Older cubers discussions

[mark49152]

@Logiqx, @newtonbase, @h2f, @bubbagrub... Thanks, triple sledgehammer did the trick and now I have some plastic shards and a few spare screws. Thanks for the tip!

 

[pglewis]

Stubbornly got the sub 30 so the timer is put away and I'm finishing combing through F2L, still a few gems I hadn't mined in there yet. Sub-40 ao12 would be easy to get as another milestone but I'm just as happy waiting and crushing that on the next go-round. Not unreasonable to want to see multiple 20s in an ao12 after some cross and blind pair drills, time for me to make 20s the new 30s.

 

[h2f]

@Logiqx, @newtonbase, @h2f, @bubbagrub... Thanks, triple sledgehammer did the trick and now I have some plastic shards and a few spare screws. Thanks for the tip!

Ouch. Take it as a opportunity to see how it's build.

I switched to dual CN in a normal solves and forced myself to predict the first pair. I've noticed that with dual CN I can do this in around 70% cases and the crosses became much easier.

 

[mafergut]

@Logiqx, @newtonbase, @h2f, @bubbagrub... Thanks, triple sledgehammer did the trick and now I have some plastic shards and a few spare screws. Thanks for the tip!

You really know how to use a sledgehammer. You hit it hard, didn't you?

By the way, Yuxin 7x7 already available for sale. The opportunity to retire my black plastic AoFu GT with an astonishing... 20 solves and get a stickerless Yuxin?

 

[pipkiksass]

Ouch. Take it as a opportunity to see how it's build.

I switched to dual CN in a normal solves and forced myself to predict the first pair. I've noticed that with dual CN I can do this in around 70% cases and the crosses became much easier.

I often go white/yellow CN when slow turning. I find much easier crosses, but often get confused over F2L as my F2L is almost entirely intuitive and my recog seems to fail with yellow corners, so I end up with a white corner and a twisted edge!!!


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[h2f]

I often go white/yellow CN when slow turning.

I did the same. Finally forced to do it in normal solves. First ao100 was a little bit sub-20. 2nd and 3rd sub19.

 

[mafergut]

Dual CN white / yellow is something I did almost from the beginning when I started speedsolving. Later on I have tried to become full CN but I have found it more difficult, not sure if that's because I'm now faster than when I became dual CN or simply because it is just more difficult. I think I'm like 2-3 seconds slower on average on the other 4 colours but maybe with more time and willpower I could succeed. The question is, there are maybe other things I could improve that would have a higher impact in my average times, like better algs, more F2L efficiency...

 

[muchacho]

I've just made a Thunderclap MCR (Magnetized Columns for Roux), with (a total of 16) magnets only between 4 of the edges and the corners (I solve any color on the sides with white or yellow on top).

The reasoning was that it could help me with my problem with overshooting U moves during CMLL and LSE while avoiding slowing down the M slice. We'll see, I'll tell you tomorrow if it works or if science bit me in the ass and I have to remove them or try the full of magnets approach.

For now I can just guess that the magnets are not strong enough, I used 4x1.5 N40 magnets (maybe I could just glue another magnet to the corners ones).

 

[pglewis]

@Logiqx, @newtonbase, @h2f, @bubbagrub... Thanks, triple sledgehammer did the trick and now I have some plastic shards and a few spare screws. Thanks for the tip!

I was going to mention that a good portion of my time with Skewb so far involves catching it when it squirts out of my hands. I see you've picked up my technique!

 

[pipkiksass]

Oooh, just has a 12.75 single with a PLL skip. Slowing down a bit (it's 11pm here), it's not a PB, but my single PBs are from 2014. Always nice to get times like that. My rolling Ao100 is consistently staying under 19 seconds, and my Ao1000 on CSTimer is creeping down. It's my best single since returning to cubing. I wonder how fast it could've been if it was 10am!

I'm getting closer to the elusive sub-1:30 4x4 single (had 1:30.xx twice).

Learnt 4 new OLLs last week, and one which I re-learnt. This week, there's a couple of dot cases, and a few lines I want to learn.

@Selkie, sorry to hear about your employment woes, but the settlement sounds nice. I just googled "how increase TPS cubing", following sunegate last week, and you're the top hit (well, a post of yours from 2011). Also, when I re-graduated from the race to sub-20 race recently, I used Google to find my original graduation, and I'm sure I originally joined the race the week you graduated, many moons ago!!!

@Logiqx, thanks for loving RUD algs as much as me! For every alg you provide on your website, I'm checking AlgDB for alternatives (just in case), and I'm yet to find an alg of yours that I will not be using.

Everyone who likes big cubes - I'm considering getting a 5x5 and 6x6. Yuxin or QiYi for either? Answers on a postcard, please. Also, what brand Skewb.

Also, concave, convex, or plane megaminx? The luxury of choice - the options on PuzzleStore.uk are multiform, and I have no idea. I have a megaminx, but it's hardly fast. I've never tried speedsolving the megaminx - in fact I haven't finished it. It's at a PLL kinda stage - I solved it intuitively up to the top layer, then used 3x3 logic to orient the last layer, but I need to look up the PLL stage. Does anyone have a preferred website for megaminx?

 

[mark49152]

Everyone who likes big cubes - I'm considering getting a 5x5 and 6x6. Yuxin or QiYi for either? Answers on a postcard, please.

For me, Yuxin 6x6 and Bochuang. Yuxin 5x5 is also great and very close to the Bochuang. I have not tried the new Qiyi puzzles though.

 

[One Wheel]

Oooh, just has a 12.75 single with a PLL skip. Slowing down a bit (it's 11pm here), it's not a PB, but my single PBs are from 2014. Always nice to get times like that. My rolling Ao100 is consistently staying under 19 seconds, and my Ao1000 on CSTimer is creeping down. It's my best single since returning to cubing. I wonder how fast it could've been if it was 10am!

I'm getting closer to the elusive sub-1:30 4x4 single (had 1:30.xx twice).

Everyone who likes big cubes - I'm considering getting a 5x5 and 6x6. Yuxin or QiYi for either? Answers on a postcard, please.

How ?!? I have a handful of sub - 1:30 4x4 singles, averaging about 1:55, but 3x3 I'm still on a lucky 18.79 single from near a year ago, I think I was averaging about 40 at the time. I think my second best is at about 24.xx, averaging about 32-33 when I'm not messing up.

5x5 and 6x6: Weichuang is very fast, far better than a SS. With magnets or 1,000+ solves it has the potential to be positively sublime.
6x6 I don't have anything to compare to my Aoshi. I know it's outdated and much maligned, but it's still breaking in and getting better at ~300 solves.

 

[earth2dan]

Woohoo! New 3x3 PB Single! 13.06. I haven't improved on my 3x3 PB in a looong time. Here's the scramble:
L U D R' D B' L' U L B2 L2 U2 D L2 D2 R2 B2 L2 U F2

Regarding CN, I'm a hopeless white cross speedsolver. Yellow would be my next best, but all my times suffer drastically on any other cross colour.

Found a Mefferts Ghost Hedgehog at a toy store today and couldn't resist the purchase. I haven't scrambled it yet... I'm afraid. It sure is pretty though.

I've just made a Thunderclap MCR (Magnetized Columns for Roux)

Very cool! Magnet mods seem to be the next big thing. I'd love to try one of the Cubicle labs magnet cubes.

Everyone who likes big cubes - I'm considering getting a 5x5 and 6x6. Yuxin or QiYi for either? Answers on a postcard, please. Also, what brand Skewb.

You really can't go wrong with any of the big boys when it comes to 5x5 right now. The Yuxin, BoChuang, WeiChuang, and WuShuang are all fantastic 5x5's. My favourite today is the QiYi WuShuang. It's a little smaller than the others and I really like the way it feels. Stickerless colours on the QiYi are great too. I like my Yuxin 6x6, but I haven't tried the QiYi yet, and @Selkie has me really considering it

 

[pglewis]

Regarding CN, I'm a hopeless white cross speedsolver. Yellow would be my next best, but all my times suffer drastically on any other cross colour.

Same here. I've done thousands of solves exclusively with white cross and my recognition still isn't great, just not a natural there. Recently started to feel like I could transition to white/yellow, though. Last layer on any color is a piece of cake, cross is the hardest for me to leave white I think.

My favourite today is the QiYi WuShuang. It's a little smaller than the others and I really like the way it feels. Stickerless colours on the QiYi are great too.

Also agree. With the usual caveat that what I do on 5x5 isn't quite speedsolving and the QiYi is the only one I have: I love it. If I were to pick up a second I'd get another. Very smooth "wsssssssssh"-y feel. Biggest complaint I've heard is that the outer layers tend to be a little slower/stiffer than the inner ones and some people don't care for that.

 

[Logiqx]

@Logiqx, thanks for loving RUD algs as much as me! For every alg you provide on your website, I'm checking AlgDB for alternatives (just in case), and I'm yet to find an alg of yours that I will not be using.

Everyone who likes big cubes - I'm considering getting a 5x5 and 6x6. Yuxin or QiYi for either? Answers on a postcard, please. Also, what brand Skewb.

Also, concave, convex, or plane megaminx? The luxury of choice - the options on PuzzleStore.uk are multiform, and I have no idea. I have a megaminx, but it's hardly fast. I've never tried speedsolving the megaminx - in fact I haven't finished it. It's at a PLL kinda stage - I solved it intuitively up to the top layer, then used 3x3 logic to orient the last layer, but I need to look up the PLL stage. Does anyone have a preferred website for megaminx?

Nice 3x3 + 4x4 progress. Glad to hear you're liking my alg selections.

Ignoring my old Shengshou 5x5 + MoYu AoChuang, I have the Yuxin + QiYi WuShuang. I absolutely loved the Yuxin when I got it and I used it as my main until I bought the QiYi. The QiYi is not as fast as the Yuxin but it is so much more stable and less prone to locks that it suits me better. The smaller size is nice and it has been my main since buying it.

I only have an ShengShou 6x6 + AoShi. The AoShi is nice enough for me to enjoy solving but it feels like there is plenty of room for improvement. Perhaps a new 6x6 can be on my Christmas list. I'm interesting in the views of others for 6x6!

I have a DaYan megaminx which I don't enjoy turning. I felt Chris' X-Man Galaxy at UKC and it was very nice. He explained that all variants of the puzzle are the same but with different caps / tiles which give the concave / convex / flat options. The concave tiles felt nice to me. Another item for my Christmas list!

 

[mafergut]

@pipkiksass Wow! Congrats on the single. What's your PB single from 2014? You're progressing a lot also at 4x4. You'll be aiming for sub 1 min single in no time, you'll see

Regarding 5x5 and 6x6 my mains are, at the moment the Yuxin 5x5 (I also have a BoChuang and a Cyclone Boys) and the Yuxin 6x6 (because it's my only 6x6) but all this discussion is making me want to buy the QiYis

About Megaminx I disagree from most people. Maybe my X-Man Galaxy is not as good as it should or I just didn't even give it the chance to break in but I love my Shengshou Aurora Megaminx.

@earth2dan Now I envy you. Don't tell me that it's the one with Yellow stickers because then I'll envy you even more I love the looks of the Mefferts Ghost Hedgehog. Also congrats on that PB single!!! And, regarding, CN, I think yellow is worth it, at least it gives you a second option for cross.

@muchacho Good luck with your own "magnet lab". Looking forward to hearing your feedback on those experiments.

Also, in "other news" , I finally managed to get my first sub-3min 5x5 Ao12 at 2:59.07 but with a counting 3:18.xx so, still room for improvement. Got Ao50 down to 3:03.xx and Ao100 to 3:09.xx but running Ao100 is improving almost with every solve right now. Also beat my single but not by much (2:38.99).

And, in two days, I will be free again to cube a bit more. Wish me luck with my professional certification.

 

[pipkiksass]

Thanks for the big cube opinions everybody, I'd do callouts, but I'm on my way to hospital and the It's a royal PITA on mobile! I'm leaning towards QiYi, because they seem to be producing fantastic puzzles at the moment.

I felt Chris' X-Man Galaxy at UKC and it was very nice. He explained that all variants of the puzzle are the same but with different caps / tiles which give the concave / convex / flat options. The concave tiles felt nice to me. Another item for my Christmas list!

Yeah I noticed Dayan do one named after each planet in our solar system, with different shaped centres. I also spent some time studying the pictures of the QiYi X-man on puzzlestore.uk, and noticed that the centres are drastically different on plane/convex/concave, but what's "sculpture" all about?!

Edit: @mafergut, can't remember single on, but it's in my sig, think it's 11.xx.

Good luck with the qualification!

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[muchacho]

@mafergut good luck!

Still not sure about the magnets, I've just lubed the cube and I might play with the tensions, but for now I'm getting very similar times. Probably a bit stronger magnets would have been better.

You are not the only one who prefers the Aurora over the Galaxy: @1:50

 

[mafergut]

@mafergut good luck!

Still not sure about the magnets, I've just lubed the cube and I might play with the tensions, but for now I'm getting very similar times. Probably a bit stronger magnets would have been better.

You are not the only one who prefers the Aurora over the Galaxy: @1:50

Thanks for the video. Now I know that I'm not alone. I suffer the exact same problem with catches that Sophie mentions in one of her comment replies. Also, I was like "what?!?" with the thumb fingertrick at 1:20.

 

[pipkiksass]

Just sitting in hospital for 6 hours - after the megaminx review I decided to while away the time watching cubing videos on YouTube. Watched Faz's white cross example solve vid, and he turns down a 2 move yellow cross, but then can't resist a 1 move green cross. In 5 solves!!! He says, in no uncertain terms, "be colour-neutral"!!!!!

I need to turn the timer off and do some slow turning practice anyway, but SO tempted to try full colour neutral. I'm ok on yellow, but have to really concentrate on each F2L pair on other colours. Maybe slow turning practice and CN could go hand in hand???

This week, at least 4 more OLLs, plus PLL drills, NO timed solves (I'll do 12 as alumnus in race to sub-20, that's it). If anyone sees me posting 3x3 times, tell me off!!!

Edit: home from hospital, thought I'd throw in the Faz vid...
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