Deal Extreme

[robertpauljr]

I recently got a DIY from Deal Extreme. It was different than the few other DIYs I have experience with, but I have no idea what Type it is. How do you know? It only has one washer per screw, and I think they are made of plastic. Furthermore, do most cores have any metal in them for the screws to screw into, or are they all plastic? I think the DX one is all plastic. Here is the one I ordered.

I've had it a few days and like it so far, but wonder how long it will last. Does anyone have any experience with DX twisty products? This 3x3x3 DIY? The Megaminx? The 4-layer Square-1 cube? The Pyraminx? I'd really like to know how the DX products compare to others. I'd really like feedback from people who have actually used them. I am not into speed cubing, if that makes a difference, so I wouldn't be pushing them to the max that way, but I'd still like decent cubes.

Thanks.

[Jai]

There's a 12-page topic about it a few topics under you... http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6804

The DIY you bought is a Type C.

[robertpauljr]

For the first half dozen pages people mainly talked about available products, but not experiential knowledge of the quality of the products. Garmon indicates that the megaminx is not built for speed on page 9. There are also comments that the megaminx is better if screws and springs are replaced with a Type A set. The idea of getting DX products is to save money, not have to spend an equal amount on a set of springs and screws. This may not be an issue for some, but it puts me off. If I had a stockpile of extras, I guess I might try it, but I don't.

On page 8 Don Tonberry says regarding the 3x3x3 DIY I asked about, "It's just a type C. I thought it was pretty good, really smooth decently fast." More people later on (page 10) talk about the Type C DIY favorably.

So now that I have read the 12 page post mentioned by Jai I know that I am now the proud owner of a Type C cube, but still don't know how you know it is type C. And the other questions in my first paragraph were not answered either.

Although there was some discussion of the megaminx, I did not see answers to my other questions in paragraph two of my original post.

[Jai]

The products there are the same products sold on Cube4You (no, Dealextreme doesn't make its own products or anything), so you can go check out the Cube4you forums and their product reviews, for more information.
The selection on DX isn't that good, I'd say to stick with Cube4You, 9spuzzles, puzzlproz, or any other larger cube shop. You can't beat the free shipping from DX though

[Neroflux]

i bought the transparent and some washers and a center piece was missing. so they sent the replacement, but they sent the wrong center piece. but they made up for that with around 100 extra washers.

kind of funny.

[Athefre]

It looks like a type (f) to me, judging by the first and second picture. It has the same extreme rounded pieces, black screws (which are also on Type (c)), and no slots on the corners of the centers which are supposed to be on Type (c)s for easy cap removal, and also has an large amount of flaw lines like my type (f). But the third picture looks exactly like my Type (c)s.

If your cube:

a. Has really rounded cubies compared to other cubes
b. Has centers that don't have two slots diagonal from each other
c. Feels really hollow when you turn it

The it's probably a type (f).

[Unknown.soul]

Do Type Fs have plastic washers? AFAIK, Type Cs are the only DIYs that have them.

[cookingfat]

It looks like a type (f) to me, judging by the first and second picture. It has the same extreme rounded pieces, black screws (which are also on Type (c)), and no slots on the corners of the centers which are supposed to be on Type (c)s for easy cap removal, and also has an large amount of flaw lines like my type (f). But the third picture looks exactly like my Type (c)s.

If your cube:

a. Has really rounded cubies compared to other cubes
b. Has centers that don't have two slots diagonal from each other
c. Feels really hollow when you turn it

The it's probably a type (f).

I asked the same question in this thread and most people said it was a type C

I might get one anyway

[Garmon]

I have a DX megaminx and ES 5x5, both good.

[Athefre]

Do Type Fs have plastic washers? AFAIK, Type Cs are the only DIYs that have them.

It looks like a type (f) to me, judging by the first and second picture. It has the same extreme rounded pieces, black screws (which are also on Type (c)), and no slots on the corners of the centers which are supposed to be on Type (c)s for easy cap removal, and also has an large amount of flaw lines like my type (f). But the third picture looks exactly like my Type (c)s.

If your cube:

a. Has really rounded cubies compared to other cubes
b. Has centers that don't have two slots diagonal from each other
c. Feels really hollow when you turn it

The it's probably a type (f).

I asked the same question in this thread and most people said it was a type C

I might get one anyway

What I'm saying is I believe the cube in pictures 1 and 2 are type (f) and picture 3 is a type (c)

Look at the center piece in the center of picture 3. You can see one of the slots that are on the centers of type (c). But in picture 2 there are no slots.