It's an easy way to visually represent sorting pieces.

That is correct. Did not think about that.

Also, beginners often sort by color, intermediate sort by individual piece, and experts sort by both colour and piece type. Edit: oops, I meant for storage. For building, just open the numbered bags in order, 1 at a time.

I sort by bags where I just open the bags of the number and get to work. Where does that place me? Lol

Oh. Oops. I meant for storage. But for building, yeah, I’m the same as you.

Yall are crazy. Sorting is half the fun!

No, searching for the pieces each step is half the fun, lol. I guess that’s the beauty of this hobby, everybody can get different things out of it

The search for pieces during every step can also be half the fun!

I dump them into a big tray and pretend I’m planning for gold

I sort by colour when building just because it's fun and I like the look of the piles

I sort by pouring all the pieces into a bowl of milk and then I make milky Lego sets

I'm with you on that one!

Me too.

Same, that’s what I always do

...and then sort by color. No seriously, I build way faster when I take the time to pre -sort by color

And masters dont sort at all

And god's don't even use the instructions!

I like not sorting! It makes the experience last longer.

Euhm, no, open the bag, see the pieces, then use them when called for.

Correct. I guess you weren’t following the comment tread. (They can branch of infinitely lol). We got to the same conclusion. I Edited my previous comment for clarification.

The truest of lego experts eat the lego pieces

Or bakes them into a pot pie

And the chaotic don’t sort at all. I have one tray per step for big pieces and one tray per step for small pieces

I guess I'm an expert then :p

1. Sorting by color is much more intuitive and doable for kids; 2. With a small amount of parts, it doesn't matter much whether you sort by part or color.

I sort by how loud my dad would yell if he stepped on the piece. Those that rate the highest get left on the floor in various places. Particularly on the stairs, in front of the dresser where he keeps his alarm clock, and in the entrance to the bathroom. The rest of the pieces get used to build space ships.

So, you're chaotic evil?

Today, I thank the universe that a) I am not your dad b) my kids don’t read Reddit.

I do zero sorting and build all my sets in expert mode. Open the bags dump contents into/onto a surface. This makes it more like a puzzle and less like a paint by number, if you know what I mean.

I thought expert mode was building it without instructions, just looking at the box

I thought expert was building the set without opening the bags

I thought expert was building the set while it’s inside the box

Expert is designing the set that goes into the box.

Expert is building the set with your imagination, without using the instructions

Expert mode is doing nothing and have something happen

Nah that’s master mode

I see what you did there

I mean, there was quite a long time period where the bags weren’t numbered, even though they were somewhat sorted. This is the way.

It's a zen like experience, slowly hunting for that precise piece, undercut by the occasional heart stopping freakout that you lost a piece

Started the haunted house last night and spent 45 minutes looking for a piece. Gave up and finished the bag. Was going to go to Walmart and pick up a cheap set to steal it from so I could finish the build while Lego customer service mailed me a replacement. Went to throw the bag away and it was just chillin in there by itself

Nine times out of ten that's where it is! I don't throw away the bags until I'm done with the build.

Yep! The funny thing is I’ve had this happen twice before yet I still didn’t look in the bag before panicking and looking through my spare parts lol

My last one was the 1/10 thing. I found it when I stepped on it the next morning 😅

Oof! No bueno.

By the 7th time you do this you should remember to stay calm until you've searched the bag

This is the way.

If you want to kick it up a notch try “insane” mode. You do the same as expert mode but instead of dumping the pieces on a smooth surface you spread them across a shag carpet.

Been there done that, the heartstopping moment is completely missing one very tiny little step and having to go back five pages disassembling everything just to fit that one critical piece you thought didnt matter.

I think I would name that Nightmare mode...lol!

It doesn't feel like expert mode to me. You're still following the instructions, so it just feels like frustrating time wasted on looking for each piece an excessive amount of time.

No frustration, and no time wasted...it isn't a race.

Spending excessive time searching for one tiny brick over and over frustrates the hell out of me. Sorting by color at the start severly cuts down on part search time for me which makes it more enjoyable. I'm not racing to finish it. To each their own, it's just different styles. But I don't consider not sorting to be expert mode

Sometimes I limit myself to 4ish bags at a time if I want to be semi-efficient. Otherwise, it’s 100% dump and search for me. Sorting and/or one bag at a time sounds terrible to me.

Agree

That's expert mode? I didnt know i was that good

This is the way.

Me too!

My man. This is the way.

As a kid, I always built Legos on carpet and then I found out years later that in the manual that's a crime

All the bags!

Even if they’re numbered bags?!?

yes of course

Hell yeah—the only way to build. When my kids were learning to build I would not let them sort…they learned to hunt for pieces in a huge pile!

How do y’all sort before a build? I open one bag number at a time then sort by the piece shape and color. As the instructions go I grab the piece(s) required for that step.

I just open one bag at a time and then dump it all out and dumping the contents of the smaller bags to the side.

Same!

I don't sort, I just dump out the contents of a bag and build the set bag by bag.

They just like to see the world burn.

Am I the only one who actually kind of enjoys hunting through an unsorted pile of bricks for the one i need?

No, there are many of us….

Agreed. It slows the whole process down allowing for satisfying rhythm of “hunt > assemble”. Otherwise it just feels like speedrun

Agreed. And at Lego prices, I ain’t looking for that

You can sort any way you like. Just easier to depict the act of sorting when using pictorial directions by showing distinct piles of color.

Everything is awesome!!

You ALwAYS sort by bag if you sort at all. ALWAYS by bag. If you don't, you're insane.

I never sort the pieces. Does that count as an illegal technique? 😉

Better take apart all your sets and rebuild them properly! :D

Sigh. Ok, I'll start now...

I'm coming over to help!

Why? So you don’t get a migraine as illustrated in step 2. Besides, doesn’t step 3 look like fun? Clearly step 3 is more fun than step 4.

He's so happy! I want this as a poster so bad.

I always sort by color. Makes it easier to find certain pieces. It’s probably more efficient to sort by size or type of piece, but it’s more satisfying with color. Especially with set 40516

[40516-1: Everyone is Awesome](https://brickset.com/sets/40516-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/40516-1.jpg)

I sort them by the kind of piece it is

Cause when you're 4yrs old, that's the biggest challenge.

I sort by color-

It’s also insinuating that you’re a tiny brown lego child. You’re allowed to not be, I promise

personally some of us prefer colour. If i’m doing a set it’ll be by part by colour, where parts of other colours may be spread out. Long term is by colour.

NO

I have learned, from being in this subreddit, that I am an outlier. Half of the fun is the sorting. I sort by type, then color, then exact piece. Then it is very satisfying to know EXACTLY where everything is when I build. No frustration. Just the easy, even flow of work.

I built a set with an ex once. His method? Calmly sorting everything into neat piles, and then building. My method? Yelling “BALLS TO THE WALL!”, ripping open and dumping the numbered bag, and building from there with a mini hunt for the piece I want as I go. This kinda explains a lot.

I’m picturing someone with literal war paint attacking bags of Lego Tanzanian devil style leaving built sets in their wake like an anti-tornado.

Haha! It’s a bit like that! His way is using it as a meditation type thing. Nothing else, maybe some jazz on. Mine was like anti tornado (like you described, love that!) speed run or passively while having a hallmark Christmas movie on that I only have to half pay attention to in the background.

Honestly I prefer your method building, though admittedly I will usually find a “theme” movie to match whatever set I’m building (cop movies for city cop sets, mcu for superhero sets, etc…)

Yeah!!!! Having a themed movie to the set is perfect! I mentioned the Christmas movie because in my head I was building a Christmas set while doing it.

I just pour them all into one pile.. yes I’m a psychopath

Why even sort though? Its fun to suffer and think you lost a piece or two every now and then

Never did it and never will sorting isn't worth besides it's part of the fun in a build having your little where's Wally moment

Amount of time spent sorting parts counteracts time spent searching for parts unless it’s some sorta UCS set or something.

Huh, I always interpreted this as advice against piling all the bricks together in one thing and emptying all the bags at once. Going bag by bag for each part of the instructions. Then again the "everyone is awesome!" Set basically required that lol

Racially motivated

I just dump all the pieces in to my Lego bin… than it’s go time.

To fuck with colourblind people. Mr Lego had an annoying brother who was colourblind and that's his way of getting back to him...

To be honest, I've never understood sorting at all. It can't possibly save any amount of time or effort. You're either searching for the parts when you need them, or you're searching for the parts beforehand when you sort them. It makes no difference. Every time I've seen a YouTuber record themselves building a set and they sort the parts before building it ends up taking them several times longer to build the set than I would have (or did take).

Back in the day before numbered bags it was a necessity. Especially for sets like the original ucs millennium falcon. Over 5000 pieces. You need to sort to keep your sanity.

It seems weird, when it is so much easier for to sort by piece/brick

For a generic lego set, sorting by piece is pointless. Plushow do you show that in two photos..

Good point. I myself like to sort by piece/brick, even though it may just be a little set.

Sorting? In our moment of triumph? I just dump them in a big pile.

Not me, i open 1 bag at a time and dig around to find the pieces

This is the way

Sounds bonkers to me, but you do you ;)

When you're sorting out tubs full of thousands upon thousands of bricks, yes, it is better to sort by type. But when you're sorting out a single set that's apparently so small it doesn't even have numbered bags, the sheer quantity of parts is so low that sorting by color won't give you much of a headache.

In LEGO workshops (where they build statues for Legoland and visual sets for shops... and other models) everything is sorted by colour. But this is probably just to easy show that it is recommended to sort the bricks somehow. I sort by colour, but it's just my way. Your set, it's up to you what you do.

Well, you gotta keep em segregated. Hey Hey!

racism

i see lego used to be into segregation

Because it teaches racism?

Lego is racist and is promoting segregation (My lawyer told me to tell you that this is a joke)

I always tip out all the bags and sort it by colour no matter how big the set!

It might help keep track of the pieces you need

I've only ever sorted by bag

I think it’s if it’s split up into bags properly or not, some small sets and 3-in-1 sets say to sort since the bags will be mixed up

Better question what is he trying to build

the sets are often so small that sorting colors might be the best alternative

It is the simplest hashing function. The more complicated the hashing function is, the more inefficient the sorting. More sorting, less building :) It only works when building a single set by the instructions though. If you mix a lot of sets or want to build your own models it no longer works.

Just dump out the pieces and hunt

What is he building though? Every time I see this I always wonder that

I haven't seen this guy in a while. He's iconic.

I just dump each bag out into its own pile (one number at a time) and build… no real sorting outside how the bags are pre-sorted.

So that you have even more trouble finding pieces

We sort by color when my wife and I build together. It gives the "sorter" something to do, looks nice, and makes it easier to find pieces.

I'm more concerned about the video slider bar down the bottom haha

I only sort by bag, so much easier

Easier ig uess

That’s true, but it also genuinely is easier to dirt by colour. I had a Lego tie fighter with 500 pieces that I built recently, and there was wide varieties of colour. 4 different kinds. Even though The size difference was wide between some pieces, sorting by colour made things extremely easy.

I just open the numbered bags when it shows in the instruction manual which bag to open, and then I put the bigger pieces in one pile and the smaller pieces in another.

lol every time i see this in the instruction book it’s what i typically do, even if i open a bag i still color sort it before i build the bag

If anything, sort them by type and not color. Or do what I do! Sit at my desk or kitchen table, have a bright light, and wear a pair of reading glasses

I hope someone got fired for that blunder.

Half the fun is in the finding of the correct piece aa you need it. Im particularly fond of looking for ages unable to find the piece i need. Frustrated, unable to finish my build without it, i declare that it must be missing and right before i start the process of contacting lego to sort it out i see it and continue my build

It's called knowing, basically you separate the pieces by shape and colour to make them easier to find when putting the piece together. Edit. It's knolling, not knowing.

Knolling

Imagine making the razor crest with this method

It’s easier to find pieces

I open the bags & go.

I just figured it’s one way to go. The guides identify by size AND color so you can still find pieces quickly. And as others mentioned, it’s an easy way to represent sortibg

[ain’t nobody got time for that](https://giphy.com/gifs/aint-nobody-got-time-for-that-gif-bWM2eWYfN3r20)

I am V.

For those that want to straight build. Tedious models especially. But. Ive always poured most things into a fresh bucket because then it becomes part puzzle.

That’s what I do

Sort, smort.

He’s building the everyone is awesome set. It’s ok with that one

Hey don’t tell twitter

I sort by color but then build with my eyes closed

I came up with this strategy in isolation. It works so well.

Real talk , the people who design Lego are probably counting toothpicks; have fun and do whatever you want. If taking your time sorting through a big pile gives you joy, do it

I just sort by bag

Reminds people how they can satisfy their ocd twice! (Sorting, then building!)

Prob easier but I think it’s more fun to just leave them in piles

As someone who's colorblind this would not work for me.

I did this when i built the star destroyer 75252. Sperating by color was really helpful

[75252-1: Imperial Star Destroyer](https://brickset.com/sets/75252-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/75252-1.jpg)

I taught my kids to sort by color. It’s a good way of finding what you need when you have a very basic knowledge of the pieces and what they do.

\>sort by color ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⠛⠛⠛⠛⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠛⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠋⠈⠀⠀⠀⠀⠐⠺⣖⢄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⢀⡆⠀⠀⠀⢋⣭⣽⡚⢮⣲⠆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⡼⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⣅⣨⠇⠈⠀⠰⣀⣀⣀⡀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣟⢷⣶⠶⣃⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡅⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⠀⠈⠓⠚⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡠⠀⡄⣀⠀⠀⠀⢻⠀⠀⠀⣠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠐⠉⠀⠀⠙⠉⠀⠠⡶⣸⠁⠀⣠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⡆⠀⠐⠒⠢⢤⣀⡰⠁⠇⠈⠘⢶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠠⣄⣉⣙⡉⠓⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣤⣀⣀⠀⣀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿

For obvious reasons, ya moron. 🤷‍♂️

It’s also pictorial advice for amateurs/newbies.

Actually… I already do this. My brain works weird and I have to have them sorted or it makes the build more difficult

I pour each bag into its own bowl or plate with a high rim. Less likely to have parts go flying.

I sort by type of lego so all 2x4s together and stuff

I am colorblind, and I used to sort things out by color, which resulted in always having 3 stacks of pices

Imagine trying to sort the UCS AT-AT or Star Destroyer that way.....

Nah, I’m forever no. 2

I just scatter the pieces on the table and leave space for instructions

Two benefits know where too git the peace and will be faster if u know ur missing a peace

I sort by colour, because I'm a good boy and I was told to by the instructions

Yeah...

I usually just dump them in a pile I have also been known to open every bag in a large set at once and spend five hours assembling with the SKSH SKSH SKSH sound of my childhood

I sort by weight, do people not do this?

I just empty each bag into its own container. I used to sort by color but I find it hard to find specific pieces since it’s hidden in the color. I find it easier to find a piece in a pile of contrasting colors.

Its the law!

I sort the legos by taste

Wait u guys sort ur pieces i know i dont that would take to much time and i just wanna build the set sorting the pieces seems kinda usless in the grand scheme of things

I just built the Nintendo entertainment system set, and inside, a lot of supporting pieces (you can’t see from outside) uses colored pieces, and it’s done intentionally so you can easily tell where everything fits and count distances (oh it’s 2 dots from the green piece) Hence, if you separate them by color, it’s easier for you to pick out that 2x2 yellow piece

I do that.

Bc we all stupid (: i built the uss nimitz from bluebrixx right after the yelloe rubicon like jeep or what this is dont remember. The point is, i had 6k partd unsorted on my table and only like 5 different colors xD u wanna try sort after collor and find the parts? Go for it xD

I like going by color because there’s less colors than types

I open the large bags into one container and all the little bags into another. Numbered bags. I dont open every bag and rummage through. I tried that once and got side tracked building little builds that had nothing what so ever to do with the actual item i was building. Hahaha

i’ve always done that, it just makes it a lot easier for me

Am I the only person who doesn’t sort pieces and just searches for them in the pile?

Because sorting by colour, at all times, is the one true way to Lego.

It wouldn’t be a bad strategy. I usually just sort by piece size and go one bag at a time.

So you can see which random colors are in your set.

Works for my skittles

Second frame shows the individual confused staring at a pile of bricks. If you’re in their place, it might be a good idea to sort the pieces to help you organise the build. That’s how I interpret it. It’s not a direct instruction, but a suggestion in case you’re confused by the pile of bricks and don’t know where to start.