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Rate your cubes! (survey)

Cride5

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Joined
Jan 27, 2009
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1,228
Location
Scotland
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2009RIDE01
OK, so that's the ratings up to date. Link to aggregated ratings...

As it stands, the top cubes in each category are:

2x2: LanLan
3x3: FII
4x4: QJ
5x5: Vcube5

Please note however, some puzzles are omitted because they haven't had enough ratings, so it may not capture less popular or up-and-coming cubes. Finally, if you're looking for a cube which performs well in a specific category such as noise, pops etc, then you'll need to look at the data in more detail.

Thanks again for your ratings :)
 

Tyjet66

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Jan 10, 2010
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Alright, I have a review and an average of 5 for my 3 3x3's:

Rubik's storebought:
41.77
39.20
28.89
39.10
28.66
Average: 35.52

Smoothness/Speed: 7
Lockup Resistance: 7
Cutting Corners: 6
Pop Resistance: 9
Quietness: 7
Reliability: 9
Overall: I really like this cube.

F-II:
34.64
34.04
46.53 <-- I felt retarded through out the whole solve.
35.69
32.71
Average: 36.72

Smoothness/Speed: 8
Lockup Resistance: 9
Cutting Corners: 7
Pop Resistance: 5
Quietness: 7
Reliability: 8
Overall: Pretty decent cube, great overall but not as good as my storebought.

C4U glow in the dark DIY:
44.34
38.95
35.42
37.77
47.04
Average: 40.70

Smoothness/Speed: 9
Lockup Resistance: 5
Cutting Corners: 5
Pop Resistance: 4
Quietness: 5
Reliability: 5
Overall: Started out as a really good cube, but since using it, I really don't like it.
 

miniGOINGS

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Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
3,049
Tyjet, what did you do to your cubes?

How is your storebought amazing?

How does your F-II suck and pop?

How does your C4U pop?
 

Tyjet66

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Tyjet, what did you do to your cubes?

How is your storebought amazing?

How does your F-II suck and pop?

How does your C4U pop?
1. Storebought is almost 2 years old, heavy use, sanding insides of pieces and silicone spray.

2. F-II doesn't "suck" but I don't like it as well as my store bought. And since I lubed it, it tends to pop a lot.

3.C4U pops a lot, don't know why, I have it almost fully tightened, it's at the point where it has decent speed and is supposed to rarely pop, that isn't the case.
 

miniGOINGS

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Feb 27, 2009
Messages
3,049
Interesting.

1. My storebought is also 2 years old, and while it's really good, it still feels to gunky and tight. Maybe I should clean it out?

2. Did you lube it with Jigaloo? Mine is really good right now, but I was planning on lubing it. Maybe I shouldn't lube it with Jigaloo.

3. Wow. Mine is super tight, and while it never pops, it has exceptional speed.
 

AvidCuber

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Feb 13, 2010
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Sorry, I'm tacking myself onto this conversation here.

1) I like my storebought a lot.
2) F-II's with silicone type sprays are apparently not good because of the type of plastic--injectable silicone is better.
3) I don't have one so I can't say. :)

My storebought is my main cube, just because it's my only one pretty much (I have some other storeboughts but they're all the same brand obviously), I should be getting alpha V soon.
 

Tyjet66

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Jan 10, 2010
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Interesting.

1. My storebought is also 2 years old, and while it's really good, it still feels to gunky and tight. Maybe I should clean it out?

2. Did you lube it with Jigaloo? Mine is really good right now, but I was planning on lubing it. Maybe I shouldn't lube it with Jigaloo.

3. Wow. Mine is super tight, and while it never pops, it has exceptional speed.

I can't get a hold of jugaloo, so i use crc heavy duty silicone spray. I'm thinking of getting an A-V.
 

BigGreen

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Dec 25, 2008
Messages
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Location
Cottleville, MO
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2009MOOR01
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My c4u diy
59eb1cdf-1.jpg
modded blah
Smoothness/Speed:8
Lockup Resistance:7
Cutting Corners: 7
Pop Resistance: 6
Quietness: 6
Reliability: 7
Overall: my c4u cube is better than yours :p
 

youthedog4

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2010
Messages
34
Type E Daingsheng 3x3x3 Type .333 (it matters)

Smoothness/Speed:9
Lockup Resistance:4
Cutting Corners:7
Pop Resistance:7
Quietness:6
Reliability:6
Overall:6.5
 

no1337cube

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Oct 29, 2009
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Smoothness/Speed: 8
Lockup Resistance: 9
Cutting Corners: 9 (Modded with A V mod)
Pop Resistance: 7
Quietness: 6
Reliability: 8
Overall: 8

(PS: Mod with A V mod first then break in this cube in a lot before you start lubing it)
 

CuberN00b

Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
39
Haiyan Memory (from cubehaiyan) modified A V

Smoothness/Speed:9 (fast but stable, like it!)
Lockup Resistance:7 (Nice, but still a little bit 'locky'
Cutting Corners:10 (REVERSE CUTTING CORNERS, MAN!)
Pop Resistance:8 (pops rarely, but my friends pop it a lot)
Quietness:5 (little bit silent, a little bit loud)
Reliability:8
Overall:9 (best cube i have ever touched, for now.)
 

JeffDelucia

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Dec 30, 2009
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Bennington Vermont
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2010DELU01
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Shengshou cube from bigbee's shop

smoothness: 9 very smooth but could be better
speed: 7 feels very slow but it's not a big problem
cutting corners: 8 nothing impressive but gets the job done
pop resistance: 8 pops every once in a while doing m slice algorithms
sound: I don't have many cubes to compare to but its between my cubeforyou cube and my type c
reliability:8
overall:8 I'ts my main speedcube but I'm sure it's not the best
 
Joined
Jan 17, 2009
Messages
377
Location
Portland, OR (where the sun don't shine)
I feel like chiming in here. I was looking at the wiki and noticed the great page on different cubes. However, I was not entirely satisfied with the pages. Basically every entry said "cuts corners well and is fast" or something along those lines. Even looking at the amazing sticky'd cube review thread left something to be desired. I think we should step up the descriptions of cubes, compare them to other cubes in more than just ratings but in words. "This cube cuts corners well" is not a good description. Does it cut them buttery smooth or does it chop through it? Does the angle affect the cutting feel? Does the cube feel like it's going to pop when you stress the corner cutting? etc...I also feel that high values are given out without much thought (lower than 5 should indicate a serious issue, though (except with quiteness)). In my mind this represents an exponential scale. A cube with a rating of 6 isn't twice as good as a cube with a rating of 3 but rather 2^(6-3) = 8 times better. I don't know if this makes sense but it would really help differentiate the 8s and 9s.

With that in mind I'll put in the input for my cubes.

3x3x3
Rubik's Storebought

Smoothness/Speed: 7
Lockup Resistance: 6
Cutting Corners: 5
Pop Resistance: 8
Quietness: 5
Reliability: 9
Overall: 7

Most people start with this cube. It is absolutely imperative that you break this cube in if you want to use it for speedsolving. Though it takes a long time to break in, this is one of the most stable cubes out there. Unlike many DIYs, the Rubik's storebought is hard to pop mid-solve. It almost never does anything unexpected and is fast enough to be usable even at high speeds. However, it is nowhere near the fastest cube around, even when broken in fully. Also, the rather poor springs prevent this cube from cutting corners very well, though with enough breaking in this does improve quite a bit. One of the best things about this cube is how well it responds to lubricants, which will instantly make the cube much, much better.

This cube has a very solid feel to it. The cubies a very block-like and heavy. As this is an easy cube to find and is naturally very stiff and well built, it is a good cube for modifications. While this may speed up the breaking in process, it will increase the number of pops you will experience later on.

Final verdict: if you have time to spend this is one of the most reliable cubes out there. It isn't quite fast enough and doesn't cut corners as much as you'd like, but it gets the job done. Rarely will this cube surprise you.


Type E 333
Smoothness/Speed: 9
Lockup Resistance: 4
Cutting Corners: 5
Pop Resistance: 9
Quietness: 4
Reliability: 4
Overall: 5

This might be the cheapest cube on the market, and rightfully so. Though blindingly fast, the Diansheng 333 model trades speed for stability. Corner cutting and lockup prevention are at a minimum and can cause much grief. The cube almost never pops, though. The cubies are very block-like and minimal, cutting off any non-essential parts to reduce friction. Even the core is cut back a size. This is a great cube for puzzle-making, as it is extremely cheap and the plastic is soft and easy to work with.

Final verdict: there is a price to pay in the generation 1 cubes for speed. The lockups and awful corner cutting of the Diansheng 333 just aren't worth it.

Type CII
Smoothness/Speed: 8
Lockup Resistance: 8
Cutting Corners: 7
Pop Resistance: 8
Quietness: 6
Reliability: 7
Overall: 8

The Type CII is a member of the "bubbled cubies" club, with rounded edges and corners to help ease lockups and help corner cutting. This cube isn't amazing fast but is up there with the best. The corner cutting is somewhat lacking at higher tensions, which are necessary to prevent pops, but is still above average. It is extremely easy, however, to pop this cube, especially at lower tensions. Sometimes corners get turned when performing a U or U' turn. You must decide between good corner cutting or fewer lockups, and my rating expresses the latter. The cube has a very solid feel to it and a unique sensation when corner cutting. Instead of snapping into place while cutting a corners, the CII will almost slip the misaligned layer into place, giving a much more fluid feel than the crisp feeling when cutting corners with other cubes.

Final verdict: just a bit faster and this cube would have been godly. It wears down with use and requires fairly regular cleaning and lubing. The CII is also somewhat of a transition cube, as its bubbled cubies are not as rounded as other cubes in its class. It takes a little bit for you to get accustomed to the feel of truly bubbled cubies, and the CII can lead you into that realm with ease.


It's late. I'll edit in my other cubes sometime in the next few days.
 

beardo

Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2010
Messages
11
I'll give my 2 cents on two of my storeboughts as well as a Rubik's 4x4 that I borrowed for a while.


3x3x3
Rubik's Storebought #1 (2 and a half years old)
Smoothness/Speed: 3
Lockup Resistance: 3
Cutting Corners: 2
Pop Resistance: 10 (Don't remember this ever popping)
Quietness: 5
Reliability: 3
Overall: 4.3 (This was never good, even with lube and breaking in)


3x3x3
Rubik's Storebought (1.5-2 years old)
Smoothness/Speed: 8 (Tires my fingers out kinda quickly for finger tricks)
Lockup Resistance: 6
Cutting Corners: 9.5 (almost 45!)
Pop Resistance: 10 (never popped)
Quietness: 5
Reliability: 8.5
Overall: 7.8 (This is with CRC lube and breaking in.)


Rubik's 4x4
Smoothness/Speed: 4
Lockup Resistance: 3
Cutting Corners: 2
Pop Resistance: 3
Quietness: 5
Reliability: 2
Overall: 3.2 (This cube is not worth the price. Now I see why he doesn't care if I give it back.)
 

chris410

Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2009
Messages
394
LANLAN 4x4
Smoothness/Speed: 6
Lockup Resistance: 5
Cutting Corners: 4
Pop Resistance: 5
Quietness: 5
Reliability: 6
Overall: 5.1

I have a Rubik's 4x4 and an EastSheen 4x4 for comparison. Initially, the cube was a bit slow however, after around 4 solves the pieces move very nicely. Compared to the other two 4x4's they LANLAN cuts corners well considering it is a 4x4. Overall, I am very happy with this cube, for the price I think it is one that should be considered. Also, the stickers are nice out of the box and I have not popped any pieces. I have to say I was pretty surprised at just now nice this cube is for the price which is around $10.
 
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cyoubx

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Aug 13, 2010
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Maru DIY 3x3 (blue)
Smoothness/Speed: 9.5
Lockup Resistance: 7
Cutting Corners: 10
Pop Resistance: 9 (two pops in a year, not bad)
Quietness: 7 (can get loud, but it's smooth, so oh well)
Reliability: 9.5
Overall: 9.5

Diansheng

Smoothness/Speed: 9
Lockup Resistance: 6
Cutting Corners: 9
Pop Resistance: 10 :)
Quietness: 9
Reliability: 8
Overall: 9 (I think I got lucky with my DS...)

NOTE: The Maru feels like skating on lake ice (you hear bumps, but it's blazing fast and you can't actually feel the bumps), the DS feels like a warm knife through butter (more resistance, but extremely smooth).


Lepao 3x3
Smoothness/Speed: 6
Lockup Resistance: 7
Cutting Corners: 7.5
Pop Resistance: 8 (Exploded once, reset tensions and it's been fine since)
Quietness: 7
Reliability: 7
Overall: 7
 
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theace

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Mar 9, 2010
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Location
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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2010RAOA01
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Rubik's Store bought (Un-modded)
Smoothness/Speed: 3/10
Lockup Resistance: 2/10
Cutting Corners: 2/10
Pop Resistance: 9/10
Quietness: 8/10
Reliability: 5/10
Overall: 3/10

Rubik's Store bought (Modded, Sanded, Lubed)
Smoothness/Speed: 6/10
Lockup Resistance: 3/10
Cutting Corners: 6/10
Pop Resistance: 5/10
Quietness: 8/10
Reliability: 3/10
Overall: 7/10

Ghosthand I:
Smoothness/Speed: 8/10
Lockup Resistance: 8/10
Cutting Corners: 9/10
Pop Resistance: 9/10 (Popped only thrice in about 4 months)
Quietness: 7/10
Reliability: 10/10
Overall: 9/10

Rubik's 4x4:
Smoothness/Speed: 9/10
Lockup Resistance: 2/10
Cutting Corners: 2/10
Pop Resistance: -5/10 (pops like mad)
Quietness: 7/10
Reliability: 0/10
Overall: 1/10 (Sympathy)

Mini QJ 4x4:
Smoothness/Speed: 7/10
Lockup Resistance: 9/10
Cutting Corners: 5/10
Pop Resistance: 10/10 (Never popped on me)
Quietness: 8/10
Reliability: 9/10
Overall: 7/10 (lost out due to corner cutting)

LanLan 2x2:
Smoothness/Speed: 8/10
Lockup Resistance: 3/10 (Locks up a lot with my style)
Cutting Corners: 3/10 (Not very cutty)
Pop Resistance: 10/10 (NEVER POPS DAMN IT!)
Quietness: 9/10
Reliability: 9/10
Overall: 6/10 (I don't like 2x2s. Too small for me. This one doesn't suit my style)

MF8 Square 1:
Smoothness/Speed: 10/10 (Insanely fast after lubing. Sometimes, I find it hard to control!)
Lockup Resistance: 8/10 (if ever)
Cutting Corners: N/A - Never tried to cut.
Pop Resistance: 10/10
Quietness: 7/10
Reliability: 10/10
Overall: 7/10
 

uberCuber

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Joined
Jun 24, 2010
Messages
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Location
Tucson, Arizona, USA
WCA
2011THOM01
Rubik's storebought 3x3 unmodded:

Smoothness/Speed: 7 (mine is very well broken in and lubed)
Lockup Resistance: 4
Cutting Corners: 2
Pop Resistance: 10 (has never EVER popped)
Quietness: 5 (2 or 3 random sides are creaky each time i use it...not always the same sides :confused:)
Reliability: 8
Overall: 7

I know if I got a real speedcube these numbers would probably go down (except for pop resistance ;)), but a well broken in Rubik's brand really isn't too bad. It cuts corners horribly, but really that just teaches you to turn more accurately, and I currently average sub-27 with one after a few months so it can't be too bad.

MF8 Square-1:
Smoothness/Speed: 9 (and I haven't even lubed it yet!)
Lockup Resistance: 7
Cutting Corners: 0
Pop Resistance: 6
Quietness: 9
Reliability: 8.5
Overall: 8.5

Maru 4x4:

Smoothness/Speed: 9.5
Lockup Resistance: 7
Cutting Corners: 8
Pop Resistance: 10
Quietness: 2 (really clicky and annoying)
Reliability: 10
Overall: 9

YJ 5x5:

Smoothness/Speed: 9.5
Lockup Resistance: 7
Cutting Corners: 6
Pop Resistance: 8
Quietness: 9 (can get loud, but it's smooth, so oh well)
Reliability: 9
Overall: 9
 
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hoopee

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
19
Location
Finland
Rubik's 2x2x2
Smoothness/Speed:6 (2 axis are pretty smooth but one is always terrible...)
Lockup Resistance:4
Cutting Corners:2
Pop Resistance:9
Quietness:5
Reliability:8
Overall:7 It is pretty good, after you have used it for a week maybe. But corner cutting and lockup resistance aren't so nice...
AND today I lubed it with silicone spray, and the speed improved maybe from 6 to 8. One axis still stucks more than the 2 others, but it's better)

Rubik's 3x3x3
Smoothness/Speed:9
Lockup Resistance:7
Cutting Corners:3
Pop Resistance:10 (never pops)
Quietness:4
Reliability:9
Overall:8

Rubik's 4x4x4
Smoothness/Speed:5
Lockup Resistance:3
Cutting Corners:2
Pop Resistance:2 (many times while solving)
Quietness:3
Reliability:6
Overall:6 The best thing is that it isn't hard to find this. If i would try to make shorter time's lubing would propably help. Now i'm too lazy :p

Oh, and all of these are storebrought.
 
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