A5 cuber skewb/square-1
Member
I mained the XS since December 2020 so i think i made the correct economic decision as it was cheaper but out of date.
i am in disappointmentIts was the Weilong not Meilong
You could buy each of those for the price of a GAN 13i could buy 4 of my mains for 84$.
I get it, inflation and crap, but 84 dollars man...
in comparaison you could buy:
84 cans of soda (a lot of soda)
a second hand gaming console.
a second hand gan 12 AND lube.
a mechanical keyboard
But it is the same thing for all brands, right? Gan is not an exceptionTLDR: Inflation is HUGE issue and adding substantial costs to cube pricing
Wow, lots of posts about GAN cube pricing, but considering:
All of these inflationary issues and more add substantial costs to cube pricing. All speed cube manufacturers and vendors have had to put up with profit pressures.
- Magnet cost inflation? Magnets are everywhere and in every product. "For example, a magnet that cost $1 in the first half of 2020 may now cost $2.50 to buy." source: https://sourcemagnets.com/control-cost-of-neodymium-magnets-for-product-development/
- Plastic cost inflation? Same: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCU325211325211
- Labor cost increases? Same...
- Transportation from China to USA? Crazy, but finally coming down. The cost of a container transported from China to USA went from $1,500 to $20,016. (Currently $9,800ish). source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/one-price-dodging-inflation-china-to-u-s-shipping-rates-11655890200
- Overhead to provide speed cube shops some profit? Beats me, but I'm sure it adds up.
Personally, I haven't been cubing long (or fast) enough know and understand this specific industry, but I do not see evidence of a monopoly where GAN could charge whatever they like. It "feels" like there is lots of competition amongst the different cube manufacturers to design, engineer, and produce products that push the envelop and make good speed cubers faster. If that competition didn't exist, then we would still be using rough and tough turning cubes of my early days.
If you don't like the end user pricing, then a boycott by a substantial number of people may help lower the pricing. Another potential solution, if you like GAN cubes, is to purchase in bulk directly from GAN and remove one middle man and figure out how to distribute to your friends.
Choice and competition are good. I trust we don't get to a point where, like Apple, producing a different color product is a new product. (I hope I didn't touch the third rail with that last comment.)
FYI - I haven't ordered the new GAN cubes.
I want 84 cans of soda. My 7 dollar main 3x3 performs better than my friends 20$ gani could buy 4 of my mains for 84$.
I get it, inflation and crap, but 84 dollars man...
in comparaison you could buy:
84 cans of soda (a lot of soda)
a second hand gaming console.
a second hand gan 12 AND lube.
a mechanical keyboard
Exactly, I perform better on my ylm compared to my friend's gan.Gan is starting to become like Apple though... Each new Apple phone is adding less and less new and useful things, instead doing stuff like changing the camera positions and adding some other useless stuff. Of course, there would be less and less for them to add, because we might already reached a plateau with the technology and ideas we have now. Iphones are very expensive, but there are still people who buy it because they like it. There's really not a big point in buying it, however. I've been using my iPhone 7 for the past few years with no problem. Sure, there might be some stuff that I can't do on the 7 but I can do on the 14, but again, these things aren't necessary. You can survive without them.
Now, back to Gan, I think they just want to release a flagship every year. They aren't adding a lot of new stuff with each upgrade, though. Yeah, the Gan 13 has some little parts that were added/upgraded into a better version than the Gan 12, but in reality it's basically the same cube. Imo the most revolutionary change was the Gan 11, and that is a pretty good cube, but the Gan 12 and the Gan 13 are basically Gan 11s with some small upgrades and more magnets. There are many cheaper cubes that perform as well or even better for some people. But what new cubers think is that "Oh, top cubers use this cube, and they say it's good, it'll probably speed me up 10 seconds". Dang, they get sponsored, would they say the cube is bad? But my point is that you shouldn't be spending $80 on some plastic and magnets. Gan cubes are double or triple the price of Qiyi and Moyu flagships, but the Qiyi and Moyu flagships perform just as well.
Just a few weeks ago one of my friends asked me about which cube to buy. He says I use Gan 12 so should he buy that (I actually got my Gan 12 for free, don't ask)? I told him absolutely not. 1) As I've said, you shouldn't spend that much money on some plastic and magnets; 2) his mom definitely wouldn't let him buy it. Instead I recommended the upcoming Tornado V3. (it took him and his brother 2 weeks to convince their mom to buy the V3)
Anyway, I just think Gan doesn't have too much innovation with the recent releases... just like the example I made with Apple, Gan might be reaching its plateau. There are only so many things you can add on to a cube. Instead of making a 3x3 flagship every year they should improve on some of their other products, like their 4x4 and megaminx.
What? Those mean the same thing though?I don't recommend buying the 13, but I don't think you should buy it.
I only have one gan but instead of getting the gan 11 m duo i got a wrmHey everyone. Following the release of the Gan 13, I think that something needs to be done to keep these ever-increasing prices in check. The Gan 13 Maglev UV just dropped at 83.99 USD. In my mind, this is absolutely not okay.
We need to stop buying Gan cubes. I have been doing this since the release of the Gan 356 X, and I encourage you all to do it too. I understand that all the propaganda that Gan puts out may be tempting. I know that some collectors will want to add to their collection. I encourage you to refrain. I know that the fastest speedcubers in this community think it will make you faster. Even people my speed and slower think that it’ll make them faster. This is not true. There are plenty of cubes that arguably perform better than Gan cubes for about 25% of the price. (Weilong WR M 2021, Tornado v2, etc.) If you are my speed (to be blunt), your cube is not the problem (unless you’re using a very bad cube, in which case, please consider purchasing one of the cubes I mentioned above), your skill level is.
Even though our Speedsolving.com community may only make up a small part of the total cubing community, maybe, just maybe, we will be able to create a downwards curve in the prices of Gan cubes.
Thank you everyone for reading this rant (that would be labeled an “opinion article” on a news website), and I really hope that you all consider boycotting the new Gan 13s. Thanks again, and happy cubing.
Compared to the innovation of the other cube manufacturers you mean ? oh wait ... remind me what changed between the Moyu WRM 2020 and 2021 ? or the last 2 versions of the RS3M.Now, back to Gan, I think they just want to release a flagship every year. They aren't adding a lot of new stuff with each upgrade, though. Yeah, the Gan 13 has some little parts that were added/upgraded into a better version than the Gan 12, but in reality it's basically the same cube. Imo the most revolutionary change was the Gan 11, and that is a pretty good cube, but the Gan 12 and the Gan 13 are basically Gan 11s with some small upgrades and more magnets. There are many cheaper cubes that perform as well or even better for some people. But what new cubers think is that "Oh, top cubers use this cube, and they say it's good, it'll probably speed me up 10 seconds". Dang, they get sponsored, would they say the cube is bad? But my point is that you shouldn't be spending $80 on some plastic and magnets. Gan cubes are double or triple the price of Qiyi and Moyu flagships, but the Qiyi and Moyu flagships perform just as well.
GAN have changed each iteration of the flagship cube more so than any other manufacturer. Sure, complain about the price. But to use lack of innovation as an anti-GAN argument just doesn't cut it.Anyway, I just think Gan doesn't have too much innovation with the recent releases... just like the example I made with Apple, Gan might be reaching its plateau. There are only so many things you can add on to a cube. Instead of making a 3x3 flagship every year they should improve on some of their other products, like their 4x4 and megaminx.
This is just all my opinion. If you want to buy Gan cubes, sure. Gan has very good cubes, but I don't like their pricing. I'm not going to buy a Gan cube for a long time (maybe forever), unless they drop their prices by a margin.
Compared to the innovation of the other cube manufacturers you mean ? oh wait ... remind me what changed between the Moyu WRM 2020 and 2021 ? or the last 2 versions of the RS3M.
GAN have changed each iteration of the flagship cube more so than any other manufacturer. Sure, complain about the price. But to use lack of innovation as an anti-GAN argument just doesn't cut it.
What would you like to see added to the cube of tomorrow ?
What innovation?
GAN 11 added corner core magnets, added corner magnet adjustmentWhat innovation?
Arguably the tornado v3 has added more things even if they may no longer be considered as cutting edge technology
Are you replying to @the_chad or @Imsoosm ?GAN 11 added corner core magnets, added corner magnet adjustment
GAN 12 changed the corner core magnets system, changed tensioning system.
GAN 13 changed corner core magnet system, changed tensioning system, added edge repelling magnets
Probably cannot be described as true innovations, however they are changes in design which requires a lot of R&D.
So what innovations have the other cube manufacturers come up with in the last 3 years ? Moyu added maglev as have most. As I said previously you can bash on GAN about the price of their cubes, but to ask what are they innovating as an argument is just off. You can say the same thing about all cube manufacturers in that case so your argument is moot.
Because ^^ seems a bit far for just a questionyour argument is moot.
is not a valid argument as his contention was that $80 for a cube is simply not worth it and there is no pressing reason for the purchases of such. Moreover, I believe most people purchase goods based on the performance, rather than innovation. Not many people care about anything but the end result (including me). Like who cares about how many adjustment levels for magnets or tension there are when its not the first few minutes of getting a new cube?You can say the same thing about all cube manufacturers