Puzzle Master » Cast Harmony #Review
You may remember I did a review of the Gear Cube and then the A Puzzle by Puzzle Master. Well, this time, we have the Cast Harmony! My husband just had knee surgery a couple weeks ago so he is very limited to what he is able to do. While he’s able to move a bit more since my last review of Puzzle Master, he’s still supposed to stay in bed as much as possible at this point. He needs to keep the pressure off his knee for a bit while he heals, so what he’s able to do – well, it isn’t much. In the mean time, he has all these puzzles to do; including this “Cast Harmony” puzzle. You see, we’re both fans of the metal type puzzles. I got into them because of my grandpa. He always had metal ones, similar to this one, that he would always sit on the couch and fool with. Nothing beats the horse shoe one in my opinion, though. It’s my favorite, most likely because of those memories and always seeing my grandpa with it, but also because I can easily solve it. Don’t ask me to show you because I’m not that good, but while sitting and not paying attention I have it figured out. Anyway, this post isn’t about a horse shoe, but the A-Puzzle. Fond memories… and this just helped bring a smile to my face for that reason. Any how…
The “G clef” and “eighth note” intertwine and give off a beautiful note as if they’re playing music. The design, which does not resemble a puzzle at first glance, is beautiful to the eye as well as fun.
Puzzle Master is a Canadian distributor of a large assortment of disentanglement puzzles, brain teasers, jigsaws, puzzle rings, trick locks, boomerangs, chess sets, etc. The company started because of an interest the owner, Allan Stein, had in collecting wire puzzles. Allan collected these puzzles for a few years before he thought of making them himself. Once he found out that he was able to make the puzzles successfully he thought “Why don’t I try to sell some of the puzzles at craft shows and see if there are people who like them as much as I do”. At the craft shows he found that not only did the people like the puzzles, they loved them. These craft shows were the first way that Puzzle Master marketed these puzzles.
After selling at the craft shows for a few years, Allan decided to try and sell at some of the malls in Saskatoon. He rented a temporary location 2 weeks prior to Christmas and was totally amazed how quickly the puzzles sold. He subsequently ran out of the puzzles in 7 days. It was at that point that he realized that he had a business that was going to be viable. To this day we still have many businesses who sell at temporary locations a few weeks prior to Christmas.
In the beginning Allan made traditional puzzles that had been invented hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Now Allan is taking those traditional designs and adding his own unique touch.
So this puzzle is posted at a level 6, meaning it’s pretty tricky. For me, I was able to solve it, but it took me a bit longer than my husband, as usual. I never completed this particular puzzle before so it was new and it was challenging, but really kept me thinking. My husband, on the other hand, is very good at puzzles and was able to complete this in just a few minutes. He also is able to perform magic tricks as well, which just helps him complete things like this and figure them out much easier than I. Regardless, we both enjoyed checking it out and solving it. Ask me to do it again, it will still take me several minutes, but eventually, I get it. I love the challenge. Especially if I just want to watch TV and have something to fool with.
Aside from the solving it and enjoy it, this puzzle is a nice quality and well made. It’s not like some of those cheapy ones I’ve come across. The metal is sturdy so you can tug and pull on it all you want, and it won’t break on you. I am totally satisfied with this puzzle. It’s affordable and perfect for anyone who enjoys puzzles or just having something to fiddle with. It’s not heavy either. While it has some bit of weight to it because it’s metal, it’s not heavy. I have mild carpal tunnel in my wrists, which can act up if I’m holding something heavy, and I was able to enjoy this – just to give a bit of perspective. So, of course, this was another successful puzzle from Puzzle Master!
