What is actually considered fast?

[OrigamiCuber1]

Hi, recently i have been thinking about what times are actually considered fast for 3x3. I get non-cubers asking me all the time "are you fast". I'm not sure what to say so i just say i'm average. I'm sub 15. So just vote in the poll and say what you consider as fast.

 

[ChickenWrap]

I guess fast is relative. Compared to the average speedcuber, sub-12 would be fast. But if you are comparing yourself to anyone who can just solve a cube, 20-30 seconds would be considered fast.

 

[OrigamiCuber1]

I am talking about compared to the average speedcuber

 

[TDM]

I am talking about compared to the average speedcuber

What do you mean by "average"?

 

[OrigamiCuber1]

What do you mean by "average"?

its hard to phrase it but i mean that compared to the most common times, which i would say means average

 

[Ninja Storm]

sub8 is pretty fast

 

[Petro Leum]

in a conversation, i would call everyone who is constantly sub15 seconds a fast speedcuber. intuitively.

 

[EMI]

I think everyone who's faster than me is fast. Compared to me at least.

 

[NewCuber000]

I'm sub-14 and I'd say Sub-15 would be fast. At that point you'd probably be in the top 15%(?) in the world, and thats pretty good.

 

[theROUXbiksCube]

I'd probably call someone who's a little under sub 14 generally fast without much thought

 

[adimare]

On more absolute terms I think anyone that solves a Rubik's cube in less than 30 seconds is doing so very quickly.

 

[Ollie]

I vaguely recall that 21.xx was the average 3x3x3 average time for the whole WCA database.

Saying that, the top 1000 people are almost sub-12, so (to me) that feels about right to call someone fast. Or if you are sub-12.12, of course.

 

[NewCuber000]

I think there's different levels of fast. For example:

Sub-20: Yeah, you're kinda fast.
Sub-15: You're fast.
Sub-12: You're really fast.
Sub-10: Wow, you're insanely fast!
Sub-8: ....Are you a god?

 

[adimare]

I vaguely recall that 21.xx was the average 3x3x3 average time for the whole WCA database.

Saying that, the top 1000 people are almost sub-12, so (to me) that feels about right to call someone fast. Or if you are sub-12.12, of course.

True, but keep in mind there's tons of people out there that can solve it but have never and probably will never compete in a WCA event. I'd guess that sub-20 is not just barely above average but rather way above average (vague terms are vague) when considering everyone that can solve the cube instead of just the people with enough confidence in their times to compete in an event.

 

[Dene]

It's interesting... I wonder how many people will choose the barrier that they came up to? I did, but then I feel like I can justify it. I chose the barrier where you are truly starting to get into the higher levels of cubers. Obviously sub8 is unsuitable, as that is the total elite. I think sub10 is still too elite, with only 200 people ever reaching that level in competition (I think "elite" is a higher level than "fast"). Therefore I chose sub12, although I was juggling between sub12 and sub15.

I was also thinking of when I started cubing. Back then if you were sub15 you were in the elite (literally the top50 at the end of 2007). And if you were sub12 you were the best in the world (Yu JeongMin). But now I think sub15 is just seen a barrier where you are starting to get into the faster group but not quite there yet.

 

[scottishcuber]

I think everyone who's faster than me is fast. Compared to me at least.

I was going to say the same thing

 

[SpeedCubeReview]

For conversation sake. Under a minute is fast.

When people ask me how fast I am I am reluctant to tell them, because either they are overly impressed which I don't like, they don't think it's true (and I just that once cannot show them), or they tell me about this friend they have who can solve it in 3 seconds.

 

[IRNjuggle28]

So, what is actually considered fast for 4x4-7x7? I'm curious what you all think.

 

[pdilla]

Didn't someone take a mean of the WCA's official results once, or am I just tripping out? That would give us a kind of working estimate of what the average time is.

True, but keep in mind there's tons of people out there that can solve it but have never and probably will never compete in a WCA event.

Right. So we can then make a distinction between two different averages:


- Average times of those interested in getting faster and competing.

and

- Average times of those not interested in getter faster and competing.

It seems that the first average is more along the lines of what OP is probably thinking of. With this distinction in mind, we can exclude old Uncle Al who fiddles around with a Rubik's cube at family gatherings and focus on those who are aiming to be fast.

That being said, the WCA's times would be, I think, the best way to find such an average. Granted, it won't be perfect, but unless we have reason to believe that the average times of the unknowns (such as myself) who have never competed will cause a dramatic shift in the WCA average, it seems to stand as our best estimate.

But I'm probably just misremembering, and no such mean exists...

 

[FailCuber]

imo sub 12 is the point when people thinks your fast. So join my race thread and become fast!! Click my signature and start getting faster!!! (half joke half real)