My Favorite Puzzle?

I’m not a huge puzzle collector, as I don’t have a large amount of money to spend on a lot of puzzles. However, I do have a few puzzles and I have one I really enjoy. The Rex Cube.

This puzzle is one of my favorites, because it is a corner turner, which is a type of puzzle I have never had before. I really love the solving of the puzzle because it isn’t a challenge of my algorithm memory, and it isn’t so intuitive that I have to spend all my life wrapping my mind around how it turns. I actually have even done speed solves on it, which you can’t do on most puzzles. My best time is 2:48 (see if you can beat it.) But overall, I just love solving the Rex cube and it just makes the time fly when I’m bored and just need something to do.

I imagine later my preference on my favorite puzzle will change because as I collect more of them, and as I age ever on word, I’m sure that will change. But for now, I highly recommend the Rex cube and hope you will take a look at it the next time you are out cube shopping!

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Money in Cubing

This is just my ideas on the growth of competitions and where we go from here. Some people would want to have more money involved in this sport of speedcubing. Others would like to have it be a world televised event, similar to FIFA. I personally, both are not good ideas at all, especially the first.

 My main reason is the idea of community that occurs in various competitions. At my last competition, the main room was so full I had no choice but to take an empty seat in the corner of the room, that a group of people was close to. I came up, introduced myself, and 5 minutes later I have sold a cube, and made more friends than you can count on one hand. Now it may sound childish, the idea of community and making friends, but having fun is what this sport is based around. If the grand prize at worlds in 2013 was 100,000 dollars instead of 2000, there would be a lot more competition and a lot less friendship and fun. Mats Valk and Feliks Zemdegs actually hang out before competitions, because they are competing together and have gotten to know one another over the years. Now add the 100,000 dollars back in. All of a sudden they hate each other when one gets second place, because they lost all that money. This would just make the sport more cutthroat and a lot less fun.

The idea of being televised just doesn’t sound good for the reason that everyone would be worried about appearing on camera, and not on their solve or enjoying the community of the event. In a way, I think that is just it, the community makes cubing. If you don’t have the tables of people puzzling together, you don’t have a competition. Remember that when you want more money next time you win a competition.

Fangshi Shuang Ren 54.6 Illusion Cube

Today, my review on the Fangshi Shuang Ren 54.6 mm Illusion cube. Not the most controversial puzzle, and it wasn't the hugest deal when it came out, but this puzzle still holds a special place in my heart.

To start off, I love this puzzle for a plethora of reasons, starting with the fact that it was my main for quite a while. The way it moves makes me love it every time I pick it up. The scratchy feeling is amazing and it is one of the best cubes I have ever turned. Another great thing about the cube is the speed is perfect for a 20 second solver. When I first bought this cube, I was a high 30 second average, so for about two months I really didn’t like the cube, but when I got faster, and started to improve, I grew right into this cube, and it is still one of my favorites. Maybe it’s the scratchiness, but even though the speed is good, when I’m just doing random turns, it seems too fast, but then I actually solve it, and it is perfectly controllable.

                My biggest problem with this cube is the corner cutting and the lock ups. While the corner cutting is decent, it is by no means amazing, and when added to my tight tensions, it becomes quite a task to handle. Fortunately it is not a huge problem on most of the solve; only hurting the occasional F2L or PLL move.

          One issue some people might have is the weird coloring of this cube. You can order it with black corners and white edges or vice versa and it looks really unusual. This makes look ahead very hard for some people, but I spent a good deal of time getting used to it and its quite easy once you adjust. The main part is just spending the time to change in the first place.

          Overall, This cube is great. I would easily rank it 8 out of 10. It has gotten me more PB’s than any other cube I own and is high performance, however, I can’t recommend this cube to most below 15 second solvers, only for the reason that its size and corner cutting prevent it from being a top level speedcube. However, for any collection this is great and highly recommended.

Corner Twists

This is a topic that pisses some people off, for obvious reasons. Having a super-fast solve with no problems, one that is going to be a personal best in competition, the on your last turn you twist a corner and DNF. Or half way through your F2L you twist a corner and have to stop later to fix it, ruining a time completely. Even for me, I rarely get corner twists but I hate when I do and it just gets in the way. And we complain about it like it’s bad, Feliks Zemdegs lost a world record to a corner twist, which would just be awful beyond belief. There are many different opinions, and I want to look at them and explain my thoughts and ideas on the issue.

            The first idea some people have had is that a solved cube with a corner twist should be considered just a solved cube or maybe a plus 2 or another penalty simply called corner twist. There is an issue with that idea that JRcuber brought up in one of his videos that I believe explains why this doesn't work pretty well. He said that people would intentionally twist a corner to improve F2L cases. While I’m not sure how viable this would be in a speed solve, I can say that this sounds like grade A cheating, and I think it would ruin the sport.

            My main concern with the idea of allowing corner twists is that every sport has its challenges. In track, you can’t trip or in swimming, you can’t swallow a bunch of water. If you do, you lose the race. In cubing, you can’t corner twist, because it’s the challenge. You have to be able to completely solve the cube, with all the problems that arise from trying to do so. That is one reason that this sport is so difficult, because it’s not just the memorizing, it’s the look ahead, and finding the right cube, and dealing with corner twists.

            The final reason that corner twists should still be a DNF is because of the simple idea that the cube must be solved when you are done. If you are leading a race, then trip, and don’t even finish the event, no one is going to say you won. That isn't how it works. You can’t have a speed solving competition if the cube isn't solved. This is the reason why I think corner twists should be DNF’s. The question is, does Feliks agree with me after that 5.33 fail? I hope that is your first question is you meet him.

Competition+Progress!

Hey guys, this is a post I have wanted to do since I started this blog. I wanted to show my progression of my solving abilities on 3x3 as I went along. I’m not sure if I can post videos on a blog, I don’t know if the website will allow it, but I still want to show how I’m progressing and what I am doing to improve my speedcubing. And I think I have a great opportunity, as there is a chance I will be going to a competition in about 2 months, and I’m going to practice an extra hard for a while, and once I am nearer to the competition, I will go over my progress.

                So basically my current level is annoyingly close to sub 20. I can get a sub 20 almost whenever, but some days I’m just off my game and can’t get any sub 20’s at all. I think the part I need to work the most on is my look ahead, which I know I can improve, I just have to learn how to slow down. Hopefully, by my next blog on progression I will be a very solid sub 20, but that’s just a little bit of practice away!

Moyu Aolong V2 Review

Today I have another review for you guys, this time, on the highly coveted Moyu Aolong V2. This cube is the new glossy plastic version, and I won’t be coming out with a review on the other plastic V2, because I think it’s a waste of time and money. If you think otherwise, please comment below. The cube has some small changes to make the cube more stable with less corner twists. My opinions are varied, but you can read that below.

            To start, this cube arrived out of the box fast. I mean almost uncontrollably so. It was pretty crazy, but you could tell it was easily fixed, since the tensions were about as loose as you could go. I noticed one big thing that made me question even continuing a solve on the cube. Its corner pieces had very sharp corners on the moving sides (the ones not used for corner cutting, but on the same line.) These made the cube feel smaller than its 57mm size and miserable to solve. I have plans right now to sand those down to try and fix the issue.

             As for stability and corner twists, the two main problems of the V1? I can definitely that there is improvement. The stability, on the extremely loose tensions, was about the same on a V1 Aolong with medium tight ones. This is a huge improvement and bodes very well for it becoming my main, if I can fix those edges. As for corner twists, I mentioned in a previous blog how I don’t get twists, nearly ever, and so I can’t attest to these, but I can say that the stability bodes well for better corner twists and control.

            Overall, I give this cube 7 out of 10.  It is a good cube, with its new found stability a great bonus, and I think many will like it. The speed allows for medium to fast cubers to be able to handle it well. I hope to be able to enjoy it as well; I just have to fix the issues the sharp corner bits produce. But I definitely say buy this cube, especially if the V1 was good, but you want something with small differences.

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Traiphum Puzzles

This is just a simple post asking the question, should I get Traiphum's puzzles? According to Crazy Bad Cuber I should; he raves about Traiphum in almost every episode. My problem is the cost of Traiphum's work. Yes, I understand how high quality his puzzles are, but the price is just as high. Puzzles by Traiphum cost 3 times or more what their mass produced equals cost. And his custom puzzles that aren't mass produced are even more expensive than that. So if you have Traiphum's work, comment telling me what I should get, or even if I should get anything. Thanks!

Knock-offs: The Good and the Bad

Hey guys, today I wanted to weigh in on a topic that seems to be constantly debated and discussed, the topic of knock-offs. It is actually annoying to hear about it. But of course, I’m going to talk about it anyway. Like many other controversial issues, my feelings are very neutral. I think knock-off cubes are bad for basically only one reason. They steal somebody else’s ideas. I think that is awful because the original designer spent a lot of time, energy and knowledge about how cubes work to put it together, and the person that steals it uses little effort and gets it all for free.

            However, there are so good things that come from this. First of all, some people make slight adjustments to previous cubes to improve them. I understand that it isn’t a complete knock-off when people do it, but I feel like it still counts. A great example is the Moyu Aolong. If you look at the pieces of the Maru CX3 below (bottom) and the Aolong (top) u can see how amazingly similar the pieces look. Moyu did change the Aolong just a tiny bit, to make it faster with better corner cutting, but I am sure we can all agree it is at its basic level, a knock-off. However, I don’t think any of us would call it bad that the Aolong is like this, because its performance has proven to be effective for some of the best speedcubers in the world. For this reason, I have to accept some knock-offs as good things anyway, because they increase the cubing community and make it easier for us to have a selection of cubes.

            Lastly, a good reason to accept knock-offs is because almost all cubes are pretty much knock-offs of the original Rubik’s cube. While major changes have been made to most speedcubes, I just had to remind everyone that the roots of our community are basically based on knock-offs. So final opinion, Knock-offs are good, but leave a nasty taste in your mouth. That’s the only way I can describe it.

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Cyoubx View on 3x3

Hi guys, If you spend any time on the YouTube cubing scene, then you will probably heard of the channel called Cyoubx. If not, I definitely recommend it. His channel is great quality and he is a very good speedcuber as well. But on to today’s topic, which involves something he talks about on this channel a lot. Cyoubx repeatedly discusses the idea of not changing your style for a cube, instead, you should try to find a cube that works well with your style, and that is perfect for how you turn. I think this is a great idea, but in practice, is hard to actually use realistically.

                Let’s start with the good of this idea. My turning style is very unique, it somehow manages to cut up every sticker on my puzzle, no matter how high quality (I use cubicle stickers.) In addition, I rarely get corner twists. And I mean almost never. It just isn’t an issue with how I turn. This makes something like the Aolong a great cube for me, because I don’t get hurt by the biggest issue of the puzzle. And yes, I mean the V1, I have little issue with it. However, I can’t deal with cubes that have lock-ups. I just can’t do them, I don’t know why, my style just won’t let me. For this reason, cubes like the Zanchi just don’t work for me. This is why this idea of finding the cube for you is better, because it allows you to find the right mix, and keep a feel that is great for you. For me this is something with few lock-ups, and usually good corner cutting helps too.

                Now, because of my unique style, very few cubes would have a good feel and optimistic lock up prevention for my style. This is my major gripe with this idea. Unless you are a YouTube cuber, or have another way of testing every puzzle that comes out, you are going to have a very hard time. I know I don’t have an endless supply of money to spend on cubes, and trying to estimate which cubes are going to fit your style is very hard to determine just from simple reviews and unboxings. This means trying to find the perfect cube becomes about 10 times harder. For this reason, I offer this simple compromise. If you have plenty of cash or a testing contract with a cube store, go crazy and find the best cube for your style. Otherwise, you may have to buy the best ones or the ones that seem the closest to your style, and just work on it from there, slightly changing your style, or modding the cube until it fits your preferences.

More Competitions!

                This is just a simple plea to the WCA on the subject of competitions. We need more variety and in general, more of them. It would be cool to see more WCA events added to the roster at competitions, in fact, I may do a post later on that topic, but the major item I would love to see fixed is just an increase of the number of competitions. There is only one competition held in my entire state, and so far in the two competitions I have been to, I have traveled 7 and 9 hours to get to there. While the road trips are fun, the time required to get there reduces the number I can get to. I don’t expect anything huge, I understand the WCA is a world level association; I just want cubing competitions to be more widely available. Maybe when cubing expands a bit more I won’t have this issue. Comment your thoughts on whether this is a problem for you and what you think the WCA should do.

Moyu- Ideas

Moyu is a top cube company of today, and is out in full force, trying to release the next top speedcube. So far, I think they are doing a pretty good job at it. They finally stopped releasing a new cube every month, which was holding them back for a while, and have released cubes unrivaled by much else, like the Weilong, Aolong, Weisu, Aosu, and hopefully, if all goes well, their new 5x5 the Aochang will soon join this impressive list. But the reason for this blog is to address some things I would like to see for the future.

                To start, a simple warning… MAJOR nitpicking here.  Moyu is already a top cube company, and these are just things that could ever so slightly make them better. First, a new 2x2. Don’t get me wrong, the Lingpo is top notch, maybe even better than the Zanchi, but I still feel like they could make something better, maybe a Weilong 2x2? It’s just an idea but I think the 2x2 category has very little variety and could use some spicing up.

                This next one is pretty simple. Make a 6x6. It’s one of the smallest cube varieties out there and I think if they put forth their own take on it, they could get a lot of money. Since  they have expertise in top speedcubes any, I don’t think they should have any problem extending their horizons a little.

                Finally, don’t stop making 3x3’s. Moyu had the right Idea with the Aolong and I think if they keep working at it, they could have a dominant cube that beats any competition. That goes with saying they shouldn’t release a new cube every month, because that limits innovation and can be detrimental to their actual designs. If they can some of these things out there I think they will be able to go far into the cubing world, and may even be considered the best one day.

Zanchi's- My Thoughts and Feelings

            The Dayan Zanchi, one of the most famous cubes ever to surface as part of the speedcubing world, no matter where you go, every cuber has heard of this cube. It’s a given. But why is this cube so popular? I want to explain why, along with my feelings on this puzzle.

            First, let’s start with the negatives about this puzzle. I hate it. I frankly despise this puzzle. Its turning is very clicky, and kind of weird in general. The corner utting is alright, but my major gripe with this puzzle is the lock ups, and the fact that fluent solves are very hard to come by. No matter how I have tensioned and lubed it, I just can’t find myself being able to keep consistent and fast.

            However, there is more to a cube than its turning and lock ups. The legacy of this puzzle is astounding, and for this reason, I can’t help but give this puzzle the grace it deserves. This puzzle made speedcubing. Let me explain. Dayan was one of the first major cube companies, and came out with their various cubes. And I have to say, the Guhong was a good puzzle. But when the Zanchi came out, it opened the door to the modern line of speedcubes, with things like the torpedo, which it almost perfected right at the started. It created the idea that we could be that fast, because finally there was a cube that could perform like we needed. Also the design of the puzzle was the basic lay out (with modification) for a host of future speedcubes and many knock offs as well. Being the basis of the newest speedcubes made it popular and a commonly heard name. Also, the Zanchi was my first speedcube, because there was so much hype about it when I started. So even though I personally don’t enjoy it, I have to give the Zanchi credit for how much it has done in our little community in growing and expanding our art.

Moyu Aolong Review

            Hey guys, I’m back today for a review on the Moyu Aolong V1, plus some thoughts on other reviews. The Aolong is a very awesome puzzle that is really fun to solve. I enjoy the feel, because with minimal lube on average tensions, it’s fast but decently controllable. A lot of people have trouble with the corner twists on this puzzle, but my style has never had an issue with these anyway, making this puzzle a lot better to solve on. The one issue that I have is a general flexing of the cube, causing instability. This isn’t normally a huge issue, but during certain solves, it does mess me up very badly. Overall, I like this cube, it's my main, but I would like to invest in the glossy plastic V2, and see if it fixes the instability, as I hear it does.

            I have seen about half a dozen or more reviews on the V1, and I have seen a common trend. The cube gets crazy results. Some people despise it, others think it’s the pinnacle of speedcubes. I want to get my opinion out there, and say it is a high class speed cube, but one with a very specific tastes. It exaggerates everything that the Weilong did well, including speed and corner cutting, but also makes the stability worse. But the general consensus is the cubes positives are a huge, but has a few major flaws that prevent it for being unstoppable. For this reason, to someone who can control it, it’s absolutely amazing. But otherwise it just falls short. My final thought is that you should get this cube, if you are a below 20 second solver, and want a good speedcube. There is a chance you will hate it, but if you can manage to control it, it has amazing outcomes.

            

Is Cubing On A Decline?

            Hi guys! My name is Josh, and I’m starting this blog to share my interest in speedcubing and twisty puzzles with everyone. To start off on my blog, I wanted to discuss a common argument that I hear about constantly. There seems to be a big concern with how long speedcubing will last, and that we are on a downwards slide, and are running out of records to break and cubes to make. I can understand where they might think this, but I personally find this ridiculous. There is still so much we haven’t covered. Even though some records seem almost impossible to break at this point, doesn’t mean they won’t be broken. Feliks has had an unofficial 3.87 second solve, almost 2 seconds faster than the current world record. Plus it doesn’t have to be all about the world records. There will always be a spark for who can be the next world’s best cuber. When you think about it, cubing is a very young sport, and most people haven’t even begun to work out their full potential. I think in the next few years we are going to see a huge increase in the number of high level speedcubers in competition. It may be a hard thing to get great at, but once you get there, you can compete for a long time. This means that competition will be fiercer, and people will be trying even harder to perfect the best method and learn as much as is humanly possible. 
        And as far as puzzles go, Moyu is releasing a new 15 x 15 puzzle in 2015, and that is just the start. We haven’t even begun to see the improvements that could be made to higher ordered speed cubes, like the 4x4 through 7x7. Some things need to be explored, such as the Gans style core. I would also like to see a completely reinvented design, something no one has ever seen before. Something like the 6x6 could really use a renewal, because even the best modded, lubed and tension ones are way below speedcubing standards, and need a massive improvement. I talked to Kevin Hays once, and watched him do a solve, and even he admitted to the frequency of 6x6 pops. The general design needs to be improved, and I think was have a lot more we are still capable of. Finally, I want to say that even when records run dry and cubes are perfected, there will always be community between cubers. Our sport is such a rare thing that it has some amazing quality to create friendships and allow a whole lot of fun. We need to remember that in the end, it’s more important that we had a great time and were successful at something unique.