrat presidents (including Obama and the party's first president Andrew Jackson) and offers two more puzzles with the same presidents sitting around a poker table. I'm drawn to how the artist, Andy Thomas, shows the presidents smiling and genuinely enjoying each other's company. This one was on sale in the gift shop at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library.

Callin' the Blue, SunsOut, 1000 pieces, 19 x 30 inches

And, finally, here's the one thrift shop puzzle that I bought while on the road. It's a nostalgic look back to a time when fire fighters and policemen were still heroes in the minds of every American (I miss those days).

Coca Cola Heroes, Springbok, 1000 Pieces, 24 x 30

And there you have it...five puzzles added to my collection so far in July. The trip was wonderful even though I feel as if I barely scratched the surface of what the states I visited have to offer. I plan  now to get back to regular blogging since WiFi service was generally too slow to do any blogging while I was on the road. It's good to be home...I need the rest.

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

Six Puzzle Companies Ranked by Overall Quality: White Mountain to Puzz3D

Since starting Puzzle Fanatics, I've had sufficient experience with the recent puzzles of several companies to compare the overall quality of their products. My "Company Reviews" page, in fact, now includes full reviews of puzzles from six different companies, so I've decided to post my first puzzle company ranking list. And, I'm close to feeling comfortable about reviewing a handful of other companies, so I'll continue to add to the review page and ranking list as those reviews are ready.

I use a point-system to rank the companies, and there is surprisingly little difference in poing-totals in some 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 their parts. 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 six-company ranking is based on total points with the percentage of a perfect score also shown. Remember that more reviews and list adjustments will follow when I feel comfortable with doing initial ratings for other companies. 

Puzzle Company Ranking List:

1. White Mountain -   31 points, 89%
2. SunsOut -   31 points, 89%
3. Dowdle Folk Art -   30 points, 86%
4. Aquarius -   29 points, 83%
5. Ceaco -   24 points, 69%
6. Puzz3D (MB) -   15 points, 43%

Detailed Reviews for Each Company Ranked - Click Here

"Bacintyme Boulevard," Train Art by Greg Garrett

"Bacintyme Boulevard," SunsOut, 1000 pieces, 16 x 34 inches

I find a lot of new jigsaw puzzles by going over to Amazon and doing a generic search for 1000-piece puzzles. I usually then quickly flip through the images, page-by-page, noting which ones might immediately catch my eye. When I've spotted five or six puzzles that way, I go back and take a closer look at them to see if one or two of them might be something I want to order. That's how I found "Bacintyme Boulevard." The puzzle looked so much like a photo of small-town America (it's actually a painting by railroad artist Greg Garrett) that it got a second-look from me...and a buy.

I figured that this one might turn out to be a little tough because it uses so few colors, none of them bright ones, and I was right. But despite the large sections of roadway and sky, this one was a whole lot of fun to watch come together in the end.

Of course, as shown above, I started with the biggest sections of "color" in the whole picture, the two trains and that wonderful display of typical American advertising. I love the fact that Garrett included WalMart and Subway in that sign grouping because what could be more typical of American retailing than those two? They seem to be everywhere now.

Then it was just a matter of starting to fill in around the two trains. Thankfully, the roadway included a nice yellow center-stripe and a white border marking, allowing me to begin the road surface about the same time.

When I started to concentrate on the two trucks, one in the foreground and one sitting between the two trains, the picture quickly started to take shape.

SunsOut puzzles almost always have enough puzzle-piece variety that even the larger sections of one color come together fairly easily, and this one is no exception. Although the pieces in this cut are not nearly as varied as some SunsOut puzzles, there is enough variation that concentrating on puzzle-piece shape works fairly well...and soon, the road was almost done.

And then there was nothing left but a big tree and approximately 150 pieces of gray sky...and the real work began.

But it started to happen, finally - even if it took me almost one-day's worth of puzzling to get it all done.

"Bacintyme Boulevard" by SunsOut vs. "US Capitol" by Puzz3D

"Bacintyme Boulevard," SunsOut, 1000 pieces, 16 x 34

After spending three days trying to assemble one of Puzz3D's three dimensional puzzles...and failing miserably...I decided to start a puzzle today whose image calms me. This painting by railroad artist Greg Garrett perfectly captures what so much of America looks like to those of us willing to venture off the congested interstate highways as often as we can. I take an extended road trip or two every summer (can't wait for this year's drive) exploring different sections of the country in detail, and I avoid interstate highways like the plague. So for me, this is a "comfort" image, a little safe space in my head. 

But it won't be enough to calm my feelings of frustration with the whole 3D experience totally, so I'll have more to say on that whole experience tomorrow or Saturday - with pictures. I will say right now, however, that Puzz3D packaged the most misleading set of instructions I have encountered with any product requiring home assembly - ever. And that "ever" has now morphed into "never."  Never again will I purchase anything from Puzz3D.

"Pet Day" Comes Together (The Art of Susan Brabeau)

Pet Day, SunsOut Puzzles, 1000 pieces, 27 x 35 inches, Artist: Susan Brabeau

Of all the puzzles I've worked in 2018, this may be my favorite of them all, and one of the main reasons for that is that I've really fallen in love with Susan Brabeau's art. Brabeau has a special talent for keeping her pictures "real." Her characters all look like real people, the kind you might run into on any given day while wandering around your hometown, rather than a bunch of posed models. This makes her work very distinctive, and I'm always on the lookout for puzzles featuring anything of hers.

Too, I've generally taken a liking to SunsOut puzzles because of the great images that company uses. Most puzzle companies are predictable. You know to expect collages or landscapes from certain companies, Disney stuff from others, etc., but with SunsOut you never know what you might find. And because of their distinctive square boxes, SunsOut is always easy to spot on the shelves, so I see a lot of them.

I hadn't realized just how big 27 x 35 inches was until I finished getting the border pieces all sorted.  This is the largest puzzle I've done this year, and it required just about all the available space on my puzzle board, which is 32 x 40 inches. That didn't leave a lot of room to sort different colors, and that slowed the whole process down a bit.

I finally decided to take what the puzzle was willing to give me, and if that meant putting sections together and linking them to the main puzzle later, that's what I did. But the characters started coming together fairly quickly, and I could see that, as usual, I was going to be saving a lot of dark pieces for the end. Surprisingly, the teacher's coat turned out to be one of the easier parts of the puzzle despite the pattern on the coat fabric. The classroom background and some of the animals would prove to be a good bit more difficult.

But even those sections started happening for me eventually.  As it turns out, the hardest part for me to complete was the big dog in the center of the picture because the dog's fur was sometimes hard to tell from the hair of the little ponytail-wearing girl up front.  Once I began working those two sections simultaneously, it got a lot easier to place those pieces.

And then, when I finally got this one down to the home stretch (after having it on the board for eleven days), pieces started flying into place.  The last 100 missing pieces, as shown here, went into place in just a matter of minutes until I finally reached the most satisfying part of the process - clicking that last piece into place.

I really hated to tear this one down and re-box it, but it's just too large to frame and place on one of the walls of my study. But I have a stack of puzzles that I can see myself working again sometime, and this one is most definitely going into that stack.

(I will be doing an overall rating of the SunsOut Puzzle Company soon.)

April 2018 Purchases (No Such Thing As Too Many Puzzles)

Let's face it, I buy way too many puzzles, so many in fact, that I doubt that I'll ever get to all of them. (We are probably all at least a bit guilty of that, I suspect.) I already have something over 80 puzzles now that are waiting for me to get to them...but I keep buying them.  After all, who can resist a bargain puzzle - or even just stumbling upon that "perfect" puzzle at full price?  Not me.

But for some reason (good or bad, I'm not sure), this is the only puzzle I've bought so far this month:

Spiritual Gathering, SunsOut, 1000 pieces, 27 x 20 inches

Native American portraits have always intrigued me, and this is a nice representation of some of the greatest chiefs of the nineteenth century, so this was a natural for me.  And the topper was that I picked it up at a Tuesday Morning store for only six dollars.  Honestly, I'm not sure when I will finally get around to solving this one, but I like knowing that it's there waiting for me.  This is the only one I've seen, so it's probably not a real popular puzzle that was printed in great quantity.

While I'm at it, I'm going to take time for a little rant about Tuesday Morning.  The company has two locations equidistance from my house, and until this week, both locations used a similar shelf-presentation for their puzzles (kind of messy and easy to browse). Well, today I went to the location I haven't found much at lately and found a big change.  The puzzles are now tightly crammed into shelving that barely leaves finger room to move them around to see what's at the end of the lines.  And the shelves are lower down then before, forcing a browser to bend over for minutes at a time while they try to figure out a way to see what's so tightly packed in there.  Very frustrating...and one of the dumbest "improvements" to a store I've ever seen.  Shame on you, Mr. Store Manager, shame on you.

Working on "Pet Day" from SunsOut

Currently, I'm working on this 1000-piece puzzle from the SunsOut puzzle company.  I check in periodically at the local Tuesday Morning outlet to see what they have on the shelves (this is, by the way, a great place to get brand new puzzles at about a 40% markdown).  As you can see from the box cover, the pieces are "larger size," meaning that the finished puzzle is 27 inches tall and 35 inches wide.  

I was intrigued by the realistic faces and body-types of this image from Susan Brabeau, and it has not disappointed me. I've been fooling with it for a couple of hours each of the last four days, and it's almost half-done now.  I like the variety of piece-shapes and sizes, and the colors are pretty close to what is represented on the puzzle box (that seems rarely to be the case), and that helps me sort pieces with some idea about where the various little stacks will end up fitting.  My only complaint to this point is that some of the pieces fit together so loosely that it doesn't take much to unlock them without realizing you've done it.  

Here's a look at where I am at the moment - probably won't work on it much more today because I'm watching the Astros vs. Padres game right now, and my guys are struggling to score runs tonight, making it hard for me to concentrate on the puzzle.