Old Shackles - Tavern Puzzle

Undeniable quality and ruggedness. Cheap for what it is. Great to introduce beginners to tavern puzzles. Perfect for keeping guests entertained for a bit - after they accidentally solve it, tell them the next chore is to get it back together.

Bought basic horse shoe puzzle puzzle for grandkids for something to play with during their summer off from school (and hopefully get them off their iPads, iPhones, etc. for a little while ). They loved these puzzles but once they figured it out, I wound up ordering another puzzle for them, and then another….These are the classic bar puzzles, heavy duty, and very well made in USA by blacksmith.

Paid $28 for this, compared to $17 for the POS I thought would be decent. Night and day quality gap. The $17 puzzle was flimsy and hype with its stupid boxing and elaborate presentation. This however, not trying to pretend to be something historical, is straight forward and extremely well made. I don’t leave many reviews but this surpassed my expectations. If the crap hits the fan, it can be used as a fire striker.

Fun to have around the house . W

These are the REAL DEAL! They are solidly made and well-crafted by an actual blacksmith. While you can get knock-offs for less money, these are so much nicer and sturdier. And they're made in America! While they don't come with the solution, you can request it if you get desperate, but the fun is in not knowing! This is the most basic level of Tavern Puzzle - level 1 of 8 levels of complexity. It's easy enough to not be frustrating, but tricky enough to be fun - most people can't just pick it up and solve it instantly. This is a replacement for one I had as a teen (a favorite birthday gift) but have since lost. I was pleasantly surprised to find this one made by the same people who made my original - and it's the same high quality I remember. Buy several kinds of these - they are fun to set around at parties or for any group gathering. Anyone from around age 8 on up will enjoy this particular one! And did I mention - they're made in America!

Really well made. I remember seeing these in bars as a kid. Handling this brought me way back. It feels just as heavy and durable, though the ones I remember were made of actual horseshoes and chain links. I've solved Sneaky Pete, Freedom's Ring, Dirty Dog and Patience, but I bought this one just because the puzzle is so elegantly simple, and the solution is simple but illusive. The puzzle itself is an icon. Awesome classic puzzle. Good one for social situations. Don't drop it on your toe, I guess.

There are two kinds of puzzles in the world - those which have solutions and those which don't. Like most people, I always believed that I could tell the difference - or at least that I could trust myself if my reason told me there was definitely no solution. This little puzzle shattered that conviction, practically all on its own. It's been a long time since I've been able to reliably "solve" this puzzle, but even now, even watching myself do it, it still sometimes seems like magic.I've been playing with blacksmith puzzles for a long time, and it goes without saying that this one has always been my favorite. Most others tend to have some simple trick and/or complicated sequence, but this one is different.As for this specific product, it's sturdy, simple, well made, and arrived promptly. It's hard how something like this could possibly arrive broken.

I've been a fan of the iron tavern puzzles for a long, long time. They're incredibly well made, and they'll last for generations. The Old Shackles puzzle is one of the easier tavern puzzles, and the goal is to remove the ring from the horse shoes. I gave this to my almost-9-year-old nephew for Christmas, and it seemed like a good fit. I probably wouldn't give it to a younger child. And this one is challenging enough to give to an adult as a first tavern puzzle. If the adult is already into puzzles, I would choose a more difficult one. But this one is a challenge to many adults, so it's a good place to start.It comes in a little cloth storage bag.The only tavern puzzle I know of that's even easier than this one is the Iron Heart puzzle.