Moo's Cubes

## **Moo's Cube Collection and Reviews**

### **GuoGuan YueXiao (3x3)**

The GuoGuan YueXiao is one of the two 3x3 rubik's cubes I own. I started out with, of course, a rubik's brand cube. That didn't last long since once I got a new cube (a cheap stickerless 3x3 at a pawn shop) I gave it to someone else. But even that cube wasn't so great. So I got a real legit speedcube.

Before I even get started on the cube itself, I have to talk about the packaging. It came in a very fancy box, made out of tough cardboard and a removable lid. It looks very nice and can fit any cube if I desire so, so this was a nice touch. The cube itself isn't the fastest thing there is. Don't get me wrong you can be pretty quick, but I prefer a little more turning speed. But the cube is extremely flexible, I never have to line the sides up perfectly to turn it. It cost me $20 online on Ebay, so this isn't the exact price you might pay. I am happy with it and still use it as my main 3x3. I give it a 8.5/10

### **V-cube (4x4)**

I needed something besides a 3x3 though. It was time to expand my collection. The next step was obvious, 4x4. But I wasn't a fan of online shopping, so I went to the store. The thing you should know is that store cubes are always much worse and much more expensive than online stuff, don't waste your time with them even if you are cubing casually. That's why my v-cube cost me $25, compared to the $10 it costs to get a higher quality one online.

Many people complain about the quality of v-cubes. But to be honest I don't mind it. It turned very well for a beginner like me, at least way better than a rubik's brand. I really liked the color scheme as well, black instead of white I prefer over the usual (but if I could chose I would replace yellow with black). What I don't like is the rounded edges of the cube. That design comes from their 7x7 design, which allows corner cubes to stay on while turning. Here it serves no purpose so I think it's kind of dumb. I had solved 5x5s before so it came as a shock to me when I couldn't solve this cube. The centers can change position and there are 2 more possible types of parities than odd numbered cubes. I enjoyed the extra challenge even though it was unexpected, and I learned to solve it the next day. I used it for a while but now it serves no purpose as it is easily not the best 4x4 in my collection. 6.5/10

### **Z Carbon Fiber Megaminx**

This was a gift. But a very good one. A megaminx is made up of pentagons instead of squares, and thus has 12 sides instead of 6. However it is still solved using the methods of a 3x3, all except for the last layer. I wanted one eventually, just didn't expect it to be one of my first cubes. It turns surprisingly well for the price of only $12. I'm not too worried about solving it fast so I don't think I'll be replacing it any time soon.

My only issue are the stickers. They are carbon fiber, and the pieces are the colored parts. This makes solving annoying on a cube that already has hard to differentiate colors, so I'm not a fan. I'm sure the carbon fiber stickers have something to do with grip, but I don't really care. What sucks is I could take the stickers off for a nice stickerless megaminx, but then I run the risk of having a sticky cube which I really don't want to deal with. 6.5/10

### **Marusenko Sphere**

This was a gift from many years ago I forgot about until I started getting into cubing. I am not sure if you could really call it a puzzle, because the main idea is to create interesting patterns not really solve it. But to "solve" it (getting each half to be one color each) is still a puzzle, and a twisty puzzle at that, so it gets a place in my collection.

My sphere is red instead of the blue shown. This is a way functions like a 4x4 cube with rounded corners, the difference being you can rotate the circular 2x2 centers. It doesn't add a lot of difficulty, but it isn't too hard to turn so I guess it's pretty cool. I don't pick it up much, but I still like it. 6/10

### **MoFang JiaoShi MF2C (2x2)**

So I owned all the previously listed cubes for a while, and was dying to get more. I mean a lot more. I bought 4 online, and this was one of those. A 2x2 I so desperately wanted. Elite speedcubers get to do quick fun solves with a 3x3, but I don't since it takes me at least 45 seconds. The 2x2 was the perfect toy for me to carry around and do real fast when I feel like it.

If the name sounds like a bunch of nonsense to you, don't worry it does to me too. This is just a cheap speedcube I got, not something super pro. Most of the names once you start shopping online are very strange, because they are all made in other countries and targeted to more experienced cubers. It cost me $5 for this cube, and I was extremely happy with the result. It turns as well as you could reasonably expect, looks really nice, and is a ton of fun to solve. 9.5/10

### **YuXin Little Magic Pyraminx**

This was a puzzle I never got to try out before, and so I was very excited to buy. People say this is the easiest non-trivial (very easy) cube you can get, but don't let that fool you. I think there's a small but good amount of difficulty here, nevertheless I solved it in about 15 minutes without a guide. It was fun to work it out on my own, but no doubt if I tried this with no previous cubing experience I would take much much longer. Now I can do it in about 1 minute, using my own strategy and not anything I found online, and I am happy with that.

There's no turning issues, it is very smooth.Cost was $5. However when I first opened it, it was very slimy. It's possible that the puzzle was lubed without me asking, which doesn't really matter to me I guess. Maybe it was just cold and felt wet, who knows. It's fine now and that's all that matters. 7.5/10

### **ShengShou Legend (5x5)**

A 5x5 was also very important to me to get. I being cheap got a $9 cube. While the reviews aren't too harsh of the cube, I am not a fan. It is stiff, and while loosening the tensions on the cube helped it's turning quality it still wasn't the best. I don't do a ton of solves on this cube, and from my 2x2-7x7 collection it is the only one I don't really like. Either my future stickerless 5x5 will become my main 5x5, or I will get a new stickered 5x5 entirely. If you want to solve a 5x5 go ahead this cube is perfectly fine for that. If you want to go fast this cube isn't too enjoyable. For it's budget, I give it a 6/10

### **MF7 (7x7)**

This cube is amazing. Like I said earlier, I was being cheap and got the least costly cubes I could get without going too garbage. Even so, this one is top quality. Maybe it's just because there are so many small parts, but it turns amazingly smooth. It's turn speed perfectly matches my own, and just in general is a ton of fun to solve. If you want a good cube, I recommend this. This is one of my favorites and just amazing quality for very cheap. 10/10

### **MoFang JiaoShi MF4 (4x4)**

This is a tough review. I was very excited to get a new 4x4, and my experience with the previous 4 cubes by purchasing online was a great one. I was expecting a lot out of this. But when I first started using it it was absolutely terrible. Like seriously awful, much worse than my v-cube. The reviews weren't too critical, so what gives? I think what happened was the cube was just tightened way too much, but I was scared to loosen it up. Loosening even numbered cubes is harder than odd numbered ones, so I wasn't really experienced. I loosened it a bit and it was the same bad turning quality but now some pieces were loose. I tried to break it in but it wasn't helping. Finally I had enough and just went full loosening mode on the cube, and it actually turned out pretty well. It's stiff sure, but I can turn it fast and it doesn't really get stuck anymore. I would've preferred a smooth 4x4, since everything but my 5x5 were very smooth, but a fast one is good for it's price. 7/10

### **QiYi WuHua (6x6)**

So after my 5x5 fiasco I decided I didn't want to mess up with the 6x6. I went cheap on the 4x4 since I could always get a new one later if need be, but the 6x6 was a get it right the first time deal. $14 was the cheapest I could get one for, so I decided to go at least $5 more. Then I found a $30 cube on sale for $20. This meant I was getting a $30 in total, which meant I was in for something good. And good it was, I love this cube a lot. 6x6 was a completely new experience for me, and I'm glad this is the one that I used. 9.5/10

### **Z (2x2x1)**

This is, interesting to say the least. There is no puzzle here, you can solve it in 2 moves, and those 2 moves are the only 2 moves you can do anyway. It's purely for looks, and I have to say it does pretty well in that respect. It just looks so freaking cool I had to get it, even at $4. It doesn't turn smooth, it's pretty rough since there's no center to rotate around, all the pieces have to move relying on each other for support, so I don't blame it. What's weird is the stickers, red is very orange like, and orange is a bright orange, green is neon green, and all the stickers have a rough texture to them. Lastly the z isn't imprinted on the sticker, it's cut out of the sticker, which gives it a really weird feel. But I still like it, not like I am speedsolving it anyway. 7/10

### **YJ Super Floppy (1x3x3)**

Funny story, I wanted to get a floppy cube. 1x3x3, pretty simple, right? Well I got this "super" floppy cube. I thought it was just saying that it was a good cube, turns out I got a floppy cube that also shapeshifts. You have to look it up to fully understand, but you can do halfturns, then start turning other sides to really mess it up. I wasn't upset because there's no reason for me to want a regular floppy cube instead of a super one, and even so I couldn't find any normal floppy cubes to buy after I realized what I bought anyway.

The cube I would imagine is good quality, but I'm not sure what normal quality is. It feels very stiff, but in a gooey way. It's hard to explain, but whenever I use it I just make sure to be careful. What matters most to me is that it looks nice, not so much the quality. It's not really that hard either, since there's so many moves you can do you have a ton of options when it comes to fixing just one or two pieces at a time. 6/10