Frustrated with my 5x5x5 and 7x7x7 solves :(

[enigmahack]

I've been a lurker here for a while, but only signed up recently as I've been getting a little more serious with bigger cubes and wanted to see how everyone else was approaching them.

Anyway, here's my story and I'll make it short.

I've looked and done several searches through here, through twistypuzzles and youtube, but I really have a hard time finding an "advanced" method for edge pairing for larger cubes (reduction method). I've seen the one for the 4x4x4, and while it's great for a dedge, I'm having issues applying it to a tredge/quintedge?

Anyway - on the 5x5x5, my fastest solves are around 3:15 but average is more like 4:00 even. Around 50 seconds for the centers (not amazing, but not too bad) but my edges are roughly almost 2:30 alone. The 3x3x3 solve portion only takes around :30 or so, which isn't too bad either.

So I've got the basic idea on the 5x5x5, but the 7x7x7 is what's REALLY frustrating me.

I have yet to do a complete solve on the 7x7x7 under 10 minutes. My fastest time is 10:30:xx (10 & 1/2 minutes) but averages around 12 or so.

The centers I know are my major weakness here, because my average centers are 5-6 minutes alone, but the edges still take almost 4-5 minutes! (and again, 45-50 seconds for the final solve)

Anyway - when I saw some of the guys/gals here solving the 7x7x7 and seeing different methods I figured I'd focus on the 5x5x5 edge pairing and 7x7x7 centers to improve seeing as how they're my biggest weakness.

I guess I'm just not understanding entirely edges. I know the algs, it's not that. It's really the conceptual part of really understanding what I'm trying to go for next.

The way I do it now is I make a full tredge, hide it in one of the layers, find another 3 pieces for another tredge, get them all into the appropriate layers, build it/hide it and continue that over and over until I get to a point in the last 4 tredges where I can brute force it with algs I know.

Maybe I'm just not "getting" it, but I would really like some help explaining what I should be focusing in my solves for the tredges.

I'd be more than capable and willing to post a solve of my 5x5 and post it here, even to explain how I approach the tredges, if it means I might get some help.

Any suggestions would definitely be welcome and please don't advise I "use the search feature of the forum" as I'm WELL aware of how it works. I wouldn't be asking if I could find my answer on my own I'm just hoping for some advice or maybe harder-to-find resources that might assist me besides bigcubes.com/etc.

Thanks in advance!

 

[PatrickJameson]

Practice.

sites/vids that may help: bigcubes.com; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6hmvCbNkpg

 

[ErikJ]

Do you do a 2 at a time type of thing for 5x5? or random like on bigcubes.com?

Just practice look ahead and Slow down your turning speed a bit.

if the video is still there, watch the edge grouping video on bigcubes.com

 

[Ellis]

Well he did say he did full tredges.

I really have a hard time finding an "advanced" method for edge pairing

If you're having trouble, why are you looking for an advanced method? I consider what you're doing the advanced method. Have you tried AVG edges (video patrick linked) or did you go straight to full tredges? AVG is easier and not a whole lot slower if at all.

 

[enigmahack]

Thanks everyone for the responses - I definitely appreciate the help!

To answer some questions, I do somewhat random like on Bigcubes - I solve an entire tredge before moving onto a new one instead of doing a partial pair. I've been looking at the AVG method, but then my question comes down to how to apply it quickly on a 7x7x7.

To answer Ellis's question: It's not that I'm having trouble with the method I'm doing now, it's that I'm more interested in practicing a more advanced method that allows me to become potentially faster (fixing more pieces at the same time than 1 edge group at a time)

I'll definitely check it out, I guess the major point of my question would be how to apply it to a 7x7x7 directly for faster speeds but I'll keep on working on it

Thanks for your help!

 

[Tomarse]

Thanks everyone for the responses - I definitely appreciate the help!

To answer some questions, I do somewhat random like on Bigcubes - I solve an entire tredge before moving onto a new one instead of doing a partial pair. I've been looking at the AVG method, but then my question comes down to how to apply it quickly on a 7x7x7.

To answer Ellis's question: It's not that I'm having trouble with the method I'm doing now, it's that I'm more interested in practicing a more advanced method that allows me to become potentially faster (fixing more pieces at the same time than 1 edge group at a time)

I'll definitely check it out, I guess the major point of my question would be how to apply it to a 7x7x7 directly for faster speeds but I'll keep on working on it

Thanks for your help!

Using AVG edges, try to make like, 3 in the middle you know, as if the 3 middle edges were joined as one, on all 12 edges, then solve them again using the same principal.

 

[rahulkadukar]

Does anyone have an advanced Centers Method

 

[Dene]

Did you try this thread? A video from the WR holder is always a good start. I also put a link to a video that I quickly made of effectively the same thing, but much less sophisticated (or at least I think it is much less sophisticated) and so probably better for a beginner. You probably just need to practise your lookahead more though. For 7x7 you do exactly the same thing.

 

[qqwref]

Dan Cohen didn't hold a 7x7 WR, but I did once It might help you to watch my 7x7 centers tutorial.

 

[rahulkadukar]

Dan Cohen didn't hold a 7x7 WR, but I did once It might help you to watch my 7x7 centers tutorial.

Nice video thanks man. I really su** at centers

 

[penfold1992]

lol better then me. just started with big cubes and for tredges on 5x5x5
i do one match with another... then that block of 2 match with the last one... and repeat till i have all till the last 2 then i just mess about with ways of trying to fit the last 3 together in the right place using all sorts of different things

use 4x4 parity cases... mix 2 other pairs up... ect.. however my method is totally intuative.. still reduction but with no alg. i mainly enjoy the challenge of it

 

[04mucklowd]

I would not recomend Erik's (frk) edge paring because it is hard to learn
i recomend doing the 5x5 like a 4x4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OBUWAPM45s&feature=channel_page

 

[Zaxef]

I would not recomend Erik's (frk) edge paring because it is hard to learn
i recomend doing the 5x5 like a 4x4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OBUWAPM45s&feature=channel_page

Not really - I started learning it yesterday and my times only went up about 20-30 seconds on a 5x5 solve
It's a very simple concept once you understand it - But I suppose if your look ahead isn't good it's pointless.

Edit: Although it would be nice to know how the faster solvers do the 7x7x7 edges - I tend to just form full wings at once and store them on U/D until the last 4 - which seems really time consuming.
I do get under 10minutes but that's probably just because I do centers quite well now - my edges are still very slow.

 

[Dene]

I would not recomend Erik's (frk) edge paring because it is hard to learn
i recomend doing the 5x5 like a 4x4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OBUWAPM45s&feature=channel_page

I recommend you learn what you're talking about before you make a stupid post.

 

[Deleted member 4527]

umm I just pair up two third of a tredge and while fixing the centres I pair up another two third, so its like pairing one tredge at a time. Im not sure if thats AVG or Erik's method, is there a difference? I just timed myself again today and I got 2:30 which is really good for me. As for 7x7, I only timed myself like five times and I got sub-10 once. For edge pairup I just pair up the middle three pieces, and then it becomes a giant 5x5 and you pair them up once more. but then sometimes you have to do parity alg twice.