Faster 3x3x3 solve & where to buy 4x4x4

[Orny]

Hey,

I just got myself a new cube that can move properly. It's the original rubiks cube (rubiks.com). I don't know if that's the best or there are better ones. But I'd really like to know .

I have solved it many times (Using Dan Brows's method). I do it in about 5 minutes. I understand that that is painfully slow compared to you all.

So... What are the next steps in solving it faster?

And now to the second question: What 4x4x4 cube should I buy and where should I get it from? Plus what 3x3x3 cube do you recommend?

Regards,
Oren.

 

[MichaelErskine]

Hi Oren,
Take a look at the speedsolving.com wiki introduction for beginners at http://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Introduction_to_Speedcubing_for_Beginners

Also have a read of the "read this first" sticky post at http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1685 which will guide you toward the search function. If you have trouble finding what you want to know just ask again in this thread.

EDIT: A good 4x4x4 is the mini QJ: sku 24169 $7.26 Dimensions(L*W*H): 60.0*60.0*60.0mm Weight: 147.0g

My preferred 3x3x3 is a Type-A(III) although I'm rather fond of the Ghost Hand.

Have fun!

 

[GermanCube]

Use ... the ... Search Function!



1) 4 look LL
2) intuituve F2L
3) Mini QJ 4x4

 

[Zane_C]

With the 4x4x4, I have no idea which are good or where to get them.
Popular 3x3x3 cubes are the type FII (my favourite) Type A's and type C's.
Once your've averaged around a minute or less, move on to a more advanced method. Fridrich is fast and not that difficult to learn, but there are plenty of methods out there.
Here's a link you might want which has good info on cubes:
http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12659

 

[pwndnoobcuber]

diangshengs are very good and cheap
also you should learn fridich from monkeydude thats who i learnt it off and i am now almost sub-30
mefferts 4x4's are the best from what i've heard

 

[Orny]

Thank you for your answers.
I just purchased the QJ 4x4x4. I hope it will get here soon.

Now about faster 3x3x3 solving: What should I learn?
4 look LL?
intuituve F2L?
fridich?

And where from?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MichaelErskine]

Thank you for your answers.
I just purchased the QJ 4x4x4. I hope it will get here soon.

Depending on where in the world you are! I've had some very quick deliveries from popbuying - some have taken a crazy long time!

Now about faster 3x3x3 solving: What should I learn?
4 look LL?
intuituve F2L?
fridich?

And where from?

Thanks in advance!

Well, Fridrich is great as so many people can give you advice.

I'd say that the most fun will come from intuitive F2L which has been well taught by badmephisto here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-xbcAMfWwM

His 4-Look last layer tutorials are good too - that's how I learned my last layer OLL and PLL
You can print out my PDF of most of the algorithms
from http://www.tecspy.com/cubing/4LLL

 

[Zane_C]

If your going with Fridrich method:
-Learn Fridrich F2L, at first you may learn the cases as algorithms, after not long you will figure out how they all work and it'll become intuitive.
-Learn 2 look OLL, this should only take a few days.
-Learn 2 look PLL, this should take another few days.
-Just learn the algorithms at your own pace.

Once your've done all this, learn full PLL.

Once your've done this and still want to get faster, learn full OLL.

You can find all the algs you need here:
http://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Fridrich_Method

 

[James Ludlow]

A good 4x4x4 is the mini QJ: sku 24169 $7.26 Dimensions(L*W*H): 60.0*60.0*60.0mm Weight: 147.0g

My preferred 3x3x3 is a Type-A(III)
Have fun!

I also use A(III) and think it is a wonderful cube.
My brother has a White A(V) which is good. They are also available in black if you prefer.

QJ 4x4's are the best from what i've heard

I'd recommend this 4x4. Its outer slices are simply amazing.

 

[xXzaKerXx]

http://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Road_to_Sub-15_Second_Averages

i recommend following these steps. i use an ori 3x3 too, for the time being it's not bad for practice.

 

[Orny]

Thank you for your answers.
I just purchased the QJ 4x4x4. I hope it will get here soon.

Depending on where in the world you are! I've had some very quick deliveries from popbuying - some have taken a crazy long time!

Now about faster 3x3x3 solving: What should I learn?
4 look LL?
intuituve F2L?
fridich?

And where from?

Thanks in advance!

Well, Fridrich is great as so many people can give you advice.

I'd say that the most fun will come from intuitive F2L which has been well taught by badmephisto here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-xbcAMfWwM

His 4-Look last layer tutorials are good too - that's how I learned my last layer OLL and PLL
You can print out my PDF of most of the algorithms
from http://www.tecspy.com/cubing/4LLL

Are all of those different methods? If so... don't I need to learn just the one that I'll be using?

Like now, when I give you a cube. What method do you use to solve it?

I don't want to spend time learning methods that I won't be using anyway, that's all.

 

[eastamazonantidote]

Are all of those different methods? If so... don't I need to learn just the one that I'll be using?

Like now, when I give you a cube. What method do you use to solve it?

I don't want to spend time learning methods that I won't be using anyway, that's all.

This post bugs me like crazy and I feel I have to say something.

I'm sorry to sound mean, but you have not looked at the links provided. In fact, you clearly have no idea what anyone is talking about. It takes 10 minutes of your time max to look these things up. Use the search function. Use freaking Google. If you type in any of the words you have questions about you will get hundreds if not thousands of threads. Because everyone at some point wonders these things. The links that were so graciously provided are very nice and brief. You should listen to what people say and actually look at what they offer you. You're going to spend more time reading this post than it would take to look these things up.

Read the wiki intro for beginners. This has already been mentioned. Look into Fridrich and decide how dedicated you want to get. Look at Petrus. Look at Roux. Understand that these methods overlap. Petrus tricks work great in Fridrich, for example. But don't learn these methods yet. Instead, look at your cube. Solve your cube till you throw up.

People get sub-40 second times with Dan Brown-style solving. Most people go to about a minute before switching to something more complex. Why? Because moving up to 50-100 (depending on the method) algorithms is a huge step and you need to know you're committed. At 5 minutes, you shouldn't even care what CFOP means.

You don't need a better cube. I average 25 seconds with my old Rubik's storebought.

You should just solve your cube over and over and over. Don't get fancy.

And by the way, if you give me a cube, I solve with VH. I use a C4U cube and a Rubik's storebought. My 4x4x4 of choice is Meffert's.

Non-ranting points points bolded. I do apologize for the outburst but you should really look at what people give you.

 

[AndyRoo789]

Welcome.

There's 21 PLL algs, and 57 OLL algs.

Here's what I recommend you should go about learning Fridrich:

Learn intuitive F2L.

Learn 2 look PLL. Only 6 algs to learn.

Learn 2 look OLL. Only 9 algs to learn.

After that, you can start learning full PLL, then start learning full OLL.

Badmephisto's "How to become a speedcuber" guide is pretty good.

So when you first start, you really only need to learn about 15 algs, and just with that, some people can get really good times.

 

[Cheli]

I don't think you should be going to Fridrich if you're averaging 5 mins, work on cutting your time down to about a minute as previous posters have said.

Here's a nice stage-by-stage guide I have bookmarked:
http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6085

You don't have to follow the steps exactly (I'm somewhere in between steps 2 and 3 in terms of time but already do intuitive F2L), but it's a good reference when you're stuck or need an idea of what to do. It also has LOTS of links to algorithms, videos, etc.

Basically:
- don't worry about other methods until you get to about 1 minute with the beginner method
- NOTHING substitutes for practice - not a better cube, not a different method, not more algorithms, not finger tricks, etc.
- once you cut down on your time, you can try looking into Fridrich, it's got similarities with the beginner's method; however, you should also look into Petrus and Roux, it's really personal preference and you might find you're more of a block-builder type of cuber
- personally I wouldn't move onto the 4x4 until you get really good with the 3x3, I don't have any experience with it but my instinct is that it's only more complicated

Good luck!

P.S. my first post here so I'm new as well, I've been cubing for a few months and anytime I googled a question it just led to a thread on this board, so I figured it was time to just sign up and get the info directly

 

[nlCuber22]

Welcome!

Note -
Fridrich, as you know, is a method.
Cross, F2L, OLL, and PLL are the substeps of this method.
Even further, if you want to learn less algorithms, there are substeps of OLL and PLL -
2 Look OLL and 2 Look PLL, also known as 4 Look Last Layer or 4LLL.
Please use the links provided to you.

 

[cincyaviation]

Thank you for your answers.
I just purchased the QJ 4x4x4. I hope it will get here soon.

Depending on where in the world you are! I've had some very quick deliveries from popbuying - some have taken a crazy long time!

Now about faster 3x3x3 solving: What should I learn?
4 look LL?
intuituve F2L?
fridich?

And where from?

Thanks in advance!

Well, Fridrich is great as so many people can give you advice.

I'd say that the most fun will come from intuitive F2L which has been well taught by badmephisto here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-xbcAMfWwM

His 4-Look last layer tutorials are good too - that's how I learned my last layer OLL and PLL
You can print out my PDF of most of the algorithms
from http://www.tecspy.com/cubing/4LLL

Are all of those different methods? If so... don't I need to learn just the one that I'll be using?

Like now, when I give you a cube. What method do you use to solve it?

I don't want to spend time learning methods that I won't be using anyway, that's all.

as said before, methods overlap, and can be combined for somehwat more efficient (if not better) results. and if you dont feel like learning various methods and getting as much knowledge about the cube as possible then you dont seem dedicated enough to learn another 15 algs for 4LLL and all the work for intuitive F2L, although when you do get to intuitive F2L i reccomend Akkersdijk's tutorial here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbKvOXE__CM&feature=video_response

 

[Orny]

@eastamazonantidote thank you very much. you have enlightened me in a way. I now went over the links and things are much clearer than before. I really appreciate your help. you didn't sound mean at all.

@AndyRoo789,@Cheli thanks guys! I'll go for intuitive F2l after I'll average at about a minute.

@nlCuber22 thanks for clearing this up for me. it's very confusing to be thrown at with lots of abbreviations that mean nothing for me.

@cincyaviation now I understand that methods overlap. thank you for the recommendation.

I now do it in about three minutes. Is that normal after solving the cube for about 45 times?

 

[cincyaviation]

@eastamazonantidote thank you very much. you have enlightened me in a way. I now went over the links and things are much clearer than before. I really appreciate your help. you didn't sound mean at all.

@AndyRoo789,@Cheli thanks guys! I'll go for intuitive F2l after I'll average at about a minute.

@nlCuber22 thanks for clearing this up for me. it's very confusing to be thrown at with lots of abbreviations that mean nothing for me.

@cincyaviation now I understand that methods overlap. thank you for the recommendation.

I now do it in about three minutes. Is that normal after solving the cube for about 45 times?

yeah, your times should improve very fast, but then you will hit a point where you don't improve as quickly, around 2 minutes for me, when you get there it's important to keep practicing, maybe learn a few PLL algorithms, or work on faster last layer, but the important thing is to keep in mind what you are trying to get better at.

 

[miniGOINGS]

This post bugs me like crazy and I feel I have to say something.

I'm sorry to sound mean, but you have not looked at the links provided. In fact, you clearly have no idea what anyone is talking about. It takes 10 minutes of your time max to look these things up. Use the search function. Use freaking Google. If you type in any of the words you have questions about you will get hundreds if not thousands of threads. Because everyone at some point wonders these things. The links that were so graciously provided are very nice and brief. You should listen to what people say and actually look at what they offer you. You're going to spend more time reading this post than it would take to look these things up.

Read the wiki intro for beginners. This has already been mentioned. Look into Fridrich and decide how dedicated you want to get. Look at Petrus. Look at Roux. Understand that these methods overlap. Petrus tricks work great in Fridrich, for example. But don't learn these methods yet. Instead, look at your cube. Solve your cube till you throw up.

People get sub-40 second times with Dan Brown-style solving. Most people go to about a minute before switching to something more complex. Why? Because moving up to 50-100 (depending on the method) algorithms is a huge step and you need to know you're committed. At 5 minutes, you shouldn't even care what CFOP means.

You don't need a better cube. I average 25 seconds with my old Rubik's storebought.

You should just solve your cube over and over and over. Don't get fancy.

And by the way, if you give me a cube, I solve with VH. I use a C4U cube and a Rubik's storebought. My 4x4x4 of choice is Meffert's.

Non-ranting points points bolded. I do apologize for the outburst but you should really look at what people give you.

Well put. Very well put.