ExoCorsair
Member
WARNING: This post is quite outdated (circa 2007); there are many other cubes out on the market right now, continue at your own risk!
Thanks to Lofty for the idea; hopefully this will reduce clutter.
Blank entries indicate I have not used the cube and/or don't have enough info on them.
For a quick difference between Studio and Rubiks.com cubes here.
Rubik's Cube
Pros: Widely available, cheap, reacts well to silicone lubricant.
Cons: Needs to be broken in, not good for cutting corners.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com, www.toysrus.com
Notes: After breaking in, becomes very loose (sometimes looser than DIYs can be made)
Rubik's 25th Anniversary Cube
Pros: Reacts very well to silicone lubricant, turns easily after breaking in.
Cons: Needs to be broken in, not amazing for cutting corners.
Where to buy: www.ebay.com
Notes: After breaking in, becomes very loose (sometimes looser than DIYs can be made)
Studio Cube
See Rama's thread.
Rubik's Deluxe
Pros:
Cons:
Where to buy:
Rubik's DIY
Pros: Cuts corners well, turns easily.
Cons: Comparatively expensive, high shipping costs, center caps fall out easily.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com
Chinese DIYs (cube4you, 9spuzzles)
Pros: Cuts corners well, turns easily, indentations in center caps cause them to fall out less frequently.
Cons: High shipping costs, performance varies between type and cube color.
Where to buy: www.cube4you.com, www.9spuzzles.com, www.opticubes.com, eBay (puzzleproz)
Notes: Comes in three different types: (a), (b), and (c). Some cubes only available in certain types. Many colors to choose from. White and green cubes turn best, as well as some transparent cubes (WARNING: transparent cubes are NOT competition-legal)
Edison Cube
Pros: Cuts corners well, adjustable centers, turns easily
Cons: Only available in Korea (essentially).
Where to buy: www.onhobby.com
Famwealth Magic Cube
Pros: No springs = higher turning speed.
Cons: Does not turn well, cannot cut corners.
Where to buy: www.ebay.com, www.mefferts.com
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Rubik's Revenge (pre-retooling)
Pros: Turns smoothly, cuts corners well, sides fairly balanced, reacts well to lube.
Cons: Needs to be broken in to have the 'pros', pieces may break easily, broken-in cubes are very loose.
Where to buy: http://www.ebay.com
Rubik's Revenge (retooled)
Pros: Turns smoothly, cuts corners reasonably well, very little breaking in time, sides fairly balanced, reacts well to lube.
Cons: Quality varies from cube to cube.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com www.toysrus.com, www.amazon.com
Studio 4x4x4
See Rubik's Revenge.
Eastsheen 4x4x4
Pros: Can be used for speedcubing out of the box, requires no lubing or sanding.
Cons: Prone to lock-ups, gradually becomes worse over time.
Where to buy: ebay.com (huskyomega, puzzleproz), www.opticubes.com, mefferts.com, www.cube4you.com, www.9spuzzles.com,
Notes: 6cm in each dimension; smaller than the other 4x4x4 cubes. Purple replaces orange by default.
----------------
Rubik's Professor
Pros: Available.
Cons: Pieces may break; requires breaking in, may require sanding, outer layers don't turn as well as inner layers.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com, www.amazon.com
Notes: Can be broken in into an extremely nice cube, which is very comparable with Olympic Cubes and the Mefferts cubes.
Studio 5x5x5
See Rubik's 5x5x5.
Mefferts 5x5x5 (Limited Edition)
Pros: Outer layers and inner layers turn equally well, adjustable + spring-loaded core.
Cons: Relatively expensive, odd color scheme (red vs. white), tiles fall off easily, LIMITED QUANTITY.
Where to buy: www.mefferts.com
Mefferts 5x5x5 (Collector's Special)
Pros: Outer layers and inner layers turn equally well, adjustable + spring-loaded core.
Cons: Relatively expensive, stickers need almost immediate replacement, tensions need to be very fine-tuned or risk wing pops, LIMITED QUANTITY.
Where to buy: www.mefferts.com
Eastsheen 5x5x5
Pros: Can be used for speedcubing out of the box, requires no lubing or sanding.
Cons: Becomes looser over time, becomes more prone to pops over time.
Where to buy: (huskyomega, puzzleproz), www.opticubes.com, www.mefferts.com, www.cube4you.com, www.9spuzzles.com
Notes: 6cm in each dimension, much significantly smaller than other 5x5x5's, same size as Eastsheen 4x4x4. Purple replaces orange by default.
----------
Eastsheen 2x2x2
Pros: Can be used for speedcubing out of the box, does not require lubing, improves over time, larger than other 2x2x2 cubes.
Cons: Cannot cut corners at first, possible after breaking in.
Where to buy: (huskyomega, www.opticubes.com, www.mefferts.com, www.cube4you.com, www.9spuzzles.com
Notes: 5 cm in each dimension. Purple replaces orange by default.
Studio Pocket Cube
Pros:
Cons:
Where to buy:
Rubik's Mini Cube / Junior
Pros: Availability.
Cons: Pieces break relatively easily, hard to turn (even after lubing), falls apart often.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com, www.toysrus.com
Notes: Very difficult to reassemble.
Rubik's Ice Cube
Pros: Looks neat, slightly smoother than the Rubik's Mini.
Cons: Pieces break relatively easily, falls apart often.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com, www.toysrus.com
Notes: WARNING: this cube is NOT competition-legal.
Thanks to Lofty for the idea; hopefully this will reduce clutter.
Blank entries indicate I have not used the cube and/or don't have enough info on them.
For a quick difference between Studio and Rubiks.com cubes here.
Rubik's Cube
Pros: Widely available, cheap, reacts well to silicone lubricant.
Cons: Needs to be broken in, not good for cutting corners.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com, www.toysrus.com
Notes: After breaking in, becomes very loose (sometimes looser than DIYs can be made)
Rubik's 25th Anniversary Cube
Pros: Reacts very well to silicone lubricant, turns easily after breaking in.
Cons: Needs to be broken in, not amazing for cutting corners.
Where to buy: www.ebay.com
Notes: After breaking in, becomes very loose (sometimes looser than DIYs can be made)
Studio Cube
See Rama's thread.
Rubik's Deluxe
Pros:
Cons:
Where to buy:
Rubik's DIY
Pros: Cuts corners well, turns easily.
Cons: Comparatively expensive, high shipping costs, center caps fall out easily.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com
Chinese DIYs (cube4you, 9spuzzles)
Pros: Cuts corners well, turns easily, indentations in center caps cause them to fall out less frequently.
Cons: High shipping costs, performance varies between type and cube color.
Where to buy: www.cube4you.com, www.9spuzzles.com, www.opticubes.com, eBay (puzzleproz)
Notes: Comes in three different types: (a), (b), and (c). Some cubes only available in certain types. Many colors to choose from. White and green cubes turn best, as well as some transparent cubes (WARNING: transparent cubes are NOT competition-legal)
Edison Cube
Pros: Cuts corners well, adjustable centers, turns easily
Cons: Only available in Korea (essentially).
Where to buy: www.onhobby.com
Famwealth Magic Cube
Pros: No springs = higher turning speed.
Cons: Does not turn well, cannot cut corners.
Where to buy: www.ebay.com, www.mefferts.com
---------------
Rubik's Revenge (pre-retooling)
Pros: Turns smoothly, cuts corners well, sides fairly balanced, reacts well to lube.
Cons: Needs to be broken in to have the 'pros', pieces may break easily, broken-in cubes are very loose.
Where to buy: http://www.ebay.com
Rubik's Revenge (retooled)
Pros: Turns smoothly, cuts corners reasonably well, very little breaking in time, sides fairly balanced, reacts well to lube.
Cons: Quality varies from cube to cube.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com www.toysrus.com, www.amazon.com
Studio 4x4x4
See Rubik's Revenge.
Eastsheen 4x4x4
Pros: Can be used for speedcubing out of the box, requires no lubing or sanding.
Cons: Prone to lock-ups, gradually becomes worse over time.
Where to buy: ebay.com (huskyomega, puzzleproz), www.opticubes.com, mefferts.com, www.cube4you.com, www.9spuzzles.com,
Notes: 6cm in each dimension; smaller than the other 4x4x4 cubes. Purple replaces orange by default.
----------------
Rubik's Professor
Pros: Available.
Cons: Pieces may break; requires breaking in, may require sanding, outer layers don't turn as well as inner layers.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com, www.amazon.com
Notes: Can be broken in into an extremely nice cube, which is very comparable with Olympic Cubes and the Mefferts cubes.
Studio 5x5x5
See Rubik's 5x5x5.
Mefferts 5x5x5 (Limited Edition)
Pros: Outer layers and inner layers turn equally well, adjustable + spring-loaded core.
Cons: Relatively expensive, odd color scheme (red vs. white), tiles fall off easily, LIMITED QUANTITY.
Where to buy: www.mefferts.com
Mefferts 5x5x5 (Collector's Special)
Pros: Outer layers and inner layers turn equally well, adjustable + spring-loaded core.
Cons: Relatively expensive, stickers need almost immediate replacement, tensions need to be very fine-tuned or risk wing pops, LIMITED QUANTITY.
Where to buy: www.mefferts.com
Eastsheen 5x5x5
Pros: Can be used for speedcubing out of the box, requires no lubing or sanding.
Cons: Becomes looser over time, becomes more prone to pops over time.
Where to buy: (huskyomega, puzzleproz), www.opticubes.com, www.mefferts.com, www.cube4you.com, www.9spuzzles.com
Notes: 6cm in each dimension, much significantly smaller than other 5x5x5's, same size as Eastsheen 4x4x4. Purple replaces orange by default.
----------
Eastsheen 2x2x2
Pros: Can be used for speedcubing out of the box, does not require lubing, improves over time, larger than other 2x2x2 cubes.
Cons: Cannot cut corners at first, possible after breaking in.
Where to buy: (huskyomega, www.opticubes.com, www.mefferts.com, www.cube4you.com, www.9spuzzles.com
Notes: 5 cm in each dimension. Purple replaces orange by default.
Studio Pocket Cube
Pros:
Cons:
Where to buy:
Rubik's Mini Cube / Junior
Pros: Availability.
Cons: Pieces break relatively easily, hard to turn (even after lubing), falls apart often.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com, www.toysrus.com
Notes: Very difficult to reassemble.
Rubik's Ice Cube
Pros: Looks neat, slightly smoother than the Rubik's Mini.
Cons: Pieces break relatively easily, falls apart often.
Where to buy: www.rubiks.com, www.toysrus.com
Notes: WARNING: this cube is NOT competition-legal.
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