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Quality when buying cubes from Amazon

dStevens

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Jun 14, 2018
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New to the whole Cube thing! Wondering if anyone can tell me ... does it make a difference where you buy your cube.

I just bought a "CuberSpeed MoYu WeiLong GTS2 M Black 3x3 Magic cube" on amazon ... apparently sold/made by cuberspeed.

But I see a lot of people buying from "thecubicle". Will the same cube be the same from both places? I purchased from amazon because of fast free shipping.

Any thoughts would be appreciated as again … I’m very new to this (coming from the magic world … I’m just getting into cube stuff and I find this speedcubing pretty fascinating to say the least).
 

cuber314159

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In general, never buy cubes from Amazon, some are fake, all are overpriced and the cube was made by MoYu and cuberspeed appear to be rebranding it. The cubicle and speedcubeshop are better if you live in the US, though stores such as cubezz, magiccubemall and zcube.hk in China are cheaper if you are willing to wait a few weeks for shipping
 

dStevens

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In general, never buy cubes from Amazon, some are fake, all are overpriced and the cube was made by MoYu and cuberspeed appear to be rebranding it. The cubicle and speedcubeshop are better if you live in the US, though stores such as cubezz, magiccubemall and zcube.hk in China are cheaper if you are willing to wait a few weeks for shipping
Thanks so much for the info. That's kind of what I was thinking after I pushed the "purchase" button. lol

I guess I'll just see how it is and from now on just buy from thecubicle.us.

I assume for a beginner just learning basic moves and algorithms any cube will do. But after doing more research and seeing the hype about the GAN 356 Air SM and the GTS2M ... I thought I should grab something that will be better for when I improve. However ... I never thought to think they would be different based on where you purchased from.

Oh well ... live and learn.

Any suggestions on buying the mass produced vs the Cubicle Labs or Angstrom versions on thecubicle.us site. I'm assuming the Cubicle Labs or Angstrom are better ... but are they really "much" better?

Thanks for the help ... really appreciate!!!
 

Duncan Bannon

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Mass produced puzzles by cubers home and even factory magnetized sometimes have problems. When they produce so many of these puzzles they lose the ability to make sure all the magnets match up perfectly, and that enough glue was used to hold the magnet in place, etc. However, they are generally great cubes. Thecubicle.us makes sure all that is perfect. Also thecubicle.us lubes all of there custom cubes really well. That way out of the box it is good to go, generally they require some breaking in, but you don't have to lube them yourself, (and they always do a great job).

Angstrom is basically a cubicle labs cube lined with different lube. I would say most people really like Angstrom lubes and therefore the angstrom cubes. But some people don't like the feel. Angstrom cubes are also experimental.

Or you could grab you some 30k and 50 magnets and make your own. Lots of options.

But, if you want to get this cube, it me one of the best cubes on the market, and not have to worry at all, get a Cubicle Labs or Angstrom cube.

Edit- Are they much better is a matter of opinion. Are they worth less hassle for you? Or do you like playing around to find what feel you like. :) Hopefully this made it easier...
 

dStevens

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Jun 14, 2018
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Thank you Duncan for the help! Very much appreciate it!

I will definitely go with the more reliable option of using thecubicle.us or other "cube" dedicated sites when grabbing my next puzzles.

And I will probably in the near future try both the options you suggest ... the Angstrom cube or the Cubicle labs as well as some different strength magnets.

Fortunately ... I just received my Amazon order about 10 minutes ago. And both my cubes are really nice. The "CuberSpeed MoYu WeiLong GTS2 M" is really nice. Seems to be a little loose and a little too fast ... I'm easily overturning. I assume some adjustments will help. Also maybe stronger magnets will help (the current ones seem very subtle). Maybe I'll get used to them ... as I mentioned this is my first cube in a long long time.

My only concern with this one now is ... i've heard some complain about the magnets becoming detached because the mass marketed ones tend not to be glued very well. So we'll see.

But thank you again for the advice ... it really helps!
 

Tabe

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The magnets getting dislodged on the GTS2M seems to have been an "early batch" problem. You likely will not have an issue.

And, yes, the magnets on the GS2M are very subtle. The cube is very fast and ... flexible (unstable)... so maybe isn't a great option for someone's first real speed cube. Stronger magnets definitely help with that as does some lube to slow the puzzle down. You might consider adding magnets to the corners on top of the existing ones.

You might also consider getting a stable cube like a Valk 3M or the MGC.
 

dStevens

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Jun 14, 2018
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Yup Tabe ... I did read that it seems the "early batch" problem has been adjusted/fixed. I've been playing with it all day and it feels really good. I may eventually put in stronger magnets ... or step up to a more stable one like you suggested. But for now I think I'll just go with this for a little while.

I'm just learning how to solve ... and coming from a magic background ... I'm starting with "cube 3 by steven brundage". It's fun and it seems like a good place to start.

Any suggestions on well organized learning is always welcome!

Thanks again for the reply!
 

Swagrid

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New to the whole Cube thing! Wondering if anyone can tell me ... does it make a difference where you buy your cube.

I just bought a "CuberSpeed MoYu WeiLong GTS2 M Black 3x3 Magic cube" on amazon ... apparently sold/made by cuberspeed.

But I see a lot of people buying from "thecubicle". Will the same cube be the same from both places? I purchased from amazon because of fast free shipping.

Any thoughts would be appreciated as again … I’m very new to this (coming from the magic world … I’m just getting into cube stuff and I find this speedcubing pretty fascinating to say the least).
Quite late to this but whatever. Generally, the only time a cube would change quality over store would be if you were getting ripped off. Generally, I use eBay and check for the following things
1) is the seller just the eBay page of a store?
2) Feedback rating of the seller
3) feedback rating on the item
The thing to remember is thecubicle won't ever rip you off, but sells at retail price. Other stores may rip you off, but sell cheaper. I got my Valk cheaper than normal from eBay and it's not a fake
 

Ethan Epstein

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Jul 23, 2018
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In general, never buy cubes from Amazon, some are fake, all are overpriced and the cube was made by MoYu and cuberspeed appear to be rebranding it. The cubicle and speedcubeshop are better if you live in the US, though stores such as cubezz, magiccubemall and zcube.hk in China are cheaper if you are willing to wait a few weeks for shipping
Are the Chinese sites really reliable and safe? Stuff look too cheap there... Especially zcube.hk
 

Ethan Epstein

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Jul 23, 2018
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I have heard good things about Zcube.hk but have never ordered from them.

I have ordered from Cubezz, Lightake, and MagicCubeMall and they are all reliable . Shipping is slow but you'll get your cubes.
Alright, Thank you!
 

Hazel

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The magnets getting dislodged on the GTS2M seems to have been an "early batch" problem. You likely will not have an issue.

And, yes, the magnets on the GS2M are very subtle. The cube is very fast and ... flexible (unstable)... so maybe isn't a great option for someone's first real speed cube. Stronger magnets definitely help with that as does some lube to slow the puzzle down. You might consider adding magnets to the corners on top of the existing ones.

You might also consider getting a stable cube like a Valk 3M or the MGC.
I know you posted this a while ago, but personally I find the GTS2M magnets to be rather strong! The GAN UM magnets felt even stronger to me, too much so probably, while others have said they find them weak.
 

Tabe

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I know you posted this a while ago, but personally I find the GTS2M magnets to be rather strong! The GAN UM magnets felt even stronger to me, too much so probably, while others have said they find them weak.
Isn't it funny how different people respond to different cubes? I agree with you on the UM having strong magnets . Obviously I disagree on the GTS2M :) i actually added magnets to one of mine.
 

Galcor117

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Jan 17, 2018
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In general, never buy cubes from Amazon, some are fake, all are overpriced and the cube was made by MoYu and cuberspeed appear to be rebranding it. The cubicle and speedcubeshop are better if you live in the US, though stores such as cubezz, magiccubemall and zcube.hk in China are cheaper if you are willing to wait a few weeks for shipping
Actually, amazon cubes are the same price, if not lower.
From my memory, the moyu 13x13 is over 50 dollars cheaper in amazon. Also, some GAN SMs are almost 10 dollars cheaper in amazon. But for lower priced cubes (including the GTS2M), the price is the same, so definately get them at thecubicle or scs.

They arent rebranding the cubes, they just put their name on it to show that they are vending it.
 

One Wheel

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Quite late to this but whatever. Generally, the only time a cube would change quality over store would be if you were getting ripped off. Generally, I use eBay and check for the following things
1) is the seller just the eBay page of a store?
2) Feedback rating of the seller
3) feedback rating on the item
The thing to remember is thecubicle won't ever rip you off, but sells at retail price. Other stores may rip you off, but sell cheaper. I got my Valk cheaper than normal from eBay and it's not a fake

I bought a Moyu Aofu off ebay (just before the cubic Aofu was released) from a very highly rated seller. They had copied a picture of an Aofu, and sent me a YJ 7x7 instead. When I complained to the seller they offered me a refund of I think $1.99, contingent on leaving a good review. When I complained to ebay they said that there had been several similar previous complaints against that seller, and they should have been shut down before but they obviously hadn't.
 

cuber314159

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I bought a Moyu Aofu off ebay (just before the cubic Aofu was released) from a very highly rated seller. They had copied a picture of an Aofu, and sent me a YJ 7x7 instead. When I complained to the seller they offered me a refund of I think $1.99, contingent on leaving a good review. When I complained to ebay they said that there had been several similar previous complaints against that seller, and they should have been shut down before but they obviously hadn't.
I bought an 8x8 from eBay for about £16, it never came, they had 87.5% positive feedback, which means they made lots of fake reviews, but I got my money back, I assume they rely on people not bothering complaining.
I have seen 13x13s on ebay for about £45 but I doubt they would come.
Are the Chinese sites really reliable and safe? Stuff look too cheap there... Especially zcube.hk
I have received everything I have ordered or won from lightake, magiccubemall, cubezz, zcube, AliExpress, sunyoktoys, even taobao (through an agent) although I was issued a refund as some Stock was unavailable.

Has anyone else noticed that on Firefox on Linux mint 17 that zcube.hk automatically redirects to zcube.taobao.com where everything is in Chinese?
 

Ronxu

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I bought an 8x8 from eBay for about £16, it never came, they had 87.5% positive feedback, which means they made lots of fake reviews, but I got my money back, I assume they rely on people not bothering complaining.
tbh 87.5% awful compared to most sellers and £16 for an 8x8 is such an obvious fake you should've seen that coming. Very high 90s positive feedback is what you should be looking for.
 

Ethan Epstein

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Are the Chinese sites really reliable and safe? Stuff look too cheap there... Especially zcube.hk

I have recieved my cubes from Zcube.hk, and they're fine. Just wanted to let you know that this shop is safe and extremely cheap compared to the Cubicle.us and SpeedCubeShop. Only problem is that they don't sell lubes :( Does anyone know where I can get a good cheap lube (not from the Cubicle.us/SpeedCubeShop because I'm not from the US so shipping costs a lot of money)?
 

cuber314159

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You can get maru very cheap from fasttech if you are willing to wait a while. If you want good lube from the cubicle or speedcubeshop, then sometimes kewbz.co.uk or speedcubeshop.com.au will work out cheaper or just order from the cubicle or speedcubeshop in bulk to save on shipping if you want lots of good lube.
 
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