Hello, sorry I'm not sure if this was the forum to post in, please let me know if I need to move the post.
I've been speedcubing on the 3x3 for just over 8 months and decided to get a 4x4 to start moving up the cube sizes. As such, I did a little research and the QiYi WuQue seemed to be the right choice. I read a lot of reviews that said "not great out of the box, needs to be broken in and set up", so I wasn't expecting an amazing feel right out of the box. Got it, and as expected, not so great out of the box.
So I did several solves (20+) as well as a lot of alg practice on different faces to help work it in. I then took it apart, cleaned all the pieces, lubed it with cubicle weight 2 on the pieces (I like it a little quicker), and tensioned it so that I could corner cut reasonably without pops (loosened it then solved till I popped, tightened slightly, repeat). Still. The puzzle does not seem to hold up to the praise it is receiving. The 3x3 section (which is what people seem to praise about it) is awkward with the sides catching frequently during algorithms to the point that I basically can't even finger trick the algorithms. The center layers seem to require a hefty grip to keep oriented during oll & plls that require moving more than one layer.
Are 4x4s just inherently more clunky than 3x3s and I got my hopes up with this cube, or have I possibly done some setup wrong? It feels like to get to the speed that I see others turning the individual layers, I have to put in significant effort and then sometimes I get catches.
The mechanism inside is quite different from the 3x3 and 5x5, perhaps I lubed it wrong and need less/more lube? I lubed it using this method:
anyway, thanks for your time. Just a little disappointed with this 4x4 thus far and want to know if I was just being unrealistic with my expectations.
I've been speedcubing on the 3x3 for just over 8 months and decided to get a 4x4 to start moving up the cube sizes. As such, I did a little research and the QiYi WuQue seemed to be the right choice. I read a lot of reviews that said "not great out of the box, needs to be broken in and set up", so I wasn't expecting an amazing feel right out of the box. Got it, and as expected, not so great out of the box.
So I did several solves (20+) as well as a lot of alg practice on different faces to help work it in. I then took it apart, cleaned all the pieces, lubed it with cubicle weight 2 on the pieces (I like it a little quicker), and tensioned it so that I could corner cut reasonably without pops (loosened it then solved till I popped, tightened slightly, repeat). Still. The puzzle does not seem to hold up to the praise it is receiving. The 3x3 section (which is what people seem to praise about it) is awkward with the sides catching frequently during algorithms to the point that I basically can't even finger trick the algorithms. The center layers seem to require a hefty grip to keep oriented during oll & plls that require moving more than one layer.
Are 4x4s just inherently more clunky than 3x3s and I got my hopes up with this cube, or have I possibly done some setup wrong? It feels like to get to the speed that I see others turning the individual layers, I have to put in significant effort and then sometimes I get catches.
The mechanism inside is quite different from the 3x3 and 5x5, perhaps I lubed it wrong and need less/more lube? I lubed it using this method:
anyway, thanks for your time. Just a little disappointed with this 4x4 thus far and want to know if I was just being unrealistic with my expectations.