Need 3x3 recommendations after not cubing for several years

[MJBCuber]

Hi all, I’m a Cuber averaging around 10 seconds. I haven’t been tuned into the best hardware since 2020, and I kind of goofed in 2023 when I got the Gan 13, not realizing the 12 was better.



I’ve mained the 13 since 2023, but I’m looking to upgrade. I’ve been using exclusively Gan cubes since the SM, and I love their smooth, papery feel, but I’ve developed a more aggressive tuning style and I’m open to branching out from Gan.



What cubes should I check out? I’d like to get a few cubes so I can test a bunch and choose the best. I have a max budget of around $100-150 all in.

 

[Cuber2s]

Hi all, I’m a Cuber averaging around 10 seconds. I haven’t been tuned into the best hardware since 2020, and I kind of goofed in 2023 when I got the Gan 13, not realizing the 12 was better.



I’ve mained the 13 since 2023, but I’m looking to upgrade. I’ve been using exclusively Gan cubes since the SM, and I love their smooth, papery feel, but I’ve developed a more aggressive tuning style and I’m open to branching out from Gan.



What cubes should I check out? I’d like to get a few cubes so I can test a bunch and choose the best. I have a max budget of around $100-150 all in.

the gan v100 is an incredible gan 3x3 for 40 dollars, i highly recommend that. The ferrocore v2 is also amazing, it's 55 dollars for the matte version and 60 dollars for uv however, so a bit more on the expensive side.

 

[MJBCuber]

the gan v100 is an incredible gan 3x3 for 40 dollars, i highly recommend that. The ferrocore v2 is also amazing, it's 55 dollars for the matte version and 60 dollars for uv however, so a bit more on the expensive side.

I’ve definitely looked into these two. I’ve heard mixed things about both. Some say the Ferrocore has ridiculous magnets, which I’m not sure would be immediately enjoyable for me. The Gan v100 is definitely super enticing, but some have said it has locking issues that the 16 Max doesn’t have. Thoughts?

 

[-Cube Kid-]

I’ve definitely looked into these two. I’ve heard mixed things about both. Some say the Ferrocore has ridiculous magnets, which I’m not sure would be immediately enjoyable for me. The Gan v100 is definitely super enticing, but some have said it has locking issues that the 16 Max doesn’t have. Thoughts?

What do you like in a cube?

 

[MJBCuber]

What do you like in a cube?

I definitely value stability and a nice effortless, light, papery feel. That’s also because I’ve adapted to the Gan feel so much. I do tend to lock up more than I’d like on my Gan 13 but when I’m turning well it feels great.

I definitely don’t like my cubes to be extremely fast, but I do love one that feels easy to turn and not tiring

 

[-Cube Kid-]

I definitely value stability and a nice effortless, light, papery feel. That’s also because I’ve adapted to the Gan feel so much. I do tend to lock up more than I’d like on my Gan 13 but when I’m turning well it feels great.

I definitely don’t like my cubes to be extremely fast, but I do love one that feels easy to turn and not tiring

Tornado v5 Pioneer.

 

[-Cube Kid-]

I definitely value stability and a nice effortless, light, papery feel. That’s also because I’ve adapted to the Gan feel so much. I do tend to lock up more than I’d like on my Gan 13 but when I’m turning well it feels great.

I definitely don’t like my cubes to be extremely fast, but I do love one that feels easy to turn and not tiring

I would say the TV4 Pioneer, but it's not super effortless.

 

[Cuber2s]

I definitely value stability and a nice effortless, light, papery feel. That’s also because I’ve adapted to the Gan feel so much. I do tend to lock up more than I’d like on my Gan 13 but when I’m turning well it feels great.

I definitely don’t like my cubes to be extremely fast, but I do love one that feels easy to turn and not tiring

I like the ferrocore v2 because of its stability, but i will agree that it has pretty strong magnets. It's not insane, but it is above average, which might make the turning more effortless. The tornados are also very stable, but theyre incredibly heavy and not very effortless. the v100 i wouldn't say is super stable, but it is light and papery, and has a classic gan feel.

 

[MJBCuber]

I like the ferrocore v2 because of its stability, but i will agree that it has pretty strong magnets. It's not insane, but it is above average, which might make the turning more effortless. The tornados are also very stable, but theyre incredibly heavy and not very effortless. the v100 i wouldn't say is super stable, but it is light and papery, and has a classic gan feel.

This is very helpful, thx. Which would you say performs the best in comp when you’re shaky or your turning is sloppy?

Also, do you have any thoughts on the Weilong v11?

 

[-Cube Kid-]

I like the ferrocore v2 because of its stability, but i will agree that it has pretty strong magnets. It's not insane, but it is above average, which might make the turning more effortless. The tornados are also very stable, but theyre incredibly heavy and not very effortless. the v100 i wouldn't say is super stable, but it is light and papery, and has a classic gan feel.

the tv5 is lighter and much more effortless

 

[-Cube Kid-]

This is very helpful, thx. Which would you say performs the best in comp when you’re shaky or your turning is sloppy?

Also, do you have any thoughts on the Weilong v11?

one with strong magnets imo

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

Hi all, I’m a Cuber averaging around 10 seconds. I haven’t been tuned into the best hardware since 2020, and I kind of goofed in 2023 when I got the Gan 13, not realizing the 12 was better.



I’ve mained the 13 since 2023, but I’m looking to upgrade. I’ve been using exclusively Gan cubes since the SM, and I love their smooth, papery feel, but I’ve developed a more aggressive tuning style and I’m open to branching out from Gan.



What cubes should I check out? I’d like to get a few cubes so I can test a bunch and choose the best. I have a max budget of around $100-150 all in.

I would recommend the following cubes:
GAN 16 Maglev MAX
GAN V100 Maglev
MoYu Weilong V11 (20-Magnet Ball-Core) OR the MoYu Weilong V10 (8-Magnet ball core + springs)

The GAN 16 Maglev MAX is pretty much the best cube in the sense that it has everything you could ever need in a speedcube. It’s also much more controllable than previous flagships, since they switched the piece design to be on the more stabler side. It can be a bit fast on stock settings but that can be fixed with a bit of setup.
The GAN V100 has a similar story. It’s essentially a GAN 16 that got halved in price and features. I use it as my main cube. It’s surprisingly controllable on stock settings (which is what i use), while somehow still being fast. Also, the locking issue you mentioned hasn’t been a problem for me. People also say it does worse on looser settings, but i feel like they’re just trying to hate on GAN since i haven’t noticed an issue with my V100.

I also wouldn’t recommend the TV4/TV5 since they’re heavier than most speedcubes nowadays. They have more momentum because of that extra weight, which does make it faster and more glidey. Since you came from GAN cubes though, you’ll probably think the Tornadoes are heavier and more blocky.

 

[Michael Wimberly]

My recommendations for an aggressive turning style would be a tornado v4 or a huameng tg v1.
For the tornado v4, I would suggest the flagship version if you like lighter cubes because it is about 71 grams. It's also more popular than the pioneer version.

 

[Michael Wimberly]

I also wouldn’t recommend the TV4/TV5 since they’re heavier than most speedcubes nowadays.

The V5 Flagship is 66 grams and the Pioneer is 70 grams. They are by no means heavy.

Edit:
there is no 8-magnet ball core weilong v10

 

[Yoshihiro Nishiwaki]

MoYu WeiLong WRM V10 Picube 8 Mag Core Magnetic Version

PicubeShop｜Custom Speed Cubes, Wholesale & Retail

www.picubeshop.com

I believe he is talking about this one

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

I would suggest the flagship version if you like lighter cubes because it is about 71 grams

71 grams is not lightweight. Lightweight is around ~65 grams.

there is no 8-magnet ball core weilong v10

oops
i think i meant V11
MoYu releases too many cubes

the TV4 is pretty outdated imo, might as well just get the TV5. The TV4 isn’t all that much different from the TV3 as well, and there has been some core snapping issues with the V4.

Also, @MJBCuber when you say “aggressive turning style” do you mean you use corner cutting a lot?

 

[ebwzz]

Hi all, I’m a Cuber averaging around 10 seconds. I haven’t been tuned into the best hardware since 2020, and I kind of goofed in 2023 when I got the Gan 13, not realizing the 12 was better.



I’ve mained the 13 since 2023, but I’m looking to upgrade. I’ve been using exclusively Gan cubes since the SM, and I love their smooth, papery feel, but I’ve developed a more aggressive tuning style and I’m open to branching out from Gan.



What cubes should I check out? I’d like to get a few cubes so I can test a bunch and choose the best. I have a max budget of around $100-150 all in.

i think the ys3m is still a great option even though its a little old because it has great corner cutting and i think that would fit your aggressive turning style.

 

[MJBCuber]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the help. I ended up getting the v100 and the Ferrocore v2.

If anyone has advice on what customizations / setups you use on these cubes, that would be appreciated!

 

[Michael Wimberly]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the help. I ended up getting the v100 and the Ferrocore v2.

If anyone has advice on what customizations / setups you use on these cubes, that would be appreciated!

I got to try out a GAN v100 at a comp and I can say that it is very similar to the GAN16. I would suggest using setting 4 or 5 for center travel if you want it to be more flexible (6 is a little too far as it causes instability and corner twists), and 2-3 are good to make it a bit tighter (I found that setting 1 is a bit too tight and cuts back on corner cutting by a lot). Since the V100 is insanely fast I would suggest trying out lubes like Angstrom Gravitas or fz Superhoney to make it more controllable. Fz glide reacts very good to this cube imo, it makes it very smooth without impacting speed that much. I would suggest using a combo of either Gravitas or Superhoney and Glide to make it smooth and controllable. If that is too slow for you, then you can replace the heavier lubes with something like fz calm or GAN lube 1.