UGEARS Treasure Box w/Key (Secret Hidden Puzzle) 3D Wooden Puzzles

I bought this "hidden treasures" box for several reasons. It's beautiful to look at, is incredibly cool, and opening it is a bit of a puzzle. But what I really bought it for was as a gift to someone special in my life. Spending the time and energy to build this beautiful box (about 10 hours for me) was a pleasure, and I plan on putting a ring box (perfect size for this) on the inside and giving it to this "special person" so they can admire the box and its intricacies as they try to solve the puzzle and open it, finding the ring inside. The instructions were easy to follow. You have to be very careful popping the pieces out of the boards as some of the gear teeth came apart slightly. No real damage, but be careful. It is also worth noting that the instructions call for wax for some of the mechanical parts. I didn't know this beforehand, but it wasn't an issue for me. I went to the store and bought a long skinny candle and rubbed it along the gear teeth and other surfaces where wax was called for. Seemed to work perfectly for me! My fingers are a bit sore/raw from working with the box for so long. Some of the pieces are small and require some decent force (but not too much!) to put them into the holes they need to be in. Overall, 9/10. Another thing worth noting, it comes with a small shepherd's hook tool to aid in punching out the smaller pieces, and it also comes with some additional parts which is nice. I managed not to break any of them. This was my very first project like this. Not too difficult.

Overall, this was a really great product. My 16 year old niece and I spent a few evenings putting this together, and it's really a neat little kit: nestled into this puzzle box are several reduction gears, four-bar linkages, sliding bolts, and even an iris... all made out of wood. It's really pretty intricate, and the result is a rather attractive little box as well. If done carefully, the mechanisms all work surprisingly smoothly, and all the pieces fit together quite nicely. A few caveats and recommendations for those considering assembling this: 1. This isn't a kit for younger kids. Attention to detail is important, and many of the pieces are small and delicate. I also strongly wouldn't recommend this as your first Ugears project: start with one of the simpler kits to get the basics down. 2. Lubrication is what makes the difference between a smoothly operating box, a roughly opening box, or a non-operating box. They recommend a "candle", but realistically, after a bunch of experimentation? Burt's Bees beeswax chapstick. Easy to apply, easy to clean up, and minty fresh. 3. Pro-tip: there are a lot of studs, gears, and bearing blocks that are tiny, and you have to punch out a bunch of them that are all exactly the same. Carefully score the laser cuts with an exacto first. Get a spudger to use to help out some of the smaller parts, and once you've got one of a set punched out, use the punched one as a die to help push out the others. 4. Get some 200-400 grit sandpaper. If parts don't go together without a lot of effort, consider sanding them lightly to remove burrs and make the parts fit a slight bit better. 5. Don't panic. Almost any of the small, fragile parts that you have a high likelihood of breaking as you assemble it? They've given you quite a few spares. For the other parts, you can likely glue anything that breaks. Have fun, and enjoy.

I got one of these for myself since I like trick boxes, assembling things such as puzzles or models, and the "steampunk" look. Took me maybe 4-5 total hours to assemble, and I had to rebuild some assemblies more than once because I wasn't paying attention to directional arrows. The wood is fairly strong, not super soft like balsa, and very nicely laser cut. I work for a manufacturing company that uses industrial laser cutters so I appreciated how precisely and densely the pieces were put together on the wood sheets to avoid waste (a process called "nesting" in case anyone who might be reading this cares). Most pieces came out cleanly and I didn't need to do much sanding, but I did have to use a utility knife quite a bit to help break the supports. I did break one piece very early in the assembly, but that happened when I was trying to remove a wooden pin. Thankfully the piece wasn't a gear or any other part used in a mechanism, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to continue. They include some spare pieces, which I ended up needing so that's a plus. For the most part I am happy with my product. I wish they had included wax or some other lubricant (like graphite) but I had to improvise and used lip balm... We'll see if that actually holds up at all. That being said, I think I the cutting alignment might have been off for my unit, because the lid mechanism doesn't line up flush with the rest of the box and I couldn't make it happen no matter how hard I tried. This also means the key doesn't rest in the lid mechanism like it's supposed to, so the trick is more or less given away if you look carefully. Also, I'm not sure if this was by design or not, but the gears that are part of the lid lift assembly don't meet up on all sides, which makes the gear train a bit unsteady. I've included a few photos to show you what I mean. All in all, I actually had a lot of fun building this despite the frustration of parts not lining up the way they were supposed to. I am going to purchase a few more kits from this company and see if my luck is any better.

I love this little box more than words can describe! It is truly exquisite and the details are extraordinary. Unfortunately, I broke one of the main gears so it does not open via the gears but does open manually. I still give this 5 stars because it was my fault the piece broke. As this was my first wooden puzzle, I learned a few lessons. Be very careful when snapping the parts out. If they crack, be sure to fix them with some super glue because, with the moving parts, a small crack may break once things get moving. The directions say to use a candle to wax the moving parts. Since the gears are so tiny, I am not sure if a candle is realistic. I wish the kit included the wax. I had wax that I use for leather projects and that worked very well. BE SURE TO WAX THE MOVING PARTS! Also, some of the fits are very tight and there is danger of breaking when trying to snap them together. It wasn't until the last few pieces when I realized that if I waxed the tight fits also they would snap together with no problem. Had I thought of that earlier, it would have saved my critical broken piece. I love this so much I bought another one and I plan to paint each piece prior to assembly. These products are great--just take your time and step away if you get frustrated!

I have to say that I bought this not knowing that it was self-assembly! But when it came I rolled up my sleeves and started to put it together. I've had trouble in the past not having the patience for model airplanes and such, and I was also worried because this was 100% wood, and I could see a piece breaking either on breaking it apart from its template, or upon assembly. However, I found that assembling this box was a pleasure, and not one piece broke while I was assembling it. They even include many spare parts in case some of the more likely-to-break parts break. The end result was a VERY beautiful and functional box that would be a perfect gift for someone, particularly a young lady. Based on my experience, I'd recommend this to anyone who feels like they have a little bit of patience, mechanical skill, whom enjoys putting stuff together, or who would like to have a beautiful wooden puzzle box. Thank you so much to the makers! I've bought a couple more as gifts!

I was so curious about this box. In fact all the Ugears offerings are intriguing. I like to build models and sitting down with an unfinished kit, some tools, and the instructions laid out before me is my idea of a good time. Assembling this box was fun. Also a little scary because I had difficulty visualizing how a wooden box could look so intricate and yet be robust enough enoug to have a mechanism that worked. Well, it does work! Be prepared to spend a few hours with this. It took me 4 hours working straight through. Nothing broke but it is fussy business pushing some of the parts from the board. My hands are already somewhat calloused and I have strong fingernails so I did not experience too much difficult in that regard. However, near the end of the assembly the fingers are getting a bit sore but so close to the end that I had to press ahead. I followed the instructions to a t. Be sure to watch for all the guding symbols and be aware of arrows stamped on some of the pieces. Use wax on the moving parts. A hot air blower like a hair dryer can help you to melt the wax into the pieces and prevent flaky was bits from falling all over your work area. Easy does it with that, you don’t want to scorch anything. My pit worked perfectly. The box looks very nice but it is really, essentially, useless. A thief could just take the entire box. It’s a nice conversaton piece, though, and frankly, it just looks nice. I’m glad I bought it and I’m going to try the horse next. So, yeah, I’m hooked.

First off, if this is you're first Ugears model, forget the idea of putting it together in the time suggested. I have put one of the cars, catamaran and the rubber band shooter together, so I know what I'm talking about. Honestly, it took me two hours just to do pages 15 - 19. But don't let that scare you off. I sand every smooth side and wax all surfaces that will be touching another surface. Tools, a couple sheets of 300 grit sandpaper, candles, small X-Acto or similar knife and small pair of needle nose pliers with smooth jaws. Don't take pieces out before they are called for, there are quite a few pieces that look similar and can be easily mistaken. When taking the pieces out, don't wiggle them, push out square, it is a major cause of a piece breaking. There are some spots where laser didn't cut to hold piece in place, simple nick them with a blade. The same when assembling, don't wiggle the piece, push them in square and again, wax them up. Pay attention to the little marks that are on the pieces. Mine will be a gift for a new born niece, so my daughter designed a name plate and it's fitted behind the frame. Take your time, pay attention to details, sand and wax and you'll have a nice piece. Cheers! Trouble Shoot closing problem: I found that the top didn't completely close when key was inserted. I found that some sanding is required. See photo. Last thought, if down the road, you find that it sticks a little, sprinkle talcum powder into the moving parts, shake it around and tap excess out. Finished treasure box.

I really love making things with my hands so I've actually made this model twice. It's not easy to build but not super difficult. I'd rate the building difficulty at a 6 where 10 is the most difficulty. You will need to carefully removing some of the pre-cut pieces because they can break. Also, plan on using the small piece of the sandpaper paper that comes with the kit. Some pieces will fit better with a very light sanding. Rule of thumb with this kit is not to force anything that does not want to join easily. A little bit of sanding is a good idea on tight pieces and also plan to use a little bit of glue for the brackets that go on the underside of the lid. You'll see the reason for this when you go to add the top rings of the lid. The small "clips" used to hold the lid assembly together tend to push down on the pins coming up from the bottom of the lid and cause the lid assembly to loosen. Having glued those brackets to the underside of the lid with a little white school room glue or wood glue helps to stabilize the whole lid. One other pointer: On my second model, I used no wax on the gears. I found it was a nuisance to apply and it really had no effect on the operation of the gears. I omitted it on the second model and have had no trouble getting the gears to operate when opening and closing the box.

This will be a long and detailed review that can help many prospective buyers. Firstly I’d like to say that I bought this product as a gift. I assembled it myself and gifted it to my significant other. I loved the process and my partner adored the gift. It’s beautiful and unique! Now, assembling the product was mostly easy, but there were definitely difficulties. It needs time and patience! I personally broke a key base piece that made the process more difficult but I eventually managed to put it all together. REMEMBER that when trying to take out the smallest or slimmest pieces, ALWAYS use the little tool provided as opposed to knives or excessive force. If you break something critical then you’re most likely screwed. If you follow the EXACT instructions, everything will be good. If you start growing impatient, I suggest you take a break and continue later, because each piece needs to be handled and put together perfectly for this to work. Also, USE CANDLES FOR WAX. This is VERY important. If you do not wax the pieces you’re instructed to wax, you will struggling attaching them to others & eventually the box won’t work smoothly. All in all, it’s so beautiful and so worth it! I’d recommend 1000 times! Enjoy!

Fattura e materiale eccellente. Taglio dei pezzi molto preciso, necessità di rifinire con carta vetrata pressoché nullo, prodotto finale funzionante e soddisfacente. Il manuale di istruzioni è abbastanza chiaro, necessità di un giustizia livello di attenzione ai dettagli ed effettivamente la presenza di un adulto (in caso dì bambini) è consigliabile vista la necessità di assemblare alcuni pezzi con la dovuta forza. Regalo fatto a mia figlia di 11 anni, ci ha messo poco più di 3 ore a completare il montaggio, entusiasta del risultato finale oltre che al piacere del montaggio. Decisamente più impegnativo del Lego, ma diversamente appagante. Consigliato

Soy un gran aficionado al montaje de figuras y después de probar (casi) todos los legos posibles, quise probar algo diferente. Ha sido mi primera experiencia y a pesar de que al principio se me hizo un poco duro el montaje de algunas piezas, lijando las partes de unión conseguí que entrara sin problemas. Las instrucciones se siguen de manera sencilla y las piezas se sacan de la plantilla con facilidad. La apertura de la caja funciona sin problema y queda estupendamente.

Super fun to put together, and very beautiful after completed. I think it took me around 5 hours and this was the first project like this I’ve ever done! I am an adult and I have a lot of patience, so I didn’t have any issues with breaking the small pieces. I just rocked them back and forth in the sheet til they finally released! I did struggle to put the last tiny pieces that hold the top down in all the way (the tiny prongs with locking edges) and one even ended up breaking from the pressure. So maybe sand those down a touch, since they’ll lock from the edges and it is a finishing piece so it does affect the overall aesthetic even though no one notices it, I know it’s there. Also my thumbs and pads of my fingers were ridiculously sore after from pushing all the tiny pieces in... I actually bruised. I wasn’t sure what wax to use or how as it doesn’t really specify, so I went with candles and left them burning so I could dip a toothpick in and spread it over. My cogs are all noticeably waxed but I chose to cover to increase longevity since I won’t be opening it too often.

Diese Holz-Schatulle habe ich für meinen Freund bestellt, der gerne puzzelt und bastelt. Dass ihn das Geschenk so sehr freut und er solch einen Spaß daran hat es zusammenzubasteln, hätten wir aber wohl beide nicht gedacht. Der Bausatz besteht aus vielen Einzelteilen, welche ganz leicht aus der vorgestanzten Holzplatte herauszubrechen sind. Sehr filigrane Teile sind dabei mehrfach als Ersatz vorhanden. Die Teile sind perfekt aufeinander abgestimmt, sodass man keine großartige Kraft aufwenden muss, um sie zusammenzustecken. Lediglich eine Kerze/ etwas Wachs sollte man ggf. vorliegen haben, um vorgegebene Stellen einzuwachsen (bei diesem Bausatz hat der Wachs gefehlt, bei einem anderen war er jedoch vorhanden, sodass wir diesen benutzen konnten) - ich empfehle hierfür eine kleine Geburtstagskerze, da man mit dieser auch hervorragend an die kleinen Stellen herankommt. Die Holzschatulle sieht nicht nur super schön aus, sie ist auch funktionsfähig. Es ist immer wieder schön, mit Hilfe des "Schlüssels" die einzelnen Zahnräder zu betätigen und zu sehen, wie sich die Schatulle langsam öffnet. Wie in der Beschreibung bereits erwähnt, gibt es ein Geheimfach und die Möglichkeit, die Schatulle für Unwissende (des Bausatzes) zu verschließen. Eigentlich hatten wir vor, das Puzzle zusammen zu Zweit zu puzzeln. Davon hat jedoch nicht ganz funktioniert, da die Anleitung mit Teil 1 beginnt und die folgenden Teile auf diesem aufbauen. Zum Glück hatte ich aber bereits "Die Blume" bestellt (ebenfalls ein Holzpuzzle von UGEARS) und konnte diese somit nebenbei machen. Am meisten gefällt mir, dass man hier die Möglichkeit bekommt, mit geringem Aufwand auf eigene Faust einen Holzbausatz zusammenbauen kann, der auch noch mechanisch betätigt werden kann. Die Holzoptik und der Geruch sind dabei ein zusätzlicher Pluspunkt. Kurz gesagt - die nächsten Bausätze hat mein Freund bereits bestellt, wir sind also vollkommen zufrieden und können die Produkte weiterempfehlen.