As some of you may know, I was on a long puzzling hiatus because I served almost 3 years in the army.
It is a tragic story, I know, but thanks to that I was able to relive the newcomer experience, all over again.
And it seems like lots of new designers have been gathering in the community while I was shooting in firing ranges.
One of them is Felix Ure, the 29 year-old brass whisperer.
Felix likes the feel of solid brass in his hands. When he makes his puzzles he’s constantly conscious of their feel and elegance.
Curious and adventurous, he enjoys mechanical movements, and this joy is translated to his designs.
The key to every creation, in my opinion, is that the creator enjoys it.
When I write a post, I always read it to see if I would’ve liked it as a reader.
And even if I didn’t ask him, I would’ve known – Felix ENJOYS his designs.
First Impressions
From the first moment you pick up Hip-Flask‘s packaging, you understand the importance of elegance in Ure’s mind.
Inside a sturdy little box, a red bright bag resides. Normally you would’ve picked the bag easily, but here’s a different story –
When I asked Felix what’s his favorite aspect about Hip-Flask, he said it was the weight. “It’s just so solid and feels so satisfying to play with”.
Solid indeed, the tiny red bag has a whopping 750g of weight inside it!
And it feels Nice.
Open the bag to find a small little flask.
And well, before you’ll start fiddling with it, there’s no doubt you’ll have a long look at it – it is beautiful.
Who knows, maybe I’m just easily mesmerized by small, cold and heavy objects.
When you finish glancing the Flask, you’ll notice a note that says –
“Completely remove the lid from the flask”
Ha! Let the games begin.
Hip-Flask by Felix Ure
| Characteristic | Details |
|---|---|
| Puzzle Type | Take-Apart – Sequential Discovery |
| Designer | Felix Ure |
| Manufacturer | Felix Ure |
| Budget | High |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Material | Brass |
| Quality for Price | Good |
| Puzzling Value for Price | Very Good |
| Best for | *Champions |
| Warnings | Try not to drop it |
I got Hip-Flask in a big trade in the Mechanical Puzzles discord.
And as soon as I drew Hip-Flask out, it stood out. I was immediately tempted to start playing with it.
But as I’m such a sucker for solid metal, I knew that I had to start from the wooden puzzles in this trade.
And I did.
But after progress was slowing down substantially, I couldn’t supress my metal-urges.
It took me a week to start playing with Hip-Flask.
When I’d finally picked it up, I got a bit confused.
There’s a stage in puzzling, when you played with the puzzle long enough to understand what you can or can’t do. That’s when you just have to put it down, and think.
To my amusement, after I did that, I went back to my daily work – and suddenly I had an enlightenment.
For some reason my mind decided to randomly grasp the idea of the insides. That’s what we call an a-ha! moment.
From there on, I was trying my best not to forget it…
When I finally got back to the Flask – bang! The rush that came along with the idea-incurred progress was such a heart-warming experience that literally made my day.
And well. Even after that, Hip-Flask was not yet solved. I had to put it aside yet again.
I was driving home from my SO’s house, when suddenly – A-ha! Another idea came to mind.
I must say, this was a fun solve.
It is a sequential discovery puzzle, and for me – sequential discovery means much more puzzling value!
The design? Amazing; the experience? Awesome.
I’m not keen on rating puzzles, but I am going to say that the puzzling value from this one is among the highest I had lately.
Moreoever, I think that this can be a really big challenge for some. I’m usually a slow-solver, but this one had some stuff I understood relatively quickly.
If I hadn’t been struck by these ideas, I’d still be trying to solve this one.
And luck? That’s not an option here. You either understand what you’re doing or you don’t.
The Verdict
Honestly, if you think you’re a Champion solver – try to solve it, you won’t regret it.
Budget-wise this may not fit Wanderers, as the price is relatively high.
Even if I try, I can’t criticise Hip-Flask. It’s one of the better designs I’ve stumbled across lately.
Try it – wake me up after I’ve had one hour and twelve minutes of sleep, at 3am, and ask me – “Yo GrEg wHadYa tHinK oF Hip-Flask by Felix Ure”,
I would’ve said the same things I said in this post (well maybe it’d be in another language ha).
Anyway, thanks Felix for the design,
Keep em coming!