[Help Thread] Big Cubes Discussion

[Malkom]

I average around 2 for 4x4 but i average 8 with 5x5 for redux. I will add splits later, but I need help on how to get faster. Please no practice or anything. I am slow at edge pairing, and moderate at centers.

It's easy to improve with those times, just do a bunch of solves and your times your drop significantly.

 

[One Wheel]

I average around 2 for 4x4 but i average 8 with 5x5 for redux. I will add splits later, but I need help on how to get faster. Please no practice or anything. I am slow at edge pairing, and moderate at centers.

I've been stuck at around 2:00 or a little under for 4x4 for going on a year. I got down to about 5:00 on my SS 5x5, and as I recall dropped pretty quickly to around 4:00 when I got my Weichuang. Now I run about 3:20 on 5x5. Three things you can do:
1. Depending on what cube you have, a better one makes a bigger difference for bigger puzzles
2. Try Yau. I really like it for 4x4 and 5x5.I used to use it on 6x6 and 7x7 as well, but I've switched to redux.
3. Sorry, but there's no substitute for practice.

 

[xyzzy]

I average around 2 for 4x4 but i average 8 with 5x5 for redux. I will add splits later, but I need help on how to get faster. Please no practice or anything. I am slow at edge pairing, and moderate at centers.

edit: 10:24

centers: 3:07

Edges: 5:43

3x3 stage: 1:33

messed up an edge in 3x3 stage, lol.

Mainly what the others have said, but as for specific advice:

Centres: For the first four centres, there aren't really any specific tips to give, other than to practise a lot. For the last two centres, check this list to see if you're doing them inefficiently.

Try to plan as much of your first centre in inspection as you can; with colour neutrality, it shouldn't be too difficult to plan a 2×3 block more than half the time. (Practise with unlimited inspection time first, then when you're comfortable with that, practise with only 15 seconds of inspection.) This should also help you with seeing how to form bars/blocks with the other centres, although you won't have the luxury of 15 free seconds of inspection with those.

Edge pairing: Use freeslice or AvG, if you aren't already. For freeslice, when you're done with forming a tredge, don't think too hard about which tredge to form next. Just pick whatever edge piece you see first, insert the pieces needed to complete it, slice, and move on.

For the last two edges, learn some algs. You should learn all the non-parity cases, as well as the "O-parity" and "2-swap" cases. The other parity cases are worth learning eventually, but have less of an immediate benefit.

333: Try to grip the cube on the X-centres (the "inner corners") to prevent the inner slices from moving around during your 333 stage.

 

[weatherman223]

I've been stuck at around 2:00 or a little under for 4x4 for going on a year. I got down to about 5:00 on my SS 5x5, and as I recall dropped pretty quickly to around 4:00 when I got my Weichuang. Now I run about 3:20 on 5x5. Three things you can do:
1. Depending on what cube you have, a better one makes a bigger difference for bigger puzzles
2. Try Yau. I really like it for 4x4 and 5x5.I used to use it on 6x6 and 7x7 as well, but I've switched to redux.
3. Sorry, but there's no substitute for practice.

1. Bochuang. Should I get a better one?
2. I have, dont like it. I use Hoya on 4x4.
3. Got it.

Mainly what the others have said, but as for specific advice:

Centres: For the first four centres, there aren't really any specific tips to give, other than to practise a lot. For the last two centres, check this list to see if you're doing them inefficiently.

Try to plan as much of your first centre in inspection as you can; with colour neutrality, it shouldn't be too difficult to plan a 2×3 block more than half the time. (Practise with unlimited inspection time first, then when you're comfortable with that, practise with only 15 seconds of inspection.) This should also help you with seeing how to form bars/blocks with the other centres, although you won't have the luxury of 15 free seconds of inspection with those.

Edge pairing: Use freeslice or AvG, if you aren't already. For freeslice, when you're done with forming a tredge, don't think too hard about which tredge to form next. Just pick whatever edge piece you see first, insert the pieces needed to complete it, slice, and move on.

For the last two edges, learn some algs. You should learn all the non-parity cases, as well as the "O-parity" and "2-swap" cases. The other parity cases are worth learning eventually, but have less of an immediate benefit.

333: Try to grip the cube on the X-centres (the "inner corners") to prevent the inner slices from moving around during your 333 stage.

thanks alot! I will definitely follow these tips!

 

[One Wheel]

1. Bochuang. Should I get a better one?

That's probably fine. I don't have a Bochuang, but I like my Weichuang better than my old SS. I also have Aochuang, Huachuang, and Yuxin 5x5, and the yuxin is similar to the Weichuang, Aochuang and Huachuang are also good, but not quite as good because of thinner outer layers.

 

[CornerCutter]

What is the alg to break these last 2 pairs so I can finish paring?

 

[One Wheel]

What is the alg to break these last 2 pairs so I can finish paring?

That's a parity case. I would flip one, and slice-flip-slice back to solve one edge, then fix parity on the other.

 

[Malkom]

That case is extremely easy
(Unsolved pieces in UF and UB, blocks to the left) Lw' U2 Lw' U2 F2 Lw' F2 Rw U2 Rw' U2 Lw2

 

[CornerCutter]

That case is extremely easy
(Unsolved pieces in UF and UB, blocks to the left) Lw' U2 Lw' U2 F2 Lw' F2 Rw U2 Rw' U2 Lw2

Great! Thank you!

 

[mafergut]

Great! Thank you!

If I saw the cube ok it's not the case with both blocks on the same side as @Malkom suggests but blocks on opposite sides so, the alg shouldn't have worked, or did it?

 

[CornerCutter]

If I saw the cube ok it's not the case with both blocks on the same side as @Malkom suggests but blocks on opposite sides so, the alg shouldn't have worked, or did it?

I did what @Malkom said "Unsolved pieces in UF and UB, blocks to the left" and it did work.

 

[One Wheel]

I just ran some splits (or tried) on 6x6. Out of 3 solves, 7:06 mean, I averaged 3:00 for centers. The other splits I messed up with the timer, but I got splits on one solve of centers/edges/3x3 (including outer wing and PLL parity) of 2:59.99, 3:35.04, 1:05.63, 7:40.67 total. Worse than usual, but probably representative for percentages. I'm not going to beat Kevin or Feliks anytime soon, but am I right that edge pairing is probably my biggest weakness? I'd like to improve to the point that I could get an official average.

 

[mafergut]

I just ran some splits (or tried) on 6x6. Out of 3 solves, 7:06 mean, I averaged 3:00 for centers. The other splits I messed up with the timer, but I got splits on one solve of centers/edges/3x3 (including outer wing and PLL parity) of 2:59.99, 3:35.04, 1:05.63, 7:40.67 total. Worse than usual, but probably representative for percentages. I'm not going to beat Kevin or Feliks anytime soon, but am I right that edge pairing is probably my biggest weakness? I'd like to improve to the point that I could get an official average.

I did a solve (a bad one, without any warm-up) and got around 3:13, 2:40 (with edge parity) and 50s (with PLL parity). So I'd say I'm worse at centers but better at edges. Will try to do at least an Mo3 later today with splits.

EDIT: Did an Ao5. Not very good times but progressively better. These are the splits:



1st solve I don't remember
2nd solve had op & pp
3rd one had ep, op & pp
4th one had ep & op
5th one had no parities

Hope it helps.

 

[Malkom]

I checked a few 5x5 and 6x6 official Ao5s from Feliks, Kevin, Bill and Mattia to find out "the optimal" splits, here's the results:
5x5: Centers: 32% F8E: 33% L4E: 13% 3x3: 23%
6x6: Center: 43 % F8E: 29% L4E: 12% 3x3: 16%

 

[mafergut]

I checked a few 5x5 and 6x6 official Ao5s from Feliks, Kevin, Bill and Mattia to find out "the optimal" splits, here's the results:
5x5: Centers: 32% F8E: 33% L4E: 13% 3x3: 23%
6x6: Center: 43 % F8E: 29% L4E: 12% 3x3: 16%

Thanks for the stats! Interesting. According to that I'm comparatively slower at centers. My aim should be to get centers down to 2min more or less. With that sub-5min should be a piece of cake

 

[@ce]

I was messin with patterns and got my cube stuck can someone give me a way to fix it

 

[FastCubeMaster]

Lol.
Just solve it normally.. ?
If you don't know then learn.

 

[greentgoatgal]

What is the best sticklerless 5x5 speeedcube?

 

[Malkom]

What is the best sticklerless 5x5 speeedcube?

Wushuang

 

[Malkom]

After 3 months of not practicing 5x5 I just beat my compPB average by 11 seconds and my global average dropped 6-8 seconds, how often does this happen?