Cubing trends that we miss...and ones that we really don't.

[DistinctThought]

Many of us have been twisting plastic for decades, wracking our brains to solve the most unique puzzles and giving ourselves carpal tunnel to shave a scant few seconds off our speed solves. During those decades, the cubing scene has evolved dramatically. Most of the changes have been for the better, but there’s always a bit of nostalgia for the good ol’ days. So, here are five things I miss from days bygone…and five things that I really, really, do NOT miss.

Ahh, great memories…
1. Custom sticker schemes (Cubesmith tiles, anyone?)
2. Flagship cubes that cost <$10
3. Cube names that weren’t alphabet soup (A-II vs Moyu WeiLong V11 WRM 20M ball-core MagLev UV)
4. Cube4You DIY cubes
5. Innovations were functional rather than commercial

Good riddance to these ones!
1. “Oh geez, I might set a new personal best!” Then, POP. The edge piece goes flying and the cube disintegrates
2. The 48-point edge mod
3. Cores that would gradually degrade upon lubrication (Looking at you, ShengEn)
4. 5x5 was as big as it got
5. Lockups. Do cubes even lock anymore?

What are some things you remember that, for better or worse, are obsolete in the modern cubing scene?

 

[Fred]

Great memories:
1. Longer time limits, especially for blind. Stefan Pochmann's 5bld WR took over two and a half hours. I don't think I've been to a comp recently with even a two hour time limit for big blind.
2. Petrus being the number two method.
3. The suspense over whether ZB would ever be more than theoretical.
4. Rapid development and innovation.
5. Being top 100 in OH and top 300 in 3x3.

Good riddance:
1. Rubik's 4x4 and V-Cube 6x6. Hardware was a lot worse back then, but these were awful even back then. And the V-Cubes were really expensive too!
2. Restickering cubes.
3. Lack of YouTube tutorials. I'm still biased against redux on big cubes because I couldn't fully figure it out. And it took a long time for me to figure out Roux.
4. The community being so tiny. There are many more cubers now, which is great!
5. Mátyás Kuti.

 

[Martyt7777]

Lockups. Do cubes even lock anymore?

New-gen cuber here

Modern cubes definetely lock up less than older cubers, but modern cubes still lockup. My gan 16 (with my setup) can corner cut maybe, 25 degrees(?), but I still lockup sometimes. Don’t know how lol.

 

[Jared Burkhart]

New-gen cuber here

Modern cubes definetely lock up less than older cubers, but modern cubes still lockup. My gan 16 (with my setup) can corner cut maybe, 25 degrees(?), but I still lockup sometimes. Don’t know how lol.

Lockups may not be as bad on 3s, since everyone in this community can solve 3 and is their main event for a ton of them...
But locks are still an issue in big cubes.

 

[TheSpeedSkewber]

Many of us have been twisting plastic for decades, wracking our brains to solve the most unique puzzles and giving ourselves carpal tunnel to shave a scant few seconds off our speed solves. During those decades, the cubing scene has evolved dramatically. Most of the changes have been for the better, but there’s always a bit of nostalgia for the good ol’ days. So, here are five things I miss from days bygone…and five things that I really, really, do NOT miss.

Ahh, great memories…
1. Custom sticker schemes (Cubesmith tiles, anyone?)
2. Flagship cubes that cost <$10
3. Cube names that weren’t alphabet soup (A-II vs Moyu WeiLong V11 WRM 20M ball-core MagLev UV)
4. Cube4You DIY cubes
5. Innovations were functional rather than commercial

Good riddance to these ones!
1. “Oh geez, I might set a new personal best!” Then, POP. The edge piece goes flying and the cube disintegrates
2. The 48-point edge mod
3. Cores that would gradually degrade upon lubrication (Looking at you, ShengEn)
4. 5x5 was as big as it got
5. Lockups. Do cubes even lock anymore?

What are some things you remember that, for better or worse, are obsolete in the modern cubing scene?

I miss stickered flagships- I think worn stickers give a cube personality.

I don't miss the lack of highly attended and nearby competitions in the UK.

 

[DistinctThought]

Great memories:
1. Longer time limits, especially for blind. Stefan Pochmann's 5bld WR took over two and a half hours. I don't think I've been to a comp recently with even a two hour time limit for big blind.
2. Petrus being the number two method.
3. The suspense over whether ZB would ever be more than theoretical.
4. Rapid development and innovation.
5. Being top 100 in OH and top 300 in 3x3.

I wish this was relatable in any way.

Good riddance:
1. Rubik's 4x4 and V-Cube 6x6. Hardware was a lot worse back then, but these were awful even back then. And the V-Cubes were really expensive too!
2. Restickering cubes.
3. Lack of YouTube tutorials. I'm still biased against redux on big cubes because I couldn't fully figure it out. And it took a long time for me to figure out Roux.
4. The community being so tiny. There are many more cubers now, which is great!
5. Mátyás Kuti.

Remember when the internal mechanism behind the centers would "slip" on the V-cube 6, locking the cube and requiring reassembly of that layer?

Lockups may not be as bad on 3s, since everyone in this community can solve 3 and is their main event for a ton of them...
But locks are still an issue in big cubes.

Very true!

I miss stickered flagships- I think worn stickers give a cube personality.

I don't miss the lack of highly attended and nearby competitions in the UK.

Totally agree. Worn stickers were a great measure of the time spent grinding with a particular cube.

 

[abunickabhi]

Something a cuber definitely does not want to miss

Rewatching colorfulpockets video on cubing skits

 

[SpeedCubingLord]

I miss stickered flagships- I think worn stickers give a cube personality.

I don't miss the lack of highly attended and nearby competitions in the UK.

i agree with stickers, but i think it should be a choice, and there should be 2 options.

 

[eeeeeeeee]

when cutoffs were more appealing to newcomers

 

[acrystal]

when cutoffs were more appealing to newcomers

Not anymore (my first comp)

 

[-Cube Kid-]

I miss stickered flagships- I think worn stickers give a cube personality.

I don't miss the lack of highly attended and nearby competitions in the UK.

But the stickers come off. You can get a stickered one if you get a special edition normally.