I was plesently suprised by the quality, size, and entertainment value of this toy for the relatively low price. It is not the hardest puzzle to solve but it has a solution that I think is unique. It also looks nice sitting next to other nick nacks. It is also well made with real wood and feels solid and well built.

My kids had a lot of fun with this puzzle (ages 6, 9, 12). My youngest needs a little help to solve it and likes to play with it. Since he did not break it within a month I have to give it 5 stars for durability. I also gave it 5 stars for the education because there are some phyics involved. I wavered between 4 and 5 stars for the fun and overall rating of the toy and decide to go with five stars because you can continue to challenge yourself by improving your solution time and there is more than one way you can solve it and the second solution is harder to execute.

Wish it had come with instructions. Had no idea how to get it apart or how many pieces. After 45 min gave up and threw it on the table and it came apart. Then I saw how it was put together and it made sense. Still have trouble getting it apart. I would not give it to someone that has no patience.

I purchased three Monkey Pod puzzles for my husband for Christmas, and although he has figured them all out, he still has fun fiddling with them while watching tv. The perplexing X in a box is my personal favorite because it is a great coffee table item that will keep guests entertained due to its simplicity (they aren't as likely to give-up like they would with the more complex puzzles). The funniest thing was my husband figured out the other two more difficult puzzles within minutes, puzzles I STILL haven't figured out (he's a computer engineer and his brain works like that), but this particular puzzle totally confused him because, although it only takes a couple of steps, there is one particular key factor that you must "figure out" for everything else to move. I'm more theory-minded, and I figured this one out immediately because I always look for the "trick" of the imaginary. I'll leave it at that because I don't want to give anything away, but it's fun to see the "doh" expression once the puzzle has been solved. Even when not in use, these wooden puzzles look attractive on our coffee table and random shelves throughout the house. The customer service for Monkey Pod Games is great, so feel confident in buying their products. I have a feeling this will become a yearly buying tradition for my husband.

One of my goals in life is to stump my husband with a puzzle and it's proven very difficult. We've spent a good amount of money on logic puzzles and brain teasers and he still solves them so quickly that I wonder if I will ever find one that he can't solve quickly. This past Christmas I decided would be the year of puzzles and brain teasers so I did a lot of research on here to buy the most challenging puzzles I could find. This one looked like a lot of fun so I ordered it, along with some others.

This puzzle is called the Perplexing X in a Box and the goal is to separate the square piece from the X. The puzzle is made of smooth wood that feels durable thus far. The pieces of the X each measure almost 8 inches and the box measures 3 1/8 inches by 3 1/8 inches. I didn't save the packaging, which was basically like flimsy plastic wrap, to see where the puzzle is made.

As soon as my husband unwrapped this gift, he solved it within about five seconds (grrrrrrr!) BUT that is only because he has a puzzle similar to this one that I didn't know about so he knew how to take it apart and put it back together. If he hadn't had any experience with a puzzle like this, it would've taken him a bit longer but probably not much because he's extremely logical, a computer engineer, and subjects like geometry are easy for him. I, on the other hand, do not think like he does. I was an English Literature major, am more analytical, and I still can't figure it out!

I still decided to give this puzzle five stars because it is well-made (I'll update this review if anything happens to change my mind on this), challenging for many people, and it will look good on your desk at work or on your coffee table as a conversation piece. It's hard to say if you, or the person you wish to purchase this for, will also be able to solve it quickly but if you've seen a similar puzzle to this one, it's possible this will be easy...or it could be hard. In any case, it's a decent price for a puzzle that many people will find entertaining and challenging. I will be looking into purchasing more of the Monkey Pod puzzles for my husband in hopes that I can one day stump him!

Good time waster. Only time will tell how long the basic but joints hold up though.