REVOMAZE User Group

I recently bought a puzzle box from Puzzle Master. It looked nothing like anything I already own in my collection. When I received the puzzle, I found I was very familiar with the set of steps required to open the box. It turns out, the five steps were identical to another box in my collection from a different puzzle maker. This was not a coincidence. It was clear that the design was ripped off by another puzzle maker who was working at a much lower quality.

Today I received two packages in the mail. One was my Hanayama chess set, and the other box contained my winning lots from the latest Haubrich puzzle auction. Sure enough, one of the pieces from the auction was identical to the King from the Hanayama chess set. Again, the methods were too similar to be coincidental.

How common is this? How do we avoid inadvertently buying the same puzzle twice? Has anyone else had this experience?

There are sooo many identical puzzles out there. Well, the chess set is a copy of marcel gillens chess set,but that's no secret and for all other puzzles there is just one solution to this problem......asking the seller.

Is the seller normally open and honest about this sort of thing?

I'd recommend asking here if you're even in doubt. Many puzzles are similar in one aspect or another. Most of these are just similar, nothing more sinister. But yes, some are knock-offs of an original design. I imagine between us here we know a great deal about mechanical puzzles in general, and someone may be able to clear up any questions should you have them.

And as Orko said, the chess pieces produced by Hanayama were done using Marcel's original designs, and they were produced legitimately.

I bought a rather expensive Puzzlemaster puzzle a short while ago.
I bought a medium expensive puzzle (version II) a few years ago from a machinist.
I bought a rather cheap Hanayama cast puzzle quite a few years ago.

The mechanisms inside aren't Identical persay, but the way you work the mechanisms are completely identical. It does get a bit disappointing as the price goes up. But as for the rather expensive one I mentioned, nobody really knew anything about it when I bought it. Disappointment is the risk you take when there is no information on something. Copious amounts of information isn't something you always find in regards to puzzles.

Andrew parr

Where did you get your Hanayama chess set from ?
was it all the six together ?

Chyron: that sucks about the triplication. And I really wonder if the sellers would know or admit when the solutions are the same for two puzzles. I suppose I should have seen it coming with the chess pieces.

Lans wrote:Andrew parr

Where did you get your Hanayama chess set from ?
was it all the six together ?

Puzzle Master in Canada. The six pieces are together.

I have the same issue with the Bolt and Nuts. They are available from different vendors and most of the vendors do not seem to know the mechanism or do not want to tell it .

I also wanted to buy the Strijbos apple a while ago from an online shop. A shop in the netherlands had this one but also another one exactly the same (at least from the outside) but 10 euro's cheaper. Nobody could tell me if it is the same mechanism so I should buy them both I guess.