[Help Thread] Is my cube / puzzle a dud?

[mafergut]

Just got my Yuxin Blue. Felt horrible out of the box and it rattled when I shook it. Took it apart to find the source of the rattle and do spring swap. The rattle comes from the torpedos in the inner edge pieces, all of them. It doesn't appear to be anything I can fix easily. Is this normal, or dud?

Now that you mention it, yes, mine does rattle as well. It's not very noticeable but it's there. It is also terrible out of the box. I have not used save for a dozen of solves and I'm thinking about doing a spring swap with a Thunderclap v1 I have lying around.

 

[DXPower]

So, I've had this Aosu for quite a while... I didn't solve it for a while and I picked it back up recently and it is just terrible. I've tried loosening it, tightening it, lubing it, but it catches and locks up a ton. Is there anything I can do to fix this? Could I do a florian mod, perhaps?

 

[FishSaysMOO]

I bought a Moyu Weilong from thecubicle.us and it was so faulty. There was a ton of excess plastic so whenever i turned certain sides there was a ton of friction and so forth.

 

[dskids]

I bought a Moyu Weilong from thecubicle.us and it was so faulty. There was a ton of excess plastic so whenever i turned certain sides there was a ton of friction and so forth.

A WeiLong V2 or GTS? I bought a V2 a long time ago, but I do remember it feeling pretty cheap compared to the more recent MoYu stuff.

 

[M07ix]

I never lube my valk 3 since I get it , but I do dissemble and assemble it several time ans I mop every pieces as well, the problem I encounter now is the cube is easily break when I turning fast, this problem only solve after I tighten the spring, but it has to be really tight and it cahse me more force to turn the cube...compare to when I first got it, everything is good the tension is not really tight and it wont break not like my situation now. So are my cube really spoil? Any solution about it?

 

[dskids]

So are my cube really spoil? Any solution about it?

Not sure if serious.

Your cube used to be fine. You took it apart and wiped out all the lube. Now it's slow and hard to turn.

Dunno, maybe if you poured some sand into it that would help? JK, you need to put new lube in it. Look up some videos on Youtube about how to properly set up, lube, and maintain a speedcube.

 

[JMW]

Hey Gang, I just recently got into SpeedCubing and received four speedcubes off of Amazon.

• D-FantiX Moyu Aolong V2 Stickerless 3x3 Speed Cube Magic Cube Puzzles Enhanced Version
• Aircee Gans III GAN 3-57 Gan357 Ganspuzzle 3x3 Speedcube Puzzle Stickerless
• Dayan Zhanchi Speed Magic Cube Stickerless
• MoYu AoLong V2 3x3x3 Enhanced Edition Stickerless Speed Cube (1 Piece), Transparent

I noticed that the Gans 3-57 and Dayan Zhanchi were cheap feeling. The stickerless tiles separate and are a little sharp. They turn pretty good, but it feels that they are going to slice my hands. Do you think that I was a victim of cheap clones for these two?

The two Moyus are perfectly buttery and smooth. All the edges are even and do not separate.

 

[Cubister]

I pretty sure nobody would "clone" these cubes. Instead of a clone a seller could send you a different cube, either by mistake or on purpose.

Feel free to compare the internals of the 2 cubes with images from the GAN357 and ZhanChi for yourself.

The two Moyus are perfectly buttery and smooth.

Right, that "bubbly" feeling is a characteristic feature for this cube. You can't expect that same feeling from other cubes on the market, especially older cubes like the ZhanChi.

 

[dskids]

Do you think that I was a victim of cheap clones for these two?

Who did you buy them from? If you buy on Amazon stick to either D-Fantix or GoodPlay. They are both legit speedcube shops with authentic products. It looks like at least one of your Aolongs was from D-Fantix. Alternatively check the vendor threads here on the forum. There are tons of reputable speedcube shops you can buy from directly who will have even better selections than the Amazon guys.

With all that said, your problem could just be that you bought some old and outdated cubes. The Zhanchi is a highly respected puzzle but it came out way back in 2011. The Gans 357 is from 2013 I believe. Older puzzles can feel cheap since the mechanisms weren't quite as refined and the assemblies were a little more crude.

Your Aolongs feel much better in comparison because they have a heavier, more solid feel, which is a hallmark of that puzzle. But even the Aolong is becoming outdated at this point since its release in 2014. Cubing is at an all time high in popularity at the moment and with that there are several companies putting out very high performing cubes on a regular basis. Check out some newer puzzles like the Thunderclap V1, Tanglong, Yuexiao, Weilong GTS, Valk 3 or Gans 356 Air if you have the budget for it.

 

[JMW]

I pretty sure nobody would "clone" these cubes. Instead of a clone a seller could send you a different cube, either by mistake or on purpose.

Feel free to compare the internals of the 2 cubes with images from the GAN357 and ZhanChi for yourself.


Right, that "bubbly" feeling is a characteristic feature for this cube. You can't expect that same feeling from other cubes on the market, especially older cubes like the ZhanChi.

Cubister, you are probably right about not being clones. The person contacted me back is going to send me a replacement. I didn't know that the 357 was older than the 356. My brain saw a bigger number and went with it. Also I didn't know the Zhanchi was older either. I am going to have to do more research. I am in love with the Moyu Aolong, both stickerless and transparent. The transparent, of course is ridiculous, because I have a hard time with the white and yellow. I spent some time with it today and got to love it a little more.

Who did you buy them from? If you buy on Amazon stick to either D-Fantix or GoodPlay. They are both legit speedcube shops with authentic products. It looks like at least one of your Aolongs was from D-Fantix. Alternatively check the vendor threads here on the forum. There are tons of reputable speedcube shops you can buy from directly who will have even better selections than the Amazon guys.

With all that said, your problem could just be that you bought some old and outdated cubes. The Zhanchi is a highly respected puzzle but it came out way back in 2011. The Gans 357 is from 2013 I believe. Older puzzles can feel cheap since the mechanisms weren't quite as refined and the assemblies were a little more crude.

Your Aolongs feel much better in comparison because they have a heavier, more solid feel, which is a hallmark of that puzzle. But even the Aolong is becoming outdated at this point since its release in 2014. Cubing is at an all time high in popularity at the moment and with that there are several companies putting out very high performing cubes on a regular basis. Check out some newer puzzles like the Thunderclap V1, Tanglong, Yuexiao, Weilong GTS, Valk 3 or Gans 356 Air if you have the budget for it.

dskids,

I bought them from Aircee. I should receive a replacement next week, but I am thinking it will be similar if not the same situation. I will definitely be buy from a more reputable store next time. Do you recommend the Cubicle.US? They look like they have it together. That or speedcubeshop.com.

I love cubing. I am fixated on it heavily. Since I had my first Rubik's Cube, nearly 30 years ago now, I have wanted to learn how to solve it. I have gotten down to below 2 mins after a month of practicing. I am getting real good at F2L now and hope to cut my time in half shortly.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[dskids]

I bought them from Aircee. I should receive a replacement next week, but I am thinking it will be similar if not the same situation. I will definitely be buy from a more reputable store next time. Do you recommend the Cubicle.US? They look like they have it together. That or speedcubeshop.com.

Not familiar with Aircee, they may be a perfectly legitimate operation, but I just don't have any experience with them. Yes, Cubicle.us or "the Cubicle" is probably the most popular online source for cubes, but due to that popularity get pretty bogged down during the holiday season. Never bought from speedcubeshop, but they have a great reputation as well.

 

[Douf]

Hi,

I thought I'd ask this before making a video, as it might be a common problem.

I bought my first 4x4, a white YJ GuanSu, and I'm a noob so much that I like to just use a cube out of the box for a while because I don't really know how to 'set it up' or have never wanted to try for fear of breaking something etc.

Anyway out of the box, when I make an 'r turn... well, I can't really. The whole cube instantly locks up when I try and the two middle rows completely catch. I have to use heavy force for them to get past each other. I twist with force, and a loud snap is heard as they finally uncatch. Obviously there is something in there blocking the way. But nothing really breaks off or anything so I'm if the cube was just manufactured unevenly.

Anyway it makes solving impossible. All the other turns are fine including the 'd' turn, which of course is the same turn on the other axis.

Anyone know a fix for this? Can someone please help!

Thanks in advance.

 

[dskids]

Anyway out of the box, when I make an 'r turn... well, I can't really. The whole cube instantly locks up when I try and the two middle rows completely catch. I have to use heavy force for them to get past each other. I twist with force, and a loud snap is heard as they finally uncatch.

Yikes! Yeah definitely something going on there. My personal recommendation would be to watch some Youtube videos and get familiar with 4x4 teardown and assembly... and then just tear the thing down. It sounds like there could be some flash on the inner pieces that is catching or jamming the mechanism. Another possibility is that one of the center stalks is twisted such that the alignment mechanism tabs are not in the right position. This would be visually obvious after teardown because the cores are designed in such a way that the center stalks have one intended position.

 

[pipkiksass]

when I make an 'r turn... well, I can't really. The whole cube instantly locks up when I try and the two middle rows completely catch. I have to use heavy force for them to get past each other. I twist with force, and a loud snap is heard as they finally uncatch.

Sounds to me like a small internal piece is out of line, but that would normally stop the cube returning to perfect cube shape.

Second vote for tear down and rebuild. If there's a piece out of line it should go back together fine, if not then get a refund!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Бенджамин Парсонс]

so i got my guansu earlier this month, and it wasn't the best. I expected this because it was a stock cube. So I took about a few weeks to break in, tension, and lube the puzzle. And jeebus! the thing was still terrible!!!!! I heard about other people having this issue, can someone explain???

 

[Dom]

This same thing just happened in the is-my-cube-puzzle-a-dud. Check that one out. This happened when I bought my Cyclone Boys G4. I took it all apart and took off all the flash with a file and sand paper on EVERY SINGLE PIECE. Then it worked awesome. I broke it in for a couple weeks and now I like it much better than my Yuxin Blue.

Shave off all the flash so that every piece is absolutely smooth.

 

[Orimaster]

I personally hate any Dayan cube in general because they're all unstable. eBay is possibly the worst place to buy a cube because you never going to know what condition it is in.

 

[cuber314159]

when i first got my valk 3 it was straight away my new main speedcube but recently it has been getting worse, first i washed it out and relubed it with silicone spray but it has not improved. i am not getting another valk as they are expensive so what should i do???

 

[dskids]

when i first got my valk 3 it was straight away my new main speedcube but recently it has been getting worse, first i washed it out and relubed it with silicone spray but it has not improved. i am not getting another valk as they are expensive so what should i do???

Need more detail. What do you mean by "worse", slower/more unstable/catchy/etc? Also silicone spray is good for some applications but if you care about cubing, I think at a minimum you should have some 50k/wt 5 silicone grease and some speed lube like maru or silk.

 

[cuber314159]

Need more detail. What do you mean by "worse", slower/more unstable/catchy/etc? Also silicone spray is good for some applications but if you care about cubing, I think at a minimum you should have some 50k/wt 5 silicone grease and some speed lube like maru or silk.

i just mean slower, i tried cleaning it then relubing it and it has got better but still not like it wa out of the box so i think ill order some maru