Dash Lambda
Veteran
I pre-ordered from The Cubicle on 1/20/2017, and received it on the 30th.
ADDENDUM: This got quite lengthy, I think I sort’a lost focus near the end, but oh well. There was just a lot to talk about with this cube.
I had wanted to get a magnetic cube ever since the Cubicle Labs cubes first came out, but I just didn't like the GTS or the Valk enough to spend $50 on one. So, when this cube was announced, I was obviously very excited. It's the first thing I've pre-ordered in a very long time.
When I got it, the box had actually partially opened in the package because of how much stuff was in it -I can see why they didn't include a bag. I did order a Gans cube bag separately though, and it was a lot nicer than I expected.
I appreciate the inclusion of the G and S series nuts and both tensioning tools, and I do expect all the bits and bobs with a ~$50 cube, though I haven't had the desire to try any of the other springs. The Gans instructions are always cool, but a bit useless to people who already know CFOP, and the Cubicle pamphlet is small but a nice little addition. I would've liked to have a spare set of the newer Oracal stickers, but as Gans sells replacements (unlike QiYi), it's fine that they didn't include them.
The stickers are very nice. The stock stickers on the Master edition were dull and started chipping almost immediately, but the new sticker shades are bright and vibrant, and after a week of pretty heavy solving (I always have a cube with me) they're still in perfect condition.
Out of the box, the cube was friggin' amazing. Every cube I've tried out of the box has felt like it wasn't properly set up, be it uneven tensions, spring noise, stingy lubricant, whatever -But this cube just felt like it was set up to someone else's preference. It was more like getting a Cubicle Premium cube than a stock cube.
Though, of course, it wasn't set up the way I wanted it, so I cleaned it, lubed it, and tensioned it. The magnets made disassembly and reassembly unexpectedly easy, since the pieces can basically stay together with the core completely removed (it's easier to just put the entire top layer on then fasten the center than it is to fiddle with an edge, given the Air's fantastic anti-pop stuff). I kept the purple springs and set them flush with the core, lubed the hardware with Lubicle Standard, and put Lubicle Speedy, Silk, and Maru on the pieces. I didn't remove any of the Speedy like I did with my normal Air because the force from the magnets make this cube respond better to thicker lubricants.
The break-in process was fairly quick, in a couple days it started to feel like a proper Air and it lost the somewhat awkward blockiness it seemed to have at first. There was one piece that seemed to have a little (hardened) glue on the outside, but it wore off pretty easily.
The modified pieces of the Ultimate edition make the cube amazingly light, even after putting 48 magnets in it they still managed to keep what makes it the Gans Air. However impressed I am, though, there are two downsides:
-The lack of screws means you can no longer adjust the corner stalks. I had mine tightened down anyway, so it doesn’t bother me, but other people may disagree.
-The hollow chambers seem to amplify the sound, so this is no longer a quiet cube. It’s not as loud or obnoxious as the Valk, but it’s still louder than average.
Finally, the magnets themselves are very nice. When you’re moving slow, you can feel the resistance when you start a turn and the attraction when you end it, and when the magnets align is feels like a mechanical stop. When you’re turning fast, the cube feels more compliant and stable, and the cube almost never locks up because the magnets are so good at compensating for sloppy turning.
It obviously no longer feels as uniformly smooth and fluid as the regular Air, but the precise feeling is difficult to describe. It feels so familiar, but I know it doesn’t actually feel like a cube I’ve used before. It’s actually come to be what I expect a cube to feel like, unnaturally quickly.
The best I can say is that it feels like someone added a drop of AoLong to the Gans Air and stuck an alignment mechanism into it.
The magnets aren’t universally good, however. There are two things I don’t really like about them:
-They make the turning feel heavier. I can’t really tell if this is due to the weight distribution or the altered force curve, though I imagine all they’d do to the weight distribution is decrease the moment of inertia (by shifting the weight from the screw wells closer to the center). I feel like they could have used weaker magnets, but this is my only magnetic cube, so I don’t have much to compare.
-They cause a clicky/clacky sound that contributes to the cube’s higher noise.
In terms of performance, it’s a Gans Air. We all know how that is.
Something I noticed, though, is that while my overall average of ~15 seconds has stayed relatively consistent with this cube, I’ve been getting ~10-12 second solves way more frequently than with the regular Air. I think it’s because the magnets keep the cube from locking up when I start to get sloppy and clumsy (as I’m sure many of us do when we get a really lucky scramble). Now I can see why both Mats and Feliks seemed to pretty much immediately set world records after getting a magnetic cube.
Lastly, as an Ultimate edition, it comes with a VIP card (a proper, thick card) that gives you access to free replacements parts from Gans should yours break, which is awesome. The support from The Cubicle and Gans for their respective magnetic cubes is that little touch on top that really makes them feel different, more premium than any other cube on the market.
So, all in all, this is truly a fantastic cube. It’s not perfect, but it’s so close that I don’t think its imperfections are significant. The craftsmanship, the presentation, the accessories, the support, the performance, even the stickers make it feel worth it.
In summary:
+Fantastic performance (corner cutting, anti-corner-twist, anti-pop).
+Amazing out-of-the-box.
+All (or most of) the bits and bobs.
+Fast and stable.
+Great stickers.
+Great build quality.
+Great service.
+Magnets (difficult to explain).
-Loud.
-Heavier-feeling turning.
-Can’t adjust corner stalks.
ADDENDUM: This got quite lengthy, I think I sort’a lost focus near the end, but oh well. There was just a lot to talk about with this cube.
I had wanted to get a magnetic cube ever since the Cubicle Labs cubes first came out, but I just didn't like the GTS or the Valk enough to spend $50 on one. So, when this cube was announced, I was obviously very excited. It's the first thing I've pre-ordered in a very long time.
When I got it, the box had actually partially opened in the package because of how much stuff was in it -I can see why they didn't include a bag. I did order a Gans cube bag separately though, and it was a lot nicer than I expected.
I appreciate the inclusion of the G and S series nuts and both tensioning tools, and I do expect all the bits and bobs with a ~$50 cube, though I haven't had the desire to try any of the other springs. The Gans instructions are always cool, but a bit useless to people who already know CFOP, and the Cubicle pamphlet is small but a nice little addition. I would've liked to have a spare set of the newer Oracal stickers, but as Gans sells replacements (unlike QiYi), it's fine that they didn't include them.
The stickers are very nice. The stock stickers on the Master edition were dull and started chipping almost immediately, but the new sticker shades are bright and vibrant, and after a week of pretty heavy solving (I always have a cube with me) they're still in perfect condition.
Out of the box, the cube was friggin' amazing. Every cube I've tried out of the box has felt like it wasn't properly set up, be it uneven tensions, spring noise, stingy lubricant, whatever -But this cube just felt like it was set up to someone else's preference. It was more like getting a Cubicle Premium cube than a stock cube.
Though, of course, it wasn't set up the way I wanted it, so I cleaned it, lubed it, and tensioned it. The magnets made disassembly and reassembly unexpectedly easy, since the pieces can basically stay together with the core completely removed (it's easier to just put the entire top layer on then fasten the center than it is to fiddle with an edge, given the Air's fantastic anti-pop stuff). I kept the purple springs and set them flush with the core, lubed the hardware with Lubicle Standard, and put Lubicle Speedy, Silk, and Maru on the pieces. I didn't remove any of the Speedy like I did with my normal Air because the force from the magnets make this cube respond better to thicker lubricants.
The break-in process was fairly quick, in a couple days it started to feel like a proper Air and it lost the somewhat awkward blockiness it seemed to have at first. There was one piece that seemed to have a little (hardened) glue on the outside, but it wore off pretty easily.
The modified pieces of the Ultimate edition make the cube amazingly light, even after putting 48 magnets in it they still managed to keep what makes it the Gans Air. However impressed I am, though, there are two downsides:
-The lack of screws means you can no longer adjust the corner stalks. I had mine tightened down anyway, so it doesn’t bother me, but other people may disagree.
-The hollow chambers seem to amplify the sound, so this is no longer a quiet cube. It’s not as loud or obnoxious as the Valk, but it’s still louder than average.
Finally, the magnets themselves are very nice. When you’re moving slow, you can feel the resistance when you start a turn and the attraction when you end it, and when the magnets align is feels like a mechanical stop. When you’re turning fast, the cube feels more compliant and stable, and the cube almost never locks up because the magnets are so good at compensating for sloppy turning.
It obviously no longer feels as uniformly smooth and fluid as the regular Air, but the precise feeling is difficult to describe. It feels so familiar, but I know it doesn’t actually feel like a cube I’ve used before. It’s actually come to be what I expect a cube to feel like, unnaturally quickly.
The best I can say is that it feels like someone added a drop of AoLong to the Gans Air and stuck an alignment mechanism into it.
The magnets aren’t universally good, however. There are two things I don’t really like about them:
-They make the turning feel heavier. I can’t really tell if this is due to the weight distribution or the altered force curve, though I imagine all they’d do to the weight distribution is decrease the moment of inertia (by shifting the weight from the screw wells closer to the center). I feel like they could have used weaker magnets, but this is my only magnetic cube, so I don’t have much to compare.
-They cause a clicky/clacky sound that contributes to the cube’s higher noise.
In terms of performance, it’s a Gans Air. We all know how that is.
Something I noticed, though, is that while my overall average of ~15 seconds has stayed relatively consistent with this cube, I’ve been getting ~10-12 second solves way more frequently than with the regular Air. I think it’s because the magnets keep the cube from locking up when I start to get sloppy and clumsy (as I’m sure many of us do when we get a really lucky scramble). Now I can see why both Mats and Feliks seemed to pretty much immediately set world records after getting a magnetic cube.
Lastly, as an Ultimate edition, it comes with a VIP card (a proper, thick card) that gives you access to free replacements parts from Gans should yours break, which is awesome. The support from The Cubicle and Gans for their respective magnetic cubes is that little touch on top that really makes them feel different, more premium than any other cube on the market.
So, all in all, this is truly a fantastic cube. It’s not perfect, but it’s so close that I don’t think its imperfections are significant. The craftsmanship, the presentation, the accessories, the support, the performance, even the stickers make it feel worth it.
In summary:
+Fantastic performance (corner cutting, anti-corner-twist, anti-pop).
+Amazing out-of-the-box.
+All (or most of) the bits and bobs.
+Fast and stable.
+Great stickers.
+Great build quality.
+Great service.
+Magnets (difficult to explain).
-Loud.
-Heavier-feeling turning.
-Can’t adjust corner stalks.
