I Will Keep a Light On by Thomas Wood – Milton Bradley – 300 pieces
With such a lovely image and wonderfully thick pieces, this puzzle was an all around pleasure to put together.
Milton Bradley’s EZ Grip pieces are the thickest I’ve worked with, and that’s including premium brands. They’re sturdy and easy to pick up, hold, and maneuver; there are a nice variety of shapes and they fit together extremely well. The general quality of MB’s 300 piece puzzles is excellent and there’s never any hesitation to purchase or assemble one. If you find one while you’re out thrifting, you might want to give it a try! 🙂
Locally Grown by Tracy Flickinger – Ceaco – 300 pieces
Love this series, especially the haughty look on that man’s face. So entertaining! I’m certainly looking forward to finding and assembling the last one in this series. 🙂
Mary’s General Store by Joseph Burgess – Ravensburger – 300 pieces
Ravensburger’s 300 piece puzzles make me very happy; their wonderful, thick pieces were a joy to hold in my hand, and the beautiful image made for an entertaining assembly with just the right amount of difficulty.
The all around quality of Ravensburger puzzles has (almost) never disappointed me. There’s the odd manufacturing snafu that happens, but I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. On the whole, they’re one of the best puzzle brands around in my opinion. The pieces are thick, have a good variety of shapes, and fit together well. The image reproduction is crisp and clean with beautiful colors and a finish that isn’t too shiny and feels good in your hands.
I’ve assembled a few puzzles by this artist, and it seems he’s always able to convey a certain warmth and feeling into the artwork even when the images are vastly different. This image has a small town homey feeling to it, it seems very welcoming to me; plus it was lovely to put together.
It looks as though this puzzle is no longer in production, but if you come across one at a thrift store or yard sale, it’s highly recommended – loved it!
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mary’s General Store
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Joseph Burgess
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ravensburger
Piece count:Â Â Â 300 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 27 x 20 in. (69 x 51 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â Used
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good, quite large for a 300 piece puzzle
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Small amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Grid cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Very good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Slightly shiny finish, lays flat
Overall Rating:Â Â Â Excellent, highly recommended
Paradise Found by Bill Drysdale – Mega Puzzles – 300 pieces
This was a quick and fun puzzle; not my normal image choice but I’ll give pretty much anything that’s a small piece count a try. 🙂
I don’t normally recommend Mega Puzzles for larger piece count puzzles, but the smaller counts are pretty darn good quality. The board is much thicker than I’ve found their 1000 piece puzzles to be, and there is more variety in piece shape as well. Many companies seem to go the extra mile for their 300 piece puzzles – perhaps because many seniors choose them because of the easier to handle pieces – and most people (erroneously) think that puzzling is mostly for old people.
It isn’t, of course, it’s for everyone – from the very young to the very old we can all benefit from the stress-reduction, peaceful meditative state, and many other wonderful health advantages that puzzling brings.
Farmer’s Market by Tracy Flickinger – Ceaco – 300 pieces
This is an adorable image that I’ve seen before but had never come across. I finally acquired two of the three in the series, and am so looking forward to finding the third – I had as much fun assembling it as I thought I would!
Ceaco puzzles seem to be hit or miss in the quality department. I’ve worked some really nice puzzles of theirs and some absolutely terrible ones. It’s not a brand I will normally buy retail, we usually get them second hand. This particular puzzle was one of those I bought in a lot of 26 from Facebook Marketplace and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. The quality of this one was good, with an excellent fit and wonderful image.
This was assembled in one sitting, at night when the sandman skipped over my house and I couldn’t sleep at all. I stole off quietly to the puzzle room and before I knew it – bam! – it was done. This was one of those rare puzzles where my expectations of how entertaining the assembly would be was spot on. It was thoroughly enjoyable!
Ceaco puzzles aren’t always up to snuff for me, but this one absolutely was. From the first piece to the last it was a great time. Images that make you happy usually make for wonderful puzzling! 🙂
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Farmer’s Market
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tracy Flickinger
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ceaco
Piece count:Â Â Â 300 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 19 x 19 in. (48 x 48 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â Used
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Good
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Good
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Average
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Moderate amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Grid cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Slightly shiny finish, lays flat
My Jigsaw Journal 