Is the customization of the GAN X series needed?

[Zeede]

I'm new to cubing, learned the beginner method from YouTube and finally solved a cube at the old age of 41! I taught it to all of my kids traveling to their first ever cruise and three of us are hooked!

I've recently learned beginner's Roux method but I'm quite slow, as my average times are about 1:15.

I own a YuXin Kylin V3 M and a MoYu GTSM2 M and have been looking at the GAN cubes.

The newer GAN flagships have lots of customization options, such as the magnet strength and tensioning, but I can't help but wonder if they would be totally unnecessary for me. It seems that most people just swap in the strongest magnets and one of the stronger nuts and call it a day, so I don't know how many people are actually actively tweaking the settings on a regular basis.

I'm curious about trying a GAN cube, and I particularly like the look of the stickerless ones they have, what with the inside plastic being black. Looks sharp!

Long story short, do you think that a 354 M would be a good recommendation for me to try out a GAN cube? It's $20 cheaper than the X and XS and I think that the extra customization would just be $20 wasted on me.

I've also been looking at the Valk Power 3 M, which is similarly priced to the GAN 354 M.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on the matter!

 

[GAN 356 X]

I own a Gan X and use it as my main. I have currently settled on the green nuts on 0.8 and the strongest magnets installed. For comps, I think I might put in the tighter springs to help with my nerves. I do switch the settings around a bit but not all that much, say, once every 2 months. From research I have heard that the 354 is not very good for the price, and is often too small for many cubers. The Valk Power M is widely unpopular throughout the community, and even though I haven't tried it, I wouldn't recommend it. On the other hand, I would go for the WRM or Tengyun or GTS2M or MGC Elite at your level, because of their cheaper price and universal popularity. J Perm himself (a great cubing Youtuber, if you don't know), recommends the MGC V3 Elite to someone of your level, as it has all the customisation of higher priced cubes at a low price point. I don't think it is out on stores but it should be coming soon.

 

[chron0s]

Zeede as someone who loves trying new puzzles, even the expensive ones, I would caution you against leaping into the new GAN cubes. I haven't tried the XS but I have an X and its a great cube, but for regular solving I switch between a GTS3 WR M and MF3RS3M (with the X thrown in) even after setup time and breakin - I average 23 seconds. I also like setting up puzzles with custom magnets - all the manufacturers are adding customization options to make it easier to tune puzzles for spring tension and magnet strength, its a welcome time saver. I'm glad GAN, Moyu and others are making it easier to adjust puzzles. If you want to try a GAN puzzle then the XS would be my choice, don't compromise for the 354 - its a great puzzle but smaller than all the other flagships. If you want to try a new GAN puzzle go for the XS, but don't feel any urgency unless you've tried a lot of cubes with different magnet strengths and tensions.

 

[chron0s]

If you want to "splurge" try the XS though, you can find people describing their setups and top solvers prefer a range of tensions so it caters to a lot of preferences. Same goes for the WRM for example. You'll enjoy the XS (or the 354 for sure) so by all means if you want to try a new 3x3 you won't be disappointed.

 

[Zeede]

Wow, thanks for all of the replies!

Yes, I have watched many of J Perm's videos, as well as Shawn (Shaun?) from SpeedCubeReview.

I think the challenge for me is not knowing what a cube needs to work better for me. For example, I really like my MoYu GTSM2 M, but sometimes it feels too fast. Doing a T-Perm, for example, it's kind of hard to control at times. Sometimes it just clicks and I'm "in the zone" and it isn't a problem, but when I'm off it gets messy. By contrast, my son has a YJ YuLong V2 M, which requires more effort to turn, which I don't like, but his cube is definitely more stable.

I know tons about how to tune a suspension on a car, but zilch about how to diagnose a cube to know if it needs more tension, or less. My MoYu doesn't lock up and nothing pops off or corner twists, but I'm not sure how to know if I've tensioned it too much.

I hope this makes sense. There's still a lot of terminology with speed cubing that I don't know yet.

 

[GAN 356 X]

Wow, thanks for all of the replies!

Yes, I have watched many of J Perm's videos, as well as Shawn (Shaun?) from SpeedCubeReview.

I think the challenge for me is not knowing what a cube needs to work better for me. For example, I really like my MoYu GTSM2 M, but sometimes it feels too fast. Doing a T-Perm, for example, it's kind of hard to control at times. Sometimes it just clicks and I'm "in the zone" and it isn't a problem, but when I'm off it gets messy. By contrast, my son has a YJ YuLong V2 M, which requires more effort to turn, which I don't like, but his cube is definitely more stable.

I know tons about how to tune a suspension on a car, but zilch about how to diagnose a cube to know if it needs more tension, or less. My MoYu doesn't lock up and nothing pops off or corner twists, but I'm not sure how to know if I've tensioned it too much.

I hope this makes sense. There's still a lot of terminology with speed cubing that I don't know yet.

Its like that when you begin. 8 months after starting I have a good grip of all the terms and am still learning. Have fun trying out new cubes!

P.S. If you are faced with indecision and have a comp nearby, go to it, as you can try new cubes there.

P.P.S. The YuLong is great for its price, and I enjoy its blocky, stable feel. If you loosen and lube it becomes much better. Also, I recommend getting into other cubes like 2x2 and 4x4 etc

 

[Pyjam]

The 354M is a very flexible cube. I don't think it would be the right choice if you want stability.
I would recommend a XS instead.
I have both cubes, and have used the 354 for a year.
I prefer the XS with dark blue nuts on 4 (best corner cutting) and tension set to 5 (quite tight).
Use the strong magnets if the cube is to fast.

 

[Zeede]

P.S. If you are faced with indecision and have a comp nearby, go to it, as you can try new cubes there.

Can I just go to a local competition just to try cubes? I'd be embarrassed to enter as a competitor, with a 90 second average.

If you loosen and lube it becomes much better. Also, I recommend getting into other cubes like 2x2 and 4x4 etc

Ah lubes. That's a whole other side of this I don't want to delve into yet. Other size puzzles, as well.

 

[PetrusQuber]

Can I just go to a local competition just to try cubes? I'd be embarrassed to enter as a competitor, with a 90 second average.


Ah lubes. That's a whole other side of this I don't want to delve into yet. Other size puzzles, as well.

Ahem, ‘average times are about 1:15. Also, don’t worry! Lots of people are over one minute at competitions, and also, with some practise, you can easily lower your times to 1 min, a fairly normal time for some people. Check out the WCA, and look at some competition results - you’ll find quite a few times similar to yours.

 

[Zeede]

Ahem, ‘average times are about 1:15. Also, don’t worry! Lots of people are over one minute at competitions, and also, with some practise, you can easily lower your times to 1 min, a fairly normal time for some people. Check out the WCA, and look at some competition results - you’ll find quite a few times similar to yours.

Ah, I guess that's the problem with watching too much YouTube. The speed cubers on there would probably be ashamed of a 20 second solve.

Of course, we've only been into speed cubing since the middle of September, so two months?

 

[ImmolatedMarmoset]

Ah, I guess that's the problem with watching too much YouTube. The speed cubers on there would probably be ashamed of a 20 second solve.

Of course, we've only been into speed cubing since the middle of September, so two months?

Yeah! Depending on where you live, there are regular competitions, and everyone there really wants to meet you. It’s so much fun to compete and have official results, even if you only solve 3x3. check worldcubeassociation.org/competitions