twisty puzzles

just some reviews and recommendations from an aging slowcuber, who's working on becoming a speedcuber (one day)

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>  🥇 perfection

>  🥈 near perfect

>  🥉 flawed but great

2x2x2 cubes

my average is nowhere near as consistent as i'd like, but my PB is currently 4.5s using the ortega method. i don't remember a couple of the OLL algs as well as i'd like, but i guess we all have something we need to work on. memory is mine.

 🥇 YJ MGC Elite M

if you can only afford one 2x2 and want the absolute best? this is it.

smooth, solid, and moderately quiet

? magnet strength

 🥈 GAN 251 Leap

is it worth the extra money? probably not. but is it a strong contender for best 2x2? yeah.

papery, light, and moderately quiet

? magnet strength

 🥉 DaYan Teng Yun 2x2 M

if you care about how loud your cube is, this baby whispers while others scream.

papery, solid, and silent

? magnet strength

3x3x3 cubes

i've been focusing on the "gold standard" of twisty puzzles for the longest but still have trouble cracking the 30s barrier regularly. i use the Fridrich (CFOP) method and my PB is 22.32s at the moment. i've been getting more sub-30 times, even with my go-cube (which is a pillowed design that i struggle with a bit more), but i've got a lot of practice to do still. i wanna get a sub-20 average by 2023, but maybe my old hands are at their limit.

regular cubes

 🥇 MoYu WRM 2021 MagLev

a lot of people are wary of replacing springs with repelling magnets, but from what i've seen from MoYu (on this and the RS3M 2021), i think it's definitely got potential. i haven't gotten the best times in the world from it yet (i'm still adjusting), but it's what I reach for more often than others

smooth, light, and quiet (55mm)

adjustable magnets, light to medium strength

 🥈 DaYan Teng Yun V2 M

before my top pick arrived, this was my favorite cube to solve on. it's quiet, turns effortlessly, has a great and easy to use adjustment system, plus mine is the TCKyewbs edition which has her badass logo on the white center cap.

smooth, light, and silent (55mm)

adjustable magnets, light to medium strength

 🥉 GAN 11 M Pro / GAN 11 M Mini

i'm a sucker for this cube. it's not the newest anymore, or the most expensive, but wow... they hit it out of the park with this one. especially the mini (which is 53mm), with it's perfect size to carry around with you; *chefs-kiss*

papery, light, and moderately quiet (55mm / 53mm)

adjustable magnets, light to medium strength

smart cubes

 🥇 GAN 356 i3 + smart carrying case

i'd really like to recommend a cheaper cube than this, but their app has gotten so much better with time and the i3 version has great battery life with no connection issues. and if you splurge for the smart carrying case, you get several extra charges while on the go (and it acts as a base when plugged in)

 🥈 Rubik's Connected / GoCube Edge

if you don't mind a stickered cube that lacks the gryometer to sense it's direction in space, you'll love the Rubik's Connected. the app is solid, the cube is great, it's a winner. if you want tiles and a gryometer, and don't mind the pillowed design, then the GoCube was the first and still is a strong contender for this spot.

 🥉 MonsterGO AI

while i'm sure GAN would say there's a difference between the MonsterGO AI and the more expensive GAN iCarry, i wouldn't believe them. both are powered by a replacable coin-cell battery, lack a gyrometer, and have a stickerless design. they last about 280hrs per battery and standby time for either isn't great but isn't terrible considering how cheap these batteries are. i just wish it was easier to access the battery when you needed to change it.

pyraminx

i really love solving the pyraminx but still struggle to do finger-tricks on it without turning the wrong layer. my current PB is 11.27s and my average is closer to 16s. while i don't solve it a whole lot, i go through bursts of interest where it's all i do during boring work calls.

 🥇 MoYu Weilong MagLev

i was really surprised by this one. it's just a really good puzzle and if you didn't tell me the core was maglev (instead of springs or bearings) i wouldn't have guessed.

 🥈 X-Man Bell Magnetic V2

this has been the gold standard for most cubers for a couple years. it's still awesome, and well worth checking out.

 🥉 GAN Pyraminx M Enhanced

it's more expensive than the others, but it's a good pyraminx. a really good one, even. is it worth the price compared to the two above it? probably not.

skewb

similar to the pyraminx, i have a lot of fun with the skewb but gotta work on my handling and finger-tricks if i wanna get better times. my PB is 21.04s but my average is more like 30s (or it was when i was practicing it more regularly).

 🥇 GAN Skewb M Enhanced

i'm not a pro at skewb, but this one is really worth it. no gimmicks like the other two, but just as solveable.

 🥈 MoYu AoYan

solid skewb with an option to change the faceplates out to have a dent in the center for your thumb and fingers to rest in as you solve.

 🥉 X-Man Wingy Magnetic (Concave)

instead of dips in the faceplates, these faces are fully concave to help with holdability/stability during a solve.

ones i like, but suck at

i know how to solve a 4x4 and 5x5 but suck at the parity cases and don't have any times i'm happy enough with to share.

4x4: YJ MGC -or- YJ ZhiLong Mini

5x5: Valk 5 M -or- YJ ZhiLong Mini

6x6: YJ MGC

7x7: YJ MGC

i'm also very interested in megaminx and have a couple favorites, but the last layer trips me up some and my times are super slow... like 20min. nothing to be proud of for sure. but i can at least get it back to the solved state given enough time

megaminx: DaYan Megaminx V2 M -or- GAN Megaminx

kilominx: MFJS MeiLong Kilominx -or- QiYi Kilominx

all the rest...

there are a lot of other types of twisty puzzles, and while i dabble in them, for the most part, my main interests are above this section. but, not wanting to leave any out, here we go on a bunch of side puzzles/events...

clock: the only good clock is the QiYi Magnetic Clock. my PB is 37s.

square-1: i own one, but can't solve it.

gear cube: i can solve a normal one, but not more complex ones.

snake: fun thing to play with, but have never timed anything.

void cube: i can solve but parity can throw a big wrench in things

cuboids: i have a few and can solve them when i get lucky, but don't focus on them

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