Zain_A24
Veteran
This will likely be my last written review on the forums. I know how much you guys like this format so I may return to do the odd written review.
All future reviews will now be over on The Cubing Critics YouTube Channel.
Before you read on, feel free to take a look at a few of these awesome YouCubers:
Hexatic Petrus - @PetrusQuber - Some great solves, collection videos, and reviews
Owen Morrison - @Owen Morrison - The go-to place for awesome megaminx solves, Reviews and Giveaways
Micah Morrison - @Micah Morrison - Fast NxN solves, Critiques and Reviews
Josh M Cubing - @Josh_ - The place to go for anything Clock
JP Cubing - @JP cubing - The place to go if you want to improve, learn and setup cubes
Space Traveler - @Spacey10 - A channel with a tonne of potential, looking forward to more reviews and solves
Cubingcubecuber - @Cubingcubecuber - Perfect for learning new methods, algorithms or techniques with clear and concise tutorials
J8Cubes - @Jam88 - Consistent uploads, challenges, unboxings and more creative content
TeboeCubes - @teboecubes - High quality skits, Unboxings, tutorials, challenges and more
Some of these cubers are close to hitting milestones, so do check them out using the links above.
I may have missed some people so feel free to comment below and I'll add you into the post.
Sections:
Name: KewbzUK
Link: https://kewbz.co.uk/
A great service from KewbzUK. With my 8 months’ experience with them, they have continued to provide a consistent service even during difficult circumstances. I look forward to continuing our partnership over on YouTube.
Name – Qiyi MS Pyraminx
Link (affliliate) – https://www.kewbz.co.uk/products/qiyi-ms-pyraminx?sca_ref=353482.0zrBur5lcv
Availability – Stickered and Stickerless (Links to KewbzUK)
Price - £8.99
Weight – 78g
Brief Overview
The Qiyi MS Pyraminx is Qiyi’s most recent budget pyraminx as part of their economy line of magnetic puzzles. These include a 2x2 through 5x5 as well as the pyraminx to complete the set. The series’ main competitor is the Meilong line from Mofang Jiaoshi, although looking through reviews of the Meilong Pyraminx it seems as though it isn’t one of the best puzzles in the series.
Appearance
The stickered shades out of the box are half-bright, with a darker red and blue as well as a brighter green and yellow for sharp contrast when scrambled. There seems to be no sacrifice in quality as far as the eye is concerned, with high-quality and accurately placed vinyl stickers on a black exterior.
Pieces
The pieces appear black on the outside, but in fact have primary elements. The inside of the tips are primary, as well as the centres, but Qiyi have decided to keep the edges in black plastic, resulting in this black against primary interface. With my lack in experience with pyraminx, the pieces were difficult to remove initially, so I decided to keep the mechanism intact
Feel
With pyraminx, grip is essential, given the sharper nature of the puzzle. The stickered version provides plenty of grip with the vinyl exterior and I will not see myself having troubles gripping the puzzles whilst spamming TPS.
First Turns
Starting with the tips, they have a slight dryness out of the box, with a slight hint of spring noise, but I am sure this will eventually reduce. The magnet strength in the tips is slightly weak, but this is expected across most pyraminxes. The inner layer also exhibits this slight sandiness out of the box, but has great speed and effortless turning, the primary internals doing a good job of minimising friction on the pieces.
Magnets
The magnets are on the stronger side on the main layers, with a subtle feel on the tips. This ensures the pyraminx stays in shape and remains stable. However, this does result in a not-so-subtle bump during slow turns, which some people may not like. There is a slight click during turns of magnets making contact, which I personally don’t mind, but is something that isn’t found in pyraminxes such as the XMan Bell V2M. The magnets in the MS are stronger than that on the XMAN Bell V2, even on the strong magnets setting, but the stronger magnets add to the unique feel of the MS pyraminx.
Cornercutting
Cornercutting out of the box isn’t too out of the ordinary, not too much to give undesired flexibility, but not too less to sacrifice performance. I think the setup out of the box is great when it comes to cutting corners. Cornercutting requires little effort, resulting in smooth transitions between turns at high speeds. Cornercutting on this pyraminx isn’t as necessary since the stronger magnets do a suitable job of completing turns.
Solves
After a few solves using layer-by-layer, I knew this pyraminx will suit a lot of beginner cubers. As my times began to drastically improve, so did the puzzle. The sandiness was now a thing of the past and the spring noise gone.
Despite my lack in experience with setting up pyraminxes, I knew this pyraminx would reach the next level with just a touch of lubricant. Since I was unable to open the puzzle given my inexperience (I’m sure someone can educate me in the comments), I simply dropped lubricant into a gap between a centre and edge.
I used Lubest PRO, which is equivalent to a medium-weight silicone lube, which helped to provide a more consistent feel. I decided to keep the tips as is, since a budget pyraminx is expected to require minimal setup for those that have limited resources at their exposure.
Break-in
The speed of the pyraminx began to increase, yet it continued to remain stable and consistent during solves. The tips are now at the same speed as the main layer. All sides and layers are now perfectly smooth and buttery, with nothing but the click between turns to hint movement of layers. The pyraminx has now began to feel looser with the reduced friction, which I personally prefer.
The MS Pyraminx is a great beginner and budget-friendly puzzle. With setup being minimal and not necessary in some cases, this makes it a great pyraminx to get into the event, or as a gift to a beginner cuber. The pyraminx is very stable during turns, with minimal lockups or accidental movement of tips. I personally enjoyed learning pyraminx with the MS, and I am sure a lot of others would too.
Is it as good as the Bell V2M? The Bell V2M is a lot more expensive and packs a few more features such as the magnet adjustment. I personally preferred the feel of the MS out of the box, but once I set up the Bell V2, it became a new main. Given the large gap in price as well as the smaller gap in performance, this makes the MS pyraminx a great value for money.
However, if the feel of stronger magnets isn’t for you, then it is best to go for a different pyraminx. If budget allows, the Bell V2 is a great option with its ability to change magnet strength, and we will soon see how the all-new GAN pyraminx will perform with its unique magnet system.
Thanks for reading!
Feel free to leave some support on my social media channels below (in signature).
Feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Next week will be the start of our giveaways, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.
All future reviews will now be over on The Cubing Critics YouTube Channel.
Before you read on, feel free to take a look at a few of these awesome YouCubers:
Hexatic Petrus - @PetrusQuber - Some great solves, collection videos, and reviews
Owen Morrison - @Owen Morrison - The go-to place for awesome megaminx solves, Reviews and Giveaways
Micah Morrison - @Micah Morrison - Fast NxN solves, Critiques and Reviews
Josh M Cubing - @Josh_ - The place to go for anything Clock
JP Cubing - @JP cubing - The place to go if you want to improve, learn and setup cubes
Space Traveler - @Spacey10 - A channel with a tonne of potential, looking forward to more reviews and solves
Cubingcubecuber - @Cubingcubecuber - Perfect for learning new methods, algorithms or techniques with clear and concise tutorials
J8Cubes - @Jam88 - Consistent uploads, challenges, unboxings and more creative content
TeboeCubes - @teboecubes - High quality skits, Unboxings, tutorials, challenges and more
Some of these cubers are close to hitting milestones, so do check them out using the links above.
I may have missed some people so feel free to comment below and I'll add you into the post.
Summary (For those with a busy schedule)
This is where I summarise this review for those that prefer a quicker and shorter read.
Store – KewbzUK
Link (affiliate) - https://www.kewbz.co.uk/products/qiyi-ms-pyraminx?sca_ref=353482.0zrBur5lcv
Availability – Stickered and Stickerless, In Stock
Introduction
Pros
Should you buy?
Yes if:
This is where I summarise this review for those that prefer a quicker and shorter read.
Store – KewbzUK
Link (affiliate) - https://www.kewbz.co.uk/products/qiyi-ms-pyraminx?sca_ref=353482.0zrBur5lcv
Availability – Stickered and Stickerless, In Stock
Introduction
- Part of MS Line
- Includes MS 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5 and Pyraminx
- Fast with slight sandiness
- Plenty of grip with stickered version
- Effortless turning with stronger magnets
- Simply put drop or two of Lubest PRO (Medium Weight Silicone Lube)
- Did a few solves
Pros
- Great for price
- Requires minimal setup
- Good straight out of the box
- Strong Magnets result in a stable feel
- Strong bump of magnets – not seen in the Bell V2M (flagship pyraminx)
- Simple in nature, lack of customisation (I’m just nit-picking at this point)
Should you buy?
Yes if:
- First Pyraminx
- Beginner/Intermediate pyraminxs solver
- Limited to a budget
- Don’t like strong magnets
- Have a higher budget
- Are an advanced pyraminx solver
- Cubing in quiet environment
Qiyi MS Pyraminx Review – KewbzUK
Sections:
- Review of Service
- Review of Cube – Qiyi MS Pyraminx
- Unboxing
- OOTB
- Completely Dry
- Lube + Tension
- Break-in
- Final Thoughts
Review of Store
General InfoName: KewbzUK
Link: https://kewbz.co.uk/
A great service from KewbzUK. With my 8 months’ experience with them, they have continued to provide a consistent service even during difficult circumstances. I look forward to continuing our partnership over on YouTube.
Review of Cube
General InfoName – Qiyi MS Pyraminx
Link (affliliate) – https://www.kewbz.co.uk/products/qiyi-ms-pyraminx?sca_ref=353482.0zrBur5lcv
Availability – Stickered and Stickerless (Links to KewbzUK)
Price - £8.99
Weight – 78g
Brief Overview
The Qiyi MS Pyraminx is Qiyi’s most recent budget pyraminx as part of their economy line of magnetic puzzles. These include a 2x2 through 5x5 as well as the pyraminx to complete the set. The series’ main competitor is the Meilong line from Mofang Jiaoshi, although looking through reviews of the Meilong Pyraminx it seems as though it isn’t one of the best puzzles in the series.
Out of the Box
First Impressions – Before TurningAppearance
The stickered shades out of the box are half-bright, with a darker red and blue as well as a brighter green and yellow for sharp contrast when scrambled. There seems to be no sacrifice in quality as far as the eye is concerned, with high-quality and accurately placed vinyl stickers on a black exterior.
Pieces
The pieces appear black on the outside, but in fact have primary elements. The inside of the tips are primary, as well as the centres, but Qiyi have decided to keep the edges in black plastic, resulting in this black against primary interface. With my lack in experience with pyraminx, the pieces were difficult to remove initially, so I decided to keep the mechanism intact
Feel
With pyraminx, grip is essential, given the sharper nature of the puzzle. The stickered version provides plenty of grip with the vinyl exterior and I will not see myself having troubles gripping the puzzles whilst spamming TPS.
First Turns
Starting with the tips, they have a slight dryness out of the box, with a slight hint of spring noise, but I am sure this will eventually reduce. The magnet strength in the tips is slightly weak, but this is expected across most pyraminxes. The inner layer also exhibits this slight sandiness out of the box, but has great speed and effortless turning, the primary internals doing a good job of minimising friction on the pieces.
Magnets
The magnets are on the stronger side on the main layers, with a subtle feel on the tips. This ensures the pyraminx stays in shape and remains stable. However, this does result in a not-so-subtle bump during slow turns, which some people may not like. There is a slight click during turns of magnets making contact, which I personally don’t mind, but is something that isn’t found in pyraminxes such as the XMan Bell V2M. The magnets in the MS are stronger than that on the XMAN Bell V2, even on the strong magnets setting, but the stronger magnets add to the unique feel of the MS pyraminx.
Cornercutting
Cornercutting out of the box isn’t too out of the ordinary, not too much to give undesired flexibility, but not too less to sacrifice performance. I think the setup out of the box is great when it comes to cutting corners. Cornercutting requires little effort, resulting in smooth transitions between turns at high speeds. Cornercutting on this pyraminx isn’t as necessary since the stronger magnets do a suitable job of completing turns.
Solves
After a few solves using layer-by-layer, I knew this pyraminx will suit a lot of beginner cubers. As my times began to drastically improve, so did the puzzle. The sandiness was now a thing of the past and the spring noise gone.
Setup
SetupDespite my lack in experience with setting up pyraminxes, I knew this pyraminx would reach the next level with just a touch of lubricant. Since I was unable to open the puzzle given my inexperience (I’m sure someone can educate me in the comments), I simply dropped lubricant into a gap between a centre and edge.
I used Lubest PRO, which is equivalent to a medium-weight silicone lube, which helped to provide a more consistent feel. I decided to keep the tips as is, since a budget pyraminx is expected to require minimal setup for those that have limited resources at their exposure.
Break-in
The speed of the pyraminx began to increase, yet it continued to remain stable and consistent during solves. The tips are now at the same speed as the main layer. All sides and layers are now perfectly smooth and buttery, with nothing but the click between turns to hint movement of layers. The pyraminx has now began to feel looser with the reduced friction, which I personally prefer.
Final Thoughts
Should you buy the Qiyi MS Pyraminx?The MS Pyraminx is a great beginner and budget-friendly puzzle. With setup being minimal and not necessary in some cases, this makes it a great pyraminx to get into the event, or as a gift to a beginner cuber. The pyraminx is very stable during turns, with minimal lockups or accidental movement of tips. I personally enjoyed learning pyraminx with the MS, and I am sure a lot of others would too.
Is it as good as the Bell V2M? The Bell V2M is a lot more expensive and packs a few more features such as the magnet adjustment. I personally preferred the feel of the MS out of the box, but once I set up the Bell V2, it became a new main. Given the large gap in price as well as the smaller gap in performance, this makes the MS pyraminx a great value for money.
However, if the feel of stronger magnets isn’t for you, then it is best to go for a different pyraminx. If budget allows, the Bell V2 is a great option with its ability to change magnet strength, and we will soon see how the all-new GAN pyraminx will perform with its unique magnet system.
Thanks for reading!
Feel free to leave some support on my social media channels below (in signature).
Feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Next week will be the start of our giveaways, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.
