Sometimes, it IS the cube, not the cuber

[SixSidedCube]

Hey guys, this is my first thread in quite a while! So hello again!!

Okay, I just wanted to share an experience that quite possibly voids all claims that it is "always the cuber, not the cube."

I owned a mini QJ 4x4x4, and I averaged 2:30-3:00 on it, but I always had the mindset that it was me, and not my cube.

My MoYu WeiSu just arrived in the mail today, along with several other new cubes. Back to the topic, I just did an average of 12 with my WeiSu, and the average is 1:43.99.

Had anyone had any similar experiences? If so, what type of puzzle? (4x4x4, 5x5x5 etc), and what brand did you originally have, (Eastsheen, Rubiks etc), and what brand did you experience the major time-drop with?

Also, just out of curiosity, had anyone had the OPPOSITE happen to them?

 

[adamaap]

Well the easiest proof is trying to do speedcubing with a normal Rubiks cube. It just goes way to slow, you can't fingertrick, it blocks a lot etc.

 

[TheOneOnTheLeft]

There is of course an extent to which hardware matters - few are going to argue that you'll get the same times on a Rubik's and a WeiLong. The "it's the cuber not the cube" argument applies more to people who go from, say, a ZhanChi to a FangShi, and expect it to be a substitute for practice.

 

[penguinz7]

I had a lanlan 4x4, averaged about 2:30, my best had been 1:50, then I got an Aosu and averaged 1:40..

 

[Deleted member 36445]

I had a lanlan 4x4, averaged about 2:30, my best had been 1:50, then I got an Aosu and averaged 1:40..

I normally average 16~17 secondswith a good cube but with a 1 dollar cube I average 1 minute.

 

[ChickenWrap]

Going from one speedcube to another will do nothing, or maybe .5 seconds or less. The only time a cube holds you back is if you have a really crappy big cube or a Rubiks brand, but I can still get sub-20 on a Rubiks. If you break it in enough, it is a decent cube.

 

[Kit Clement]

It depends on the event. For events with not so many hardware choices, there is typically one cube that is head and shoulders above others, like the Aosu in 4x4. But it's just a waste of time when people get worried about making their WeiLong perfect or worry that they could be so much faster with another modern cube like a LiYing.

 

[waffle=ijm]

I had a block of wood and I couldn't solve it, but with a regular cube, I could.

That's what most of the responses will sound like. anyway, the saying should change to "A good cube is nothing without a great cuber and a great cuber is nothing without a good cube."

 

[Deleted member 36445]

A good cube is nothing without a great cuber and a great cuber is nothing without a good cube.

wise words

 

[ZamHalen]

I usually direct that argument at sup 30 cubers who think switching from a Rubik's to weilong will magically turn them into Feliks. Though personally my times are only 3 seconds slower at most with my store bought (granted mines modded and well broken in) I can see where hardware plays a role.

 

[Jaycee]

Waffo basically said what I planned on saying. Of course the cube matters, but there's a limit. It's not as if everybody who uses a certain cube is going to have the exact same times. On cuber may solve a Weilong in 30 seconds, another may solve it in 7. I assume this makes sense to the logical mind, I don't know why I'm stating the obvious like this.

Oh, and if you're trying to "void all claims that it is 'always the cuber, not the cube,'" explain why some people can sub-20 a Rubik's brand and others don't sub-20 with, say, a Guhong? It's not like people have ever said hardware doesn't matter. And if one has, well, that person was wrong.

Edit: Also, this.

I usually direct that argument at sup 30 cubers who think switching from a Rubik's to weilong will magically turn them into Feliks.

Makes me confused more than anything else. I encounter those people sometimes and I wonder "How does this make sense in your head?"

 

[tx789]

I improved 12 second when getting my AoSu before then a used a shenshou v3. I averaged 1:28~ with the shenshou. Now my 4x4 average is around 1:13~

 

[TDM]

I dropped 2-3 seconds when I got my ShuangRen, but that was because my only other two cubes were dead. If your cubes are similarly decent, then it is the cuber; if they're completely different then it is usually the cube.

 

[GuRoux]

i dropped from about 30 to 25 from a switch from rubiks brand to zanchi.

 

[Petro Leum]

in my experience, the bigger the cube, the more it is about the hardware. i dropped many many seconds on big cubes just by modifying/ properly lubing/ switching my cubes.

 

[TheOneOnTheLeft]

in my experience, the bigger the cube, the more it is about the hardware. i dropped many many seconds on big cubes just by modifying/ properly lubing/ switching my cubes.

This is also because there are more seconds to drop on big cubes. The percentage by which your solve times decrease will probably be more comparable than comparing the absolute decrease in times. A 0.1 second drop in the 3x3 WR average is the same proportional improvement as a 2.6 second drop in 7x7 WR average.

 

[MadaraMangekyou]

the hardware makes a difference!, (also the speedcuber) i have tried many cubes in my speedcubing history, from the 1 dollar cubes to moyu weilong, and my times have progressed as i have been changing to a better cube, or a one who fit better my style at speedcubing, the 100% of my progress is not related with changing cubes, but maybe the 50-30% is it related to it...

 

[TheFarEastGuy]

"It's the cuber, not the cube" sounds cliche anyway. But what Waffo said previously in this thread is good wisdom.

 

[Tempus]

Oh, and if you're trying to "void all claims that it is 'always the cuber, not the cube,'" explain why some people can sub-20 a Rubik's brand and others don't sub-20 with, say, a Guhong?

I realize I'm a bit late with this reply, but I would like to point out that to prove the assertion that it's "always the cuber, not the cube", you would need to show that it is true for every singe case, whereas to disprove (i.e. void) it, you would only need a find a single instance wherein it is the cube and not the cuber. If there is so much as one counterexample, then the assertion is universally false because it says "always". For example, if Feliks had to use a 130mm foot cube, I bet it would significantly affect his times. (It would be interesting to see, though...)

Personally, I think a more accurate saying would be "It's always some combination of the cube, the cuber, and the lighting." In my opinion, lighting changes can make a huge difference.

 

[5BLD]

Pff the point is that you shouldn't worry about your hardware for so long that you lose valuable practice time.

"It's the cuber, the cube, and the lighting" implies that they are of equal importance which they are not. And one of them takes much longer to develop. Aside from that, it's just word games really.