[Review] Ghost Hand II 3x3x3

[Trident]

This thread is for reviews of the Ghost Hand II 3x3x3. You can vote in the poll above, but please only vote if you own this particular puzzle.

When posting your review, please follow a template similar to this:

• Where the puzzle was purchased:
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• Thoughts on the puzzle:

What are your thoughts of this puzzle? Please vote one of the options above - but please only vote if you own and have used this puzzle extensively!

 

[Trident]

Ghost Hand II 3x3x3 [Review]

Where: eBay UK
When: 9 days ago (arrived today)

Thoughts:

I bought the Ghost Hand 2 after hearing some pretty good stuff about it, though the main attraction for me was that it's supposedly a very quiet cube - which comes in pretty handy in certain situations (ie. university lectures)! My first proper speed cube had been the Zhanchi, so I'll write this with the comparison in mind.

Straight out of the box, the Ghost Hand is incredibly smooth and almost frictionless. I'm pretty sure it wasn't pre-lubed but it's so good it almost felt like it! It's actually smoother than my unlubed Zhanchi, so I can't wait to see how it performs when lubed (I'll post an update when I do it).

Speed-wise, obviously the smoothness makes it fast, but it's so much more controllable than the Zhanchi. It doesn't 'accidentally' twist too far during speed solving and it seems to click into place with each turn. It's a much nicer feel than the Zhanchi (there, I said it), just a teeny bit slower as a result. And as I said, this is unlubed, so I haven't even unlocked all of its potential yet.

Corner-cutting isn't great; it does line-to-line perfectly but anything over is just impossible. That said, I haven't tensioned it yet so I'm sure it could be better. Reverse corner-cutting is worse; it manages a few degrees offset but nothing extreme. But to be honest, if you're good enough at handling a cube this will never be a problem, and the fact that it clicks into place when turning definitely helps.

The build quality is good; it's certainly lighter than the Zhanchi, and a tad smaller. The cubies themselves are actually hollowed and the piece technology is quite primitive, sort of like the stuff you get on standard Rubik's brand cubes. Nevertheless, it works really well and it hasn't popped on me once so far. Though I haven't tried yet (for obvious reasons ), I can imagine it would smash into pieces if dropped, so it's certainly not as sturdy as any of my other cubes (perhaps excluding the Type F-III).

The stickers I got on mine were really nice. Other reviews I've seen have talked about 'rough, paper-like texture' stickers but the ones I received are really durable, nicely-coloured and glossy. You can actually see your reflection in the faces! Unfortunately it didn't come with a spare set

And in terms of noise, it's slightly quieter than the Zhanchi but certainly not silent. The piece technology means that you hear it bumping over each cubie as the faces rotate. Although yet again it's not lubed, so I'll try that out and see if it makes it quieter.

Overall verdict: this is a seriously good cube, not quite as advanced as the Zhanchi (or any other Dayan cubes for that matter really) but certainly worth getting if you want something smooth, fast and controllable. I really like the feel of this cube. I have a feeling it's going to be my main cube for a while and I'm hoping to get some good averages with it. If you don't have a Ghost Hand II, get one!

 

[~Adam~]

Ghost Hand II 3x3x3 [Review]

You reviewed an untentioned, unlubed cube which is at least 2 years old? OK.

 

[antoineccantin]

were: Lightake.com

when: I've ordered at least 25+ from there, mostly last year. (probably more like 50, but I can't find the book where I entered my orders)

Thoughts:

Decent cube, but cheap, so great to sell at school. Fast and nice feel, but locks up way too much, however this can be fixed with some modding. Pops a bit, but when properly taken care of (modding, lubing, tensionning), it can be as good as a Dayan cube.

 

[Lchu613]

Where: eBay
When: 6 months or so ago

Mine is WAY too loose, and I can't tension it because I fused the caps on.
However, it is actually a great cube. I will just say that if you spray it with CRC, make sure you take off the cpas, that's how I fused mine on. I can't even get them off with a box-cutter .
It's a pretty fast cube, with some modding it would lock up less, which is my only problem.
Also, It works ok with CRC, but since the plastic is really soft it all kinda melts. This is absolutely fine, but once again it does make it loose so make sure your caps are off if you use CRC

 

[Trident]

You reviewed an untentioned, unlubed cube which is at least 2 years old? OK.

1. As I said I'm going to post an update as soon as I've experimented with the tension (N.B. it's spelled with an 's' not a 't').

2. See above.

3. Age really doesn't matter. That's like annulling any review of the standard Rubik's brand on the basis that it derives from a mid-1970s design. Even the legendary Guhong isn't that recent anymore.

4. Yes, it is ok. People are still buying these today, so there's no harm in reviewing it. It's not like Rubik's cubes have simply disappeared from the market.

 

[~Adam~]

Ghost Hand II 3x3x3 [Review]

2 year old reviews can normally wait en extra couple of days for a lubed and tensioned review. Jus' sayin'.

 

[ROCuber]

Where: Fulfilled by Amazon, Can't seem to remember which shop i bought it from.
When: 1 year ago

Thoughts: The stock stickers are feel much different than what i am used to. The best way to describe it is that it feels like paper. This probably shouldn't be a problem because most people re-sticker their puzzles anyway. The cube is extremely smooth. It's alot smoother than my guhong V2. It is definitely the quietest cube i own. The only complaint i have about the Ghosthand 2 is that it locks up way too much. The corner cutting takes a lot of force and reverse corner cutting is next to impossible. This issue could probably be fixed with modding. It is a good cube to own if you like collecting 3x3s.