• Welcome to the Speedsolving.com, home of the web's largest puzzle community!
    You are currently viewing our forum as a guest which gives you limited access to join discussions and access our other features.

    Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community of 40,000+ people from around the world today!

    If you are already a member, simply login to hide this message and begin participating in the community!

Which cubes have softer plastic?

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
I've heard that for people who still care about the old plastic dayan, it feels nicer because the plastic is softer. Which recent cubes do you think have softer plastic? It's hard for me to say, but my GTS2 and newly bought primary Xinghen 2x2 seem to feel "softer" somehow even though if I push my finger against the plastic it feels pretty solid, while my cheap Qiyi puzzles and transparent plastic puzzles seem to have a "harder" plastic feeling. I can't describe exactly how the plastic is different, or how much of the effect is due to setup like lube, but somehow the primary plastic of the xinghen feels less clacky, less rigid, and almost more of a rubbery feeling. I can't really say for sure.

I looked around on google to see how plastic hardness could be quantified and one measure I found is tensile strength and another is resistance to scratching from a harder material. It definitely seems like harder plastic in cubes is more rigid and would be less likely to break, but if it did it would shatter, while the soft plastic would bend more.
 
Last edited:

Sub1Hour

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2018
Messages
1,873
Location
Utah
WCA
2018BECK05
YouTube
Visit Channel
I've heard that for people who still care about the old plastic dayan, it feels nicer because the plastic is softer. Which recent cubes do you think have softer plastic? It's hard for me to say, but my GTS2 and newly bought primary Xinghen 2x2 seem to feel "softer" somehow even though if I push my finger against the plastic it feels pretty solid, while my cheap Qiyi puzzles and transparent plastic puzzles seem to have a "harder" plastic feeling. I can't describe exactly how the plastic is different, or how much of the effect is due to setup like lube, but somehow the primary plastic of the xinghen feels less clacky, less rigid, and almost more of a rubbery feeling. I can't really say for sure.

I looked around on google to see how plastic hardness could be quantified and one measure I found is tensile strength and another is resistance to scratching from a harder material. It definitely seems like harder plastic in cubes is more rigid and would be less likely to break, but if it did it would shatter, while the soft plastic would bend more.
The softest cube I have is the tengyun v1. I think Dayan puzzles still have the softest plastic, but I have heard that some of the newer cubes like both 2020 cubes have pretty soft plastic as well (IDK for sure though since I don't have them but they seem to be softer based on reviews that I have read.)

And if you really want soft plastic boron treatment is still an option although it does require the use of dangerous chemicals and it won't work as well for stickerless puzzles.
 

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
The softest cube I have is the tengyun v1. I think Dayan puzzles still have the softest plastic, but I have heard that some of the newer cubes like both 2020 cubes have pretty soft plastic as well (IDK for sure though since I don't have them but they seem to be softer based on reviews that I have read.)

And if you really want soft plastic boron treatment is still an option although it does require the use of dangerous chemicals and it won't work as well for stickerless puzzles.

I suspect a lot of my feeling has to do with the sound too. Softer plastic would produce quieter, lower sounds while harder plastic would produce louder, clackier sounds. Do you think this is true of the tengyun v1? (It's on my list of 3x3s I really want to try eventually)
 

Sub1Hour

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2018
Messages
1,873
Location
Utah
WCA
2018BECK05
YouTube
Visit Channel
I suspect a lot of my feeling has to do with the sound too. Softer plastic would produce quieter, lower sounds while harder plastic would produce louder, clackier sounds. Do you think this is true of the tengyun v1? (It's on my list of 3x3s I really want to try eventually)
I would say that the sound has less to do with the plastic and more to do with the mechanism. The tengyun doesn't have a lot of sharp edges or corners in its design, so things do really clack together a lot. However, a cube like the wuwei with very defined and jagged internals has a very loud clicking sound to its turns.
Dayan Tengyun M Magentic 3x3 PLUS Cube Cubo Magico Black/Stickerless  Educational puzzle toy Gift idea for kids|cubo magico|3x3 cubepuzzles cubos  magicos - AliExpress
as you can see, the tengyun mech is very sloped and curvy
The QiYi Wuwei (fearless). I think it looks a bit similar to a GTS : Cubers
while on the wuwei there is a lot of sharp edges and things sticking out that can strike each other during the solve causing the noise.
Look specifically at the edges and you can tell what I'm talking about
 

Zain_A24

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Messages
792
YouTube
Visit Channel
I would say that the sound has less to do with the plastic and more to do with the mechanism. The tengyun doesn't have a lot of sharp edges or corners in its design, so things do really clack together a lot. However, a cube like the wuwei with very defined and jagged internals has a very loud clicking sound to its turns.
View attachment 13998
as you can see, the tengyun mech is very sloped and curvy
View attachment 13999
while on the wuwei there is a lot of sharp edges and things sticking out that can strike each other during the solve causing the noise.
Look specifically at the edges and you can tell what I'm talking about

And there's also fewer gaps between the pieces in the TengYun. An example I have is the MS 3x3. Lots of empty space between the pieces resulting in a clackier feel.
 
  • Like
Reactions: qwr

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
Also I don't think this is a problem exclusive to the Xinghen but when I do normal solving the screw head will shave away at the corner plastic making little pieces of plastic dust come out. This doesn't affect performance but gives me evidence that the plastic is soft. (I saw a review on the cubicle site that directly likened it to op dayan)
 

CrispyCubing

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Messages
200
WCA
2019YODE02
YouTube
Visit Channel
One of the softest cubes I've felt is the MF3RS2M, which is the old 3x3 (not the new 2x2, thanks Moyu). Although this cube isn't necessarily recent, the plastic has a plush, rubbery feel and the cube has a relatively low pitch when turning. I'm also thinking about the Thunderclap v3; the plastic isn't hard and clacky but I don't know if I would consider it "soft".
 
  • Like
Reactions: qwr

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
One of the softest cubes I've felt is the MF3RS2M, which is the old 3x3 (not the new 2x2, thanks Moyu). Although this cube isn't necessarily recent, the plastic has a plush, rubbery feel and the cube has a relatively low pitch when turning. I'm also thinking about the Thunderclap v3; the plastic isn't hard and clacky but I don't know if I would consider it "soft".
the mf3rs2 is also on my wanted list of cubes although it's a shame it's out of stock on most cube stores (exception of cubezz) given how popular the cube was. the rs3m 2020 might've been a little too good for its price point
 

Humble Cuber

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2020
Messages
336
Location
Somewhere on Earth
YouTube
Visit Channel
One of the softest cubes I've felt is the MF3RS2M, which is the old 3x3 (not the new 2x2, thanks Moyu). Although this cube isn't necessarily recent, the plastic has a plush, rubbery feel and the cube has a relatively low pitch when turning. I'm also thinking about the Thunderclap v3; the plastic isn't hard and clacky but I don't know if I would consider it "soft".
I don't consider the thundeclap to have soft plastic, it's somewhere in the middle
 

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
so can someone who owns an op and np dayan 2x2 tell me honestly, is the old plastic that much better? I might get an old plastic one just for collecting but for performance it seems like no one cares about the op dayan any more (even Chris olsen switched to the valk). and I've seen comparisons to the very soft plastic of the xinghen.
 

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
Also does dying plastic really change the plastic hardness? I have a few primary plastic puzzles and they all seem to have softer plastic. Maybe someone versed in chemistry can confirm or refute this.
 

Jam88

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2020
Messages
1,194
Location
inside a cube
YouTube
Visit Channel
Also does dying plastic really change the plastic hardness? I have a few primary plastic puzzles and they all seem to have softer plastic. Maybe someone versed in chemistry can confirm or refute this.
It's just a distinguishing factor
Unless they used different plastic that also had a different colour?
 

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
It's just a distinguishing factor
Unless they used different plastic that also had a different colour?
I suspect primary plastic is softer and occasionally sandier. I have several cubes in primary: Alpha I, Xingen, and soon I will get a Shuangren. I really think believe is a difference in feel and it is noticeable. To me, any dyed plastic of any color feels a little harder. I noticed in TCKewbs videos she is a collector of primary cubes and she says the feel is softer too.
 

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
I emailed a bunch of cube store owners. Here is the response from Calvin of HKNowStore:
"Yes, the primary (uncolored) plastic and also the white body are little bit softer. While, the black body plastic is little bit harder."
 

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
Response from Jules (Waffo) at Cubicle:
"The plastic color vs feel thing have been argued for so long. The general consensus is that even if one color is better than another, it's either marginal or a really good placebo. From my personal experience though, I would say that the plastic is softer which is why manufactures opt to use primary for certain parts of their cubes if not the entire piece."
 

qwr

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
3,371
YouTube
Visit Channel
Not good at 2x2 but did own an OP Dayan back in the day. IMO the hype around it is from 2015 and 5 years of cube development have met or passed it. Certainly it's a good cube but there are many current 2x2's that will beat it. I think the nostalgia now is more about the feel of the cube, similar to the OP Aolong. Never found a cube that feels just like that one, but can get vastly superior performance on even budget designs now.

What gives me doubt I would like the op dayan is that I have the np dayan and I really do not like the reverse corner cutting - it is snappy and harsh like the zhanchi. And if I loosen the cube I have popping issues which is extremely annoying and not something I want to deal with. The plastic type cannot compensate for an outdated mechanism.
Have you tried the tengyun 2x2 or xinghen? how do those compare in feel? cyotheking made a video about how he finally ditched his dayan for the valk2 and I agree that the valk2 is a truly special puzzle.
 
Last edited:
Top