Whilst the following blog post is relatively short, it is entirely sweet. You’ve already seen the title of the blog, so cutting to the chase, we’re talking about Loophole by Boaz Feldman.
What you can expect from a Feldman lock
Boaz needs no introduction to those who are familiar with his past puzzle Lock work. However, if you’re new here or have never heard of Boaz or his father’s work, then see the short introduction below taken directly from their website;
“Our story starts back In the 1990's. Dan Feldman, an Israeli puzzle aficionado, found passion in lock puzzles and started modifying commercial locks into mechanical puzzles. In 1996, after crafting several lock puzzles, he came up with the legendary DanLock, declared by many as "The best puzzle lock ever created".
In more recent years, his children continue his tradition, leading to the founding of ‘Puzzlocks’ and the unveiling of magnificent new lock-based puzzles.
Puzzlocks offers several lock puzzles with varying levels of difficulty, suitable for everyone, from novices to experts. A challenging and gratifying experience is promised!
As all of our locks receive magnificent reactions and feedback, you can be sure that there are more to come!”
In the last quarter of 2022, the puzzling community learned of Boaz’s newest devious padlock filled with tricks and unique mechanisms all packed into a space no bigger than 3.5 x 2.5 inches. The Loophole puzzle.
The first thing to note about Loophole when you receive it, is the luxury felt bag that has become synonymous with the Puzzlock brand.
Next up is the lock itself. It’s super simple. you get the padlock, and a key attached to a wire keychain. That’s it.
Goal - Open the shackle, and reset.
The wonder of this puzzle is to take note of the intentional clues that are laid out for you. As soon as you pick the puzzle up it’s clear to see and hear that there are things happening inside that’ll eventually lead to the opening of that reluctant shackle.
Whilst this isn’t the hardest of Boaz’s puzzle Locks, it certainly is a fun one, and once you completely understand the mechanism, it’s easy to repeat and great fun to show or share with friends and family without worry of intense frustration or having to draw up a blueprint for them to understand the 'trickiness' at play.
Comparing it to previous Feldman locks, like Dan Lock or Loki, is likely not a fair comparison. Those are both very involved true sequential discovery puzzles. Instead, it is more aligned with the B-Lock series and I’d actually be inclined to call it something of a B-Lock+; as there’s a bit more to it than Fun Lock, B-Lock or B-Lock 2.
Amongst the best in the bunch
To sum up, if you’re looking for a puzzle that’s fun, competitively priced at $109.00 (£88.00/€103.00 roughly)and great to share with both puzzlers and non puzzlers without fear of it being too intense a ride, this would be a perfect addition to your collection.
They’re still available from Puzzlocks direct, and you can pick one up using the link below;
(Note: This is an affiliate link which will help me bring new and exciting puzzle reviews and posts to this blog.)
Thanks for the support!
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