Zain_A24
Member
Qiyi MS 2x2 Review – KewbzUK
Feel free to look at the quick summary below:This is where I summarise this review for those that prefer a quicker and shorter read.
Service
Break-in
Final Thoughts
Pros
Cons
Yes if:
Probably not if:
Service
- KewbzUK - European Shipping
- Shipped same day and arrived a couple of days later
- Cube can be found HERE in black and stickerless variants
- Cheap, budget 2x2 from Qiyi
- 50mm – standard size
- Slightly heavy out of box
- Stickered version – more grip
- Slight sandiness, but still fast
- Medium strength magnets
Break-in
- Cornercutting – 40 Forward, ½ Piece reverse
- Snappy and responsive
- Eventually needs slowing down
- Requires minimal setup
- Combination of Adheron and Lubest (Weight 3 and 5 equivalent)
- Kept tensioning the same, although some may loosen it
- Still smooth and buttery
Final Thoughts
Pros
- Cheap - £6.99 budget 2x2
- Fast and requires minimal setup
- 2x2 hardware very similar (little difference between budget and flagship
- Good grip (in stickered version)
- Slight weight to it (quality and ease of use)
Cons
- Louder than 3x3’s (expected with 2x2 hardware)
- Snappy reverse cutting not for everyone
- Becomes too fast (may require lubrication – expected for any cube)
Yes if:
- Beginner looking for first cube
- Looking to upgrade to magnetic 2x2
- Looking for upgrade from previous budget 2x2
- Wanting a 2x2 with a different feel
- Backup main
Probably not if:
- Happy with existing flagship 2x2
- Want a quiet cube
- Want a lightweight cube
Enjoy!
Review of Store
General InfoName: KewbzUK
Link: https://kewbz.co.uk/
An excellent service from KewbzUK. I have been a bit backed up on reviews recently but KewbzUK have certainly made it very easy for me to be honest and open about their products and services, and I am yet to find something that I don’t like about this company. I am looking forward to seeing the direction KewbzUK will take moving forwards.
Review of Cube
General InfoName – Qiyi MS 2x2
Link – https://www.kewbz.co.uk/products/qiyi-ms-2x2?_pos=5&_sid=deba7372e&_ss=r
Availability – Stickered and Stickerless
Price - £6.99
Size – 50mm
Weight – 59g
Brief Overview
The Qiyi MS 2x2 is a budget cube from Qiyi as part of their modern 2020 economy line of magnetic puzzles, which currently consists of the MS 2x2 to 5x5 as well as a pyraminx, which we may see expand over the next few months or so. Boasting exceptional performance to price ratio, Qiyi have produced a set of cubes which they hope to be competitive amongst the many economy cubes currently available in the market from the likes of companies such as MoYu with their Meilong line – which I will using for comparison throughout the reviewing process.
Out of the Box
First Impressions – Before TurningAppearance
The stickered version features accurately placed half-bright vinyl stickers which gives the cube some grip, which is essential for an event such as 2x2 where a person’s grip positioning constantly changes on the cube. At 59g, the cube has a bit of weight to it in comparison to the lighter Meilong 2M. The MS series in general is known for being heftier than some other releases, and this can both be a benefit to some and a hindrance to others.
Pieces
The pieces feature primary internals which I much prefer the feel of over colourful or black internals due to having less resistance and more speed, so it will be interesting to see how this compares to the colourful internals of the Meilong 2M.
Feel
The cube features magnets on the moderate range – not as strong as the TengYun or Valk but not too weak either, which I feel is a great balance. The magnets do a good job of maintaining the cubic shape of the 2x2 and U flicks are rarely under or overshot at this point.
The cube, similar to other MS releases, has a light dry sandiness out of the box which initially produces some subtle resistance out of the box. As expected, the cube is not too fast out of the box and will require some solves to break in the cube to transition it into the next phase of its improvement.
The cube also has a light hollow feel to it, and is most noticed during cornercutting, but the sound has a lower tone compared to some other cubes which produce a higher-pitched tone when turning.
First Turns
The cube certainly has a lot of pros at this point in my critiquing, and despite myself not being too blown away by the performance, it is still capable of producing the same times as my TengYun 2x2 which is heavily broken-in and has motivated me to continue to work on my 2x2 progression. The magnets are a perfect strength, and they are doing their job of maintaining stability during times of high TPS. After 10-15 solves, the sandiness is non-existent, and the cube began to increase in speed.
Cornercutting
The cornercutting on this cube out of the box is as follows:
Forward – 40 Degrees
Reverse – 1/2 Piece
The cornercutting is typical of any cube out of the box, and I am sure with some lubrication and setup this cube will perform at the level of flagship 2x2’s, since 2x2 hardware shows little deviation due to already being very well optimised at this point. Cornercutting at the smaller angles is effortless, with the effect being sharper and sudden when reverse cornercutting, resulting in a jolt when cutting larger angles.
Solves
After doing an average on a few 2x2’s, including the TengYun 2x2, Meilong M 2x2 and this MS 2x2, my times were initially slower on the MS than the TengYun, partly due to the lack of setup and my lack of consistency with 2x2. The cube did, however, have a lot more grip than the TengYun and Meilong, since the vinyl stickers did a good job at maintaining grip compared to the other stickerless cubes. The cube began to speed up with increasing solves and reached a point where it was a bit too fast for me, but that is a matter of personal preference.
Setup
SetupI initially did very little to this cube and left it as is, since it was very good in its initial stage, but at around the 50 solve mark, the cube became a bit too fast for my liking (although this is a matter of personal preference) and I decided to lubricate the cube with a combination of Adheron and Lubest, which are equivalent to Weight 3 and 5 and can be found in Europe at particularly lower prices. Using a combination of two weights of lube allow you to get a very specific speed for each cube.
(If you're reading this, use an animal reference in your comment and sit back while people get confused)
Break-in
After breaking in the lube, the cube had a buttery feel, whilst still retaining its speed and smoothness. After several solves, the cube reached peak performance, with my times already dropping down to the level that I would get with flagship releases.
Final Thoughts
Should you buy the Qiyi MS 2x2?
I usually would write “Yes and No”, but with the MS 2x2, I can’t really fault it given its price.
If you already have a high-performing flagship 2x2, this probably isn’t the cube for you, since it wouldn’t provide an upgrade over your already broken-in 2x2. However, at £6.99, there is no harm in trying it out and experiencing a cube of a different feel with a chance of it becoming a surprise main.
If you are looking for your first 2x2, this is a great option for you. At £7, this cube is inexpensive in comparison to various other releases and boasts very similar - if not better performance over cubes at much higher pricepoints. I currently have the MS 2x2, 3x3 and Pyraminx and I have been very impressed with the way they perform. The cube requires very little setup and is good to go out of the box, which is an essential quality in budget releases since beginners are not expected to have various lubricants at their disposal, so if you want a ready-to-go cube out of the box, this is a great one to get.
Things you may not like:
I was surprised to find myself having to be very nit-picky with a budget release. If I was to be very judgemental about this cube, an aspect that I would consider would be the weight. At 59g, it puts it on the heavier end of the spectrum of 2x2’s and is something that is unlikely to affect the majority of cubers.
For people that prefer quieter cubes, whether it be for travelling or use at home, this may not be the cube for you. There are little to no cubes around that are quiet, other than the feel of the TengYun out of the box, The cube is not loud, but it certainly isn’t quiet either, and if it is a quiet cube you are after, this may not be for you.
I really had difficulty coming up with things I didn’t like about this release, which is a great to see in budget cubes like the Qiyi MS lineup. In comparison to the Meilong 2M, at the moment the MS has the slight edge, but this may be subject to change as I become more accustomed to the Meilong, but if only one is available over the other, either one is certainly worth the investment as a beginner or even intermediate 2x2 solver.
Thanks for reading!
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