[Review] Newisland Windstorm 4x4 Review and Discount

[ender9994]

Hey everyone, although I usually don't make reviews I have decided to try one for once. Hope you enjoy. Since everyone has their own preferences nowadays, I tried to focus mostly on pictures so everyone can judge for themselves.

Puzzle Type: Cubic 4x4x4
Options: Currently available in both black plastic and stickerless
Black - http://amzn.to/2dRMsrk
Stickerless - http://amzn.to/2eeIx3N

Price: Black is currently going for $14.99 while stickerless is $13.99 ($3 discount code posted at bottom)
Comparison to other popular 4x4's (Cubicle Pricing)
Moyu Aosu - $27
Moyu Weisu -$21
Yuxin blue - $16
QiYi Storm - $9

Size: 62 mm - This is the same size as the Moyu Aosu/Weisu, but larger than the Yuxin Blue, which is only 60 mm

(Left to Right: Weilong GTS, Windstorm 4x4, Windstorm 4x4, Moyu Aosu, Yuxin Blue)

I personally like this slightly larger size. If you have larger hands, or are not a very accurate turner, 62 mm is great.

Packaging: Most speed cubers don't care about this, but a nice presentation is always nice, especially if you are giving it as a gift. The box for the windstorm 4x4 is simple but clean, with a cool expanded cube logo on the top.

What you get:
-The puzzle comes plastic wrapped to keep it clean
-(1) set of stickers (Only with the black plastic version)
-(1) pamphlet
-(1) Mesh bag (really wish it was not mesh. It doesn't prevent dirt from getting in your puzzle, so
it is useless, would be great if they switched to a felt bag)

Color Shades: The stickers on the black version are identical to Moyu stickers. Their is no discernible difference. The stickerless puzzle has slightly brighter shades. I really liked the green/blue contrast. The blue is similar to the full bright blue shade. I thought that the red could have been darker so that it was more distinct than the orange. In lower light, they tend to mix a bit.

Turning: And finally we get to the most important section. First a bit of background. I received both puzzles about a week ago. Since then I have done about 100 solves on each. The (2) 4x4's I solve the most are the Yuxin Blue and the Moyu Aosu, so those are the puzzles I compared it to.
If I had to give a phrase to how the Newisland Windstorm turns, it would be very "Quick and Clacky" (bear with me on this). Both the yuxin blue and Moyu 4x4 have a very smooth and mushy turning feel, almost as if the plastic is softer. This mushy feeling often makes them feel like they are loosing their cubic shape. The Newisland is the complete opposite. It will always hold its shape and feels like it is made of extremely hard plastic.
As for speed, the Windstorm is by far the fastest 4x4 I have ever used. It feels very similar in turning speed to a 3x3 that has just had Maru lube applied. It takes far less effort to turn both inner or outer layers then either the Yuxin or Moyu 4x4.
At this point, the Newisland Windstorm probably sounds like the greatest 4x4 since sliced bread. But unfortunately we now get to the negatives: It catches ... a lot. I initially set this cube up the same way I usually do; 50K on core, maru on pieces, very loose settings.

(initial setup looseness)
With this setup, the inner pieces would catch about 4 - 6 times per solve. It should be noted that while it constantly felt like I was going to pop, it never did, it only ever got locked up. The cause of this seems to be caused exclusively by the internal pieces. It was never the edges or centers causing the catching.
For comparison, here is the tensions I have on my Yuxin Blue

Fixing the Lockups/Optimal setup: Although I was not able to eliminate catching completely, I was able to improve it greatly. I removed all 50K from the core and left it unlubed (Using 30K lube would also probably work well. Tensions were set extremely tight. I then used a mix of Lubicle silk and Maru lube on the pieces. For reference, here is the tension I used:

Note: even on very tight tensions, this cube retains its very fast movement as long as 50K is not used on the core.

Conclusion: This cube is now my backup 4x4 (Aka the one I bring with me to work). Although I really enjoy the size and the crisp, solid feeling, the continued catching is enough to prevent it from elevating it to above my Yuxin Blue. For a middle-priced 4x4, I definitely think this is worth trying out if you get the opportunity.

Amazon Discount Codes:
Black 4x4 - N7K22KRK ($3 discount)
Stickerless - IR7TXS7V ($3 discount)

**Disclaimer: I have no idea how long these codes will be valid or if they can be used more than once if you are buying multiple cubes. I do not work for Newisland and am not profiting from any sales that may come from the links I provided.

Hope everyone enjoyed! I actually liked making this far more than I had expected. I was also wanting to make one today for the new 4 layer Shengshou Pyraminx, but the post office decided not to deliver it today, even though it was supposed to arrive

 

[asacuber]

Whoa I thought newisland was dead
Also this reminds me of my first speedcube the newisland phoenix, which I liked alot.

 

[Cubister]

Thank you for the review.

This cube can also be bought from thecubicle.us. While the brand name and packaging is different, it is the same cube. If shipping times do not matter, the cube can also ordered from china for just $6-$7.

 

[Dom]

@ender9994
How's the reverse corner cutting?

@Cubister
How do you mean it's the same cube? The windstorm doesn't have logo stickers. Do you mean it's a very similar cube, or that it's the exact same puzzle by the same manufacturer?

 

[Cubister]

A sticker logo could be a part of a brand, no? These cubes are as similar as Raider and Twix bars.

 

[ender9994]

@ender9994
How's the reverse corner cutting?

@Cubister
How do you mean it's the same cube? The windstorm doesn't have logo stickers. Do you mean it's a very similar cube, or that it's the exact same puzzle by the same manufacturer?

Reverse corner cutting is not the best, unless you have the cube on looser tensions, which leads to the internal piece misalignment. If I had to compare its to another puzzle, I would say the corner cutting is most similar to a yuxin blue, before a spring swap has been done to it.

 

[jaredye]

TL,DR: This cube is very fast in both inner and outer layers, has decent corner cutting, is quite good against pop, but needs some breaking in to be good.

The package contains the cube, a mashed bag, and a solution manual. The manufacturer should work on their English a bit, but it's generally understandable.

Right out of the box, this cube is quite sandy due to the plastic being a bit rough. I recommend wiping off factory lube and then applying 30k differential oil or Cubicle Silk lube to the internal pieces. I would also tighten the screw a full turn (assuming all cubes out of the factory has the same setting) to completely eliminate the possibility of popping. After about 200 solves (4x4 solves are about 160 moves on average) the cube should be rather smooth.
I do not recommend dissembling the whole cube when wiping off factory lube. The structure of this cube is quite similar to Aosu. It's a completely nightmare to assemble this cube from pieces. I would unscrew a side, take out half of the cube, wipe off factory lubes and apply my preferred lubes, assemble this half, and then do the same to the other half. If you need help putting it back together refer to this video:

I use this as my main. The reason I choose this cube rather than the more expensive choice, the Moyu Aosu is that the inner layer of this cube is very fast, and this cube doesn't pop as often. Aosu's inner layer are rather sluggish. Although Aosu features slightly better corner cutting, this cube is good enough that I seldom experience any catches. Some people say Cyclone boys G4 is the best, but since I don't have it I can't compare. One thing I heard about Cyclone boys is that it takes even longer to break in. For a beginner, I would definitely recommend this cube. I demonstrate corner cutting of the cube below:

Forward cutting 1 layer (Do R)

Forward cutting 2 layers (do R):

Reverse cutting (do R'):

Reverse cutting 2 layers (do R'):