HARTMAZE Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles-Hundred Birds Paying Homage to The Phoenix 253 Truly Unique Piece Round Shape Best Choice for Adults and 10 Ages up Kids.

This was my first wooden puzzle. The price was excellent, so why not try it? I was very satisfied with the quality. I didn't expect it to be perfect. There's some pieces that have what appears to be wear on the edges. No big deal. It's not visible to my eye when put together. I found it to be the just right amount of challenging which was also satisfying. Overall, I was very satisfied by the satisfying satisfaction building this beautiful puzzle brought me. 😁

I like everything about it. This is the second one I have as there was a missing piece in the first one. But the puzzle got replaced. I have 2 other designs from same manufacturer and love them all.

I really enjoyed doing this puzzle! It was a first of its kind and it took me a bit to get in a groove, but I ended up loving it enough to purchase more like it. Definitely different from traditional puzzles in my opinion. Pieces are quite different shapes and I figured out very quickly, you don't want to start with the border (like I assume most people do). I approached this by joining like colors (like the big Phoenix and chrysanthemum) then went from there. Once I got it a groove...it was a lot of fun. Because of its size and number of pieces...I would think it would be done in a long sitting, but it's still challenging. Quality is great, no missing pieces and fun image.

I'm going to get the bad out of the way because this could be a deal breaker for some people. The puzzle had a very strong chemical odor. Even after a week being in the open air, it still smells. And the first day I opened it, it was unbelievable. So be aware of that. If you buy it, you will want to open it and let it off-gas for many days before trying to work it. Also, it is only 11 in in diameter. Very hard to tell from the picture, but should have guessed based on the few number of pieces. All that said, it is a beautiful puzzle. The quality of the picture is excellent. It is truly what I envision when I hear a wooden puzzle. The pieces are at least a quarter inch thick made out of mini layers of whatever wood they used. The pieces are very unique shapes. They fit together perfectly. Very interesting to work and very different from the normal puzzles you see. So I would say a perfect puzzle other than the odor that is overpowering. With the reputation that China has, it makes you wonder if there isn't some danger involved with the gases. So there you have it.

I really want to congratulate Hartmaze on their fabulous additions to the wooden puzzle market. Those of us who love wooden puzzles but are on a budget really appreciate that this company has set their price point within the reach of the average puzzle consumer. Most puzzlers I know simply are not able to afford to work wooden puzzles but now I can recommend these to friends and family and many will get their first opportunity to work a wooden puzzle. This puzzle is Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix. It's not my absolute favorite Hartmaze image although it is quite beautiful. That being said, my experience of working this puzzle was definitely a 5 star experience. This was definitely the most challenging wooden puzzle I have worked in the 250 pc range. The pieces are very intricately cut and I absolutely loved the border on this one. It was challenging from beginning to start in a good way. I loved that I could spend 4 hours on the assembly of a 253 pc puzzle. Other wooden puzzles fail to deliver on the challenge level and be completed easily within about an hour. This one really engaged me. The colors are very vibrant. While the backs of the pieces show libertal scorch marks, the front of the pieces were pristine. There were no identifiable whimsies for this one but the piece shapes were incredibly varied and it was sometimes hard to figure out which pieces were border pieces. I loved that the pieces fit more snugly than many other brands. Some other wooden puzzle companies provide their pieces in a nice drawstring bag but honestly, I would rather have the lower prices that Hartmaze has been able to offer and forego a fancy bag or box. Great job Hartmaze. You have a loyal customer in me. I just keep you continue to come up with more and more images.

I bought this to work on myself. I enjoy assembling puzzles to relax in the evenings. This one took about 5 evenings, which is not quite as fast as it sounds. The colors are really pretty, as is the pattern. The wood is fairly thick and the puzzle is sturdy. There are no "whimsical" pieces, rather they're all shaped in somewhat strange ways, but no obvious "pictures." Because it's wood, the feel is different than cardboard puzzles, but in a good way. There was also no cardboard dust (yay!). The only issue I had is that because the wood doesn't click together as tightly, it's hard to lift sections at a time (pieces tend to fall apart). Certainly for the price, it was a great deal.

This is a beautiful puzzle, and a delightful challenge to put together. The colors are vibrant, and the odd piece shapes (and oddly shaped edges) made this much more difficult than the size and piece count might suggest. The wood is quite thick, and the cutting technique gives the pieces a gunpowder smell much like fireworks, which I found pleasant. Unfortunately, the pieces do not fit snugly together at all, and any movement of the puzzle (or unexpected kitten attack!) would undo entire sections that had already been assembled. This became very frustrating, and caused the puzzle to be even more difficult to put together. A beautiful puzzle, but not one I would recommend if you need to be able to move it or use your puzzle surface for anything else--or if you have pets that like to 'help'!

This puzzle is sturdy, colorful and challenging. It was a great way to spend my afternoon. I usually buy another expensive brand of wooden puzzle. This puzzle was an amazing value. I can afford to send these as gifts and will, proudly. Can't wait to get my friends hooked on wooden puzzles. Now on to finding the next one to order!

Love this puzzle. Very difficult as I had hoped. Leaflet with picture does have the layout also has a "cheat" or "hint" of each peice's position which is handy if you get really stuck or just want the end product not the challenge. Peice's fit together well but not as tight as I expected. However I am only halfway through the build so I'm hoping this will improve once complete.

Loved this puzzle, the colours are so vibrant! Well crafted puzzle pieces too

Very disappointing presentation. Plain small box with a very small folded picture of what it should look like. No worth the money.