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Where have all the cubes gone?

js5752

Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2017
Messages
26
Hi everybody,
I've been away from the cube world for a few years and just started to get back in. I decided to look for a new 3x3 to upgrade from my GAN 356X I got back in 19. As I started looking around I can only find stickerless cubes. Maybe I'm just old school but I just like the look of stickers on black way better than the stickerless style. It seems like everything out there now, has gone stickerless. What happened? When did it happen? You step away for a couple of years and the whole world changes.

When did the world stop using stickered cubes?

More importantly, does anybody make a flagship cube with stickers anymore?

I'm partial to GAN, but open to good alternatives.
I'm not worried about price, I just want something top end that looks like a regular cube.

Thanks for any answers and suggestions.

-Jeff
 
A number of people over on twistypuzzles have been dyeing stickerless puzzles black and stickering them, there are several threads over there about it.

I’m pretty sure there are no flagship stickered cubes right now.
 
Maybe perhaps get a limited edition transparent cube.
Then you can dip the pieces separately in black, and then put it back together, and apply the stickers.
Boom, a black stickered cube.
I don’t know if it will work.
possibly, but you would have to be REALLY careful that the ink doesn't get on the magnets or torpedos, or inside
its not worth risking a rusty $70 cube that has 1000-5000 cubes made, I would just get a stickerless one, they can get UV coating for better look and grip
 
From my perspective, that depends on the users. Most brands are there just because people are getting their products. If lots of people are buying stickerless cubes, they will produce more of that to satisty the demand. In my case, stickerless cubes looks prettier than the ones with stickers, they don't need replacement if some sticker is gone, the color is there longer than the stickered ones, less dust in the cube and so on.
 
If you had made the tile, "Where Have All the Speedcubes Gone?" you would have totally been ripping off the beat of the Paula Cole song, "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" haha! (awesome song, go listen to it lol)

Seriously though, since C4Y and the original DaYan family dropped out of the race, stickerless has just become the norm. It's what people expect. I agree that it kinda sucks, I love a stickered black cube as well. I actually preferred DIY stickers, I had fun stickering my own new puzzles. Since they became comp legal, stickerless puzzles have taken over!
 
According to SpeedCubeShop, the sales of stickered cubes dropped heavily starting in 2019.


I searched for flagship 3x3s released in the last few years with a black stickered option. I would say the Haitun Waverider and the Moretry Tianma V3 are the only ones are worth checking out. But I think it's best to just embrace stickerless, since the most popular 3x3s today are only available in stickerless.
 
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