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[Help Thread] Importance of lube + cube questions

Nughm

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Jun 27, 2021
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After my failure of a cube that was the RS3M 2020, I'm buying a new cube. The screws stripped the plastic and I literally can't use it for two days without cube explosions. The cube is super tight as I think the tips of the core are stripped, and not the inner bits. anyway, is lube that important? I basically fed my RS3M the lube that came with my Valk (some random moyu lube), but I think it dried up and just made my cube worse, despite all the cleaning. I was going to buy lube from cube shops but I am scared that the same will happen if I do not lube the cube (i.e run out). The only reason I would run out of lube would be because me going to boarding school would not allow me to buy lube online.

Going to a boarding school also means that I can't buy new cubes. Currently I have my sights on the Tornado v3, but are there are good options where dry the cube turns fine?

Also, should I wipe off the factory lube and just cube with it dry for the rest of it's usage?
 

AJT17

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Lube is an important part of a good cube, but it is not essential. I would recommend that you do get some lube though, another thing is to only use a couple of drops of lube and the cube will be good for around a month. You should also clean out your cube every month or two, just get a cloth that you would be fine with getting dirty. Take the cube apart and wipe down all the surfaces of the cube inside and out, and then you reassemble the cube, and put in a couple more drops of lube and it will be good for another month.
 

Mattecuber

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YOU NEED LUBE. buy some Weight five and silk and lube the core and the pieces. pit some drops of silk after some time (2/3 weeks) and the cube will be perfect.
 

Thom S.

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Sep 26, 2017
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My cubes go unlubed for years.
I've never understood why a cube would NEED lube. Like yeah, lube is an essential part of how a cube feels, but lube doesn't make you make less moves or lookahead more.

I'm leaning way over the window and say, if you're not in the Top 50 Worldwide in your event, good lube vs bad lube vs no lube won't make a difference that you can notice.
 
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My cubes go unlubed for years.
I've never understood why a cube would NEED lube. Like yeah, lube is an essential part of how a cube feels, but lube doesn't make you make less moves or lookahead more.

I'm leaning way over the window and say, if you're not in the Top 50 Worldwide in your event, good lube vs bad lube vs no lube won't make a difference that you can notice.
In theory, yes, but my solves rely a lot on the feel of the cube. I was struggling with getting good results but once I started using my Meilong I started getting very good results. Because of the feel I was able to turn more confidently. My times got even better once I set up my Tianma Snap whereupon I began getting times close to my peak. (Peak was around 10.2-3, when I'm warmed up I average around 10.5 now.)
 

Nughm

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Lube is an important part of a good cube, but it is not essential. I would recommend that you do get some lube though, another thing is to only use a couple of drops of lube and the cube will be good for around a month. You should also clean out your cube every month or two, just get a cloth that you would be fine with getting dirty. Take the cube apart and wipe down all the surfaces of the cube inside and out, and then you reassemble the cube, and put in a couple more drops of lube and it will be good for another month.
Noted.


YOU NEED LUBE. buy some Weight five and silk and lube the core and the pieces. pit some drops of silk after some time (2/3 weeks) and the cube will be perfect.
What volume of lubes would you recommend I purchase if I wanted to last the whole bottle/syringe for a year? I would really only be able to purchase lube when I was on Christmas break, week-long breaks if that was how long it took to ship the lube (one week)

What lube would you recommend I purchase with my Tornado v3? I haven't tampered with lubes before and I am not sure what to buy.
 

AJT17

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Small bottles of lube can last a really long time if you use it in moderation, and it can last even longer if you get a slightly bigger bottle, which might be worth it if you are unsure of how long it will be until the next time you can get more lubes. As for what lubes to get I have only ever used the SCS cosmic lubes, so I would recommend Solar, Cosmos, or Martian from my experience with them, but if you want other faster lubes, then Lunar and Stardust work really well.
 

Nughm

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Small bottles of lube can last a really long time if you use it in moderation, and it can last even longer if you get a slightly bigger bottle, which might be worth it if you are unsure of how long it will be until the next time you can get more lubes. As for what lubes to get I have only ever used the SCS cosmic lubes, so I would recommend Solar, Cosmos, or Martian from my experience with them, but if you want other faster lubes, then Lunar and Stardust work really well.
I've played with my friend's tornado v3, and it seems really fast. Not sure if it is the factory lube, or just the cube in general

should I get more control, slow lubes?

Edit: if I were not able to buy lube and ran out, any suggestions for what to do? I ran out of the moyu lube and suddenly my rs3m turned worse than my 4x4
 
Last edited:

AJT17

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I've played with my friend's tornado v3, and it seems really fast. Not sure if it is the factory lube, or just the cube in general

should I get more control, slow lubes?

Edit: if I were not able to buy lube and ran out, any suggestions for what to do? I ran out of the moyu lube and suddenly my rs3m turned worse than my 4x4
I haven't personally tried the tornado v3, but it really depends on your turning style. If you felt that the tornado v3 was too fast when you tried it, then get more control lubes, but if you feel that it could have been a bit faster, then maybe get some faster lubes, but 3x3 is already a really fast event, so most people just recommend slower control lubes. I have no experience of what to do if you run out of lube and other alternatives, so I can't help in that aspect.
 
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Oct 6, 2022
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You should also clean out your cube every month or two

How important is that? I don't mind doing this for my 3x3 cubes once in a while, but if I take apart one of my bigger cubes, I fear I will never be able to put it together again…
 

Nughm

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Jun 27, 2021
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I haven't personally tried the tornado v3, but it really depends on your turning style. If you felt that the tornado v3 was too fast when you tried it, then get more control lubes, but if you feel that it could have been a bit faster, then maybe get some faster lubes, but 3x3 is already a really fast event, so most people just recommend slower control lubes. I have no experience of what to do if you run out of lube and other alternatives, so I can't help in that aspect.
So like weight 1 with cosmos?
 

OldSwiss

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Oct 10, 2022
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How do you lube your GAN Smartcubes? Same like normal cubes?

My i3 an iCarry were both very good until I lubed them the first time. I never got them as good as they were in the beginning.
I use Gan No1 (Maintanance) and Gan No2 (Speed) in any conbinations. I also disassembled and cleaned them a couple of times but
they are still kind ob blocky and slow since I lubed them :rolleyes:
 
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