Description
The goal is to open the sphere.
You can clearly see that the puzzle is two joined half spheres. But that’s about all you can see. Everything else is hidden inside.
There is a little bit of movement but you’ll really need to put your thinking cap on to work out what the first move might be.
Designed by Felix Ure, a young product designer from London, England and machined from solid brass the puzzle feels substantial and luxurious. Felix tells us that he has always had an obsession with small mechanisms and things that move in clever ways. He has a lot of experience designing luxury products, and around a year ago, he decided to try designing puzzles. In his opinion, there is no design process purer than attempting to design a puzzle.
His goal was to make a beautiful object with a simple mechanism, yet a difficult solution, that is just as satisfying to sit and fiddle with as it is to solve.
Despite Titan being the first puzzle he’s offered for sale (he has designed two others but did not release them commercially) we think he’s nailed that objective!
The puzzle is assembled by hand in the UK.
The puzzle is difficult but with a simple goal and an elegant solution. And you will have to work it out for yourself because the designer has decided not to package the solution with the puzzle.
Size: Titan sphere has a diameter of 50mm
The puzzle is machined from solid brass. The puzzles are not bright and shiny. Brass does get a patina over time even when it’s not being handled but playing with the puzzle does accelerate this. This is how Felix wants the puzzle to look; played with!
Packaging: The packaging for this puzzle has changed from previous versions. It’s inside a thick black velvet back inside a plain black cardboard box. The packaging is all ethically and sustainably sourced, and all boxes are made from recycled cardboard. (Note: these boxes are much smaller than the previous large black box with the Brass plaque on the front – no longer available).
A solution not included but Felix does say on his website that you can email him if you require a hint.
Peter –
When I picked this puzzle up, it felt heavier than I imagined it would. It feels solid, tactile, and is expertly machined. I think like most people I was able to get stuck at the same point within 2 minutes. After about an hour of fidgeting with this thing, I decided to nickname it the Demon Core after the radioactive plutonium sphere that provided a lot of grief very quickly. I got stuck lots, and I’ve put it down lots, only to pick it up again. Lots. It’s hard to say for sure, but my guess is I probably sank 24 hours collectively into this sphere. Only after a lot of mapping and theorizing and drawing it out on paper was I able to solve this puzzle. It was a ridiculously good feeling given my time investment in it. I love this puzzle. It’s super good. I honestly can’t wait until Felix Ure releases his next masterpiece. Definitely worth the money.
One additional hint/not hint: There are no tools or any of the like in the box or in the foam. I’ve exhausted this possibility 4 times over before solving it, so I thought I’d save everyone some time and say that there’s only the sphere and nothing but the sphere. Good luck!
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