2x2:
My main: YJ MGC 2x2, as I like it over the RS2M Evo
Super Budget: QiYi QiDi W ($4, but make sure you loosen it from the factory as it is crap OOTB)
Budget: MoYu RS2 M Evo ($10), YJ MGC ($10)
Great: YJ MGC ($10), MoYu WeiPo WRS ($13)
Expert: MoYu WeiPo WRS ($13), YJ MGC Elite ($19)
Baller: Angstrom YJ MGC Elite ($30), GAN 251 M Pro/Leap ($33/$40), Valk 2 M (good luck finding one)
Honorable Mentions: DaYan TengYun Plus 2x2 (very quiet, $19)
Avoid: Diansheng 2x2/Solar S2M. Don’t be fooled by any nice price drops or thinking of its potential competition against the RS2M, they are literal garbage.
3x3:
Note: I think most 3x3s are good. If you own something released in the last 5 years and you perform well on, you don’t need to upgrade.
My main: GAN 12 MagLev UV, as it has an amazing feel
Super Budget: MoYu MeiLong 3C ($4)
Budget: MoYu RS3 M 2020 ($9, good with setup), QiYi MS ($10, good out of the box)
Great: DaYan GuHong M Pro ($16 for spring, $20 for maglev. I recommend 54 or 55 mm), Huameng YS3M Ball-Core ($26), X-Man Tornado V3 Standard ($24)
Expert: X-Man Tornado V3 Pioneer UV ($44, smooth), Huameng YS3M Ball-Core UV ($36, stable and clacky), MoYu Weilong V9 Ball-Core UV ($42, flexible), GAN 12 Leap ($46, crisp and stable)
Baller: Angstrom GAN 12 Maglev UV ($69)
Honorable Mentions: DaYan TengYun V1/V2 (really quiet, $24 and $29 respectively), MoYu WeiLong GTS3M/WRM 2019 ($36 and $40, very easy to make it fit any turning style), MoreTry TianMa X3 Triple Magnetic ($30, stupid name, great crunchy and fast feel, like an older cube but better), all GAN cubes after 2019 like X and more ($30-$60, great by all means), YJ MGC Elite/Evo/Evo II ($19/$20/$22, all extremely unique), the Valk line (don’t go out of your way to get one but great if you own one.)
Avoid: GAN 13/14, I know it’s a controversial opinion, but they are so close to the 12 in feel and adjustability that it’s not worth it to spend another $20-30 on the 13/14 for some extra features that do barely anything with some catching issues, the QiYi M Pro because it has extreme stability issues, and the MoYu Super WeiLong as it is just too egregiously expensive.
4x4:
My main: YJ MGC, as I rather like it a lot
Super Budget: MoYu MeiLong 4x4 ($7)
Budget: YJ ZhiLong Mini 4x4 M ($14), MoYu Meilong 4x4 M ($13)
Great: YJ ZhiLong Mini 4x4 M ($14), YJ MGC ($20)
Expert: MoYu AoSu WRM ($40), YJ MGC ($20)
Baller: Angstrom MoYu AoSu WRM ($50), Angstrom YJ MGC ($30)
Honorable Mentions: X-Man Ambition ($31, quiet, be careful to keep tighter tensions on it so it doesn’t pop).
Avoid: GAN 460 M. No matter what Amazon tells you, it’s absolute, utter, unadulterated garbage. I wouldn’t pay ten dollars for it, let alone fifty, and the Meilong is so much better.
5x5:
My main: YJ Zhilong Mini 5x5, as I am quite surprised how well it works for me
Super Budget: MoYu MeiLong 5x5 ($8)
Budget: MoYu MeiLong 5x5 M ($13)
Great: YJ MGC 5x5 ($23)
Expert: DaYan NeZha M Strong ($38), MoYu AoChuang WR M ($41)
Baller: X-Man Hong 5x5 ($50)
Honorable Mentions: YJ Zhilong Mini 5x5 M ($16, great for small hands), DaYan NeZha 5x5 ($39, fast and quiet), Valk 5 (if you can find one)
I have no real “avoid” puzzles because usually 5x5 is either pretty good or pretty bad.
I don’t recommend the super-budgets for 6 & 7 unless you really, really want any 6x6/7x7.
6x6:
My main: YJ MGC 6x6, because it isn’t garbage like a lot of 6x6s
Super Budget: YuXin Little Magic 6x6 ($15)
Budget: YJ YuShi v2 M ($18)
Great: YJ MGC 6x6 ($26)
Expert: MoYu AoShi WR M ($44)
Baller: Mystic MoYu AoShi WR M ($55)
No honorable mentions.
Avoid: Everything other than the ones I listed up here. 6x6 hardware is so hard to get right.
7x7:
My main: YJ YuFu V2 M, because my MGC got stolen. F’s for it
Super Budget: YuXin Little Magic 7x7 ($17)
Budget: YJ YuFu v2 M ($21)
Great: YJ MGC 7x7 ($36)
Expert: MoYu AoFu WR M ($50)
Baller: Mystic MoYu AoFu WR M ($63)
Honorable Mentions: X-Man Spark and YuXin Hays (both around $50, feel solid, and have different feels than the MGC)
Avoid: Everything other than what I mentioned here. 7x7 hardware is pretty rough.
Megaminx:
My main: YJ Yuhu V2 M, as it is a great budget option and is used by many top cubers
Super Budget: QiYi QiHeng S ($8)
Budget: YJ YuHu v2 M ($14)
Great: YJ YuHu v2 M ($14)
Expert: DaYan Megaminx Pro M ($36)
Baller: Angstrom DaYan Megaminx Pro M (Probably $46 whenever it comes out)
Honorable mentions: X-Man Galaxy V1/V2 M ($30, good if you still have one but don’t go out of your way to upgrade).
Avoid: MFJS Meilong Megaminx/Megaminx M. Don’t be fooled by their competitive price, they are not good, and the stickered QiYi QiHeng, because it is stupid slow.
Skewb:
My main: MoYu RS Skewb M with stronger magnet mod, as it just feels great.
Super Budget: MoYu Meilong Skewb ($6)
Budget: MoYu RS Skewb M ($9)
Great: MoYu RS Skewb Maglev ($15)
Expert: X-Man Wingy Skewb V2 M ($20)
Baller: Angstrom GAN Skewb M Enhanced UV Coated ($47)
Honorable Mentions: MoYu WeiLong Skewb ($19, has a lot of features and is quiet, and VERY fast).
Avoid: The Shengshou Skewb. It’s good for modding, but not good for speedsolving.
Pyraminx:
My main: YJ MGC Evo Pyra, it has a nice light feeling I love. Not many people like it aside from me so I don't quite recommend it for everyone.
Super Budget: YuXin Black Kirin Pyraminx ($5)
Budget: MoYu RS Pyraminx ($9)
Great: MoYu WeiLong Pyraminx Standard ($15)
Expert: MoYu WeiLong Pyraminx Standard ($15), X-Man Bell v2 Pyraminx M ($18)
Baller: Steven’s WeiLong Pyraminx II ($45)
Honorable Mentions: QiYi MS Pyraminx ($8, feels really nice and solid)
Avoid: QiYi pyraminx. It’s just not great.
Square-1:
My main: I don’t do Squan. Take my word from other people.
Super Budget: YuXin Little Magic Square-1 Standard ($6), QiYi QiFa S ($8)
Budget: YuXin Little Magic Square-1 M ($11)
Great: YJ MGC Square-1 ($21)
Expert: Any custom YJ MGC Square-1 like Derpy, Isaac, or Cosmic (In the realm of $35)
Honorable Mentions: X-Man Volt (both versions, fine if you own them but don’t go out of your way to buy them), OG QiYi Square-1 (discontinued, but not bad if you own it).
Avoid: Shengshou Mr. M Square-1, only buy if you want to have it alongside the Square-0 and Square-2 as it isn’t great, MoYu MeiLong Square-1, unless you want the carbon-fiber stickers or the thin inner layer, and any Amazon square-1.
Clock:
My main: QiYi Magnetic Clock, because it isn’t utter crap
Super Budget: ShengShou Magnetic Clock ($11)
Budget: ShengShou Magnetic Clock ($11)
Great: QiYi Magnetic Clock ($33)
Expert: QiYi Magnetic Clock ($33)
No honorable mentions.
Avoid: LingAo. Literally garbage.
3x3 OH:
My main: Valk 3 M, still just works for me
Super Budget: MoYu MeiLong 3C ($3)
Budget: DaYan GuHong v3 M ($12)
Great: DaYan GuHong M Pro 54 mm ($16)
Expert: DaYan GuHong Pro Maglev 54 mm ($20), MoYu RS3M V5 UV ($24)
Baller: GAN Mini M Pro UV Coated ($48)
Honorable Mentions: YJ ZhiLong Mini 3x3 M ($10, good if your hands are crazy small), Valk 3M ($24, extremely stable)
Avoid: Cubes with strong magnets or slow cubes. They don’t do you any good.
3x3 Blind:
My main: I don’t do blind. Take my word from other people.
Super Budget: YuXin Little Magic ($5)
Budget: MoYu RS3 M 2020 ($9)
Great: DaYan TengYun V1 ($25)
Expert: MoYu HuaMeng YS3 M Ball-core UV Coated ($36), MoYu WeiLong GTS3 M ($36)
Baller: Tommy Cherry’s GTS3M ($50)
Honorable Mentions: Older GAN cubes (like the X, M, and even older) are quite nice for blind but don’t try to get one if you don’t have one. Moretry Tianma X3 Snap ($30): Feels similar to the GTS3M with a faster feel and sans ridges. Like a WRM 2019 with stronger magnets.
Avoid: Using any cubes that are easy to corner twist or hard to control like the WRM V9, because they can ruin your algorithms without you knowing.
