Last Updated on February 13, 2024 by Nasir Hanif
As a cuber, you need to know that there is no universal best 3x3x3 speed cube. However, you should know how to compare speedcubes to determine which is the best one for you. The choice of one’s speedcube is absolutely subjective. In this blog post, we take a look at some of the main characteristics of a speedcube or Rubik’s cube.
Table of Contents
6 Things You Need To Know About Rubik’s Cube
1. Corner cutting and precision
Corner cutting is the angle at which the cube can be turned without lockup. Most of the 3x3x3 cubes usually have 45 degrees of tolerance. This means that even if the face of the cube is not correctly aligned when performing the rotation, the 3x3x3 speed cube will correct the angle and enable smooth rotation. If this does not happen on a cube, it can result in a lockup or even pop.
Based on the kind of angle you are at while performing a rotation, some Rubik’s cubes need more force to be turned while others will cope up easily and allow you to turn it smoothly.
The best speedcube will tolerate an imperfect alignment and allow you to do the turn with no extra force.
Cubes that lock up or require more force are bad speed cubes. Such bad cubes will penalize the speedcuber by increasing his/her solve time.
2. The speed
The best speed cubes can be categorized into two main categories – the smooth speedcubes and the fast speed cubes.
The smooth speed cubes
Rubik’s cubes that turn a little slower are usually referred to as smooth. This is because the turn performed does not require any force. The tolerance of the cube is also great as it never gets stuck and never wastes the time of the solver. Such smooth speed cubes are very efficient cubes.
The fast speed cubes
Rubik’s cubes that turn extremely fast and enable the cuber to form algorithms in record time are called fast cubes. Even though it has a faster rotation, it needs perfect precision from the cuber. Such a fast cube offers more power and precision to avoid lockups.
3. Tension of the speedcube
The perfect tension of a speedcube depends on the taste and style of the cuber. It is a compromise to find a cube that ranges between fast, precision and frequency. If you follow the cubing competitions, you will notice that many incorrect tensions have resulted in the loss of precision in the moves. Lack of precision will ultimately result in increased pops and will lead to wastage of time. A cube that is too tight or hard will not be comfortable to use. The cuber will need more strength to make every move. However, if you use the same 3x3x3 speedcube regularly, your cube will improve with time.
4. The lubrication of the cube
Lubrication of your 3x3x3 cubes is very important. Every cuber uses lubricant on a regular basis to improve the quality of his/her speedcube. The most common type of lubricant is made of silicon. The silicon works great on the plastic tiled Rubik’s cube. However, the Speed Cubes depends on the style of the cuber and the plastic of the speedcube. At times cubers also mix and create a combination of lubricants for their cube.
5. The size of the cube
The common sizes of the 3x3x3 speedcube either have 4.2 cm, 5.5 cm or 5.7 cm sides. However, there are also cubes available that are much smaller or larger. The larger or smaller cubes may not be ideal for speedcubing because they are more difficult to turn quickly. However, when not used for cubing competitions, they are fun to solve. You should choose the cube that is comfortable for you to hold and solve.
6. Stickers on the cube
Did you know that the colour schemes and positioning on a Rubik’s cube mainly depend on the country you are in? There are two main types of colour and position schemes –
The Japanese colour scheme where white is on the opposite side with blue, red is opposite orange, and yellow is opposite green.
The western colour scheme where white is opposite to yellow, red is opposite orange, and blue is opposite green.
The stickers on a speedcube enable you to quickly differentiate the sides and not waste time performing algorithms on the wrong layers or sides.
Conclusion
If you have read so far, you would now understand the important factors that differentiate a cube. These factors not only help you in choosing or buying a cube for yourself but also help you become a good cuber. So, when you see a cube, remember these points!
