7x7x7 Talk - Is this an Aofu world?

[Ben Nutley]

Hey all! First post here but I intend on becoming a part of the community best I can!

I noticed recently that the moyu aofu seems to be the go to 7x7 for speedsolving. However it came out what 3 years ago? It's so strange because in the 3x3 world new cubes are coming out all the time, and while the new ones only barely improve upon the previous, it's still exciting to play with new speedcubes.

My question is this: Do any of you know if there are new 7x7s on the market any time soon? I wanted to buy a 7x7 and was right about to buy an aofu when I realised that it's so old that surely it might be a better idea to wait and see how the market plays out.

What do you guys think? What's your go-to 7x7?

 

[turtwig]

I haven't heard about any new 7x7s, but based on the frequency of release for new 6x6s recently, there might be one soon, but who knows.
The main reason that 7x7s release much less often than 3x3s is popularity. 3x3 is much more popular, and in general people will be more reluctant to buy new 7x7s due to its high price point.
Anyway, I think that the cubic AoFu is definitely the best 7x7. The only reason to buy something else is a lower price.

 

[Abo]

The cubic aofu is significantly better than the shengshou, and those are really the only two viable ish options

 

[One Wheel]

With Yuxin's 6x6 I'd be a little surprised if they didn't take the same mechanism and release a 7x7 in the next 5-6 months, anyway, probably in time for Christmas. But then I'm still waiting for Moyu to get on their 15x15 which I predicted would be out in August.

 

[DGCubes]

The cubic AoFu is by far the best, and it's just over a year old, by the way. Make sure you get the cubic one and not the pillowed one though. I thought I heard something about YuXin coming out with a 7x7 sometime in the future (I may be wrong about that), but if you want one now, the AoFu is definitely the best option.

 

[tx789]

7x7x7 aren't released much. 7x7x7 was made offical in 2009 and people used V-cubes then Shengshou and now the cubic Aofu. The Shengshou was released in early 2013 the V-Cube in 2008.

 

[UseableCuber0o]

M

Hey all! First post here but I intend on becoming a part of the community best I can!

I noticed recently that the moyu aofu seems to be the go to 7x7 for speedsolving. However it came out what 3 years ago? It's so strange because in the 3x3 world new cubes are coming out all the time, and while the new ones only barely improve upon the previous, it's still exciting to play with new speedcubes.

My question is this: Do any of you know if there are new 7x7s on the market any time soon? I wanted to buy a 7x7 and was right about to buy an aofu when I realised that it's so old that surely it might be a better idea to wait and see how the market plays out.

What do you guys think? What's your go-to 7x7?

Moyu, or a sub brand is making a new one.

 

[One Wheel]

M

Moyu, or a sub brand is making a new one.

I was going to dismiss this as unhelpfully vague speculation until I scrolled through their Facebook page. Seems like they're saying it's a ways out yet. They'll probably get it ready to release, wait until Yuxin announces their release, and then try to steal Yuxin's thunder.

 

[AlphaSheep]

You're right. The Aofu that came out 3 years ago is bad, so don't get it. Almost no one uses it, and even a couple years ago, most faster cubers preferred the Shengshou. Don't buy an Aofu.

The cubic Aofu, or Aofu GT was released just last year and is a massive improvement over the previous Aofu. Thats the cube most people use these days. If you buy one make sure you're getting the cubic Aofu.

 

[Ben Nutley]

Oh I see I'm sorry, I was under the false impression that the cubic aofu was the same mechanism as the pillowed one, and they just made a cubic one for preferential reasons or for competition reasons. That's why I said the aofu was like 3 years old.

Are the mechanisms actually very different, or does a puzzle being cubic or pillowed actually impact the performance? Up until now I always considered cubic vs pillowed to be an aesthetic thing akin to stickered vs stickerless. I never really considered how the cubicness would help the deisgn of the internals.

Anyway as far as new 7x7s go, what do you think would be improved upon if moyu or yuxin released a new 7x7?

 

[Chree]

Oh I see I'm sorry, I was under the false impression that the cubic aofu was the same mechanism as the pillowed one, and they just made a cubic one for preferential reasons or for competition reasons. That's why I said the aofu was like 3 years old.

Are the mechanisms actually very different, or does a puzzle being cubic or pillowed actually impact the performance? Up until now I always considered cubic vs pillowed to be an aesthetic thing akin to stickered vs stickerless. I never really considered how the cubicness would help the deisgn of the internals.

Anyway as far as new 7x7s go, what do you think would be improved upon if moyu or yuxin released a new 7x7?

Just to nitpick (because that's how we do), the original Aofu was only released in June of 2014, so just over 2 years ago. The main gripe people have with pillowed cubes is the grip. With smaller outer layers and broader angle to the edges, it becomes more difficult to execute some of the most essential moves of the solve (flipping, 3x3, etc). There are still really fast people that use pillowed, but it's not as widely preferred. The Cubic Aofu has wider outer layers which provide better grip. And indeed, the actual mechanism is improved on the Cubic Aofu. It's more stable and less prone to pops.

I also come down on it aesthetically. I own both, but I prefer my cubes... cubic.

I can't really guess what WILL be improved upon, but there's only one thing I think SHOULD be improved upon, and that's pops. My Cubic Aofu tends to shoot obliques out like a spitball... and even when I'm not turning all that rough. Doesn't happen as often, lately, but it happens. And that'll require some crafty tweaking to current designs. Moyu's got a 6x6 just around the corner which claims to do just that. So we'll see if a 7x7 follows.

Qiyi posted to Facebook that they have a prototype 7x7, which may be released just behind their 6x6. Their Big Cube game hasn't been super strong (trash 4x4s and a polarizing 5x5), but there are still high hopes. I'm sure the price will be an influential factor.