I have right now 76 Gibsons jigsaw puzzles, many are the multiples (3 or 4 puzzles in the same box) and I have the one you worked, but I have not done it yet. I have passed on 12 of their puzzles also. The issue with the jammed pieces could be that the original bags were used, but because the extra bag area was used to close it with a rubber band, it's forcing the pieces to be compacted together. I put my pieces into a zip bag of some sort when I take it apart. The pieces fit tightly together, which may be the reason for the bent parts, depending on how careful the person was taking it apart. I just finished a 636 Christmas Eve at the Station, and the fit was tight, I had to take it apart piece by piece carefully. I did have a few slightly bent pieces, but nothing that would make me stop buying this brand. This is one of the newer ones I have, but I don't remember having the bent pieces with my previous ones and I have been buying them from Gibsons website for a few years, or Amazon Global Store UK. Although recently the postage to the US from the UK has really gone up, so I will wait until there are more that I want to buy so I can get free shipping to the US. I enjoy these puzzles and the ones I get from Falcon, they are similar in content and they will have multiple puzzles in a box sets too. Their yearly Christmas puzzle is 1000 pieces with a second 'free' 1000 piece puzzle in the box. Usually both puzzles will be related, one year it was the view from outside the house and the other the view from the inside looking out the window to the view of the first puzzle. I do have some of the newer looking puzzles, and didn't notice any issues with them either. The pealing of the pieces, would humidity might be the cause of that? I don't live in an area that has the heavy humidity, like some areas of the US, so I'm not familiar with problems from that. But for me, I love their puzzles and will continue to buy them. And vintage puzzles really can't be compared, they were done completely differently, and the pieces were quite a bit larger, or at least the ones I had from Springbok were. I have some older puzzles and don't like the cut of them with the raised edges around the cut on the back side, and they never did fit together very well. But that was what we had then, so that's what I worked on. I do have a bunch of 50 year old Hallmark Christmas puzzles and many of the Roy Trower Christmas Ravensburger puzzles. I discovered his Christmas puzzles in 2004 and tried to get them each year. Don't know when his Christmas series started, but I love them. Don't give up on the brand based on one puzzle from a brand, they have been one of the brands I have on my like and enjoy list.And I did enjoy watching your videos. And the Clementoni color boom whirl puzzle you have on the wall, was there a video for that one? Was it hard? I ordered the 500 piece stairs one, which I wished was a 1000 piece puzzle, but am hesitant on the whirl one. Thanks!!
I do agree that the closing of the bags with elastic bands contributed to the pieces being jammed together. It's not my puzzle so I didn't feel comfortable putting the pieces in resealable bags as then the bags wouldn't have the nice big label on them. Such an easy problem for Gibsons to resolve by just using resealable bags to begin with. I did the Clementoni ColorBoom Whirl over the course of several Livestreams. You can find all those videos under the "Livetream" tab on my channel's main page. It was quite tricky in parts as some of the areas are photoshopped and repeat perfectly - particularly in the yellow - but I really enjoyed it in the end. I want to do the staircase one as well - looks so pretty. 💜🧩
I suspect a better test of this 4-in-1 set would have been to use a new puzzle, rather than one that had been done before and then stored differently from how Gibsons originally packed the set.
I don't remember doing a Gibsons brand puzzle, but I have definitely come across those issues with a few other brands. It's frustrating. Great images though!
I really did enjoy this style of image. But I'm in no rush to go out and buy another Gibsons - maybe someday though I should give them another try but just a single puzzle, not a multi-pack like this.
Love Gibsons puzzles. Being English this is the brand I grew up doing together with HOP so have done loads. These are the kind of images I prefer and these boxed sets are great. I don't think you need a bigger picture as they are only 500 pieces. Sadly not available here in Greece so have to wait til I visit family to bring some over. Last year I brought 18 over just in the plastic bags and cut out the image on the box or brought the poster if available. Never had a false fit with a Gibsons puzzle. The quality has always been excellent even in the boxed ones. Maybe it didn't help them being put in bags with elastic bands. I put mine in separate ziplock bags and lay them flat. Also never had an issue with peeling pieces.
I agree that they need to be in resealable bags - trying to reuse the original bags did no favours to the pieces. I really wish that Gibsons would have packed them in resealable bags to begin with. I'm not familiar with "HOP"...??
After hearing good things about Gibsons, I bought 3 puzzles from them in early 2022, one of which was a 4x500 puzzle set (The Gardener's Round). I had a lot of issues with delaminated pieces in all 3 (about 15 to 20% of the pieces) before assembling the puzzles and found even more damaged pieces when taking them apart. I don't know if they were using subcontractors during peak pandemic demand but it didn't match my quality expectations at all. It seems that the application of glue between the image and the cardboard was uneven. Despite having repaired all the damages pieces, the assembled puzzles still felt quite bumpy. I gave them another chance by purchasing a recent release (Sherlock Holmes) and it was fine so it looks like they have addressed their quality issues or maybe they just stopped using subcontractors. Regarding the pieces stuck together, I think that trying to pack up all the pieces back in the original bags is probably the main cause but the shape of the prongs probably contributes to the problem as well. I never pack puzzle pieces tightly for that very reason. In my case, I just used properly sized resealable bags and moved the stickers since they're easy to peel off. Cheers!
I do wonder if quite a few brands subcontracted out production during the pandemic to meet increase in demand - which resulted in reduction in quality. I would be willing to give them another try - a new puzzle manufactured recently. And I agree, the repacking into the original bags was just not good for the pieces. I really wish Gibsons would have packed them in resealable bags - that would have resolved the issue.
Thanks Ric! Hope you are having a lovely holiday season up North. We've been getting either really hot temps and sun, or tons of rain. I really enjoy Trevor Mitchell's artwork - but yeah, I can also see that it may not appeal to everyone. Happy puzzling
Hello there!@@fortheloveofpuzzles oh thank you so much, sending you a big cheers and a super awesome Holiday season too. we are indeed having a terrible hot weather, last night was 28c here in Auckland and just like you in the South also a lot of rain, out of the blue. what a weird combination isn't it! but all is well. I dont know about you, but from th more simpler puzzles (non Ravens/luxury) the Gibsons and the Holdsons are so much fun and good quality traditional puzzles. There are very few Gibsons that I have sorted before that I didn't like. They are on the thinner side though, hence they may not be everyones ideal puzzles. I also like that most of the ones we get in NZ they are made locally. Happy New year to you and your loved ones.
I have done 12 Gibsons puzzles so far, including one with 4 puzzles in the box and one with bigger pieces. I enjoyed them, but one of them had a sky which was a bit hard to do as the pieces were too similar. It was doable but near the limit of what I would consider acceptable.
I have come to learn that not only is a good variety of piece shape important, but also of prong shape. We noticed at Worlds that the Ravensburger panoramic puzzle felt like a different cut to the standard Ravensburger piece cut. The prongs didn't seem to have as much variety.
Im new to puzzling and currently have 4 Gibsons puzzles in my collection. So far absolutely love them. They are all stand alone puzzles and i got them all from a charity shop - so i wasnt the first person to do them - had no peelings or bending so far, and the fit was quite firm. I know they have revamped their boxes so the new box doesnt denote premium quality. But so far I do prefer Gibsons to Ravensburger as with Ravenburger Ive had a lot of peeling and even a few puzzles bending and semi broken. 😊
I'm so pleased you have had good luck with getting Gibsons at charity shops - and of good quality. I wonder how old your puzzles are - like made prior to the pandemic and in which country???
As usual love your video, sorry for being absent in the last period but I had complications so… finally I can sit on bed with computer little by little. Love you ❤
I was wondering how you had been doing - so I was glad to see your comment. Here is hoping that 2024 brings you health and happiness - take care of yourself.
I've done over 300 of Gibsons puzzles and the majority of them were fine. Over about the last year or so they have been doing different cuts and, for me, not all of them are good. I have done over ten of their four sets and they were a mixed bag. The older ones I feel were better cut and in bigger boxes. With the new ones in the smaller boxes there is potential for damaged pieces due to the cuts they use. I think in their zeal to do interesting cuts this has meant that some of the pieces are less robust than others. The fit also seems to be tighter than their older ones. I did write to them, but whether they will take on board what I have said remains to be seen. I've just done a little research and compared the four set box sizes. The old ones were 41x29x5.5 cms, the new are 34x24x6 cms so quite a reduction in size. Anyway that's enough from me! Look forward to your next video.
Sometimes I wonder if these companies make changes and then actually get puzzlers to test out the product to provide feedback??? I like the idea of trying to reduct the box size but not at the expense of the pieces being cramped. I do think providing a resealable bag would really help. And changing piece cut - interesting. If it ain't broke...
I have quite a few 4 in 1 puzzles I got them when I first got into puzzling and it seriously is brilliant buy for people just getting into puzzles and trying to build a collection or see if you enjoy puzzling. Great video merry Christmas & happy holidays 😻
They definitely make puzzles more affordable. I now want to try other brands that offer multi-packs to compare their quality. I think Ravensburger make them as well - would be interesting to know if the pieces get all cramped as well. Hope you had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying the holidays!!!
My sister-in-law in England will send me one or two puzzles a year from Britain (I live in Palm Springs California.) She did send me one 500 piece Gibsons once, and my notes show it was "Port Isaac," 500 pieces, the location for "Doc Martin" filming. It was an easy and enjoyable one, but I don't have any quality notes on that, so it must have been at least decent quality. However, she sent me a 1000 piece "Palace of Versailles" from Puzzle World, and in my notes I show it as the worst quality puzzle. The back had the company logo on the back--that wasn't the quality part, though. I do remember that taking the puzzle apart was the worst experience ever--I had to carefully pull each piece apart, and still I ended up tearing bits and pieces. I seem to remember that a bunch of pieces were also still attached together; I attempted to take them apart, but they just tore, so I stopped. Ugh. I'd never do another one from that company. You can find it on Ebay. I suspect it is a company that makes puzzles for the tourist trade.
I have not heard of Puzzle World but think I will avoid them based on your comment. I absolutely hate it when a puzzle is too difficult to take apart. And then when you bend and ruin pieces - it's horrible! And very frustrating. My hubby helped me take these two apart and it felt like it took us forever to do and we damaged more pieces.
I have done Bits n peices 4 in 1 1000 pc puzzles by John Sloane and they were really fun and nicely done..... Cheaper than individual also. Had 4 posters. ❤
I love Trevor Mitchell images. I’ve got a few Gibsons left to do. I know since lockdown their quality has been a bit hit and miss, but they are addressing those and the one I’m doing now (2023 Paddington) has been absolutely fine, so I’m thinking they may have resolved whatever problems they had.
The way those were packed in the box wouldn’t be how they would be if they were new. Those bags lay flat two on each side. Your friend knotted the bag taking away quite a bit of the space.
@@50sRockChick Yeah, I wish Gibsons would have put them in resealable bags to make it easier to repack. I should have thought to repack them in resealable bags for Alison and try to label them. It definitely did not help the pieces.
I've done two 1000 piece Gibsons puzzles (not in a set) Pieces were a nice thickness and fit together without crumbling but there were over a dozen peeling/damaged pieces in both puzzles and they were brand new so I tend to avoid the brand now.
Oh no!!! That is disappointing indeed! I'm the same way, first impressions with new puzzles really stay with me and will make me avoid a brand if I am not happy with it.
I had a Gibsons A year in Great Britain puzzle that I did that had one piece missing then it was replaced with the same puzzle then had another piece missing. Must be from the same batch of puzzles. How frustrating 😡
OH NO!!! Did you find the missing piece in the other puzzle and if so, did the image line up properly and the piece fit nicely? If so, at least you would have one full puzzle...but yes, very frustrating!
Hey Donnalouise, sorry that this comment isnt related to the video, but I wanted to say that I've been out traveling with friends yesterday and I found the Lupines puzzle in a store and got it. I'm very excited, cause I can't afford buying a lot of puzzles right now, but I finally have my first puzzle thats been used in competitions before, and now even the hardest of the qualifiers this year. I will try it in the next days and see what my time will be. Edit: I also saw the one from Disney that they used in Australia, but didnt buy it, but it was cool seeing another puzzle used in competitions.
Do let me know how you get on with the Lupines. I'm still trying to finish it in under 90mins - maybe one day! I loved the Disney Family puzzle and am hoping that I might be able to do it in under an hour eventually. Have fun!
I have done quite a few Gibsons. If you do them from brand new then you don't get many issues. However they are not robust enough to do multiple times and you do get false fits and peeling pieces.
Ah!!! Loving all these comments! Raises the question - how many times does one expect to be able to redo a puzzle before signs of wear and tear are noticeable. Doesn't seem like Gibsons holds up after just a few redos sadly.
I did my first Gibsons 500 piece puzzle a couple of days ago. Really lovely graphics, but the quality... First, the pieces weren't cut properly, so several pieces weren't separated from their neighbours or were torn apart with bits of the paper backing from one piece stuck on the adjacent one. Also, some parts were already bent, or the picture was peeling at the prongs. Second, the piece shape was horrible. As you said, the prongs are all almost identical. I had many false fits, 2 even with 4 adjacent pieces in place. The image had big sections of solid colour, so nothing to help but the piece shape. I was very disappointed since this company has a long history and praises their high standards, which I didn't see in any part of the manufacturing.
Oh no, that's unfortunate... I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience with them. I do wonder if many company's quality has gone down over the years especially cine the pandemic...?? 💜🧩
Regarding the posters in the box: They do look like DIN A4 size paper, so I could imagine that this size has been chosen, because it might be one of the least expensive, standard paper sizes to choose from, so they can keep the prize for the box lower.
That makes sense about the paper size. The size worked fine for these 500 piece puzzles but I would definitely want a slightly larger one for 1k puzzles.
I've done about 12 Gibsons puzzles, mostly 1000pc. All but one were bought new and only one had a quality issue, and that was the one that came in a set of 4 (Woodland Seasons). I think squishing 4 into a small box may cause unnecessary damage. Many of the others are some of my all-time favourite images.
Ah!!! Interesting!! Perhaps it is an issue with the multi-pack ones. They were just so jammed in the box with so many pieces stuck together - it was unfortunately. Maybe I should give a stand alone Gibsons puzzle a chance then.
@@amanda_yellow Ah this is very interesting - I'm betting that it's to do with the fact that this one and @danish_puzzler's one were both multi-packs. Perhaps lower cut quality and/or pieces being to tightly packed together.
I have heard similar thoughts about 4 in 1 jigsaw puzzles from brands like “Masterpieces”. The quality is less than adequate compared to the puzzles of that particular brand being sold separately. I definitely can not do a puzzle without a picture of the image on the box or a on a poster.
When I saw you open the bag with the elastic tightly wound around the top of the bag, i though it was very squished looking. I wonder if that is why you had so many stuck together. If the owner had put them in resealable bags they would have laid flatter and maybe you would not have had this issue. I wonder if the original owner when she put them together had this problem as well?
I wish Gibsons would have provided resealable bags to begin with and that would have sorted the compacting problem. I think they kept them in the original bags as they were nicely labelled. The original owner probably didn't have so many pieces stuck together. Perhaps I should have thought to put in resealable bags for Alison. I could have tried to label them as well. Just a simple thing though for the manufacturer to have done.
A very nice review. Gibsons puzzles aren't easy to get where I live and I haven't done one. I always thought their images were so nice. It's disappointing when a puzzling experience isn't what you expected. I have thought about getting a multi set puzzle, but have always hesitated because I'm concerned about the quality.
I would like to get my hands on a Ravensburger multi-pack to see how their quality compares with their standard puzzles. They were just so tightly packed in their.
Such a shame about the piece quality because the images are excellent. I hate when I am disappointed while doing a puzzle too. I love doing them and usually enjoy working on them. Your video is very informative and would probably make me think twice about paying high prices for multi puzzle packs. As you said, Ravensburger may not have the same quality issues.
I do want to try to get my hands on a Ravensburger two-pack 500 piece puzzle. I also think that Gibsons should have put the pieces in resealable bags - this may have prevented the problem with pieces being stuck together and packed too tightly.
@@fortheloveofpuzzles Possibly the reseal bags would have helped. Crammed in too tightly the pieces get damaged. I see that there are a few 4 x 500 Ravensburger sets. I just finished that Galison seashells one and the quality was atrocious. Glad I'm done with it LOL - was losing the will to live - should have tossed it a few days ago - boring. Thinking of doing the 4000 Savanna Coming to Life Educa one next. Still have half of it to sort though - ugh.
No it wasn't repacked by Gibsons but them not providing resealable bags makes it that someone has to sort how to clsoe the bags and keep the pieces all contained. They should have provided resealable bags to avoid poor repacking.
This is not a set I would run out and buy, the images are very nice and while a little nostalgic not interesting enough for me. As for quality I imagine the multi jigsaw sets are probably the economy puzzles and the single jigsaws are higher in quality. I have one Gibsons puzzle, the quality is good. I only choose puzzles if the image appeals to me, the quality of the pieces does not deter me at all.
I would be willing to try a stand alone Gibsons if I find an image that I like. The more that I puzzle, the more picky I've become with puzzle piece cut, prong shapes, finishes... Didn't really bother me so much before but now that I puzzle so much more regularly, I've become more critical. I know I've done other Trevor Mitchell artwork - it was a Ravensburger called The Haberdasher and I really enjoyed it. His artwork all does have a very similar feel to it.
The quality of the 4x500 Gibsons jigsaws are the same as the individual 500 jigsaws. They are just 4 packs of the individuals. I've never had a problem with false fits on a Gibsons jigsaw, the cut is different enough to eliminate that but are not crazy random cut (which I'm not a fan of!) Gibsons are easy to get over here in the UK (similar to Ravensburgers are in Germany). They've been a staple in our Toy Shops for many many years. The Trevor Mitchell heritage / old time pictures are popular with seniors who like to reminisce of simpler times.
Did you say your friend had already done the puzzles? That's likely why there were pieces already together, it was not fully broken up after it was previously completed.
I love Gibsons puzzles. 😊. But I won’t buy a multipack after watching this. Thanks for the great review 👌🏽
I think them using resealable bags would have solved a lot of issues - and maybe a slightly bigger box as well. 💜🧩
I have right now 76 Gibsons jigsaw puzzles, many are the multiples (3 or 4 puzzles in the same box) and I have the one you worked, but I have not done it yet. I have passed on 12 of their puzzles also.
The issue with the jammed pieces could be that the original bags were used, but because the extra bag area was used to close it with a rubber band, it's forcing the pieces to be compacted together. I put my pieces into a zip bag of some sort when I take it apart. The pieces fit tightly together, which may be the reason for the bent parts, depending on how careful the person was taking it apart.
I just finished a 636 Christmas Eve at the Station, and the fit was tight, I had to take it apart piece by piece carefully. I did have a few slightly bent pieces, but nothing that would make me stop buying this brand. This is one of the newer ones I have, but I don't remember having the bent pieces with my previous ones and I have been buying them from Gibsons website for a few years, or Amazon Global Store UK. Although recently the postage to the US from the UK has really gone up, so I will wait until there are more that I want to buy so I can get free shipping to the US.
I enjoy these puzzles and the ones I get from Falcon, they are similar in content and they will have multiple puzzles in a box sets too. Their yearly Christmas puzzle is 1000 pieces with a second 'free' 1000 piece puzzle in the box. Usually both puzzles will be related, one year it was the view from outside the house and the other the view from the inside looking out the window to the view of the first puzzle.
I do have some of the newer looking puzzles, and didn't notice any issues with them either. The pealing of the pieces, would humidity might be the cause of that? I don't live in an area that has the heavy humidity, like some areas of the US, so I'm not familiar with problems from that. But for me, I love their puzzles and will continue to buy them.
And vintage puzzles really can't be compared, they were done completely differently, and the pieces were quite a bit larger, or at least the ones I had from Springbok were. I have some older puzzles and don't like the cut of them with the raised edges around the cut on the back side, and they never did fit together very well. But that was what we had then, so that's what I worked on.
I do have a bunch of 50 year old Hallmark Christmas puzzles and many of the Roy Trower Christmas Ravensburger puzzles. I discovered his Christmas puzzles in 2004 and tried to get them each year. Don't know when his Christmas series started, but I love them.
Don't give up on the brand based on one puzzle from a brand, they have been one of the brands I have on my like and enjoy list.And I did enjoy watching your videos. And the Clementoni color boom whirl puzzle you have on the wall, was there a video for that one? Was it hard? I ordered the 500 piece stairs one, which I wished was a 1000 piece puzzle, but am hesitant on the whirl one. Thanks!!
I do agree that the closing of the bags with elastic bands contributed to the pieces being jammed together. It's not my puzzle so I didn't feel comfortable putting the pieces in resealable bags as then the bags wouldn't have the nice big label on them. Such an easy problem for Gibsons to resolve by just using resealable bags to begin with.
I did the Clementoni ColorBoom Whirl over the course of several Livestreams. You can find all those videos under the "Livetream" tab on my channel's main page. It was quite tricky in parts as some of the areas are photoshopped and repeat perfectly - particularly in the yellow - but I really enjoyed it in the end. I want to do the staircase one as well - looks so pretty. 💜🧩
I suspect a better test of this 4-in-1 set would have been to use a new puzzle, rather than one that had been done before and then stored differently from how Gibsons originally packed the set.
I don't remember doing a Gibsons brand puzzle, but I have definitely come across those issues with a few other brands. It's frustrating. Great images though!
I really did enjoy this style of image. But I'm in no rush to go out and buy another Gibsons - maybe someday though I should give them another try but just a single puzzle, not a multi-pack like this.
As for the posters, I’ve seen people take those and put them in a frame.
That way they don’t have to do the puzzle and can enjoy it again later
That's a really good use for posters. Depending on the image, would also look good in school rooms or waiting rooms in like an office area.
Love Gibsons puzzles. Being English this is the brand I grew up doing together with HOP so have done loads. These are the kind of images I prefer and these boxed sets are great. I don't think you need a bigger picture as they are only 500 pieces. Sadly not available here in Greece so have to wait til I visit family to bring some over. Last year I brought 18 over just in the plastic bags and cut out the image on the box or brought the poster if available. Never had a false fit with a Gibsons puzzle. The quality has always been excellent even in the boxed ones. Maybe it didn't help them being put in bags with elastic bands. I put mine in separate ziplock bags and lay them flat. Also never had an issue with peeling pieces.
I agree that they need to be in resealable bags - trying to reuse the original bags did no favours to the pieces. I really wish that Gibsons would have packed them in resealable bags to begin with. I'm not familiar with "HOP"...??
After hearing good things about Gibsons, I bought 3 puzzles from them in early 2022, one of which was a 4x500 puzzle set (The Gardener's Round). I had a lot of issues with delaminated pieces in all 3 (about 15 to 20% of the pieces) before assembling the puzzles and found even more damaged pieces when taking them apart. I don't know if they were using subcontractors during peak pandemic demand but it didn't match my quality expectations at all. It seems that the application of glue between the image and the cardboard was uneven. Despite having repaired all the damages pieces, the assembled puzzles still felt quite bumpy.
I gave them another chance by purchasing a recent release (Sherlock Holmes) and it was fine so it looks like they have addressed their quality issues or maybe they just stopped using subcontractors.
Regarding the pieces stuck together, I think that trying to pack up all the pieces back in the original bags is probably the main cause but the shape of the prongs probably contributes to the problem as well. I never pack puzzle pieces tightly for that very reason. In my case, I just used properly sized resealable bags and moved the stickers since they're easy to peel off. Cheers!
I do wonder if quite a few brands subcontracted out production during the pandemic to meet increase in demand - which resulted in reduction in quality. I would be willing to give them another try - a new puzzle manufactured recently. And I agree, the repacking into the original bags was just not good for the pieces. I really wish Gibsons would have packed them in resealable bags - that would have resolved the issue.
This is very nice Donna Louise! Love Gibsons puzzles but as of comments it seems they are definitely not every ones cuppa. Lovely video thank you
Thanks Ric! Hope you are having a lovely holiday season up North. We've been getting either really hot temps and sun, or tons of rain. I really enjoy Trevor Mitchell's artwork - but yeah, I can also see that it may not appeal to everyone. Happy puzzling
Hello there!@@fortheloveofpuzzles oh thank you so much, sending you a big cheers and a super awesome Holiday season too. we are indeed having a terrible hot weather, last night was 28c here in Auckland and just like you in the South also a lot of rain, out of the blue. what a weird combination isn't it! but all is well. I dont know about you, but from th more simpler puzzles (non Ravens/luxury) the Gibsons and the Holdsons are so much fun and good quality traditional puzzles. There are very few Gibsons that I have sorted before that I didn't like. They are on the thinner side though, hence they may not be everyones ideal puzzles. I also like that most of the ones we get in NZ they are made locally. Happy New year to you and your loved ones.
I have done 12 Gibsons puzzles so far, including one with 4 puzzles in the box and one with bigger pieces. I enjoyed them, but one of them had a sky which was a bit hard to do as the pieces were too similar. It was doable but near the limit of what I would consider acceptable.
I have come to learn that not only is a good variety of piece shape important, but also of prong shape. We noticed at Worlds that the Ravensburger panoramic puzzle felt like a different cut to the standard Ravensburger piece cut. The prongs didn't seem to have as much variety.
Im new to puzzling and currently have 4 Gibsons puzzles in my collection. So far absolutely love them. They are all stand alone puzzles and i got them all from a charity shop - so i wasnt the first person to do them - had no peelings or bending so far, and the fit was quite firm.
I know they have revamped their boxes so the new box doesnt denote premium quality.
But so far I do prefer Gibsons to Ravensburger as with Ravenburger Ive had a lot of peeling and even a few puzzles bending and semi broken.
😊
I'm so pleased you have had good luck with getting Gibsons at charity shops - and of good quality. I wonder how old your puzzles are - like made prior to the pandemic and in which country???
As usual love your video, sorry for being absent in the last period but I had complications so… finally I can sit on bed with computer little by little. Love you ❤
I was wondering how you had been doing - so I was glad to see your comment. Here is hoping that 2024 brings you health and happiness - take care of yourself.
I've done over 300 of Gibsons puzzles and the majority of them were fine. Over about the last year or so they have been doing different cuts and, for me, not all of them are good. I have done over ten of their four sets and they were a mixed bag. The older ones I feel were better cut and in bigger boxes. With the new ones in the smaller boxes there is potential for damaged pieces due to the cuts they use. I think in their zeal to do interesting cuts this has meant that some of the pieces are less robust than others. The fit also seems to be tighter than their older ones. I did write to them, but whether they will take on board what I have said remains to be seen. I've just done a little research and compared the four set box sizes. The old ones were 41x29x5.5 cms, the new are 34x24x6 cms so quite a reduction in size. Anyway that's enough from me! Look forward to your next video.
Sometimes I wonder if these companies make changes and then actually get puzzlers to test out the product to provide feedback??? I like the idea of trying to reduct the box size but not at the expense of the pieces being cramped. I do think providing a resealable bag would really help. And changing piece cut - interesting. If it ain't broke...
I have quite a few 4 in 1 puzzles I got them when I first got into puzzling and it seriously is brilliant buy for people just getting into puzzles and trying to build a collection or see if you enjoy puzzling. Great video merry Christmas & happy holidays 😻
They definitely make puzzles more affordable. I now want to try other brands that offer multi-packs to compare their quality. I think Ravensburger make them as well - would be interesting to know if the pieces get all cramped as well. Hope you had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying the holidays!!!
My sister-in-law in England will send me one or two puzzles a year from Britain (I live in Palm Springs California.) She did send me one 500 piece Gibsons once, and my notes show it was "Port Isaac," 500 pieces, the location for "Doc Martin" filming. It was an easy and enjoyable one, but I don't have any quality notes on that, so it must have been at least decent quality. However, she sent me a 1000 piece "Palace of Versailles" from Puzzle World, and in my notes I show it as the worst quality puzzle. The back had the company logo on the back--that wasn't the quality part, though. I do remember that taking the puzzle apart was the worst experience ever--I had to carefully pull each piece apart, and still I ended up tearing bits and pieces. I seem to remember that a bunch of pieces were also still attached together; I attempted to take them apart, but they just tore, so I stopped. Ugh. I'd never do another one from that company. You can find it on Ebay. I suspect it is a company that makes puzzles for the tourist trade.
I have not heard of Puzzle World but think I will avoid them based on your comment. I absolutely hate it when a puzzle is too difficult to take apart. And then when you bend and ruin pieces - it's horrible! And very frustrating. My hubby helped me take these two apart and it felt like it took us forever to do and we damaged more pieces.
I have done Bits n peices 4 in 1 1000 pc puzzles by John Sloane and they were really fun and nicely done.....
Cheaper than individual also. Had 4 posters. ❤
Their box was normal size but deeper so they were not crammed or damaged.
@@jeancarroccino8574 That makes sense - keep the same size box but just make it deeper. Were your 4 puzzles in resealable bags?
I love Trevor Mitchell images. I’ve got a few Gibsons left to do. I know since lockdown their quality has been a bit hit and miss, but they are addressing those and the one I’m doing now (2023 Paddington) has been absolutely fine, so I’m thinking they may have resolved whatever problems they had.
The way those were packed in the box wouldn’t be how they would be if they were new. Those bags lay flat two on each side. Your friend knotted the bag taking away quite a bit of the space.
@@50sRockChick Yeah, I wish Gibsons would have put them in resealable bags to make it easier to repack. I should have thought to repack them in resealable bags for Alison and try to label them. It definitely did not help the pieces.
I'd be willing to try a new Gibsons - stand alone, not from a multi-pack - if I found an image that I really likes.
I've done two 1000 piece Gibsons puzzles (not in a set) Pieces were a nice thickness and fit together without crumbling but there were over a dozen peeling/damaged pieces in both puzzles and they were brand new so I tend to avoid the brand now.
Oh no!!! That is disappointing indeed! I'm the same way, first impressions with new puzzles really stay with me and will make me avoid a brand if I am not happy with it.
I had a Gibsons A year in Great Britain puzzle that I did that had one piece missing then it was replaced with the same puzzle then had another piece missing. Must be from the same batch of puzzles. How frustrating 😡
OH NO!!! Did you find the missing piece in the other puzzle and if so, did the image line up properly and the piece fit nicely? If so, at least you would have one full puzzle...but yes, very frustrating!
Hey Donnalouise,
sorry that this comment isnt related to the video, but I wanted to say that I've been out traveling with friends yesterday and I found the Lupines puzzle in a store and got it. I'm very excited, cause I can't afford buying a lot of puzzles right now, but I finally have my first puzzle thats been used in competitions before, and now even the hardest of the qualifiers this year. I will try it in the next days and see what my time will be.
Edit: I also saw the one from Disney that they used in Australia, but didnt buy it, but it was cool seeing another puzzle used in competitions.
Do let me know how you get on with the Lupines. I'm still trying to finish it in under 90mins - maybe one day! I loved the Disney Family puzzle and am hoping that I might be able to do it in under an hour eventually. Have fun!
I have done quite a few Gibsons. If you do them from brand new then you don't get many issues. However they are not robust enough to do multiple times and you do get false fits and peeling pieces.
Ah!!! Loving all these comments! Raises the question - how many times does one expect to be able to redo a puzzle before signs of wear and tear are noticeable. Doesn't seem like Gibsons holds up after just a few redos sadly.
I did my first Gibsons 500 piece puzzle a couple of days ago. Really lovely graphics, but the quality... First, the pieces weren't cut properly, so several pieces weren't separated from their neighbours or were torn apart with bits of the paper backing from one piece stuck on the adjacent one. Also, some parts were already bent, or the picture was peeling at the prongs. Second, the piece shape was horrible. As you said, the prongs are all almost identical. I had many false fits, 2 even with 4 adjacent pieces in place. The image had big sections of solid colour, so nothing to help but the piece shape. I was very disappointed since this company has a long history and praises their high standards, which I didn't see in any part of the manufacturing.
Oh no, that's unfortunate... I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience with them. I do wonder if many company's quality has gone down over the years especially cine the pandemic...?? 💜🧩
Regarding the posters in the box: They do look like DIN A4 size paper, so I could imagine that this size has been chosen, because it might be one of the least expensive, standard paper sizes to choose from, so they can keep the prize for the box lower.
That makes sense about the paper size. The size worked fine for these 500 piece puzzles but I would definitely want a slightly larger one for 1k puzzles.
I've done about 12 Gibsons puzzles, mostly 1000pc. All but one were bought new and only one had a quality issue, and that was the one that came in a set of 4 (Woodland Seasons). I think squishing 4 into a small box may cause unnecessary damage. Many of the others are some of my all-time favourite images.
I've done the Woodland Seasons one as a single 2000 piece puzzle and there were no quality issues
Ah!!! Interesting!! Perhaps it is an issue with the multi-pack ones. They were just so jammed in the box with so many pieces stuck together - it was unfortunately. Maybe I should give a stand alone Gibsons puzzle a chance then.
@@amanda_yellow Ah this is very interesting - I'm betting that it's to do with the fact that this one and @danish_puzzler's one were both multi-packs. Perhaps lower cut quality and/or pieces being to tightly packed together.
I have heard similar thoughts about 4 in 1 jigsaw puzzles from brands like “Masterpieces”. The quality is less than adequate compared to the puzzles of that particular brand being sold separately. I definitely can not do a puzzle without a picture of the image on the box or a on a poster.
I can see how multi-packs in various products would be of lesser quality - they have to recoup the price cut somehow.
When I saw you open the bag with the elastic tightly wound around the top of the bag, i though it was very squished looking. I wonder if that is why you had so many stuck together. If the owner had put them in resealable bags they would have laid flatter and maybe you would not have had this issue. I wonder if the original owner when she put them together had this problem as well?
I wish Gibsons would have provided resealable bags to begin with and that would have sorted the compacting problem. I think they kept them in the original bags as they were nicely labelled. The original owner probably didn't have so many pieces stuck together. Perhaps I should have thought to put in resealable bags for Alison. I could have tried to label them as well. Just a simple thing though for the manufacturer to have done.
A very nice review. Gibsons puzzles aren't easy to get where I live and I haven't done one. I always thought their images were so nice. It's disappointing when a puzzling experience isn't what you expected. I have thought about getting a multi set puzzle, but have always hesitated because I'm concerned about the quality.
I would like to get my hands on a Ravensburger multi-pack to see how their quality compares with their standard puzzles. They were just so tightly packed in their.
@@fortheloveofpuzzles I didn't know Ravensburger did multi packs.
@@lavernehodge3320 I've seen that they have packs of two 500 piece puzzles. Haven't had a chance to buy any yet as not available in NZ.
Interesting video 📹 🤔 I'm new to ur channel I did a reavenburg a japan tree 500 😮
Welcome! Thanks for watching and commenting! I hope you enjoy all the videos that I have on my channel - plenty to watch.
Such a shame about the piece quality because the images are excellent. I hate when I am disappointed while doing a puzzle too. I love doing them and usually enjoy working on them. Your video is very informative and would probably make me think twice about paying high prices for multi puzzle packs. As you said, Ravensburger may not have the same quality issues.
I do want to try to get my hands on a Ravensburger two-pack 500 piece puzzle. I also think that Gibsons should have put the pieces in resealable bags - this may have prevented the problem with pieces being stuck together and packed too tightly.
@@fortheloveofpuzzles Possibly the reseal bags would have helped. Crammed in too tightly the pieces get damaged. I see that there are a few 4 x 500 Ravensburger sets. I just finished that Galison seashells one and the quality was atrocious. Glad I'm done with it LOL - was losing the will to live - should have tossed it a few days ago - boring. Thinking of doing the 4000 Savanna Coming to Life Educa one next. Still have half of it to sort though - ugh.
It was not packed by Gibson. Your friend packed it, surely.
No it wasn't repacked by Gibsons but them not providing resealable bags makes it that someone has to sort how to clsoe the bags and keep the pieces all contained. They should have provided resealable bags to avoid poor repacking.
This is not a set I would run out and buy, the images are very nice and while a little nostalgic not interesting enough for me. As for quality I imagine the multi jigsaw sets are probably the economy puzzles and the single jigsaws are higher in quality. I have one Gibsons puzzle, the quality is good. I only choose puzzles if the image appeals to me, the quality of the pieces does not deter me at all.
I would be willing to try a stand alone Gibsons if I find an image that I like. The more that I puzzle, the more picky I've become with puzzle piece cut, prong shapes, finishes... Didn't really bother me so much before but now that I puzzle so much more regularly, I've become more critical. I know I've done other Trevor Mitchell artwork - it was a Ravensburger called The Haberdasher and I really enjoyed it. His artwork all does have a very similar feel to it.
I think getting picky over puzzles robs you of half the fun and challenge that building a lesser quality jigsaw can bring.
@@fortheloveofpuzzles
@@rossiej100 I don't mind the lesser quality if the price is right and I love the image.
The quality of the 4x500 Gibsons jigsaws are the same as the individual 500 jigsaws. They are just 4 packs of the individuals.
I've never had a problem with false fits on a Gibsons jigsaw, the cut is different enough to eliminate that but are not crazy random cut (which I'm not a fan of!)
Gibsons are easy to get over here in the UK (similar to Ravensburgers are in Germany). They've been a staple in our Toy Shops for many many years. The Trevor Mitchell heritage / old time pictures are popular with seniors who like to reminisce of simpler times.
Did you say your friend had already done the puzzles? That's likely why there were pieces already together, it was not fully broken up after it was previously completed.