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Review of Main 3x3x3 Cube Models and Clarification on the Naming System of Type A

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abr71310

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Amazing, I was just about to write one of these myself, thanks for the awesomeness!!!

I can give some rankings for DS 222, especially since I have three of them (and three 333s as well as TONS of other cubes) if you'd want to update the stuff up there. Just send me a PM and I'll make a quick vid of everything so you can rank it yourself.
 

Vulosity

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Hmm... you would give your Edison a 10 on cutting corners? I keep mine a little tight to prevent lockups, but it would lose some corner cutting ability. I would give corner cutting for an Edison a 8.5-9. Yes, if I would loosen the screws a bit, it would cut better. But it would lock up more. Also, Edisons don't pop at all and don't even feel like they are going to pop, so a 10 on tendency to pop.

Also, my Edison have two screws that loosen by themselves, probably due to me messing with the tension a lot. (The screws are on opposite sides.)

This guide would greatly help beginners choose a cube!
 
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pentrixter

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pentrixter said:
Finally, some qualities of the cube that I am grading on are dependent on the cube’s tension settings. I have no idea how to account for this. I guess I set the tension just tight enough so that corners will not or will have a hard time twisting. There are exceptions to this tension setting. I will mention them in the comments section of the exceptions.
My Edison is on moderately tight settings as well. It never pops, but it also makes 42-44 degree cuts.

Yes, I agree that on moderately tight or even moderate tension settings, the Edison pretty much never pops. But it just doesn't have the same feel of the Type E (no.333) or the Type D with regards to popping. You would have hard time disassembling those two models. With the Edison, I can at least pop out an edge if I wanted to. That's the reason for the 9.5; .5 doesn't make that much difference anyway. A 9.5 pretty much means that the cube doesn't pop.
 

Nukoca

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Tendency to pop: 9.5
Tendency to lock up: 9
Ability to cut corners: 10
Speed: 6.5
Average score: 8.75
Overall score: B to A-

A 9.5 pretty much means that the cube doesn't pop.

Perhaps you should rephrase the grading system. When you rated the Edison's tendency to pop as 9.5, I thought that meant it popped a lot. It's a little counter-intuitive.
 

pentrixter

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Perhaps. But maybe that's why people should read the stuff before the review.
pentrixter said:
Name of Cube
-Tendency to pop (x/10) – how often or how easy it is to pop while cubing. A score of 10 means that the cube is not prone to popping at all and a score of 0 means the cube pretty much falls apart on its own.
-Tendency to lock up (x/10) – how often or how easy the cube locks during cubing. A score of 10 means the cube does not lock up at all and a score of 0 means the cube jams like a little devil.

Do you have any name suggestions for disambiguating those two attributes?
 

pentrixter

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Do you have any name suggestions for disambiguating those two attributes?
How about, "Tendency to not pop?"
Or maybe you could consider 0 the best for a cube and 10 meaning that the cube basically falls apart on its own.
"Tendency to not pop" sounds tacky and wordy. Changing around the number system would make it confusing for people trying to follow the numbers. I'll change it to "resistance to popping" and "resistance to jamming." Thanks for the comment!
 

veazer

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Rubiks.com DIY*

Resistance to pops: Heard that it sometimes pops.
Resistance to lock ups: Heard that it is not that prone to lockups.
Ability to cut corners: Heard that it cuts corners pretty well.
Speed: HowtoCube has mentioned that this cube is very hard to turn even in loose settings.
Average score:
Overall score: No Comment

Weight: No Comment
Need to break in: Probably yes
Feel: No Comment

Comments: I have heard very mixed feelings about this cube. One thing is for sure though and that is the center caps keep on falling off. HowtoCube thinks this is a pretty bad cube. Apparently, the legendary Nakajima Yu exclusively uses Rubiks.com DIYs or mods that use it. Erik Akkersdijk also used a Rubiks.com DIY frame and Type B cubies hybrid to accomplish a new world record of 7.08 seconds.

You really should buy one so that you can review it properly. Also, should there be seperate sectións for the white one and black one? And thirdly, IMO you should put a "best color - x" or list the colors available on all the cube reviews, like how you said blue type f's were the best.

Just my 3 cents.
 

Kit Clement

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I use type F as my main speedcube, and apart from the occasional stripped core, they hold up fine. I'm going to try to see how it holds up with a C4Y core, I think the core that comes with it is nice and solid, but not very durable.
 

pentrixter

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@tfkscores: Thank you for the video review. We seem to share the same opinions about the C4U other than the fact that you feel that the plastic is cheap^^ Also thanks for the link and reference. Appreciate it.

@veazer: You could've said that about any one of the 10 cubes that I don't own. I am not affluent enough to open my own cube museum. But I will definitely review a cube when I get my hands on it.

Also, regarding the colors. The Type F may be the only one where the color actually matters significantly. I do not know which color is best for every model nor do I think there is. In addition, I don't have the money to buy multiple cubes of different colors for every model.

I appreciate your thoroughness, but it just can't be done for me.

@brunson: Thanks for the link. I give you permission to copy and paste the meat of this post anywhere so long as you give credit back to me although I'm really not sure how well people will take my grading. It's a subjective review after all despite my efforts to make it as objective as possible. Already I have had people trying to regrade cubes and/or people talking about how their cube's performance does not agree with my grading.

@kippy33: Sure, they hold up fine. But compared to when you first get them? Also, how often do you lube your Type F and what do you use? I actually haven't had any trouble with the Type F core (nor do my friends). What do you mean by stripped?
 
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Kit Clement

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I agree, they do get worse as you use them more and more, one of my less intense speedcubing friends has a type F, and hers is much better than mine after it's been used for a few months. Then I switched the cores of my type F to a new one, keeping the old pieces, and it worked like it was new again. So I'm pretty sure that's the problem with Fs deteriorating is the cores. Because replacing type F cores isn't the most cost efficient way of cubing, I'm going to see how well the C4Y cores work with a Type F, I imagine they'll be nice, given how sturdy those cores are.

By stripped, I mean that one certain side of the core will automatically loosen itself as I solve. I usually lube my F once a week, maybe a little less, and I use Ace silicone lubricant.
 

veazer

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and shouldn't this be stickied on the beginners central too? The "What's the best 3x3x3 cube" question always appears there too.
 

pentrixter

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@kippy33: hmmm... interesting. I have no idea where to get Type F cores though. I don't think they sell them separately. It's kind of hard to imagine the core deteriorating... My cores and my friends' have been holding up pretty well. Weird.

@veazer: You can try convincing a mod. If I tried, I would appear to be self-promoting my own thread lol.
 

veazer

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@veazer: You can try convincing a mod. If I tried, I would appear to be self-promoting my own thread lol.

I really think it would help... If a mod reads this, consider it... you know that thread always shows up in beginners central. They might want to change the title for the beginners though... they might miss it in their extensive, nonexistent searching...

Seriously though, great thread man.
 
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