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Looking for stickerless cube with traditional color scheme

OregonTrail

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
138
I just back into cubing after 5 years, and I’m blown away by the improvements in hardware. I picked up two QiYi Warrior W for a friend and I, so that I can teach them while we use the same cube. What I didn’t expect was for this cube to be better than my entire collection from 2009-2014: speed, cutting, tension, weight, and even the sound of the cube are all so much better.

Even after forgetting half of the algorithms that I used to know, I crushed my average of 5 last night with this cube. That got me thinking that I need to pick something else up. The only thing that I don’t like about this cube is the color scheme. The “vivid” scheme of the cube looks a bit too pastel for me, not enough contrast.

Things that I do like about this cube:
  • Perfect tension and smoothness right out of the box. My old DaYan used to pop multiple times per day. One of the reasons that I quit cubing was that I couldn’t get the tension right.
  • Stickerless. I hate the look and feel of frayed stickers, so stickerless is nice.
  • Unbelievable cutting. I had never seen a cube with “rounded off” center caps, which I thought was really interesting, and somehow this cube cuts like a monster.
  • Sound. The cube has a kind of muffled sound which complements the smoothness. Another reason that I quit cubing was that I didn't want to annoy people with the sound.
  • Weight. The cube is light but feels very solid.
Given all this, what cube do you think I should buy for myself? My budget is up to $30 including shipping and tax.
 
Last edited:

xyzzy

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2015
Messages
2,877
I just back into cubing after 5 years, and I’m blown away by the improvements in hardware. I picked up two QiYi Warrior W for a friend and I, so that I can teach them while we use the same cube. What I didn’t expect was for this cube to be better than my entire collection from 2009-2014: speed, cutting, tension, weight, and even the sound of the cube are all so much better.

Even after forgetting half of the algorithms that I used to know, I crushed my average of 5 last night with this cube. That got me thinking that I need to pick something else up. The only thing that I don’t like about this cube is the color scheme. The “vivid” scheme of the cube looks a bit too pastel for me, not enough contrast.

Things that I do like about this cube:
  • Perfect tension and smoothness right out of the box. My old DaYan used to pop multiple times per day. One of the reasons that I quit cubing was that I couldn’t get the tension right.
  • Stickerless. I hate the look and feel of frayed stickers, so stickerless is nice.
  • Unbelievable cutting. I had never seen a cube with “rounded off” center caps, which I thought was really interesting, and somehow this cube cuts like a monster.
  • Sound. The cube has a kind of muffled sound which complements the smoothness. Another reason that I quit cubing was that I didn't want to annoy people with the sound.
  • Weight. The cube is light but feels very solid.
Given all this, what cube do you think I should buy for myself? My budget is up to $30 including shipping and tax.
I think the two modern cubes that have stickerless shades that are closest to the "traditional" ones are the Dayan Zhanchi 2018 (exactly the same shades as the original Guhong and Zhanchi) and the GAN 356 R. If you're willing to be a bit more flexible, that opens up a lot more options:
- The premium Qiyi cubes (Valk 3 M, Valk Power M, the Wu series, XMD puzzles); these have fluoro yellow, light green, and a dark red (but not as dark as the original Dayan cubes). The blue is a proper blue, not the lame pastel blue they use in the Warrior W and other budget cubes.
- Newer premium Moyu cubes (MF3RS3 M, Weilong GTS3M (and variants thereof), Yuexiao Pro M, the Ao GTS series of big cubes). (I don't have these cubes on hand right now to compare the colours.) Older cubes and budget cubes (e.g. Weilong GTS2, MF3RS) have pastel-y red and blue shades that you probably won't like.
- Yuxin Little Magic and Yuxin Huanglong (the latter has a factory-magnetised option); these have vibrant shades, with a slightly orangey fluoro red. Most modern Yuxin cubes use the same shades (with the sole exceptions of the Hays 7 and I think the Little Magic 6×6×6 as well.)
- GAN 356 X (but this way exceeds your budget), GAN 354 M.
- Dayan Tengyun M. Similar shades to the Qiyi cubes, with fluoro yellow, light green, and a slightly dark red (but not as dark as the Qiyi cubes, and definitely not as dark as the original Dayan cubes).
- Probably ten more that I can't think of right now.

You can't really go wrong with any of these, although considering your criteria, maybe the Tengyun might be the best option. Relatively quiet, works with a wide range of tensions, great corner cutting, and it's among the lighter end of modern cubes. The GAN 356 X has had better reviews, but is much more expensive (around 55 USD iirc?).

edit: Also, magnets are a thing now. Forgot to mention that. They make cubes a lot more stable, and most people use magnetic cubes for two-handed solving these days. They used to be really expensive, as you had to pay for a cube shop to glue the magnets in for you (or you had to do it yourself, which is much cheaper but also costs time), but these days, there are many affordable options for cubes that come out of the factory with magnets already placed.
 
Last edited:

OregonTrail

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
138
I ordered the TengYun M based on listening to it on YouTube.

Thanks for the suggestions.
 

One Wheel

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
2,883
Location
Wisconsin
WCA
2016BAIR04
Other than a little bit limey green, the shades on the Yulong v2 M are really nice, especially the blue. It’s also a fantastic cube for the price point, barely losing out to my GTS2M for main status.
 

OregonTrail

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
138
Got my TengYun last night. The color scheme is ok, except the green is a bit too "neon green" for me and the yellow is a bit too "neon yellow".

I really love the feel of the cube, even right out of the box. It's very quiet. Which should be great for cubing during lunch at work.

The only downside that I've noticed other than the color scheme is that the magnets mess with my M turns for some reason. I end up with the slice catching when I go for U turns right afterward. I have to be "careful" and adjust my style a bit. I'll have to figure out what the real issue is.
 

Papycuber

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2022
Messages
2
Location
France
Hello,

What are the modern magnetized cubes today (2023) with colors as close as possible to the Dayan Zhanchi 2018 and Gan 356 R mentined above ?

I love my old Zhanchi for cubing under artificial or dim light but it is not as practical as modern cubes (in sunny light conditions).
 
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