PortaPuzzle product reviews

Not a great jigsaw puzzler, I have been known to enjoy the theraputic value of a couple of hours spent staring at tiny mishapen pieces of colured cardboard, wondering if it's an elaborate practical joke, or if all these tiny things will actually attach together to form a pattern. It does something soothing to the ol' grey matter...

So, when the mood does hit me, I don't really want to be forced to either lose valuable flat workspace for months on end, or have to pack it away again and start from scratch down the track... that's where this Portapuzzle really comes into it's own.

It does a great job of holding the pieces in place... almost too good at times. Small positional adjustments of a string or cluster of pieces is not exactly easy, beacuse of the drag the surface places on the tail end of the group, pulling the assemblage apart. However, if you are smart about assembling the border first, and keeping all your pieces in a number of small clusters, you can do the puzzles without any major stresses. Build little clusters of 10-12 pieces, and then assemble them into the larger framework from the border inwards to the centre.

Overall, this is a must-have for any serious puzzler. A few design alterations, as mentioned above, would enhance it's effectiveness dramatically, but the added cost of manufacture would probably push the unit price above 'reasonable', though for those with plenty of dollars to throw around, these folders also make a wonderful display option. Stack them, label them, and when you want to show one off, just open it all up.

The board and fold-over 'wings' are great. They are covered in a velvet-like material which allows the pieces to stay (mostly) where you put them. The addition of 2 thin sheets of sponge that are the height and width of each of the side panels is brilliant. I think a slightly stiffer material could be used, as I found closing the case difficult when you had pieces on the wings and only two hands to hold the foam onto the jigsaw and also close each velcro fastening. An idea a mate suggested was if the sponge was mounted to a piece of stiff card, and it was attached to the top edge of the wings by a hinge arrangement, that way you could keep it pinned shut with your thumb as you folded the side wings closed.

Storage for me was a bit of a headache as I had nowhere to put it and keep it flat. I could only place it upright behind a door which is far from ideal. The velcro fastener flaps that hold the wings closed are good, but not very helpful for keeping pieces inside while stored on edge. They are not very wide and can allow some pieces to make a break to freedom. Flat storage is advised, or caution if you simply have to store it on edge.

This is a good gift for a regular puzzle maniac. Although the price was a little steep to go buying more than one at a time, I'm sure it will be beneficial to people who have lots of space and free time to do puzzles, but want to protect them while in-progress.