Jigsaw puzzle recommendations.

You can get custom printed ones. Not that expensive and you can put a nice pic that means something

That's a nice idea. Thanks.

Thinking outside of the box, jigsaw 'gear'? A table that can be used in bed or something?

I'm not one for jigsaws but my son's partner loves them. We were in a shop in Grasmere last week, Barney's Newsbox, the place looked like an absolute treasure trove with every available shelf and floor area stacked high with boxes of puzzles.

Their website looks pretty comprehensive too https://www.jigsawsuk.co.uk/

We normally get my wife one for Xmas and she's amassed a good few over the years. She reckons the Ravensburger ones are the best, something to do with the way they are manufactured. The scenes are possibly something that you wouldn't necessarily pick for someone but it does work in the sense of the puzzle. For instance she once got a Lowry painting and it was murder whereas the less artistic ones like a bookshop or cafe are much better as a puzzle. She also has a felt mat which has convenient boxes printed on it for jigsaw sizes.

Ravensburger

Yes, that name rings a bell.

Thanks all. Good tip about certain images working better as a puzzle. When I was helping out, my job was to 'do the clock'. That job could not have been delegated with some abstract impossipuzzle.

I find it largely comes down to whether the person is doing it because they love the challenge of a particular puzzle (probably the hardcore jigsaw fans), or is it they enjoy the picture. I do one or two a year and it's always a picture I like. Last one I did was the Periodic Table, to satisfy my inner geek.

There are loads of good artistic ones out there. Not much help I know!

Mrs Kenny does loads and would concur re Ravensburger quality as mentioned above.

Yes, the image of the puzzle we were doing was lovely, a kind of Hopper-esque railway station.

Wentworth wooden puzzles.

Do not get the one with 1000s of small snowmen from Frozen. It was impossible.

We've got a jigsaw board, that allows you to pack away the jigsaw if you need the table for something else before the puzzle is finished.

My wife likes lego minifigures and jigsaws so got her this a while back Jigsaw

Generally I find the more complex the image, the easier and more enjoyable it is as a puzzle. We've got one that's just a grid of loads of different pictures of bikes which was fun. Much easier to find associated pieces. I hate the ones that have big patches of the same colour.

https://www.ravensburger.us/products/jigsaw-puzzles/adult-puzzles/99-bicycles-16007/index.html

you can put a nice pic that means something

You could maybe give one of those AI artwork creating apps the brief creating something that illustrates the phrase 'Every time I see her at Christmas she’s balls-deep into a puzzle' and see what it comes up with.

I love a good puzzle. Just finished a 1000 piece image of Reykjavik. The STW lockdown puzzle was fun, we did it in the evening after riding when we were staying at Glentress last year. You can get a wide variety of bespoke puzzles centred on your postcode. My house is not shown on the 1850 map, so the central piece is pretty much blank.

My all time favourite is the geological map of the UK. Properly geekological.

Years ago I was given a mensa jigsaw. The picture was a black and white outline of a jigsaw jigsawed

https://images.app.goo.gl/czFY4E56fEqYjz7UA

Wasgij! You basically don't know what the final picture is, the box is supposed to be a clue such as 'now and then' or 'what happened' next but in reality it's pointless even looking at the box. Makes it more challenging and they last longer because a lot of it is guess work.

You can get custom printed ones. Not that expensive and you can put a nice pic that means something

I did this with one of our holiday photos. Bleedin’ disaster jigsaw wise. Way too much big patches of blue sky. Never got anywhere near finishing it. Brownie points for the thought though.

Also have a 1000 piece one of a flock of Herdwick sheep. Just a mass of brown, couldn’t even finish a single sheep.
We stick to comedy cartoon scenes now.

We sell puzzles and these are by far the best. Even if you don’t do the puzzle you can spend hours looking at the detail on the box. Very reminiscent of Paul Sample.
https://gibsonsgames.co.uk/products/i-love-spring-1000-piece-jigsaw-puzzle

Those 'I Love ...' ones by Gibson are normally amusing with lots of details and quirks to find. Lots to choose from too.

If you want something for the Jigsaw fan, we used to have a Jig-roll (I think that was the name) which was basically a big rectangle of felt you put on the table with your jigsaw and sorted pieces on it. If you needed to move the jigsaw there was a carboard tube that you rolled the felt around with the jigsaw still in place on the felt. The jigsaw was then wrapped up in the felt around the central roll which you strapped in place and then could move it easily. If you wanted it back you unrolled the felt and the jigsaw was just as you left it.

I have one of these trays with drawers, handy for sorting pieces:

https://www.bitsandpiecesuk.co.uk/product/jumbo-puzzle-plateau-1500?utm_medium=shopping_engine&p=17PS562&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy6POrPS5_AIVeYFQBh0bmQrAEAQYAyABEgJIJ_D_BwE

I tried a jigsaw over Christmas. Only 140 pieces but very challenging.

It was clear acrylic so each piece could go either way up. Although each piece was unique, some of the sides were repeated which meant pieces would fit in the wrong spot and you didn't know until you thought you were nearly finished. That took a while.

I've kinda found myself doing one a week over the last 6 months, mainly when I've got 2 minutes here or there, and I'd suggest:
- Ravensburger is the best publisher/ manufacturer for the most part, in terms of decent quality cutting, pieces don't fit anywhere they shouldn't etc. They have a huge number of different ranges and types of pictures; but do take a look and see if (for example) there's a big expanse of black that would be a pain in the backside to do!
- Wentworth is the daddy for "special gift" type jigsaws, cut out of wood and with fun piece shapes. I'd say with Wentworth maybe look a size down from a regular jigsaw - eg if you're looking at a 1,000 piece Ravensburger, maybe consider a 500 piece Wentworth

impossible clear jigsaw puzzle

I have one of those felt rolls and don't get on with it. It works ok when the pieces are joined together but any loose pieces just fell out of the roll. That tray with drawers looks great.

For type I'd go for something similar to what you saw her doing. I like ones with lots of different patches of colour or texture in the picture so you can see where the piece should go. The one zippykona posted above looks good. I find those impossiipuzzle pictures or loads of blue sky are just a frustrating exercise trying each piece one after the other.

My wife always has a puzzle on the go, she really rates Gibson puzzles. Decent quality with lots of subjects.

I only like Gibson puzzles, the pieces feel right in the hand. I tried other brands but didn't get on with them. Always 1000 pieces and usually harbour related like Mousehole, Tobermory and Cromer.

Thanks everyone, very helpful. I'm going for the PUZZLE PLATEAU. If only for the amazing name 🙂

Future presents will be chosen from Gibsons/Wentworth/Ravensberger.

Just walks downstairs to see this on our dining table

Strange coincidence or does MrsWCA also haunt this forum?

Nice! Is that one of the Gibson ones? Hard to see on a laptop.

Yeah - Gibsons I Love Autumn

This type are very nice and feel a bit more "special" as a gift

https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/thepuzzledtree/product/lion-wooden-jigsaw-puzzle-for-adults

I still have this uncompleted. My little 3yo nephew got to grips with it over summer after I'd started it and pulled it to bits, so I'm not sure they're all still there.

https://singletrackworld.com/shop/singletrack-lockdown-2020-jigsaw-puzzle/

We did a Mazzle ordinance survey map of Cantral Lakes last weelk - it took ages! Very satisfying though!

With Gibsons ,if you buy from a quality retailer you get a loyalty card and your 7th puzzle is free.

Helped with this one over Christmas, lots of individual little scenes made it slightly easier and the end result looks great: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gibsons-Queuing-Jigsaw-Puzzle-Pieces/dp/B07L8V4K5G

I got the other half this one for Christmas last year:

https://www.ffsgames.co.uk/products/the-black-jigsaw-puzzle

she's still going LOL. I knew it was a gamble, i'd either get a black eye or a big cuddle. it was the latter fortunately.