Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Ravensburger Giant Stow and Go mat does the job on keeping my puzzles safe and out of the way when I am not working on it. It is perfect? No. The felted mat isn't firm enough to keep a puzzle say on a bed or anything like that, but on a table it works good. There are other things which I will explain below. The blue color makes it easy for the puzzle pieces to show up and that I like. The plastic blow up tube, (think of plastic beach ball type of plastic), is what holds the puzzle together by slowly rolling the mat with the puzzle onto the tube and holding it with bands. I have several tips I will share that will help make your puzzle adventure a pleasant one and not one where you want to pull your hair out. First, the mat is about 39½ inches, (at least that is what mine was), by about 60 inches. It comes folded with rather harsh fold lines, so I put it in the dryer on the gentlest cycle. I was able to get most of the wrinkles out after about 30 minutes in the dryer. I then ironed out on the lowest setting the rest of the lines. Do not let your iron stay on the fabric for any length of time so not to burn it. Just keep sweeping it over the wrinkles and it will take them out. Secondly, After doing a 2,000 piece and 3,000 piece puzzle on the mat, the 2,000 piece had no problem holding together except for a few pieces turning over once in a while, but it held. The 3,000 piece not so much. I found out one thing is to always keep your puzzle on the mat from the start, so don't transfer it from a table and them to the mat. Next, the 3,000 piece puzzle, I found by going down to the fabric store and buying about two yards of felt fabric, trimmed to the same as the mat, then I laid it over the puzzle and then rolled the mat up over the tube, it held my puzzle. Why? I think the felt fabric I put on top helps hold the pieces in and it allows for a greater hold from the tube. The reason the pieces fall apart was the plastic tube has no grip on it and the felt fabric holds the pieces together. So try that on big puzzles. Last, make sure the tube is filled up totally. If the tube is not totally filled up with air, it will not hold to the puzzle well. It can cause the puzzle to fall apart. The Stow and Go is about the best you can find right now for storing big puzzles. Follow these tips and it will help keep your puzzle on the mat and not on the floor. Oh and one other tip, when you move the tube with the mat and puzzle, gently move it and keep it horizontal. Don't tilt it up vertically. This really helps too on keeping your puzzle from shifting and pieces coming undone. One tip I would give Ravensburger is to make the tube with a flocked felt sprayed onto the tube. I think this would hold the puzzle much better than the shiny smooth plastic tube. All in all, with these tips, it works well.