Fred
Veteran
Have any of you tried the new MGC Beta? Rowe Hessler used the base version to get his multiblind WR, and some other reviewers have also praised it. I'll share my thoughts on the maglev version below, but I can only compare it to the Dayan Guhong Pro. (I don't have a lot of 3x3s yet.)
What's similar in both the Beta and the Guhong that I like is that they're both fast and light-feeling (or can be set up that way). Between CFCE and blindsolving, I sometimes need to use my pinky to move the M slice, and it's doable on both cubes. The Guhong is smoother-feeling and quieter, but not very forgiving. The Beta feels more flexible and less stable, but it also locks up less when my turning isn't completely accurate, which lets me turn fast with more confidence. Both cubes come way too loose out of the box, but the Beta can corner twist and even pop on the default setting. So I tightened it by 7/8 of a turn (at a full turn it started feeling worse for me) and increased compression to 4, and it's a lot more manageable now. I might experiment with it further, such as swapping out the edge feet, but I'm getting very good times already and it feels good too. This is my new main.
There are a couple more good things about the Beta over the Guhong. The Beta's dual adjustment system with a screw and 9 compression settings makes it way more customizable than the Guhong, which only has 5 settings in total that combine compression and "screw depth." The Beta also has a better center cap design that's more secure. It can be a bit annoying sometimes to put the Beta's center caps back on, but the Guhong's center caps can fly off if your turning gets really rough.
What's similar in both the Beta and the Guhong that I like is that they're both fast and light-feeling (or can be set up that way). Between CFCE and blindsolving, I sometimes need to use my pinky to move the M slice, and it's doable on both cubes. The Guhong is smoother-feeling and quieter, but not very forgiving. The Beta feels more flexible and less stable, but it also locks up less when my turning isn't completely accurate, which lets me turn fast with more confidence. Both cubes come way too loose out of the box, but the Beta can corner twist and even pop on the default setting. So I tightened it by 7/8 of a turn (at a full turn it started feeling worse for me) and increased compression to 4, and it's a lot more manageable now. I might experiment with it further, such as swapping out the edge feet, but I'm getting very good times already and it feels good too. This is my new main.
There are a couple more good things about the Beta over the Guhong. The Beta's dual adjustment system with a screw and 9 compression settings makes it way more customizable than the Guhong, which only has 5 settings in total that combine compression and "screw depth." The Beta also has a better center cap design that's more secure. It can be a bit annoying sometimes to put the Beta's center caps back on, but the Guhong's center caps can fly off if your turning gets really rough.
