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Reddit mentions of Think Fun Houdini Brainteaser Game

Sentiment score: 1
Reddit mentions: 1

We found 1 Reddit mentions of Think Fun Houdini Brainteaser Game. Here are the top ones.

Think Fun Houdini Brainteaser Game
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The world's first 40-challenge escape puzzleIn each disentanglement puzzle, secure Houdini with ropes, lock and rings and set him free without undoing the claspsLeveled challenges make it a perfect brainteaser for both beginners and serious puzzlersIncludes a travel bag for easy storage and take on the goAges 8 to adultFor people of all ages who want to challenge their mind and sharpen their skills, ThinkFun is the world’s leader in addictively fun games that build reasoning and creative thinking skills through play.
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Found 1 comment on Think Fun Houdini Brainteaser Game:

u/Thelonious_Cube · 16 pointsr/mechanicalpuzzles

I'm sure you could go down to PM and say exactly what you've said here and get more recommendations than you can handle.

There are lots and lots of cool, challenging and beautiful puzzles out there - and you live near a warehouse full of them!

I assume there's a retail store, too? and the guys who do their videos must work there as well as Allan Stein who founded the company - I'll bet they all love to recommend stuff.

That said, browsing the site is fun once you find your way around and can avoid the things you don't like

Here's my standard "how to get started" rap (a little old, so some items might be unavailable):

I'd say you probably want to check out several different categories of puzzle:

  • Disentanglement - This includes the wire puzzles, but also the various metal, wood and rope and wire and string varieties. I'd look at a couple of the harder wire puzzles as well as one or two metal and string or wood and rope puzzles. If you're new to these, ThinkFun put out a "Houdini - Master of Escape" set that's actually like a step-by-step course in disentanglements
  • Packing/Assembly - Usually wood or plastic, these range from the ever-popular Soma Cube and other "make this shape from these pieces" puzzles to really complex packing problems - often in the form of "put these pieces into the box so the lid will close" or "fit these pieces in the frame" There are also some interesting hybrids like the 4L puzzle from Cubic Dissection or the LUV puzzle from Rombol (a Stewart Coffin design that's pretty tricky)
  • Interlocking Burrs - My favorite category. Includes the traditional 6-piece Burr and variations by the thousands. I highly recommend the work of Stephan Chomine and Osanori Yamamoto in this area, but there are lots of great designers. Baumegger, Demirhan, Eyckmans, etc. Do a search for Pelikan (a manufacturer) on various puzzle sites. This is a pretty deep category with lots to explore - one subgenre is the TIC puzzle (Turning Interlocking Cube) which BurrTools won't solve (look for work by Ken Irvine, Jeff Namkung or Jos Bergmans). See more below
  • Puzzle Boxes - Lots of fairly shoddy ones around, but some very nice things out of Japan (check the Karakuri Creation Group). The good ones tend to be expensive.
  • Twisty - Rubik's Cube and its descendants - not my thing, but there are a million variations out there.
  • Sequential Movement - sliding block puzzles and various sequencing puzzles (sometimes an overlap with the Twisty or Disentanglement categories). A great, cheap example is Rush Hour from ThinkFun that, like the Houdini set mentioned earlier is like a graded course in sliding block puzzles

    Anyway, I'd say try a couple of disentanglement things (both wire and wood), a packing puzzle or two and a few interlocking burrs (I recommend trying a relatively traditional one and a couple of the fancier ones from Pelikan or Cubic Dissection). See what sort of things appeal to you and follow on from there.

    Do check out the links in the sidebar, too. Allard's Blog and PuzzleMad are great, Rob's Puzzle Page is vast and you can learn a lot just by browsing PuzzleMaster and some of the other shops.

    Here is a list of wooden burr-type puzzles under $30 that I have played with and enjoyed - I made this awhile ago so thy may not all still be available, but this should get you started

    **Open Box Packing aka Deadly Romance - a really nice caged burr

    Cross Cage by Tom Jolly - a burr? 3D maze? Pretty cool

    Four Caged - a really tough little caged burr

    Epsilon - a knockoff of Vertex Burr #1 , originally designed by Yavuz Demirhan in 2012 - great puzzle

    Shape Shifter - very tough assembly puzzle - soma cube on steroids

    Sarcophagus - surprisingly challenging. I have a thing for "3 sticks in a box" puzzles like Tribord

    Matchbox aka Oscar's Matchboxes- tricky and a cool idea

    Double Saturn - similar to some of Osanori Yamamoto's classic work, this is tough little Pelikan-style puzzle on the cheap

    Four L - like The Double Saturn above
  • NOT to be confused with the **4L from Cubic Dissection (which is a truly great puzzle,but OOP now)

    Quadstair

    Four In The Box - just above the $30 limit, but it's pretty fun and two puzzles in one

    Feel free to ask questions on the sub about specific puzzles or categories

    Puzzlers are a pretty supportive community - welcome!