Moyu AoSu Lubricating Help?

[Jont828]

Hello, I've had some trouble setting up my Aosu. I followed Paradox Cubing's video on how to lubricate it (I used Weight 2 Cubicle lube) and put some Maru lube between the pieces. Also, I've loosened the tensions from the factory settings by a about a half turn. However, it doesn't seem to be the "perfect" 4x4 people are talking about. The inner slices, in particular, still feel somewhat sluggish and resistant. At this tension, the outer layers turn nicely, but the loose tensions cause internal catches sometimes. What should I do?

As a side note, the cube was bought from taobao, which similar to ebay except without the bidding. This may just be paranoia, but I'm worried that it isn't a legitimate Aosu since the Zhanchi I bought from amazon.com ended up being a counterfeit. I just have a hard time imagining someone being able to pick up my cube and turn it as fast as the world record solves.

 

[Chree]

Since you just got it, it might need time to break in. Most Moyu cubes are just "Okay" out of the box and get much better after lots of solves. The Aosu is like this, for sure.

There also seems to be some manufacturer defects which cause edge pieces to catch. The guys at thecubicle address this with a mod to fix it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcxi9Cm4zI8

You might also want to try loosening the cube a little bit. In truth, the Aosu is simply more sluggish than something like an SSv5... so you might just have to get used to it. But honestly I think your cube will benefit from just doing lots of solves and breaking it in. That usually happens faster when there isn't any lube in the cube, but it'll break in eventually anyway.

 

[Jont828]

Thanks! I'll try breaking it in. I loosened the tensions, though, but the in er slices were still resistant and lots of internal catching occurred.

 

[Chree]

Since you are new to 4x4, it's also possible that part of the problem is that your turning isn't as accurate on big cubes. The Aosu tends to be more forgiving of that than older 4x4s, but it's not perfect. Especially if your Aosu is slightly defective, which could still be the case.

When I first got my Aosu last February, it popped... a lot. It was usually during some combo of [Rw, U] moves, like OLL parity, and the small internal edges would dislodge and pop. It was extremely frustrating... I had to tighten the cube to the point where it was very sluggish on the inner layers. However, as the months have gone by, the cube has broken in more, and my turning has become more accurate. I have been able to loosen the cube a bit... this alleviated the sluggishness but meant the popping came back. Luckily I'm better at feeling when the cube is about to pop and can usually prevent it or fix it really quickly.

Your problem could be similar to that, but it sounds a bit more like the issue James illustrated in the video I linked to earlier. Or it could be something else, I'm not sure. I'm sure at some point you'll wind up taking the whole thing about. If you do, take a look at the core and make sure the tensions are equal on all sides. Then examine the pieces for flash and other excess plastic. You can get rid of it with a sharp knife or nail file.

Just don't give up on it quite yet. Even a defective Aosu can be an extremely good cube.

 

[Jont828]

Yeah like you said, the smaller internal pieces between the internal edges and the internal centerpiece causes a lot of problems for me since it keeps popping out when turning gets rough. I didn't notice any bumps or clicks in the turning though and I didn't see any flash. I guess I'll just keep playing with the cube and hope it gets better.

By the way, I lubed it with weight 2 cubicle lube using Paradox Cubing's method, in case that might be contributing to the sluggishness.

 

[massivelygolden]

I have the same cube and know what you mean. I think it's partially a matter of opinion as well as allowing some time to break it in.

 

[Jont828]

I completely disassembled my AoSu and I'm going to try to wash out all the lube to start fresh again. The AoSu was honestly hurting my forearm after turning it for a bit, and I dont like that the small internal edges are popping when the middle layer turning is a bit rough. I'll let you guys know what happens.

 

[mark49152]

Worst mistake I made with my AoSu was putting lube under the rings. After terrible sluggishness and lots of cleaning, I concluded that anything under the rings makes it a lot slower. Certainly it would have have to be a very thin lube to work - the thinnest I had was10k diff which was way too thick.

 

[Jont828]

Yeah I put lube under the rings too and I think that was a contributing factor to the sluggishness. Also, there wasn't any flash on the pieces either.

 

[guysensei1]

Maybe you should put Maru lube on the rings.

 

[mark49152]

Maybe you should put Maru lube on the rings.

Maru dries out quickly.

 

[guysensei1]

Maru dries out quickly.

Yeah. I would not even bother with lubing the rings but if you must, use Maru.

 

[Please Dont Ask]

Ahh... Never understood why my aosu was sluggish
Now i get it
I'll clean out the lube soon

 

[PenguinsDontFly]

Would weight three work for aosu pieces or would it be too sluggish?

 

[Chree]

I used lightweight shock oil on the rings... it helped a bit. And that stuff lasts longer than Maru.

I wouldn't use differential lube on my Aosu. It's too thick, and just doesn't have the same effect on big cubes as it does on a 3x3.

 

[supercavitation]

Would weight three work for aosu pieces or would it be too sluggish?

I have one with weight 3 on the pieces. It was gummy at first but after about 50-75 solves it got pretty nice. Just be careful not to put too much on it.

I used lightweight shock oil on the rings... it helped a bit. And that stuff lasts longer than Maru.

I wouldn't use differential lube on my Aosu. It's too thick, and just doesn't have the same effect on big cubes as it does on a 3x3.

I used lubicle speedy on the rings, it helped quite a lot. A bit more weight 3 on the pieces and it would be amazing, but I'm going to save that for the Mini Aosu.

 

[ketchuphater999]

I used 50k traxxas on the rings... It's great.

Maybe you put too much? I put just a drop on each.

 

[pdilla]

I put 50k Traxxas on the rings as well. But only a little bit. Too much and yep, it drags the hell out of it.

 

[Jont828]

So I completely disassembled and cleaned out my stickerless AoSu and put it back together without any lube whatsoever. It's pretty fast, and the tensions are satisfactory. However, on my black AoSu, I have it at similar tensions and it locks up very frequently, sometimes due to not being able to reverse corner cut on the back face. Is it a tensioning issue? I can't seem to find the sweet spot between preventing lockups and popping

 

[Jont828]

Hmm, I'm gonna try cleaning out the rings, too, on my other AoSu.