is the Gan 11 M Pro overrated?

[rubik2005]

I don't have the 11M Pro, but I do have the Duo (not sure if my opinion is valid). When I took it out of the box, it honestly didn't impress me.

1. It almost felt "cheap," but that's maybe due to the hallow/lightweight design that I wasn't used to.
2. When I did some solves, I think I tried to rely on the corner-core m magnets because I was locking up like crazy, but again I wasn't used to the cube.
3. The cube had some lube, but it felt really dry/sandy which gave it an interesting feeling. Kinda even gave me YLM vibes

Once I put some lube and tried turning a little more gentle, it started to behave a little better, but I'm still working to find a good setup that gives me the right feel + performance.

If this is exactly how the 11M Pro performed/felt, I personally don't think the price tag is worth it. One can learn so many things to improve their times that it almost doesn't even matter what cube you use (as long as it's not a dollar store cube or the Fanxin Magnetic). I'm not sure how others feel about the corner-core magnets, but I almost don't feel a difference. Like I said before, perhaps since I've used other cubes I tend to push each layer "all the way" until the turn is complete, so what I'm guessing is that in order for me to really benefit from this I would almost have to put less effort into each turn for the layers to "snap" quicker.

Is it a good cube? It's certainly not bad, but it's not extraordinary, meaning I don't see the justification between the hefty price tag.

 

[robdawg421]

I ordered a bunch of flagships / solid cubes over the last month.. and only got one Gan (and my first).. the 11 M Pro. Reading your post I actually just ordered the 356 M Lite. I want to see how the more budget version compares.

I agreed when I saw the $65 that wowzer thats a bit pricey. I think any flagship now and coming up is aiming around the $50 price point. So is what they did worth the extra $15ish? I have been out of cubing for a while and coming back the first thing that struck me was the screw-less design GAN is using. I always thought screwing 6 screws into a core was prone to inconsistent setup. It is possible you can get the screw heights close enough to not feel a difference.. but I always felt that was a sketchy step of setting up a cube.

You also get this screw-less design in the other cheaper GANs.. but they are trying new things on the flagship. More optional adjustments. I would be curious if yours can be adjusted to feel more like the others you have.

I am happy though to see them pushing the edge. This cube def feels like it was engineered with a lot of thought. This will push MoYu I think to innovate. Their flagship is under $40. I think they did pretty well with the RS3 M 2020 for budget cubes but when you look at the WeiLong WR M it doesn't stand out much as something new.

GAN is pushing the price pretty far though... the product page looks pretty sleek and it felt like an iPhone box when I got it.

You are probably right as a multiple GAN owner that the new flagship is overpriced as far as performance per buck. I am cool though with them giving it a shot.. the iPhone of cubes lol.

 

[qwr]

I ordered a bunch of flagships / solid cubes over the last month.. and only got one Gan (and my first).. the 11 M Pro. Reading your post I actually just ordered the 356 M Lite. I want to see how the more budget version compares.

I agreed when I saw the $65 that wowzer thats a bit pricey. I think any flagship now and coming up is aiming around the $50 price point. So is what they did worth the extra $15ish? I have been out of cubing for a while and coming back the first thing that struck me was the screw-less design GAN is using. I always thought screwing 6 screws into a core was prone to inconsistent setup. It is possible you can get the screw heights close enough to not feel a difference.. but I always felt that was a sketchy step of setting up a cube.

You also get this screw-less design in the other cheaper GANs.. but they are trying new things on the flagship. More optional adjustments. I would be curious if yours can be adjusted to feel more like the others you have.

I am happy though to see them pushing the edge. This cube def feels like it was engineered with a lot of thought. This will push MoYu I think to innovate. Their flagship is under $40. I think they did pretty well with the RS3 M 2020 for budget cubes but when you look at the WeiLong WR M it doesn't stand out much as something new.

GAN is pushing the price pretty far though... the product page looks pretty sleek and it felt like an iPhone box when I got it.

You are probably right as a multiple GAN owner that the new flagship is overpriced as far as performance per buck. I am cool though with them giving it a shot.. the iPhone of cubes lol.

I don't think having the tensions exactly the same makes a huge difference, as long as it's close.

GAN cubes are good but you'll probably get 95% of the feel and performance from the 356 Lite M as the 11M Pro

 

[Kaiju_cube]

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the 356 Lite M

 

[qwr]

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the 356 Lite M

oh I actually don't own one lol. I have only a very old gan cube for the collection.
But I will probably get the 11m duo and 356 lite m just because I love buying cubes.

 

[robdawg421]

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the 356 Lite M

It will be here this week so will report back. Thinking on pricing... when I started around 2013 the Zhanchi still had it's throne mostly.. and it was maybe $12 direct from China. The Aolong II or Weilong II were competitors I got for $13 and $16. GAN was around then but it was one of the cubes I did not buy.

Fast forward to now.. with the RS3 M 2020.. you get a really solid cube for $9 with magnets. And their upper end is $40 (would prob be $50 if GAN wasn't around). Prob need a Monster to know how the low end looks for GAN.

 

[qwr]

It will be here this week so will report back. Thinking on pricing... when I started around 2013 the Zhanchi still had it's throne mostly.. and it was maybe $12 direct from China. The Aolong II or Weilong II were competitors I got for $13 and $16. GAN was around then but it was one of the cubes I did not buy.

Fast forward to now.. with the RS3 M 2020.. you get a really solid cube for $9 with magnets. And their upper end is $40 (would prob be $50 if GAN wasn't around). Prob need a Monster to know how the low end looks for GAN.

yeah the budget end has gotten waaay better and the high end prices have gone way up too.
still like I say, you can compete at world class level with a 2017 cube like a GTS2 or valk.

 

[Kaiju_cube]

It will be here this week so will report back. Thinking on pricing... when I started around 2013 the Zhanchi still had it's throne mostly.. and it was maybe $12 direct from China. The Aolong II or Weilong II were competitors I got for $13 and $16. GAN was around then but it was one of the cubes I did not buy.

Fast forward to now.. with the RS3 M 2020.. you get a really solid cube for $9 with magnets. And their upper end is $40 (would prob be $50 if GAN wasn't around). Prob need a Monster to know how the low end looks for GAN.

The Monster Go magnetic is not bad at all. It feels like a Gan but it's a little more clacky and plastic feeling and sounding. It doesn't have that smooth velvet like feeling that the expensive Gans have, (I have no idea how they make plastic feel that way, it's nuts.)

But the Monster is a good cube, it has the same shaped pieces as the other Gans (for the most part) and it has that honey-comb internal texture also. Even just looking at the internals you'd be like, "That's a Gan"

 

[JohnnyReggae]

GAN are overpriced, but you need to remember that this is a free market economy and demand increases cost. As long as you are willing to pay the price, that price will be charged.

GAN are not over rated IMO. The 11M Pro is the best cube on the market and with all the customisations there is surely a fit for *nearly* everyone. The amount of customisation can be daunting and it could take a long time to find the right combination, but the options are there.

If you want to talk over rated ... the Moyu RS3M 2020 .... Great price ... rubbish cube when it is compared to any flagship cube as it is being continuously done. It is best in the budget market, but that is it.

 

[qwr]

If you want to talk over rated ... the Moyu RS3M 2020 .... Great price ... rubbish cube when it is compared to any flagship cube as it is being continuously done. It is best in the budget market, but that is it.

I like the feel of it and I can see why if setup well people might prefer it over other flagships

 

[Gerry]

If you want to talk over rated ... the Moyu RS3M 2020 .... Great price ... rubbish cube when it is compared to any flagship cube as it is being continuously done. It is best in the budget market, but that is it.

My first cube was the 356M lite, then I got the ges kit. (liked it but still wanted to play with customization) I really liked the cube, the spring swap made very little difference to my inexperienced hands unless one was skipped. Purple/Blue felt the same, so did Green/blue. Green/Purple I could tell the difference.

I really liked it, could use it as it is, or use a cheap lube, sparingly so you can keep the feel. Then I hear all the raving of the RS3M 2020. So I bought 2 They are cheap, and apparently better!

It is imo not a cheaper/ better Gan. By the time you buy the different lubes needed to make it perfect , and add the right magnets, then consider your time and effort.... it costs more than the 356 M, AND takes more to maintain. If you notice, if you buy them set up they cost a lot more. Then once you add in a lube to maintain the pro setup it's more than the 356M lite!

I bought 2 of them, and I can never get them to feel right, even after buying "proper" lube for them, and added magnets. They'll either just rot on my shelf forever, or they be sacrificed one day to test mods. The former is more likely though.

Oh yeah back on track. The reason why I am intrigued by the Gan 11, is I hear you do get more friction during the first half of the turn, and the second half is faster, BUT it's less static friction to start the turn.

I can totally imagine what is meant though as the magnets are felt further away from the corners. Making it feel slower after the initial corner edge magnets separate.

Ignoring the core magnets for a second, What do the "normal" edge corner magnets feel like compared to the lite?

 

[Kaiju_cube]

the Lite is easier and smoother to turn. I feel the magnets on the 11 most when doing R and L moves.

I'm not saying the 11 is bad, at all,.. it's a great cube. But when doing solves with the whole batch it's very apparent when I go from the others to the 11 that there's a lot more resistance, even on the lightest settings.

I don't like cubes that turn too easy and light or fast (I overshoot), and I don't like them feeling too stiff or gummy like I'm pushing the layers through sludge,.. I like that light inbetween feeling. I guess for me the 356 M LIte just nails the feeling I like right out of the box.

Probably why I bought 3 of them plus the 356 XS,.. which I also left stock.

I don't mind lubing a cube and breaking it in. But I don't really care for adjusting all the tensions and switching springs and taking them apart and everything. I just want to use them. Most cubes I just use right out of the box, I add a little bit of lube (usually Speed, Silk, or DNM37) and I do a bunch of solves to break it in.

So I'm not saying I hate the 11 M or anything like that, just that to me it feels very different to all the other Gans I have. It really feels to me like I'm always pushing the layers through vasoline. It doesn't have that smooth gliding feeling the others have. Even on the weak settings the magnets feel strong. Maybe it's a combination of the magnets and the factory lube in the core. It just feels sludgy in comparison to all the 356's and Air's I have. (and the Monster Go)

 

[Gerry]

Ohh, I just found an article by Gan saying if you are using a non Gan lube to wipe out the Gan lube first. Perhaps it's a junky factory lube sludging it up.

I've had Gan cubes feel sludgy out of the box, then feel great after cleaning. Who knows when that specific cube was made, and how long it's been sitting, and in what conditions. Maybe the lubing process itself isn't QA'd? Dude just overlubes stuff sometimes and keeps going.

They aren't fancy lube makers, and perhaps if the lube sits long enough it thickens. Thick plus dust equals vaseline feeling.

I'm just hoping a clean and relube willmake the cube perform more to your liking. If not, then probably the core magnets are making if feel that way.

 

[Jonathan Cuber]

i have the GAN 356 Air SM
i really wanted the GAN 11 M PRO but i heard people say that its really not special the cornercutting is average and it performs just like the Gan Air M
and is really overpriced
its just stable now


i think if i had to choose a GAN cube i would choose the 356 X as i loved that cube
(and yes i do think that GAN cubes are overpriced )

 

[Zain_A24]

i have the GAN 356 Air SM
i really wanted the GAN 11 M PRO but i heard people say that its really not special the cornercutting is average and it performs just like the Gan Air M
and is really overpriced
its just stable now


i think if i had to choose a GAN cube i would choose the 356 X as i loved that cube
(and yes i do think that GAN cubes are overpriced )

Performs very differently to a GAN Air M. I have both and they are both distinctly different, so whoever told you they feel identical either doesn't have both cubes or didn't make a very good judgement of both cubes.

 

[Kaiju_cube]

i have the GAN 356 Air SM
i really wanted the GAN 11 M PRO but i heard people say that its really not special the cornercutting is average and it performs just like the Gan Air M
and is really overpriced
its just stable now


i think if i had to choose a GAN cube i would choose the 356 X as i loved that cube
(and yes i do think that GAN cubes are overpriced )

Yeah I think the 356 XS is just my favorite cube. There's a lot of cubes I like a lot and would be happy to main, but the 356 XS just has that tiny extra bit of (something?) that I really like.

 

[qwr]

sometimes I think my rs3m 2020 is too slow and sluggish... then I put in ONE drop of DNM and it's a whole new cube

 

[Waffles]

It’s a pretty good cube but tbh I prefer the RS3M so it’s good for the quality and if it was 60-70$ I would get it myself (my friend has one)

Btw I’m talking in Australia

 

[abunickabhi]

A lot of rouxers like me, Pranav, Fahmi prefer RS3M2020 as it is a fast cube when setup is done well.

Rather than buying one gan 11mpro, I would rather get few more YLMs for multi.

 

[Mr. McCubing]

you mean you dont want to get like 10 Gan 11 M Pros? Why ever not?