Older cubers discussions

[mark49152]

Mark has made great thread about advanced M2. After reading it I've started to add some comms to my 4bld solves.

Thanks, glad you found it useful! . Are you talking about edge comms? Some of those M2 tricks don't work for r2 but there are others that are great, like setting up Ufl (and Fdl, Bul) to Ubr for comms.

By the way, I am nowhere near your level, you made me laugh there. Until two days ago my home PB was 13 mins and you already have a 10 official!

I've started doing some 5BLD but probably won't compete until I've got official sub-10 4BLD, since 4BLD & 5BLD usually run together and I don't want to steal 40 mins from my 4BLD attempt time until I have met my goals on that.

 

[Logiqx]

Mark has made great thread about advanced M2. After reading it I've started to add some comms to my 4bld solves. But at the moment I've lost my 4x4 times (over 300) because of my cat - he jumped on the table, pushed spacebar and stopped the timer. I wanted to delete last time, instead of it I've deleted all of them. I was so close to sub 1:20.

I've done that myself in the past. The doorbell rang and when I returned to my cubing, I accidentally deleted the whole session, lol.

 

[Lid]

Finally practice pays of

5x5x5 PB single & avg5, 2:00.53, 2:02.71, (1:51.83), (2:29.50), 1:56.55 = 1:59.93

Now for sub2 avg12 ... edit: ended up with a 2:06.87 a12, PB also

Also the QiYi Skewb is pretty nice (got the stickerless version), even thou I never practice it I got a PB avg12 earler today, a half decent 10.14.

h2f: just using Sarah beginner.

 

[h2f]

Thanks, glad you found it useful! . Are you talking about edge comms? Some of those M2 tricks don't work for r2 but there are others that are great, like setting up Ufl (and Fdl, Bul) to Ubr for comms.

Yes, edge comms. But Fu- Bd trick works. You thread is big inspiration for me. I've started thinking about back to M2, but decided to stay with turbo. I'll do M2 only in mbld.

By the way, I am nowhere near your level, you made me laugh there. Until two days ago my home PB was 13 mins and you already have a 10 official!

Ha ha.

But belive me or not you're not far from being sub10. You got everything you need.

Lid, what method do you use.

 

[JanW]

3BLD Ao5 05:52.02:

06:41.96 (04:38.03)
03:47.47 (01:46.48) DNF
05:40.11 (03:25.59)
05:13.99 (02:18.00)
04:53.21 (02:20.54)

DNF had some mistake with setup moves during corners, I think. The horrible memo times in first and 3rd solve were because I misread something at first and had to go back and relearn different memo later. Too bad, as they had the fastest successful executions. But at least accuracy is getting better!

I can feel the Sub 4 success coming any time now! Have had quite a few 1:4x memos and some sub 2 minutes executions with easy scrambles.

 

[h2f]

Nice Jan. I've made a break from 3bld - only big blindes and 4x4 in normal.

 

[muchacho]

I've beaten my Ao5 PB in 2x2 4 times in just 10 solves, and also the Ao12 PB. 15 solves in total, I was on fire... but that just lasted 2 minutes, I average low 8.xx.

Ao5 was previously 6.348. Ao12 was 6.792.

15. 5.423 F' U' F R U2 R U R' -> Best Ao5: 5.997
14. 9.846 R2 U2 R' U' F R2 U' R' F2
13. 6.384 F' R' U2 R U2 R' U F R' U'
12. 6.184 F2 R U2 F' U R2 U' R' U -> Best Ao5: 6.042 -> Best Ao12: 6.541
11. 5.312 R F' R F2 U2 R' F U F U' -> Best Ao5: 6.074
10. 5.975 F' U2 R F' U F' R F U' -> Best Ao5: 6.293
9. 5.967 F2 R' U F2 U R U' F'
8. 6.281 F R F' U' F U' R F2 R2 U'
7. 6.623 U2 F' R' U' F' U F2 U F2 U'
6. 7.799 R' F' R U' F U' F U' R' U'
5. 9.183 R' F R' U' F U2 R2 U' F'
4. 6.224 R2 F' U2 R U F2 U' F2 R U'
3. 7.289 F' U' R2 U2 R' F' R2 U R' U'
2. 7.759 F U2 R' F2 R F2 R' U' F2 U'
1. 2.992 F2 U' F R' U2 R U'

That first scramble (not the first of the session, I did 60 or so before that one) should have been my new PB (it's 2.479), it was so easy

 

[mafergut]

I've beaten my Ao5 PB in 2x2 4 times in just 10 solves, [...]
1. 2.992 F2 U' F R' U2 R U'

That first scramble (not the first of the session, I did 60 or so before that one) should have been my new PB (it's 2.479), it was so easy

Easy to one look for Ortega but I really hate the R U' R F2 R' U R' alg and lock up on it many times so I tried several times and kept getting a 2.3x to 2.5x.

Congratulations on your progress, by the way!!!!

 

[muchacho]

Thanks! but my progression in 2x2 does not progress that much.

I've got 3 1.8x solves with that scramble (but in 25 tries, and with the cube in my hands).

 

[Isaac Lai]

Easy to one look for Ortega but I really hate the R U' R F2 R' U R' alg and lock up on it many times so I tried several times and kept getting a 2.3x to 2.5x.

Congratulations on your progress, by the way!!!!

R' U R' F2 R F' R

You can cancel the first R' for this solve.

 

[mafergut]

R' U R' F2 R F' R

You can cancel the first R' for this solve.

Yeah... if you know multiple PBLs for each case, which I don't. The alg rings a bell but it's not in my muscle memory.
I "cancelled" the 1st R into R2 but, still, I'm too slow with that alg (and the left/down "mirror" for bar on bottom, diag on top).
Also when I try to do cancellations my muscle memory rebells and I end up messing up the solve some times or locking up badly. I'm a patzer, what can I say

Thanks! but my progression in 2x2 does not progress that much.

I've got 3 1.8x solves with that scramble (but in 25 tries, and with the cube in my hands).

Then you are faster than me. I tried like 8 times and did not get any sub 2.2x (also with cube in my hand). But it's all because of this hateful PBL. In the weekly comp, in the last scramble I got a 1.41 on an antisune + U' AUF, which is 8 moves, while this was 7 moves. But sune and antisune flow so nicely...

 

[JanW]

I'm still waiting for the 2x2 I ordered a month ago. Fasttech is very slow this time...

I just realized that unconsciously I've switched to a simplified version of corner comms. With UFR as my buffer, I nowadays do all the insertions from UFR to the left, down or back. So the buffer never moves during setup moves, and I use only 9 different insertions (3 in each direction). 2 setup moves seems to be enough to make the other 2 pieces in the cycle interchangeable with L, B or D moves. Maybe this is part of the reason why my accuracy got better and times as well for now. Setups are faster to work out and it's harder to screw up with only a few different insertions. Though this is of course not move optimal. I think I'll continue like this for a while and eventually I can start working in some more different insertions to reduce movecount. Still lots of room improvement with this system as well. If there is someone else who is crazy enough to jump straight into comms when learning blind, I can recommend starting with something like this. Keeps it simple and the cycles are quite easy to find out.

 

[mafergut]

I'm still waiting for the 2x2 I ordered a month ago. Fasttech is very slow this time...

I just realized that unconsciously I've switched to a simplified version of corner comms. [...]

I just keep being amazed by how you think of all this complex stuff on your own...!

Which 2x2 did you order by the way? I hope you get it before Christmas

Talking about 2x2... new PB Ao12... twice. It was 5.04 and I got my 1st sub-5:

4.31, 4.06, 5.30, 5.73, (7.73), 5.69, 3.24, 5.55, 4.58, 6.88, 3.34, (2.78) = 4.87

And 20 or so solves later...

2.99, (5.94), 5.19, 5.38, 5.14, 4.80, 5.87, 5.60, 4.98, 4.45, 3.79, (2.80) = 4.82

Long average (500+) now around 5.5x. My TPS is not going to go much further so, to keep improving I will need to reduce pauses (still some room for improvement on recog) or reduce move count (learn CLL/EG) but I fear that with CLL more pauses for more complex recog will come.

 

[JanW]

I just keep being amazed by how you think of all this complex stuff on your own...!

Which 2x2 did you order by the way? I hope you get it before Christmas

Well, didn't really come up with anything this time. It's more like I've developed a habit after a month of doing corner comms on the fly. Seems they are the commutators that I've found the easiest to spot, so I ended up doing only those.

I don't remember for sure now which 2x2 it was. Might have been Cyclone Boys. Probably should have done better research, I've read later that other brands are preferred by most people around here.

 

[mafergut]

Well, didn't really come up with anything this time. It's more like I've developed a habit after a month of doing corner comms on the fly. Seems they are the commutators that I've found the easiest to spot, so I ended up doing only those.

I don't remember for sure now which 2x2 it was. Might have been Cyclone Boys. Probably should have done better research, I've read later that other brands are preferred by most people around here.

I have a CB 2x2 and it is really nice but, as with the LingPo, I very frequently get internal chatches that are very, very frustrating and break the flow of the solve, making you lose a lot of time. Since I broke in my dayan, lubed it and tensioned it correctly (really, really tight or else it pops) I am using it as my new main. The feeling when turning is not great, it feels bumpy and not smooth and corner cutting is reduced by the tight tensions but I have not had a single catching issue in like 2000 solves (and not a single pop either since I tightened it, like in 1000 solves) and this is visible in the dropping averages. I would recommend it but you have to be really patient to break it in and set it up.

Maybe the CB and LingPo can be free of catching with some work but, for now, I will stay with the dayan... until I try maybe the Yuxin 2x2 and TangPo but I will wait to have more reviews available.

 

[mark49152]

The feeling when turning is not great, it feels bumpy and not smooth and corner cutting is reduced by the tight tensions

Funny but I don't recognise your description of the Dayan at all. It's by far the smoothest and quietest 2x2 I own and the corner cutting is immaculate. No other 2x2 has ever come close, for me. Maybe there's something wrong with yours?

 

[mafergut]

Funny but I don't recognise your description of the Dayan at all. It's by far the smoothest and quietest 2x2 I own and the corner cutting is immaculate. No other 2x2 has ever come close, for me. Maybe there's something wrong with yours?

It IS quiet but I don't think it's smooth and I can understand that due to the desing of the inner pieces. I also tightened it A LOT to avoid pops but it still cuts close to 45 but not that much, maybe 40. Maybe it's a bit defective or not well broken in yet. Maybe we understand different things by smooth. It is definitely not scratchy but when turning I can feel the rounded edges passing below the hollow corners making the turning a little bumpy. I wish I could go to a comp and try one from a good cuber to see if there's any difference or something I can fix setting it up differently.

 

[muchacho]

It was Valladolid? What's the closest comp? Madrid? AVE reaches Madrid in like 1 hour for 10 euros...

 

[mafergut]

It was Valladolid? What's the closest comp? Madrid? AVE reaches Madrid in like 1 hour for 10 euros...

Yes, it is Valladolid. I do the trip at least once every week and it takes little more than 1 hour, yes. It is not 10 €, though, but more like 46 € and upwards. The reason why I cannot go to a comp is not distance or money, though, it is more an issue about spending a whole weekend day off in Madrid on my own instead of with my family. That's why I tried to get my 12-year-old son into cubing

 

[mark49152]

Maybe we understand different things by smooth.

There's nothing about mine that I could possibly say wasn't smooth. No bumpiness, nor scratchiness, nor catching. You could rewrite the dictionary definition of smooth to say "like a Dayan 2x2" . It's not super tight but not loose either.

One thing I do recall is that I had to take it apart and even up the tensions. I took out the fixed corner and set all the screws to be equally far in. Originally, the screws around the fixed corner were tighter and it didn't feel so good, but I don't remember what it felt like as that was 2-3 years ago.

Also, I may have glued the stalks, I can't remember (will check later). It uses the same mini core as the Panshi and 42mm Zhanchi, and the corner stalks are very thin, and flex during solves. Definitely on the Panshi I had to glue them to get rid of bumpiness. Just put a drop of glue between the three stalks and tie some string round to hold them tight until dry, then cut/file off any excess glue or burrs.