Cast S&S

5 

This one took me more time than it should have. I didn't think in full 3D! The position and the orientation of the two pieces, from which the separation is possible, is hard to guess, I guess. I found it by accident and was feeling dumb that I didn't come up with it. Maybe it's not possible to solve it logically. Or maybe I was not able to. Anyway, very interesting and original puzzle. A true Hanayama Cast puzzle! One of the first, as the description says. A classic!

5 

(Warning: This review may contain SPOILERS if you haven't yet solved this puzzle) There have been debates about the "starting position" of this puzzle. Clearly there are multiple configurations requiring different amounts of movement to solve, but the "most tangled" configuration doesn't make the puzzle harder. The real start position is halfway between fully tangled and taken apart, and for good reason. When starting out in the middle, there isn't only one clear way to go, leaving it up to you which way to begin. You might initially go the wrong way. Starting from the "most tangled" position there is no wrong way to begin, only one move works. It's supposed to begin in the middle position to give you more options and thereby make it more difficult. Overall a fantastically crafted puzzle with good movement and a nice flow.

4 

This puzzle is similar to Chain, it can be easy or hard depending on the state that it is in when you get it. I found it quite hard to visually tell which state I was in, which was somewhat annoying. The finish is really nice and the movements are smooth. Overall quite enjoyable.

5 

This puzzle is surprisingly difficult. The one I got came in a configuration where it came apart and went together rather easily, so I at first thought: "Wait. This puzzle is too easy." But that is not the case. You can actually put it into a far more difficult state to pull apart. There are three similar complex movements that must be performed in order. If you are able to pull this puzzle apart with just a quick simple set of twists, then YOU HAVE THE PUZZLE IN ONLY THE 2ND STATE and are missing the 3rd and 4th states. Keep working. In any of the intermediate states, you can (with almost no force at all) wedge the rounded knob through the loop of the opposite S, putting it into a sort of "stuck" state as well. That is usually how I store it, so that there are maximum tricks required to pull the S's apart.

5 

I liked this one a lot. Not too easy and not too hard. It made me think of elk.

5 

Interesting puzzle. It's my first I solved, and I did it by pure accident with a motion I thought I did before. I'd recommend this for people who are just starting metal puzzles! I haven't gotten this thing back together yet, I can't really reverse mimic what I have just done. Literally, just done. So, off I go back to re-unsolving this puppy.

4 

This puzzle is very easy to disentangle but the real challenge lies in putting it back together. This is in no way the easiest of all Hanayamas (as one reviewer claimed). I'm led to believe the puzzle wasn't in the proper starting position for the person who claimed this. Overall, good but not great.

4 

Deceptively difficult. Even after you figure it out, months later it is still hard! The solution is difficult to remember.

0 

Challenging??? No way, easiest of all Hanayamas....