Popplock T3

Here is another great puzzle lock from the Popplock series made by the German designer Rainer Popp:

This is the Popplock T3, essentially meaning that it is the third in this series of puzzle locks. However it should be mentioned that the Popplock T1 is not actually for sale, and as such there are currently (at the time of writing) four different puzzle types, and if you have read my previous post you will already know that there are two versions of the Popplock T2.

Just like the T2, the T3 is machined from solid brass and the shackle is made from stainless steel, so once again there is a really nice weight to it and a great sense of quality. The circle in the centre of the lock can rotate freely both to the left and the right, and it can also be depressed just less than a centimetre into the lock and out the other side. There is a little bit of movement in the shackle, but it really is very little. And one of the first things you will notice is that the shackle runs all of the way through the body of the lock and out through the bottom which I think is a great bit of design, it looks really unique.

As of writing this I have only had the pleasure of solving the T2 and the T3 locks, so when I say now that my favourite is currently the T3 do understand that it is only out of those two so far.
Now there are quite a few things that I really think make the T3 such a great puzzle lock, and the main one is the fact that the lock comes as a single piece, just as shown in the image. It makes it quite clear that you have all you need to open the lock right in front of you. Another thing is that although I had a really elaborate idea of how it opened in my head, it only takes five moves in total to open it.

I think it took me about an hour to solve the T3, which I consider to be a very decent amount of time, and once you've solved it once you can do it again in only a few seconds. The mechanism itself is pretty satisfying and you will find yourself solving it several times after just for the fun of it.

This puzzle was loaned to me by a friend as the Popplock series is pretty expensive and I didn't want to spend so much if I wasn't sure of whether I'd like it or not. But I can now say that if I had bought it myself I would not have been disappointed.

You can purchase the Popplock T3 from Grand Illusions and Puzzle Master.

Also: Read my review of the Popplock T2 and My review of the Popplock T4