tuning a type C? what am i missing here?

[Poobslag]

OK so my worst cube is a promotional cube that came with my friend's WALL-E DVD, which has the tension of a stuck mayonnaise jar. a close runner up is my type C, i've had it for about 3 years and it is just terrible.

the cube is super-tight - it feels like the cubies are too big for the core, they're always being pulled against eachother. tuning the cube looser makes it explode when cutting corners. crc spray helps a little. i've resorted to spraying the screws/springs just in case there was too much metal-on-metal friction - surprisingly this helped. still, very bad.

did i get a rotten type C or is there some secret to these things?

 

[cuberkid10]

1. Lube it with 100% silicone spray.
2: Try to loosen the screws 180 degrees. (Under center caps)

I think you just need to loosen screws. I did this my my Chinaminx and the screws were too tight, and I couldn't figure it out until a cap popped off and I loosesed it 180 and I made it a LOT better.

 

[teller]

It's rare for someone to rate the C as "terrible." It's a noisy cube with medium corner-cutting ability, but very fast and light, very stable feeling, with an easy-to-find sweet spot in the tension.

I have a hypothesis: The screws are very easy to put in crooked on the C; you have to screw them in just barely and then carefully straighten them before screwing the rest of the way in. If you don't notice it, I suspect the cubies would be jamming up all over the place. Take it apart and carefully eyeball the core...rock the centers around on the screw and see if they favor one direction over another.

 

[4Chan]

It's rare for someone to rate the C as "terrible." It's a noisy cube with medium corner-cutting ability, but very fast and light, very stable feeling, with an easy-to-find sweet spot in the tension.

I have a hypothesis: The screws are very easy to put in crooked on the C; you have to screw them in just barely and then carefully straighten them before screwing the rest of the way in. If you don't notice it, I suspect the cubies would be jamming up all over the place. Take it apart and carefully eyeball the core...rock the centers around on the screw and see if they favor one direction over another.

He's right. Over time it gets quieter and smoother.

You could switch out the core and screws/springs, but dont ever mix type A with type C, its horrid.

 

[Poobslag]

Take it apart and carefully eyeball the core...rock the centers around on the screw and see if they favor one direction over another.

i like this theory, although it seems like the centers are aligned OK. it's possible it's just too subtle for me to tell.

I couldn't figure it out until a cap popped off and I loosesed it 180 and I made it a LOT better.

i've already played with the tension - but if i turn it even a half-turn looser than its current setting, it turns into a rubiks cube grenade. i'm talking numerous cubies flying eight feet into the air ricocheting off the walls of my living room. if there were cubie-launching competitions i would definitely enter, this cube would win hands down.

thanks for the ideas guys, i'll keep playing around with it.

 

[Kolraz]

I don't really recall what it felt like new, but as it is today my Blue type C is much smoother and able to cut corners than my newest Black one. Not sure if it just needs a lot of breaking in though?

I also completely agree about the unstraight screws, I've noticed when assembling that they tend to screw in at any angle, so it's important to make them straight. In fact, I might check I did my Black Type C right =D