My results on sanding/lubing the "New" a III

[Feryll]

My friend had a keychain cube, and he said it turned horribly, and he didn't feel like putting enough trouble to getting a lube for his cubes, and so I sarcastically stated that he could dissassemble it totally and sand it out. He did. And he said a major difference occurred. So I decided to do the same with my broken-in "New" A III.

So I used my dremel, and sanded the polygonal edge like properties of those weird things to a 50-50 mix of circular and polygonal. Then I reassembled. The first thing I noticed was the feel. Anyone who has used one before knows that they feel like a 120-year old rollercoaster and sounds like it is in a blender. It now felt buttery and quieter. A bad thing was that speed was sacrificed, as if it had any to spare in the first place. So I dissassembled it again, and sprayed all of the pieces with CRC, and it felt different. The speed had been restored, and then some. The noise and general feel also came back alot, but not totally.

My final result is that it got alot faster. I feel like I'm using some sort of super cube, atleast for the speed part. The corner cutting, I feel, was increased. I can do a Y-perm faster without stopping now. But the slight jamming quality only improved slightly, and that makes a difference. The noise and feel have gotten a little better, but not too much. I feel the cube got better, and faster, but it isn't a revolution. I reccommend people to try this if they have time. I will later adjust tension, and report anything else that's changed. And tell me if you want me to go more in-depth about how I sanded it.

 

[koreancuber]

I'd like to know how you sanded it. I'd want to try it on my experimental cubes.

 

[TemurAmir]

This could be a psychological thing though... When you sanded it down, the speed decreased, and then you lubed it so the speed increased. You might have just felt it increase so you thought it was better then before you sanded. It could be the same with the noise part so you might have had no change in your cube. On the other hand, maybe some one who has two New AIIs should try this and compare the difference between the sanded one and the untouched AII.

 

[Feryll]

I used a dremel on low, using a conical head, and I put just a some force on the corner for about 4-5 seconds on each of the 6 "sanding points" of the corner head. The polygonal shape of it should be clearly visible, but is visibly smoothed. I think it is hard to mess up the job, and I may try (depending on how good my F II will be when it gets here) to make the corners totally round. It think would be pretty hard to mess the job up on this.

And on Temur's post: I feel that it is better than it ever was, even with fresh lube. My father also agreed with me on the sound thing, and he wasn't monitering me on observing it. But human's are flawed, and one experiment isn't enough for anything. But I can say with almost absolute certainty that it got better atleast some.

 

[koreancuber]

I used a dremel on low, using a conical head, and I put just a some force on the corner for about 4-5 seconds on each of the 6 "sanding points" of the corner head. The polygonal shape of it should be clearly visible, but is visibly smoothed. I think it is hard to mess up the job, and I may try (depending on how good my F II will be when it gets here) to make the corners totally round. It think would be pretty hard to mess the job up on this.

And on Temur's post: I feel that it is better than it ever was, even with fresh lube. My father also agreed with me on the sound thing, and he wasn't monitering me on observing it. But human's are flawed, and one experiment isn't enough for anything. But I can say with almost absolute certainty that it got better atleast some.

Thanks

 

[Sherwood]

How much does a dremel cost

 

[daniel0731ex]

i think you just suck at tensioning. i thought the A III-f (III-SV) does not need any breaking in?

 

[vgbjason]

My new type a-III is actually quite good, and all i had to do was lube it. I guess I'm just lucky

 

[Dene]

I love the new type A3. The only problem I have is that it pops. I have it as tight as I can tolerate, but it still pops a bit. And no, I do not use those silly anti-popping tabs.

 

[Faz]

Dene: you have super old model a3

 

[Feryll]

i think you just suck at tensioning. i thought the A III-f (III-SV) does not need any breaking in?

I never said I was doing it to break it in because I was lazy. It just happened to have been used for 2 months. And are you sure that the A III-f (II-SV) is this? Because my "New" A III acts and acted just like the one in this guide. And I don't know what kind of cube you have Dene, because they are never ever supposed to pop, and this video at 1:25 says the same thing. I'm going to tighten the tension today, as it seems like it needs it now.

 

[Feryll]

UPDATE: After I woke up today, the cube was diferent. Firstly, it seemed like the mini-jams were back, and speed was reduced, but I think it is still fast. A good thing was that it was back to being very quiet. Since it didn't cut corners real well in the first place, I think the speed is unorthodox for the jams and cornering. After I tightened it, it seemed partially balanced. Depending on how breaking it in more goes, I will update. I think that this is a good idea if it isn't your main speed cube, as you may not like the result. But I still like it.

 

[daniel0731ex]

i think you just suck at tensioning. i thought the A III-f (III-SV) does not need any breaking in?

I never said I was doing it to break it in because I was lazy. It just happened to have been used for 2 months. And are you sure that the A III-f (II-SV) is this? Because my "New" A III acts and acted just like the one in this guide. And I don't know what kind of cube you have Dene, because they are never ever supposed to pop, and this video at 1:25 says the same thing. I'm going to tighten the tension today, as it seems like it needs it now.

the cube in your link is a Type A III (aka "OLD" AIII). the edge piece can be a little fragile if you are not caeful. i heard that you should shave off some bits of the inner square under the centr piece, because the edge "flap" might get under it, which is what creates the jams.



guys, see how many people couldn't tell the difference between the "NEW" and "OLD" models? that's exactly why i preferred the "-SV" or maybe the "-f" names.

 

[Dene]

Dene: you have super old model a3

Oh man is there another one? Because at the time I got it, I got the new type a3. That was a year ago.

 

[iSpinz]

guys, see how many people couldn't tell the difference between the "NEW" and "OLD" models? that's exactly why i preferred the "-SV" or maybe the "-f" names.

I'm sorry to say that that doesn't clear up anything unless you have it printed on each cube.

 

[daniel0731ex]

guys, see how many people couldn't tell the difference between the "NEW" and "OLD" models? that's exactly why i preferred the "-SV" or maybe the "-f" names.

I'm sorry to say that that doesn't clear up anything unless you have it printed on each cube.

he knows what cube it is, he's just confused by the stupid names.