This is the beginning....

Update 24 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com

I am relatively new to puzzles and totally new to blogging.

I acquired my first mechanical puzzle well over 15 years ago. This was the YOT. I was not so much as interested in puzzling; rather I was more fascinated by the shape and aesthetics of the YOT, not to mention the solid construction and engineering behind the puzzle. Not long after that, I bought the YOT II. Both these items became coffee table conversation pieces for a while before I packed them away when I shifted homes.

In the last 16 years or so, I have only taken a look at the YOTs perhaps only 2-3 times, each time, playing with them for a while before returning them to their black sponged lined boxes. Both puzzles and their black boxes still look spanking new.

My interest for puzzles resurrected earlier this year when I chanced upon the Revomaze featured on the ThinkGeek website. I thought they looked pretty cool and given the numerous comments and reviews posted online, there was little doubt as to their quality and construction. They are also extremely difficult puzzles to solve (hence the name Revomaze Extreme Series). I have since ordered the entire series from Blue to Gold as well as the limited edition Orange. The Blue arrived two weeks ago. I fiddled with it for a while, managed to extract part of the shaft out to see the item's serial no and have since registered it with Revomaze UK for the Blue's "opening clues".

My own personal preference is for those solid heavy well-engineered metal type puzzles in aluminium, steel or brass. However, the many that I have come across on the internet and puzzle blog sites that are unique and appealing to me are unfortunately no longer in production or commercially available. Several of the puzzles in the Hanayama range look pretty interesting to me and I will be checking those out in the weeks to come. In my search, I did come across a number of other non-metal but interesting and unique puzzles, which include wooden and plastic and vintage ones.

I have acquired a number of puzzles, around 21 to-date and I have not got around to playing with all just yet. I have solved several of the puzzles and these will be the focus of my initial posts. As I get around to figuring out the rest, I will post on this blog my thoughts of each, one at a time.

For starters, I will go back to the puzzles I first acquired over 15 years ago....the YOT and YOT II.