Good pick — the Warrior W is hard to beat for the money, and your point about lube is spot on. A couple of drops of silicone lube makes a real difference on it; mine went from scratchy to smooth after about 20 solves.
A couple more in the same price bracket, for anyone reading:
- QiYi Warrior W — under $7.50, as you said. Best if you just want a cheap magnetic cube that works.
- MoYu RS3M V5 ball-core — around $9-10. This is the one I'd buy if I could stretch the budget a little. It's my daily driver: the ball-core magnets give it a more stable feel than the Warrior W, and the dual adjustment system means you can tune it as you get faster instead of outgrowing it in a few months.
- MoYu Meilong 3M — around $5-6, often the cheapest magnetic 3x3 out there. Lighter and a bit looser feeling, but perfectly usable as a first cube.
If it's a first speedcube, any of the three will do the job — the RS3M V5 is the one that lasts longest before you start wanting something better.
