Extremely Stiff 5*5*5

[blindfold cube]

Hey everyone,

I just got a 5*5*5 Rubik's cube of amazon Tuesday. I was so happy to finally have a 5*5*5. Took it out of the box. Out of the hex packaging. Give the cube a twist... give it a twist...... :blink: . It was a really stiff cube. It was like i was trying to push a truck with every twist. I forgot that some cubes (at least my cubes) require some lubricant before they can be usable/twist-able. So i crack open my 5*5*5, spray some silicone in the center and put it back together. It helped move the middle layers a lot, but did almost nothing for the faces. I again took the cube apart, sprayed each individual piece with silicone and sprayed a crap load in the center, then put it back together. Helped a little but it is way to stiff for speed cubing and/or finger tricks. I don't know what else to do. The cube is still stiff enough where i don't want to even use it because it takes effort to turn each side. I would HATE to take apart the cube again because i find it literally like a puzzle to put back together again and i find some of of the pieces to be fragile. For now i am just turning the faces, hoping to wear them down a bit, but what can i do to loosen up the faces? Does anybody know what i can do? I really want to use my 5*5*5 but just turning each side makes me put it down. What can i do :unsure: ?

Thanks for responses

 

[joey]

If it is a rubiks one, just sit on your sofa, pop in a dvd, and turn each face millions of times while you watch your film.

 

[ExoCorsair]

If it is extremely stiff, sanding it may help. Just drop some sand into the cube and turn it... Only suggested if your cube is >extremely< stiff.

I just did R R' on each face about 60 times each... Works reasonably well. Make sure that you don't do Rr R'r', because that runs the risk of ruining your core.

 

[Erik]

Hmmm I'm not sure about the sanding, it might be a bit too risky and result in a POP-ing cube later on as it gets smoother (too smooth). My cube was exactly like yours and I'm happy I didn't sand it cause it popping more than enough already now

 

[AvGalen]

This is the reason beginners mostly prefer Eastsheens and experts mostly prefer Rubiks.

Eastsheens are almost perfect out of the box, but they actually get worse (to lose mostly) quite fast. And cutting corners is very difficult/impossible

Rubiks are way to tight out of the box (especially the faces), but they actually get very good after a lot of playing (think months, not hours). And you can cut corners.

Sanding or even filing helps a lot to speed up your Rubiks, but it also has the potential to make the "center-corners" become to lose so they break/mini-pop/slide-under-center-edges.

 

[pjk]

I've had my Rubiks for several months, and it was like yours when I got it. Now I can rotate it fairly easy, but still needs a lot of work. I will just keep solving and messing around with it and see what happens.

Make sure that you don't do Rr R'r', because that runs the risk of ruining your core.

Jon, what do you mean?

 

[ExoCorsair]

Isn't it because of cutting corners that the center-corner pieces twist out...? From my experience, the center-corners will twist out with enough wear anyway... I think that the preference is the result of the size difference (6 cm vs 7 cm).

AvGalen: Once you get used to the loose Eastsheen, it's fine... And then when you get and use a new one, you do really well.
Well, I pop every 10 solves or so (as my DNFs in the competition show), but if I 'sense' it, then it's just a center-edge that pops out a little, not unlike a center-corner twist, only a lot faster to fix.

As an addition, outer faces in Rubik's 5x5x5s are always ridiculously hard to turn (even when my core broke, it was very difficult to turn).

PJK: Outer layer turns are fine, inner layer turns are not. There is no need to wear them; lube takes care of it.
Actually, I did both after my cube was fairly worn, and the next day my core decided to break. :lol: It's made my white face too loose and the cube is unusable until I get a new core. (See YouTube for more details; 30 second clip)

 

[pjk]

Ah, I see. Thanks for the tip. So when I am working in my cube, you recommend I only turn the outer faces?

 

[ExoCorsair]

Yeah, no need to risk a ruined core.

One thing I think is really helpful is solving the 3x3 on the 5x5 (without inspection or shortened inspection). It's good practice for the transition from edge-pairing to 3x3, and also works in your outer layers.

 

[blindfold cube]

Hey again everyone

I've been twisting the faces of my 5*5*5 for some time now and it is actually working. The faces, although not completely smooth, are A LOT easier to turn now. I am able to perform some finger tricks now, but it will still take some time to wear it down more. Still it is a lot better than it was.

Thanks for all the replies !!

 

[apoplectic]

finger tricks should help tremendously(especially the ones you really know real good and can preform fast).finger tricks you get more turns than tou would normal turnsin the same amount of time.my favorite(this is for 3x3x3 but can work for 5x5x5)R B' and keep going on forever R B' R B' R B'... and so on.fastest i know

 

[AvGalen]

Turning only the outer faces of a 5x5x5 is probably the best way to break in a Rubiks, without wearing down the core.......but solving it is just so much more fun.

 

[pjk]

Yeah, well, I will do both. All of my stickers are pretty much wearing off, but I want to break it in real good before I change them. I wanted to find an adapter to a drill and put it on the cubes outer face and spin it like 50,000 times to loosen it. Mitchell Stern gave me the idea on the store bought 3x3's.

 

[dbeyer]

Dude, I thought that I'd never solve my 5x5. On the contrary actually now ... I suppose. It's a great cube ... you can feel that it is really tight ... and everybody has their own taste. Do not sand you cube, stick with the Rubiks products (or wait for Olympicube?)

I have seen people solve the cube very fast with a super stiff cube. Keeping good a consisten cube is rather important, I'd say that x-centers are the important part of the 5x5x5. Their firmness gives support to the rest of the cube. Don't be afraid to invest in an extra cube, just for the x-centers if you feel that your cube has become too loose. I thought it was the core that was important, after buying spare cores, I believe the key to a good cube is indeed firm x-centers.

I don't know, I've heard of people who just go right through Rubiks Professors, and I know that Dan Harris has had his cube for years and years and hasn't had much trouble at all.