Speedcuber's Shopping Guide

Edited by Shotaro Makisumi based on information contributed by bubchi89, Leo, F Lee (tell me if you want your real names here).

Rubik's Cube (3x3x3)

$1 cubes are cheap for a reason. Don't buy them. 25th anniversary cubes and other cubes found at most toy stores vary too much in quality. These cubes can be great, but some are so bad that they can never become good speedcubes, so I don't recommend these either. Most speedcubers buy a DIY cube online. These come disassembled and, unlike store-bought cubes, have screws on each center that allow you to control the tension of the cube. Read Jon Morris's guide for assembly instructions.

There are two types of DIY's sold online: official Rubik's DIY and its high-quality replica (almost indistinguishable from the original) by Chinese manufacturers. Each has its pros and cons.

Rubik's Official Online Site sells the Rubik's DIY. Currently the only color offered is black (they sold white at one point). One difficulty with the Rubik's DIY is that the center caps do not stay in by themselves. A nice solution is to place a sticker in the middle and force the cap on top of it. If you don't want to use a sticker, you can also use a piece of paper. If this doesn't work, you can superglue two opposite sides of the center cap. You will need something like an Xacto knife to break the glue, so this is not recommended. You can also try the dent method.

There are two good sites that sell replica: Cube4You and PuzzleProz. Both offer several different colors of plastic. Unlike the Rubik's DIY, the center caps stay in snugly, which makes it easy to adjust the tension. Compared to the Rubik's version, these cubes feel more hollow, which some cubers like and others don't.

Cube4You offers (a) through (c), apparently based on the quality of the plastic. (a) is the best cube. PuzzleProz. PuzzleProz ships from Hawaii while Cube4You ships from China. Although the price is higher at PuzzleProz, if you live in the US, shipping is cheaper, and you will get your order faster.

For a more detailed comparison of different cubes, read this post. You can also read a glowing review of PuzzleProz.

Speedcubing Maintenance/Accessories

Stickers/Tiles

Speedcubers have never been very pleased with the quality of stickers that come with cubes, even after Seventowns (the maker of Rubik's Cube) "improved" them. With most stickers, the transparent sheet on top quickly peels off, and then the colors go away gradually.

Before 2004, cubers had to make do with crappy stickers. Some even used painted their cube and used nail polish for protection! Lucky for you, there's now Cubesmith, which sells great stickers for a lot of different puzzles as well as puzzle replacements. These stickers last quite a while.

Cubesmith also sells thin textured tiles, which eliminate any need for replacing the stickers. I personally don't like their sharp edges, but they probably get softer after a while.

Changing Stickers

If you peel off the stickers slowly, you can most of the gooey stuff off the cube. If you want to remove these completely before restickering, you can use a goo remover like Goo Off, which you can buy from Home Depot or Lowes (reference).

Stackmat Timer

This is the timer used by World Cube Association's official competitions. You'll still see Generation 1 timers in some competitions, but only Gen 2 are available for sale now: StackMat timer (competitions timers use the Blue Swoosh mat). You can also buy the timer alone.

Silicone spray

This is the best way to lubricate all your twisty puzzles. Do not use WD-40, graphite, vaseline, etc. Petroleum oil (contained in WD-40, for example) destroys plastic. There are several brands of silicone lubricants that cubers often use: SNAP Silicone Spray (out of production?), CRC Heavy Duty Silicone Lubricant (red and black can), Prestone Silicone Lubricant. You should be able to find some at any hardware store or auto shops; check OSH or Walmart's automotive department. Of course, you can also buy them online.

Mini/Pocket Cube (2x2x2)

The mini cube sold at Rubiks.com often does not turn well even after lubrication. Most cubers prefer the Eastsheen mini cube sold at Meffert's Puzzle, which become very smooth with just a little bit of lubrication. Eastsheen mini cubes are also larger, which make them easier to handle for speedcubing.

Unless you know what you are doing, do not disassemble an Eastsheen 2x2x2. For lubrication, it is enough to apply some silicone spray through the cracks.

Big Cubes (4x4x4 and up)

Rubik's and Eastsheen both offer 4x4 and 5x5. Most people now prefer Rubik's Revenge over the Eastsheen 4x4x4, but the Revenge still has fragile center pieces. You can buy replacement pieces at Cubesmith. Neither Rubik's nor Eastsheen has a good mechanism for 5x5x5. Rubik's 5x5x5 (Professor Cube) can become very good, but it starts out very stiff and takes a lot of lubrication and wearing down through use. Eastsheen 5x5x5 is not stiff after a bit of lubrication but has very little "give"; you need to align the layers well to turn them.

Rubiks.com sells Rubik's Revenge. Eastsheen 4x4 and 5x5 are available from either Meffert's Puzzle or PuzzleProz (PuzzleProz is cheaper).

This problem may be solved by V-CUBE (formerly Olympic Cubes), created by a Greek inventor. They have produced prototypes for 5x5x5, 6x6x6, and 7x7x7, but these are not for sale yet. Frank Morris owns most of the prototypes and has written a review. Google for some videos: 6x6x6 and 7x7x7.

Square-1

This is no longer available from Rubiks.com. Apparently, the one at Cube4You is pretty good.

Other Twisty Puzzles

Most of the other twisty puzzles that you can buy at all are available at Meffert's Puzzle. For more exotic puzzles to drool over, visit TwistyPuzzles and 3D Puzzle Reconstruction Studio, which feature many custom-made puzzles. You can request them or sometimes buy them on e-bay auctions, but expect to pay a lot of money (more than $200 for a lot of these puzzles). Check the TwistyPuzzle forum for auction announcements.

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