Jerry's Mechanical Puzzle & Brain Teaser Collection: New Aluminium Dovetail & Concave Dovetail

Last September, I reviewed the Convex Aluminium Dovetail puzzle from Wil Strijbos. At that time, two versions were released, the convex and concave models. After receiving the convex one and solving it, I decided to acquire the concave one as well. As mentioned in my review the concave version has a similar mechanism as the convex one.

As for this latest version of the dovetail which I received yesterday (together with another of his latest puzzles The First Box) which Wil calls the "New" Dovetail, there is really not much to be said about it which has not already been covered in my Convex Dovetail review. The dimensions are the same and the quality of construction, fit and finish are excellent. The only difference here is the design of the dovetail joint. This latest incarnation sports a much more complicated looking dovetail joint design. The other difference is aesthetic; Wil has added his signature next to the serial number (mine is #29).

The puzzle itself is not difficult...once you have solved either one of the earlier dovetails, you pretty well can solve this one quite quickly. I think what is unique is the design itself and the way it has been put together which makes the dovetail range unusual and collectable. Not cheap mind you but well worth the money. To the casual observer or non-puzzler....how do you separate two seemingly impossible-to-separate pieces? Once solved, you can really see how the two portions mesh and fit together as one, which is rather amazing! I am sure this latest dovetail will not be Wil's last and I look forward to his next version.