Zain_A24
Member
Hello everyone!
I have decided to go for a slightly different format of reviews. I will be gradually be adding information to the review to allow me to get them out nice and early. The first instalment - First Impressions. I hope you enjoy.
General Info
Name – Moyu Aochuang WR M
Price – $40 (approx)
Availability – Black and Stickerless (when released)
Link - Cubezz.com
Size – 61mm
Brief Overview
The Moyu Aochuang WR M is the latest addition to the WR M line, which originated from the successor to the Weilong GTS3M, which had ridges, which they followed up with the Weilong WR M. It is unsure as to whether the WR stands for “World Record”, name as such to express the levels of success the company has had in assisting to break various national and world record as well as major cubing milestones, or whether it was “without ridges” starting from the Weilong WR M. Either way, this line has so far shown very high levels of success in the cubing community and is continuing to be peoples’ mains around the world, with the hopes of continuing to expand the lineup to further WCA events and breaking further records.
The current cubes in this lineup include:
2x2 – Moyu Weipo WR M
3x3 – Moyu Weilong WR M
4x4 – Moyu Aosu WR M
5x5 – Moyu Aochuang WR M
A big selling point of this lineup is their smaller size – particularly the 4x4 and soon-to-be 5x5. The smaller size is appealing to many, whilst the cubes also retain their high speed and excellent stability.
Unboxing
The puzzle is encased in a compact box, along with the traditional accessories box. The accessories box contains the Moyu screwdriver used to tension the cube, along with various Team Moyu cards for collecting purposes. I proceeded to removing the cube from the plastic wrap and began analysing first impressions.
First Impressions – Before Turning
Appearance
This cube features bright shades, with a lighter blue and yellow compared to Yuxin’s shades. The colours provide for excellent contrast and this will be beneficial when solving in lower light conditions. Since I have a stickered Moyu Aosu WR M but a stickerless Aochuang WR M, I am unsure as to whether these stickerless shades match those of the stickerless Aosu. The shades are brighter than the stickered shades of the Aosu, with Moyu opting for brighter colour choices as opposed to the half-bright found on their stickered WR M range. The shades closely resemble those from YJ’s Yuchuang, which I actively used for comparison.
Pieces
The major non-traditional design difference I found was when opening the centre caps. The caps have an additional block attached underneath, thus acting more as pieces than caps, which allows for the cube to hold together better and further confidence in ensuring the caps will not fall off during solves – not that this was ever an issue on previous releases. The inner edges feature subtle grooves which will assist with speed and lubricant distribution and have an additional extension underneath the traditional wing design, providing for additional stability. The pieces seem to have enough thin lubricant from the factory, which I will eventually remove and lubricate to suit my preferred feel.
Feel
Immediately, the cube feels noticeably smaller, particularly for myself since I used the 63mm Huanglong for several months. It is surprising how a size difference as little as 1 or 2 millimetres can make a noticeable difference in cubing. At 61mm, it is smaller than the traditional 5x5s (usually around 62-63mm), which I think would appeal to a large portion of speedcubers. I personally feel as though this is the perfect size for a 5x5, and I hope to see this become the standard on all 5x5s in the future.
Speed
The outer layers on this cube are very fast. Currently, they are at a speed fast enough for turns to be effortless yet controllable. Turning seems extremely light, with very little effort required to turn the cube fast, which is perfect for larger cubes. The inner layers, despite not being as fast as the outer layers, are still very fast, and I can see phases such as centre building will be a breeze. The inner layers particularly have a slight sandiness but as we are aware with Moyu’s previous releases, this tends to go after a few solves.
Magnets
The magnets on this cube are on the weaker side and remind me of those in the YJ Yuchuang V2M. However, since this is just a prototype, Moyu are strengthening the magnets prior to release. The cube is also showing exceptional resistance to lockups, and thus far, pops are non-existent. Even when lockups are forced during extensive cornercutting, the cube is resists deformation and doesn’t produce the awkward 5x5 lockups that we have seen in plenty of competing brands and products.
Cornercutting
The cornercutting on this cube out of the box is as follows:
Forward – Full piece
Reverse – ¾ piece
This is a very good amount for a 5x5 and is suitable for regular solving scenarios. I was very impressed with the level of reverse cornercutting on this cube, and since reverse cutting is not affected by the tensions of the cube, it is a very good indication of the potential of the puzzle. At the moment, the cube is at a tension suitable for solving without locking and pops, but I will probably be loosening it slightly as that is where Moyu cubes perform the best.
Solves
Within just a few solves, I had already beaten by 5x5 single with a time of 3:05, which is good relative to my 3x3 stage times, and I am sure I will be continuing to break my personal best averages and singles with this product. I have also noticed that I am able to do longer sessions with this cube due to the effortless turning which is less taxing on the hands.
Catching has been minimal yet existent, but this is due to the weaker magnets in this particular prototype which is resulting in small misalignments, but this will not be an issue to those wanting to buy the product on release.
I will be experimenting with lubricants over the next few days, and I will be constantly updating this thread with information as and when I find out something new.
Feel free to leave any questions about it down below, and I will do my best to answer them. If you also spot any mistakes, feel free to drop a comment. Happy cubing and I hope you all stay safe and well.
Lubrication + Tensioning
To setup the cube, I took it apart and lubricated the core and springs with Lubest PRO. After wiping the pieces, I reassembled the cube and added Adheron lubricant to a corner, wing and edge piece. After breaking this in, I usually top up with small amounts of DNM or Galaxy to reach a preferred speed.
Lubest PRO – Equivalent to thick silicone lubricant (Weight 5)
Adheron – Equivalent to Medium weight silicone (Weight 3)
(At the moment they are £1.99 for 20ml at KewbzUK, and this cube was the perfect opportunity to try these out)
In terms of tensioning, I loosened the cube up around half a turn from its original position, since MoYu cubes perform well on looser tensions.
Break-in
With big cubes, the performance is constantly changing over time. The performance out of the box is merely a starting point compared to the level of change that occurs to a puzzle after several solves. The lubricant has now provided a more consistent feel throughout the inner and outer layers, and the fact that the inner and outer layer magnets are of equal feel adds to this consistency (although the magnets will be changed for the final version). The cube responds well to lubricants, with small drops of DNM or Galaxy making large differences to performance, which is great in comparison to other cubes which show very little change with addition of large amounts.
Both the inner and outer layers are extremely light yet controllable, and I feel as though my setup has provided a perfect balance between speed and stability. On the looser tensions, lockups can occur only when forced and rarely occur during a solving scenario – the ones that do occur are easily correctable and do not hinder my times too greatly. MoYu cubes certainly are exceptional at looser tensions, similarly this could be said for some of YuXin puzzles, but MoYu are certainly the manufacturer that provides these levels of reliability.
After Break-in, the cornercutting is as follows:
Forward – Just under 45 degrees
Reverse – 4/5 piece (almost line to line)
The level of cornercutting on the cube is on-par or perhaps above those of its competitiors over at QiYi, and I can see there will be some people switching over to this new and exciting release.
This cube is certainly is one of the most interesting, since I proceeded with a very critical mindset. Fortunately, there are not a lot of bad things to say about this cube, although there are some things I want to highlight in this review.
The first point is the choice of magnets. The magnets are certainly on the weaker side and at first were difficult to adjust to. Fortunately, MoYu have officially announced they will be adjusting these for the final version, which certainly puts this cube in good hands, and it is great to see how MoYu responds well to feedback. The magnet choices were certainly interesting, especially in comparison to their Aosu WR M, which had rather strong magnet choices. The weaker choice may have been due to feedback on the Aosu magnets being too strong, although this is just a thought.
Another aspect worth considering is the centre caps. Both the Aochuang GTS and the WR M have these signature centrecaps, which have interesting protrusions on them to double up as pieces – I will provide some images below of what I mean. At times – particularly out of the box, I wasn’t a big fan of these caps, which required additional force to remove on tighter tensions. After a while, I became accustomed to the caps and on the looser tensions that I now have the cube set up to, the caps are not a hindrance. However, I am aware many cubers tension their cubes by fully tightening each side and gradually loosening the cube until a balance is met. With this method, it would be difficult to add or remove the caps on the very tight tensions, although this is not a huge issue. Unlike the GAN 460 or Valk Elite, the caps are not essential in assessing the cube, and adjusting the cube is as simple as any other release.
The smaller size is worth mentioning. At 61mm, it is 1mm smaller than the GTS , Valk and MGC. 1mm can make a significant difference in cubing terms and was certainly noticeable immediately on turning the cube. I can see a lot of cubers benefiting from the smaller size as much as myself, with centre-building and 3x3 stage being my most notable areas of improvement with the WR M. The cube is also light – both in turning and in hand – which allows for longer cubing sessions.
An important aspect of a bigger cube in particular is reverse cornercutting on both the inner and outer layers. Fortunately, this cube has effortless cornercutting both forward and reverse, allowing for more consistent turning without hindrances, which is the main reason of my personal bests already being beaten with this puzzle (albeit a slow time in comparison to many of you readers).
Overall, this cube is not perfect, and neither is any other 5x5 in todays market. However, it is very close to being the perfect 5x5, with the certainty of cubers moving away from the likes of QiYi, YJ and YuXin in favour of this small, compact and high-performance release, which caters for the majority of cubers.
Could we see records being broken with this release? We will have to wait and see. Thank you very much for reading all the way to the end of this review. I will be constantly updating this review to add things like price, and hopefully I will have a look at the final version on release to see if any of my thoughts have changed. I also have a MGC 5x5 on the way soon, and I will be letting you know of my thoughts and how it compares.
Huge thanks to MoYu for sending me this early to review. I would be interested in your thoughts on release.
I have decided to go for a slightly different format of reviews. I will be gradually be adding information to the review to allow me to get them out nice and early. The first instalment - First Impressions. I hope you enjoy.
Moyu Aochuang WR M 5x5 Early Access Review - Moyu
Sections:
- Review of Cube – Aochuang WR M 5x5
- Unboxing
- OOTB
- Completely Dry
- Lube + Tension
- Break-in
- Final Thoughts
Review of Cube
General Info
Name – Moyu Aochuang WR M
Price – $40 (approx)
Availability – Black and Stickerless (when released)
Link - Cubezz.com
Size – 61mm
Brief Overview
The Moyu Aochuang WR M is the latest addition to the WR M line, which originated from the successor to the Weilong GTS3M, which had ridges, which they followed up with the Weilong WR M. It is unsure as to whether the WR stands for “World Record”, name as such to express the levels of success the company has had in assisting to break various national and world record as well as major cubing milestones, or whether it was “without ridges” starting from the Weilong WR M. Either way, this line has so far shown very high levels of success in the cubing community and is continuing to be peoples’ mains around the world, with the hopes of continuing to expand the lineup to further WCA events and breaking further records.
The current cubes in this lineup include:
2x2 – Moyu Weipo WR M
3x3 – Moyu Weilong WR M
4x4 – Moyu Aosu WR M
5x5 – Moyu Aochuang WR M
A big selling point of this lineup is their smaller size – particularly the 4x4 and soon-to-be 5x5. The smaller size is appealing to many, whilst the cubes also retain their high speed and excellent stability.
Unboxing
The puzzle is encased in a compact box, along with the traditional accessories box. The accessories box contains the Moyu screwdriver used to tension the cube, along with various Team Moyu cards for collecting purposes. I proceeded to removing the cube from the plastic wrap and began analysing first impressions.
Out of the Box
First Impressions – Before Turning
Appearance
This cube features bright shades, with a lighter blue and yellow compared to Yuxin’s shades. The colours provide for excellent contrast and this will be beneficial when solving in lower light conditions. Since I have a stickered Moyu Aosu WR M but a stickerless Aochuang WR M, I am unsure as to whether these stickerless shades match those of the stickerless Aosu. The shades are brighter than the stickered shades of the Aosu, with Moyu opting for brighter colour choices as opposed to the half-bright found on their stickered WR M range. The shades closely resemble those from YJ’s Yuchuang, which I actively used for comparison.
Pieces
The major non-traditional design difference I found was when opening the centre caps. The caps have an additional block attached underneath, thus acting more as pieces than caps, which allows for the cube to hold together better and further confidence in ensuring the caps will not fall off during solves – not that this was ever an issue on previous releases. The inner edges feature subtle grooves which will assist with speed and lubricant distribution and have an additional extension underneath the traditional wing design, providing for additional stability. The pieces seem to have enough thin lubricant from the factory, which I will eventually remove and lubricate to suit my preferred feel.
Feel
Immediately, the cube feels noticeably smaller, particularly for myself since I used the 63mm Huanglong for several months. It is surprising how a size difference as little as 1 or 2 millimetres can make a noticeable difference in cubing. At 61mm, it is smaller than the traditional 5x5s (usually around 62-63mm), which I think would appeal to a large portion of speedcubers. I personally feel as though this is the perfect size for a 5x5, and I hope to see this become the standard on all 5x5s in the future.
First Turns
On first turns, immediately I see a large benefit of the smaller size. It makes turning of both the inner and outer layers easier to turn since it is compact in hand and already I see this becoming peoples’ mains, especially those that liked the Aosu WR M.Speed
The outer layers on this cube are very fast. Currently, they are at a speed fast enough for turns to be effortless yet controllable. Turning seems extremely light, with very little effort required to turn the cube fast, which is perfect for larger cubes. The inner layers, despite not being as fast as the outer layers, are still very fast, and I can see phases such as centre building will be a breeze. The inner layers particularly have a slight sandiness but as we are aware with Moyu’s previous releases, this tends to go after a few solves.
Magnets
The magnets on this cube are on the weaker side and remind me of those in the YJ Yuchuang V2M. However, since this is just a prototype, Moyu are strengthening the magnets prior to release. The cube is also showing exceptional resistance to lockups, and thus far, pops are non-existent. Even when lockups are forced during extensive cornercutting, the cube is resists deformation and doesn’t produce the awkward 5x5 lockups that we have seen in plenty of competing brands and products.
Cornercutting
The cornercutting on this cube out of the box is as follows:
Forward – Full piece
Reverse – ¾ piece
This is a very good amount for a 5x5 and is suitable for regular solving scenarios. I was very impressed with the level of reverse cornercutting on this cube, and since reverse cutting is not affected by the tensions of the cube, it is a very good indication of the potential of the puzzle. At the moment, the cube is at a tension suitable for solving without locking and pops, but I will probably be loosening it slightly as that is where Moyu cubes perform the best.
Solves
Within just a few solves, I had already beaten by 5x5 single with a time of 3:05, which is good relative to my 3x3 stage times, and I am sure I will be continuing to break my personal best averages and singles with this product. I have also noticed that I am able to do longer sessions with this cube due to the effortless turning which is less taxing on the hands.
Catching has been minimal yet existent, but this is due to the weaker magnets in this particular prototype which is resulting in small misalignments, but this will not be an issue to those wanting to buy the product on release.
I will be experimenting with lubricants over the next few days, and I will be constantly updating this thread with information as and when I find out something new.
Feel free to leave any questions about it down below, and I will do my best to answer them. If you also spot any mistakes, feel free to drop a comment. Happy cubing and I hope you all stay safe and well.
Setup
Lubrication + Tensioning
To setup the cube, I took it apart and lubricated the core and springs with Lubest PRO. After wiping the pieces, I reassembled the cube and added Adheron lubricant to a corner, wing and edge piece. After breaking this in, I usually top up with small amounts of DNM or Galaxy to reach a preferred speed.
Lubest PRO – Equivalent to thick silicone lubricant (Weight 5)
Adheron – Equivalent to Medium weight silicone (Weight 3)
(At the moment they are £1.99 for 20ml at KewbzUK, and this cube was the perfect opportunity to try these out)
In terms of tensioning, I loosened the cube up around half a turn from its original position, since MoYu cubes perform well on looser tensions.
Break-in
With big cubes, the performance is constantly changing over time. The performance out of the box is merely a starting point compared to the level of change that occurs to a puzzle after several solves. The lubricant has now provided a more consistent feel throughout the inner and outer layers, and the fact that the inner and outer layer magnets are of equal feel adds to this consistency (although the magnets will be changed for the final version). The cube responds well to lubricants, with small drops of DNM or Galaxy making large differences to performance, which is great in comparison to other cubes which show very little change with addition of large amounts.
Both the inner and outer layers are extremely light yet controllable, and I feel as though my setup has provided a perfect balance between speed and stability. On the looser tensions, lockups can occur only when forced and rarely occur during a solving scenario – the ones that do occur are easily correctable and do not hinder my times too greatly. MoYu cubes certainly are exceptional at looser tensions, similarly this could be said for some of YuXin puzzles, but MoYu are certainly the manufacturer that provides these levels of reliability.
After Break-in, the cornercutting is as follows:
Forward – Just under 45 degrees
Reverse – 4/5 piece (almost line to line)
The level of cornercutting on the cube is on-par or perhaps above those of its competitiors over at QiYi, and I can see there will be some people switching over to this new and exciting release.
Final Thoughts
This cube is certainly is one of the most interesting, since I proceeded with a very critical mindset. Fortunately, there are not a lot of bad things to say about this cube, although there are some things I want to highlight in this review.
The first point is the choice of magnets. The magnets are certainly on the weaker side and at first were difficult to adjust to. Fortunately, MoYu have officially announced they will be adjusting these for the final version, which certainly puts this cube in good hands, and it is great to see how MoYu responds well to feedback. The magnet choices were certainly interesting, especially in comparison to their Aosu WR M, which had rather strong magnet choices. The weaker choice may have been due to feedback on the Aosu magnets being too strong, although this is just a thought.
Another aspect worth considering is the centre caps. Both the Aochuang GTS and the WR M have these signature centrecaps, which have interesting protrusions on them to double up as pieces – I will provide some images below of what I mean. At times – particularly out of the box, I wasn’t a big fan of these caps, which required additional force to remove on tighter tensions. After a while, I became accustomed to the caps and on the looser tensions that I now have the cube set up to, the caps are not a hindrance. However, I am aware many cubers tension their cubes by fully tightening each side and gradually loosening the cube until a balance is met. With this method, it would be difficult to add or remove the caps on the very tight tensions, although this is not a huge issue. Unlike the GAN 460 or Valk Elite, the caps are not essential in assessing the cube, and adjusting the cube is as simple as any other release.
The smaller size is worth mentioning. At 61mm, it is 1mm smaller than the GTS , Valk and MGC. 1mm can make a significant difference in cubing terms and was certainly noticeable immediately on turning the cube. I can see a lot of cubers benefiting from the smaller size as much as myself, with centre-building and 3x3 stage being my most notable areas of improvement with the WR M. The cube is also light – both in turning and in hand – which allows for longer cubing sessions.
An important aspect of a bigger cube in particular is reverse cornercutting on both the inner and outer layers. Fortunately, this cube has effortless cornercutting both forward and reverse, allowing for more consistent turning without hindrances, which is the main reason of my personal bests already being beaten with this puzzle (albeit a slow time in comparison to many of you readers).
Overall, this cube is not perfect, and neither is any other 5x5 in todays market. However, it is very close to being the perfect 5x5, with the certainty of cubers moving away from the likes of QiYi, YJ and YuXin in favour of this small, compact and high-performance release, which caters for the majority of cubers.
Could we see records being broken with this release? We will have to wait and see. Thank you very much for reading all the way to the end of this review. I will be constantly updating this review to add things like price, and hopefully I will have a look at the final version on release to see if any of my thoughts have changed. I also have a MGC 5x5 on the way soon, and I will be letting you know of my thoughts and how it compares.
Huge thanks to MoYu for sending me this early to review. I would be interested in your thoughts on release.
Last edited: