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Cast Helix
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Cast Helix

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ObjectRemove the ring.
DifficultyLevel 9 - Gruelling
BrandHanayama
TypesHanayama Metal Puzzles, Akio Yamamoto
Dimensions2 1/2 in x 2 1/2 in x 1 2/3 in / 4.3 cm x 6.2 cm x 6.2 cm

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Product Info

Note: Our level rating system is different than Hanayama's.  Hanayama's level 1 is equivalent to our level 5.... level 6 is equivalent to our level 10.

The grooves engraved in the two rotating boards are called "logarithmic spirals." These two grooves always cross at right angles, and a square hole is formed at their intersection. The goal of this puzzle is to remove the helix ring that goes through that hole. The inspiration of this puzzle is the morning glory. The puzzle was designed to look like a bud that comes into bloom with twining tendrils. The original concept dates back to 1990, but it has been enhanced with the addition of several tricky features. The theme of this puzzle is "Flower."

Designed by: Akio Yamamoto 2009

Customer Reviews

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4.3 rating

12 Reviews
5rating
4rating
3rating
2rating
1rating

Disclaimer: These reviews are written by our customers. Puzzle Master makes every attempt to keep these posts informative and relevant. If you find a post objectionable or inappropriate, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected]

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    On Wednesday November 30th Darren Waller wrote,
I actually had a lot of fun with this one. I don’t know if I solved it using the “correct” solution, since it did take a bit manipulation, but I still count it as a completion since I wasn’t intentionally trying to use force. Anyway, it’s fun to hold, slick, and pretty cool looking for how small it is. I found it very challenging and it took about 1.5 hours, but it was a great challenge that I would recommend for others!
star
    On Friday January 22nd JG wrote,
Fun puzzle to handle. I think they accidentally made an easy solution exploit since you can use a little tiny bit of force to take it apart. I hear there is another solution that makes the puzzle more worth your time. I’ll only deduct one point due to the small design flaw.
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    On Tuesday August 13th Margo wrote,
This could have been a 5 star. — it looks, it looks cool, handles well, impresses friends. BUT, it requires FORCE to complete. This puzzle has been available for years — in all that time the engineers Couldn’t learn how to tweak here an d there to make it a 5 star?
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    On Monday September 24th Rage wrote,
Love this puzzle! You can solve it in sort of the correct way by using a bit of force, but do it the correct way and absolutely no force is needed, not even at the end. Doing it the correct way is of course much harder, and I would even rate it one level higher due to some little "details" that are next to impossible to notice without a lot of concentration. The solution is very smooth and unique (one of Akio's best in my opinion!) and I highly recommend it as a great addition to your hanayama collection.
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    On Wednesday May 3rd Jorge wrote,
I love this puzzle because it is made to make you think you know how to solve it as soon as you start playing with it and the actual solution is really clever! I don't give it 5 stars just because the puzzle can get a bit stuck when the ring is coming off, but it's not too big of an issue
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    On Friday April 1st luxige wrote,
Pretty neat! And nice looking to boot. A few reviewers mentioned need to use some force to make it work. They must be doing it wrong. The correct solution is elegant and effortless. The difficulty rating seems about right to me.
star
    On Monday May 19th Mtranda wrote,
loved doing this puzzle. my friend bought it, and spent 7 years trying to solve it, i got it in 7 minutes exact(we timed it too) gotta look at this one from a different perspective
star
    On Thursday April 5th Shaggy wrote,
This is one of my favourites! I had to observe it very well before I found some interesting part of it and then I tried to use it. And it worked! The cast is beautiful, too.
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    On Sunday December 11th puldis wrote,
Took 2 hours to figure out the intended solve. You can brute force it, but the intended solve is actually very clever and oh so much more gratifying.
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    On Friday January 21st john acord wrote,
This puzzle is unique and has a lot of personality, it is one of my favorites, but I haven't gotten it apart yet. I just like looking at it, and playing with it is fun.
star
    On Wednesday November 17th Pentti wrote,
Little bit of forcing in the end.
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    On Saturday December 19th George wrote,
I must admit I'm a bit disappointed in this puzzle. After a half hour I got the ring off but my a little bit of force. I have now taken the ring on and off several times in two different ways and I think none of them are the intended solution, because they are rather easy and seem to use a little force at one point. Please add the solution to this puzzle as I am quite baffled at what the "correct" solution is.
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