Older cubers discussions
- Thread starter MarcelP
- Start date
mark49152
Premium Member
Fine with me too.Absolutely fine with me @h2f Grzegorz
@pipkiksass: As others have said, 5x5 parity can be intuitively reduced to the single "checkerboard" tredge that can be solved using a variant of 4x4 parity. That's the easiest way. Alternatively, you could use AvG or chain pairing for edge reduction. This matches wings to midges one at a time, which makes for simpler lookahead, and also means that when you do get parity, it's the case where each of the L2E already has one wing/midge pair formed. Thus you need only one parity alg, Rw U2 Rw U2 x U2 Rw U2 3Rw' U2 Lw U2 Rw2 (plus occasionally the checkerboard fix). For other edge reduction methods, I suspect you could apply that same alg to solve parity and modify the L2E into a state that can be solved intuitively.
newtonbase
Premium Member
Of course.
JohnnyReggae
Veteran
I've had to work on my Air to get it close to where I like it, it still needs some work. I've had to loosen the screws in both the corners and edges to eliminate some of the constant catches. I've changed GES sets a few times and eventually settled on the clear ones which I did a few thousand solves with, and just recently changed to the Yellow set. The Air is a strange puzzle in that after a while it doesn't seem to matter which GES set you are using it kind of settles to the same feel. Unlike other puzzles the Air does seem to require work to make it better. If it wasn't for the price tag I would not bother with all the work and move onto another cube to be honest, but .... the Air does have a great feel and I would tend to go for either the Air or GAN V2 over my other 3x3's ... the Yeuxiao is a close behind though ... very close
h2f
Premium Member
Thank you all. I let you know when I do this because it's only idea in my head and I have few topics I want to talk about.
mafergut
Legend
Yep, another one here that uses the same basic method. But also answering to @pipkiksass question, what I like about 5x5 is that it takes "the right time" to solve for me. 2x2 and 3x3 are pure speed events and 6x6 and up just take a lot of time for me to solve at the moment. 4x4 I also enjoy it a lot but I'm frustrated that most of my good solves up to edge pairing I end up somehow having double parity so, the elusive sub-1 min solve is still... well, elusive
But 5x5 is a good compromise between speed and boredom. Maybe if I ever get closer to the 2min barrier I will start to experience the same frustration for not being able to break sub-2 but for now it's one of the events I like the most. It also does not have any parities during 3x3 stage. Of course there can be some variance from solve to solve depending on how easy / difficult L4E stage gets. Right now most my sub-3min solves are due to easy L4E as my centers and F8E are more or less consistent...ly slow 
I feel much the same about the Air. Until I tried my Valk. Then my Air has been left aside for now, the air is too catchy for my tastes in general. I think magnets are my next cube playground.
mafergut
Legend
I fully agree about the Valk retiring all my other cubes. I wouldn't say "even my Air" as I never really got to like it, but I would say "even my Yuxiao"I feel much the same about the Air. Until I tried my Valk. Then my Air has been left aside for now, the air is too catchy for my tastes in general. I think magnets are my next cube playground.
In fact looking at it in retrospect I knew buying an Air was a bad idea as I hated the Gans 357 but I could not resist. With that money I could have bought a QiYi WuHua to have at least a 2nd 6x6 to compare the Yuxin with 
pipkiksass
Veteran
I decided to give away most of my old 3x3s yesterday.
This is my (modest by present company's standards) collection as it stood yesterday, minus a SS Aurora, which I'd already given to my daughter, and a HuanYing, which I gave to a friend.
The unsolved cube is a Rubik's brand, which my wife made me throw away unsolved, just to prove I can leave a cube unsolved.
There's a Fangshi, which will be used for a spring swap with my Yuxin 4x4, which I should have tomorrow.
The SS 4x4 and the white Zhanchi at the back are going to my niece in Canada.
The mini Zhanchi is going to my nephew, leaving me with just my Valk and 3 Weilongs (black v1, primary v1, and stickerless v2 mini).
I did a few solves on each, just to see if they could compete with my Valk and they are just nowhere near. Maybe one day, if I start MBLD, I will need more 3x3s. For now, I'm down to 4!!!
Re: 5x5, thanks for all the advice, I was distinctly put off when I thought I had lots of individual cases to learn, I'm much more keen if they can be reduced to parity/no parity cases. Maybe when I'm pushing for the world record I will need the many last 2 tredge cases???!!!
I'll have a play and see if I can work it out on my own... how do I set up the cube to solve parity with my 4x4 OLL parity alg? Presumably edges at UF and UB?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Shaky Hands
Premium Member
@pipkiksass I used this when learning 5x5 edge parity. Hopefully this shows the angle from which to use the 4x4 OLL Parity for 5x5 Edge Parity.
I know cases 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 and 10. I realise 4 is a mirror or 3 but I tend to mess it up. 5 is incredibly easy to learn. 9 and 10 I learned because I frequently got those cases and they're easy to recognise. As others say you can get by with minimal cases in 5x5 or use edge pairing to influence the case to something you know.
I know cases 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 and 10. I realise 4 is a mirror or 3 but I tend to mess it up. 5 is incredibly easy to learn. 9 and 10 I learned because I frequently got those cases and they're easy to recognise. As others say you can get by with minimal cases in 5x5 or use edge pairing to influence the case to something you know.
I fully agree about the Valk retiring all my other cubes. I wouldn't say "even my Air" as I never really got to like it, but I would say "even my Yuxiao"
I like my AIR in some ways... I actually want to revisit it when I do my next round of cube smithing. I got some calipers in, files, etc.. I have the tools I need... now to measure, get magnets etc.. and see what makes sense
.I realize it won't drop my times, but... it'll be fun, and in the end, I do this to have fun.
mark49152
Premium Member
4BLD PB 5:29, my 5th sub-6. Targets were 16/22/8.
h2f
Premium Member
Wow. Very nice. Im only sub8.
Logiqx
Veteran
I walked into Argos the other day and saw the catalogue open on this page.
mark49152
Premium Member
I did lots of practice in the last month before UKC and knocked more than 2 minutes off my times. After UKC I'm still enjoying 4BLD and improving, although I will switch to 5BLD soon, for Birmingham.
h2f
Premium Member
Im back to practice due to Polish Natonals next month. I enjoy 4bld too.
mafergut
Legend
@pipkiksass I used this when learning 5x5 edge parity. Hopefully this shows the angle from which to use the 4x4 OLL Parity for 5x5 Edge Parity.
I know cases 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 and 10. I realise 4 is a mirror or 3 but I tend to mess it up. 5 is incredibly easy to learn. 9 and 10 I learned because I frequently got those cases and they're easy to recognise. As others say you can get by with minimal cases in 5x5 or use edge pairing to influence the case to something you know.
Trying to do an analysis to see if it's worth it to learn the algs.
- Case 1 is the "parity" case.
- Case 3 and 4 are no brainers as just doing one pair by slice & flip the other ends up done as well.
- Case 5 is also easy, as just slicing the middle layer & flipping both pairs are done.
- Case 6 and 7 I just do two slice & flips and done. A bit longer than the algs but not too bad. I might learn the algs as the cases are easy to recognize and the alg is also pretty easy.
- Case 2 I do one tredge but then I end up with "parity" in the other so this might be interesting to learn as well, as it's easy to recognize.
- Case 8 takes me two slice & flips to finish one tredge and ends up with "parity" in the other so I could save a lot of moves but the alg has too many B2s
- Cases 9 and 10 I would do 1 slice & flip and also end with parity in the other but the algs seem longish
Shaky Hands
Premium Member
@mafergut - #9 and #10 flow quite well for me. It has a bit of rhythm to it I think.
