Odd Man Out Puzzle by Creative Crafthouse

There are 9 blocks (7/8"" cubes) with numbers 1 thru 6 laser engraved into the faces. Comes packed in an attractive box with sliding lid.

There are 2 different puzzles to solve. The most challenging of which is called "Odd”. You must select 8 of the blocks and assemble them into a 2x2x2 cube such that each face has a unique number. That is, one side may have all 1's, another side all 2's, another all 3's, etc... similar to a dice cube. Because there are 9 blocks available, one of the blocks you do not use in the 8 block cube, BUT which one is it?? That's part of the challenge as if you do not eliminate the correct cube then it cannot be solved.

One of the great things about this difficult puzzle is its elegant solution.

The basis of this puzzle was given to me by Satish Vani of Michigan, who received a homemade version of it some 35 years ago as a gift. Thank you Satish.

The last puzzle objective is to form a 3x3 flat grid such that all number on the top are the same and each side has a unique number. Disregard the bottom surface. There are a number of possible solutions to this one. Try it with any one of the 6 possible numbers on the top surface and see if you can find a solution.

All figures in the blocks are deeply laser engraved with no inks or paints, so they will endure indefinitely.

Level of Difficulty: Level 4

Handmade by Creative Crafthouse in Hudson, Florida.

At Creative Crafthouse, we pride ourselves on offering high-quality, handcrafted wood mind-bender and brainteaser puzzles and games. We know that logic, reasoning, and analytical skills are all vital to cognitive development. The earlier your child or student can hone these skills, the better off he or she will be in life. No matter what your age developing problem solving skills,  patience, and determination are important qualities to cultivate.

We know that nearly all people enjoy an interesting challenge and will work at something for hours on end to find the answer. So we do our best to offer interesting, fun, sometimes magical and challenging puzzles with various degrees of difficulty and various types of challenges.  Many are our own design and some are historical designs that are unique to us.  Most are manufactured right here in our Hudson, Florida shop.  We have extensive laser skills along with CNC and traditional woodworking.  We are a small family business with 10 employees all striving for top quality and customer service.

Find more work from Creative Crafthouse here.