Ask someone to name a jigsaw brand and most people can name exactly one. Ravensburger has been making games and puzzles in the German town of Ravensburg since the 1880s, and the blue triangle on the box corner has become shorthand for a puzzle that will not let you down.
The reputation is earned at the cutting stage. Ravensburger pieces are cut so precisely that every piece shape is distinct, and that matters more than it sounds. When a piece fits, you know it fits. The maddening false fit that plagues cheaper puzzles almost never happens here, and the company is proud enough of this to have named it: Softclick. The board is thick enough to survive being assembled, pulled apart and assembled again, and the linen finish keeps lamplight glare off the image during the long evening sessions where glare actually matters.
Who is it for? Just about everyone, which is rare praise from us. Beginners especially should start here, because a quality puzzle teaches you to love the hobby and a poor one teaches you to quit it. It is also the no-risk gift when you know someone puzzles but not what they like. Our experienced puzzlers never really leave the brand either; they wander off to specialty makers and keep coming back, because the range runs from classic landscapes to designs that will humble anyone.
On our shelves, most standard 1,000 piece puzzles sit at $34.99, with larger formats above that. Standard shipping is free on orders over $150, and puzzlers have never needed much encouragement to make a basket of three.
Winter is holding on, the evenings are dark early, and a cleared table is waiting. Browse the Ravensburger range at jigsawsaustralia.com.au and find your next challenge.