Zain_A24
Member
YJ YuChuang V2M Review
IntroductionThis is my completely unbiased opinion of both Britcubes and the YJ YuChuang V2M 5x5. Be sure to leave any comments below with any feedback for future reviews. I will be using the same format I did for the Meilong 4x4 and 4x4M Review, but I am open to suggestions to how the information can be structured as well as if any other factors should be considered when reviewing this cube. I have tried to keep this review as detailed as possible, whilst structuring it so it is easier to read, and certain aspects of the cube can be distinguished from the different headings and sections.
Sections:
- Review of Store – Britcubes.co.uk
- Review of Cube – YJ Yuchuang V2M
- OOTB
- Completely Dry
- Lube + Tension
- Break-in
- Final Thoughts
Review of Store
General InfoName: Britcubes
Link: https://www.britcubes.co.uk/
This product came from a new speedcube store in the UK – Britcubes. The store features a simple and easy-to-use website as well as prices which compete with other cube stores around the UK. Shipping is a solid £3.00 to areas in the UK through Royal Mail First Class. Customer service is very responsive, I wrote a query to Britcubes through the messaging service on their website and was surprised to receive a helpful response only a few hours later. Despite not having a comparable collection to other stores, this store is constantly growing and adding new stock, and customers are able to request cubes for Britcubes to bring in stock.
My full review of Britcubes can be seen here.
Review of Cube
General InfoName – YJ YuChuang V2M
Price - £8.99
Link - https://www.britcubes.co.uk/store/p32/yj-yuchuang-5x5-m.html
Size - 62mm
Weight – 144g
Brief Overview
YJ have recently released a new set of budget magnetic puzzles under their competitive “Yulong V2M” line, going from their 2x2 Yupo to their 7x7 Yufu. This set of puzzles have been increasingly popular with beginner and intermediate speedsolvers, with magnetic cubes now becoming more affordable for people on a budget. The Yulong V2M series has been competing with the Mofang Jiaoshi Meilong cubes as well as the Shengshou Mr M and Yuxin Little Magic series of puzzles.
Out of the Box
First Impressions – Before TurningUpon removing the puzzle from the plastic wrap, I notice that there is some lube on the outside of the puzzle. After a quick wipe down of the cube, I turn to its design. With larger “florian” holes on the outer layers, I would assume this would be improve outer layer cornercutting. The shades on this puzzle are nice and vivid, with a deeper red and blue and an excellent contrast, shades that I prefer over the Yuxin and Cubing Classroom. The cube feels a good weight in the hands, not too heavy for me to get tired whilst solving yet not too light to feel cheap. The pieces on the inside have factory lubricant, which is great since a lot of budget cubes come very dry. I can notice a set of deep grooves on the inner layer pieces.
First Turns
Outer LayersDoing a few T perms, the speed of the outer layers were nice and fast, yet controllable, a perfect speed for beginners and intermediates. The outer layer magnets are noticeable when doing slower turns, and you can feel a slight bump when doing fast R turns. When doing U/U’ flicks, sometimes I would slightly undershoot or overshoot, perhaps due to my inexperience with 5x5 hardware. However, during solves, the magnets are of suitable strength to maintain alignment of the cube.
Inner Layers
The inner layers out-of-the-box, as expected, are slightly slower than the outer layers, but the speeds would soon become more uniform with a bit of break-in and setup. Stronger magnets are used in the inner layers so are much more noticeable than the outer layers. Doing H perms on this cube are effortless, since the magnets are good at holding the inner layers together whilst allowing the outer layers to move freely.
Cornercutting
Cornercutting out-of-the-box is very good, 1 ½ pieces forward and ½ piece reverse on the outer layers, and slightly less on the inner layers. Reverse cornercutting on the inner layers are “snappy”, but a lot more effortless on the
outer layers. I would assume setup would change this effect.
Solves
During a few solves, I experience a small amount of inner layer catching, possibly due to the lack of inner layer reverse cornercutting, a similar problem to the Yusu V2M, although it could have just been my inaccurate turning. The cube overall remains very stable, maintaining its shape very well. On the tighter tensions, I did not get any bad 5x5 lockups, although I am not to blame the cube for any minor lockups, which were easily corrected. 3x3 stage is very fast due to the weaker outer layers, and I am able to use M slices readily in my solves. There was a slight spring noise, but I was aware this would go away after setup
Setup
Before setting this cube up, I wanted to know how the cube feels when completely dry, as I was aware the inside was thoroughly lubricated. I wiped each individual piece thoroughly and assembled the cube.Completely Dry
I was surprised to notice both the inner and outer layers were very fast, with not much of a difference when the factory lubricant was removed. This was a good sign, as this ensured the cube will be beginner-friendly or great for those who choose not to lubricate their puzzles. There was a slight sandiness of course, but the polished plastic ensured this was minimal.
Lubrication + Tensioning
Once again, I disassembled the cube to lubricate the core with 50k and assembled the cube, also lubricating the pieces with 50k. I experimented with the tensioning, but ultimately decided on keeping the stock tensions. The cube is now much faster, the inner layers showing a more noticeable change. The catching seemed to have minimised, although this may have been to my adapted turning style and more accurate turning. The cube is now excellent for intermediate solvers.
Break-in
After several more solves, the inner layers are beginning to speed up a bit and the catching has reduced, maybe due to my more accurate and careful turning.
Final Thoughts
I had heard very mixed opinions of this cube, many people dismissing it for the Yuxin Little Magic 5x5M. Despite not having the Yuxin Little Magic M to compare this to, I can tell this cube is very fast out of the box and it just continues to improve after setup and break-in. The cube is very stable, and even on looser tensions, pops are non-existent for me. Simulating aggressive, inaccurate turning, the cube does not experience any hard-to-fix 5x5 lockups that can be experienced with some other cubes which could ruin the solve completely. I was very impressed by this new release from YJ immediately once turning the cube, and I would definitely recommend this cube over any non-magnetic budget 5x5 for both beginner and intermediate cubers.Thank you for reading all the way to this very long review. Thank you very much to Britcubes for the exceptional service. Feel free to leave suggestions on what cube to review as well as ways I could improve future reviews. Help the growth of Britcubes by showing support on the following platforms:
Blogs - https://www.britcubes.co.uk/britblogs
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZM197FPM_YqvQLxIKoANEg
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/britcubes/
Trustpilot - https://www.trustpilot.com/review/britcubes.co.uk
