[Help Thread] Puzzle Choice Thread

[PetrosDimis]

Is Yuxin 3x3 a good option?

 

[dskids]

Is Yuxin 3x3 a good option?

I personally think it is a fantastic cube at its $9 price point. It is fast and airy with kind of a hard plastic / bumpy turning feel. It is naturally pretty fast and relatively unstable but you can slow it down a little bit with your setup. Only complaint is on the one I received, only 3 of the core screws had washers installed (wtf?)

 

[Praetorian]

Is Yuxin 3x3 a good option?

would definitely recommend thunderclap over that, it's the same price and is a very good performing cube

 

[NeilH]

would definitely recommend thunderclap over that, it's the same price and is a very good performing cube

the thunderclap is the best cube i've ever used, especially after lubing with weight 3 and maru, and 1000's of solves

 

[IBACubing]

Gans 356 and Yuexiao are also fine. Some people say Yuexiao is loud but if you put a bit more lube in it and loosen the tension a bit I don't think it's louder than Gans 356. These 2 makes low frequency noise that blends well with the background noise on the airplane so they might sound quieter than normally would. Cubes like Hualong and Aolong makes high frequency noise that are more audible on airplane. By the way why do you care about being quiet when there's already so much noise on the airplane?

Well I just want to be able to cube "safely" and both my gans and yuexiao are really loud. But gans is pretty quiet when turned slow.

 

[rishirs321]

I agree with what you say about the pitch / frequency of the noise for all those cubes. Regarding why would he want a quiet cube? Because there are people easily disturbed by anything. I was complained about my noise while solving my Tanglong on a train, which is at least as noisy as a plane. I told the guy: the train also makes noise, does that disturb you as well? And continued solving.

Thug life!!!

 

[Pragitya]

Thug life!!!

XD

 

[mafergut]

Thug life!!!

The guy was watching an episode with his tablet and some headphones!!!! And he also pretended to know that a woman in front of us was also disturbed by me. The woman had not said anything or looked back, or talked to him or anything. He was just clairvoyant... or just a nitpick.

 

[rishirs321]

The guy was watching an episode with his tablet and some headphones!!!! And he also pretended to know that a woman in front of us was also disturbed by me. The woman had not said anything or looked back, or talked to him or anything. He was just clairvoyant... or just a nitpick.

Yeah! Some people are just like that :/

 

[aholeinthewor1d]

Hey I'm hoping to get some opinions on which cube to get next. I want either a 5x5 or 6x6. I started cubing a few months about and have a few 3x3s and recently got a 4x4.

I'm slowly getting faster but I really just enjoy solving in general. I've gotten pretty used to the 4x4 and I'm not sure which cube to get next.

The 5x5 interests me because it looks like you build the ceters a little bit different than the 4x4 because of the fixed centers. Would this be no different than a 3x3 since there are no paritys?

Or would I get bored quick with the 5x5 and maybe the 6x6 would be better.

I plan to get one of those two and I'd also like suggestions for another type of puzzle to try. I don't want something too easy and I'm fine learning some new algorithms but I'd prefer for a lot of it to be intuitive because I enjoy it. Thanks!

 

[Tahrbo]

You should get the BoChuang 5x5. It's at an unbeatable price for either a 5x5 or a 6x6.

Setting aside the price, you'll learn more going from a 4x4 to a 5x5 than you would going from a 4x4 to a 6x6.

Learning a 5x5 makes it easier to learn a 7x7 or higher odd cube. A 5x5 does in fact have a parity situation, but you can fix it using the one you learned for the 4x4. I don't think you'd get bored quickly with the 5x5. After you've learned the 5x5, then you can decide whether to jump to the 6x6 or 7x7.

If you're looking to master another puzzle entirely, I'd recommend the megaminx. If you like to intuitively solve puzzles, you should enjoy the megaminx because all of it can be solved using extrapolated 3x3 algorithms. The YJ megaminx is budget-priced but some people really dislike it. The Dayan megaminx with the ridges is considered among the best, but it's also among the most expensive.

 

[mafergut]

I'd also recommend to go first to 5x5 (Yuxin, BoChuang or even Cyclone Boys are good options). A good 6x6 or 7x7 is an investment so I'd try z 5x5 first. You are not going to get bored and it has its own issues different from 3x3, even though it does not have the same kinds of parity that 4x4 or even layer cubes in general.

Regarding other puzzles, if you want something a bit different but still an official WCA event, definitely, Megaminx is my vote. The Shengshou Mega is cheap and smooth and, even though it locks up a bit it can be modded to become the best Mega you can buy. If you want a good one but don't want to be bothered with modding then maybe the Dayan is best, if you can afford it. The YJ Yuhu is too unstable and I don't recommend it (I prefer an unmodded SS for about the same price or cheaper). Appart from Mega, of course, other simple WCA puzzles (simple to solve but different from 3x3 and challenging to solve really fast) are Skewb and Pyraminx. Another quite different and very challenging to solve semi-intuitively is SQ-1 (if you decide to buy one get the QiYi).

If you want something to solve casually and not speedsolve then there are lots of nice puzzles. I'd suggest Mastermorphix, Ghost and other 3x3 shapemods to begin with. You will have the basics to solve them but they prove a bit of a challenge due to the need to identify what piece goes where. The mirrorblocks is also an option but I found it too easy to solve. Right now there are several mass-produced ghost cubes, so no need to spend a lot of money on a hand-made one.

Also, another option is some kind of cuboid. I'd recommend to start with a 3x3xN (WitEden has several of them). Here you will need to learn some new algs.

 

[hkpnkp]

Which would be a better choice - yuxin 5x5 or moyu bochuang ?

 

[mafergut]

Which would be a better choice - yuxin 5x5 or moyu bochuang ?

Wait and see if Feliks changes main
Seriously both are great for what people say, BoChuang is a bit more expensive but both are also supposed to be the same design that Yuxin copied from Moyu. So, difficult question.

 

[hkpnkp]

Wait and see if Feliks changes main
Seriously both are great for what people say, BoChuang is a bit more expensive but both are also supposed to be the same design that Yuxin copied from Moyu. So, difficult question.

Ok

 

[One Wheel]

I'd suggest Mastermorphix, Ghost and other 3x3 shapemods to begin with.

Maybe I'm too picky, but I really dislike my SS mastermorphix. If the layers are all aligned perfectly it turns easily, but it's hard to align the layers, and for me getting the LL edges oriented comes down to chance. It's annoying. I would sell it and my mirror blocks, except neither one is worth enough to buy something that I really want, like a 6x6 or a 7x7, or even a YueXiao. I would like to try a ghost cube though.

 

[TheFearlessPro]

My brothers popped my 3x3 and threw it away, so I need a new one. I average around 24-22 seconds. I'm currently using a Guhong, but it is just WAY to locky for me. I have a rather rough and fast turning style, so I would particularly want a cube that flexes, and will be controllable for me. I have no idea what cube I should get, and I would like it to be $20 or under.


tl;dr I'm a 23 second average, and I have a rough turning style, so I'm looking for a cube that can flex or cut through lock-ups, while still being controllable. I have a $20 budget.

I prefer smooth cubes.

I would suggest a guoguan yuexiao. It's fast cuts anywhere and is fast and controlable. It is 16$ tho at SCS you can get it for 12.7$ cuz of a sale. I'm not sure if it is completely smooth, u should watch reviews

 

[dcraziicuber]

which cube to buy

Can u pls tell me which is Better CYCLONE BOYS FEIWU OR CYCLONE BOYS XUANFENG AND WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM

 

[mafergut]

Maybe I'm too picky, but I really dislike my SS mastermorphix. If the layers are all aligned perfectly it turns easily, but it's hard to align the layers, and for me getting the LL edges oriented comes down to chance. It's annoying. I would sell it and my mirror blocks, except neither one is worth enough to buy something that I really want, like a 6x6 or a 7x7, or even a YueXiao. I would like to try a ghost cube though.

Well, for the price I think the SS Mastermorphix is quite nice. Of course you can buy a handmade one from Traiphum but it will set you back a lot of money.

Regarding the LL edges I do it with 1st look OLL algs like FRUR'U'F' and inverse. To check which edges are already oriented I just turn the LL face 360º checking, for each edge whether it matches or not with one of the centers. It's not difficult but it is a bit more complex than with a mirror blocks, for example, where it is easy to see if they are flipped or not.

 

[TheSilverBeluga]

My trusty Fangshi ShuangRen finally reached the end of its lifespan last night. The connecters on the stem of the red/white/blue corner snapped, no more than six hours after I announced to the community that the Fangshi was my main speedcube. I'm now looking for a new speedcube with a few requirements:

1. Minimal corner twists. This was a large problem on my Fangshi.
2. Fast, but controllable. It was a bit hard to move from one turn to the next on my Fangshi.

Any suggestions?