MoYu's new pyraminx breaks the standard of ball bearings to keep the puzzle aligned for magnets.  It is the same size and nothing really noticeable from the outside.  The florian holes are much bigger allowing for a larger range of corner cutting but does also allow the puzzle flex a lot more.  This is obviously not a problem for Drew Brads who broke the world record with this cube, but for an intermediate solver like myself it is often hard to control.  I tightened the tensions to help with that but did have to lose a bit of forward corner cutting for it.

The magnets are not super strong and in the tip they are hardly noticeable.  I found myself having to be a bit more accurate with that part to make sure they were aligned since there was no click to confirm it that I could hear or feel when solving.

Other than that it is what you would expect. It feels quite smooth and similar to the plastic of the older pyraminx.  If you liked the older version but preferred it to be a bit looser and possibly preferred it without the bearings in the puzzle this might be for you.  

​For a full review please click the video linked above.

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The Gan (or Gans) Air looks very similar to the original 356. The stickers are the half bright shades that you will find on the Advanced and Masters edition as well as the Ultimate edition for the 357. The internals are very similar as well. The core is metal and the pieces are made with two different parts that are screwed into each other, each piece having a cap. The pieces themselves are a bit flatter than the regular 356. There are fewer tracks on the corners making the cube feel much smoother.

The major thing with this is the weight.  This cube is just a little but heavier than a GuanLong. and about 20 grams lighter than the regular 356.  

What really sets this cube apart is its versatility.  In the Masters edition you get 3 extra spring sets on top of the ones that are installed and in the GrandMasters edition there are three others as well.  In the masters edition there were 8 of each extra spring which is a big plus because I always tend to lose at least one spring somewhere.  What is amazing about this though is that the spring and nut is one mechanism and is color coded to tell you which one they are.  The springs are similar to the S6, S7 S8, and S9 of the original Masters edition but now integrated.  

The original springs are built into the clear plastic while the rest are color coordinated in the order of the rainbow.  The clear ones fit between the orange and yellow.  So the Red is the heaviest, orange a little less but still tighter than standard, and the yellow is lighter than the standard.  

I personally like the orange springs and it’s easy to tell which ones you have in just by pulling the center cap off.  I was able to change all of the springs in just about a minute without any fear of losing springs.  I also put a little bit of weight 5 lube from speedcube.com.au to slow it down a bit.

At the competition I was at this past weekend a few other people had a Gan Air and all three were completely different.  They felt like all very different cubes. Depending on the springs you put in coupled with lube you really can cater this to however you like it to be.

There can be small catches but I have found on tighter tensions it mainly goes away and the ones that still occur will cut through easily.

This can easily be a main for someone and it might just be my favorite Gan cube yet.  

​I know a lot of people want to see the springs compared as well as a solve comparison with the 356s v2. I found that the video footage looked the exact same on both. This really is a cube that solves like the 356 but lighter and with the ability to be either slow/controllable or fast/flexible. The cube itself flexes the same amount with each spring set when the cube is pushed together but is just more resistant to it when solving the cube on the tighter springs.

The New 5x5 from QiYi titled the WuShuang is a welcome addition to what is currently on the market.  This review is going to be focusing on comparing it to the other top ones on the market today, the YuXin and the MoYu BoChuang.  


Let’s start with the colors.  The stickered version has very contrasting shades and feels like a half bright set especially looking at the contrast with the green and blue.  The stickerless is the same colors we have now seen on the X-man tornado and Thunderclap V2.  The very bright yellow looks very nice contrasting with the white.


The size of it is about 1mm smaller than the YuXin and Bochuang measuring in at about 62mm.  I did not notice this at first but this definitely feel much more comfortable in the hands.  The only issue that I have encountered with this is doing M slices.  I had to adjust a bit as to not catch my finger on other pieces but got used to it after a couple solves.


As far as corner cutting this is up there with the rest of them.  It cuts over line-to-line forward and is nice in reverse.  When cutting inner layers it will do pretty much a full pieces and although can misalign if you are forceful going over that amount it usually just stops itself.  This is a big plus for me as I would often get nasty misalignments on some of the other 5x5s out there.


As far as performance this cube feels very stable.  When the YuXin came out it felt like a big leap in 5x5s but was very wobbly and often hard to control.  The BoChuang was a bit more stable, and now this I feel is another step forward from that.  It still has the performance capabilities of it’s predecessors but does not deform or wobble much at all.


Now I am not an avid 5x5 solver and rarely practice it compared to 3x3. My times do seem a bit more consistent with this cube as I am not always working to keep it aligned more. If I was to compete in this event I would defiantly be making this my main.  The smaller size coupled with the smooth and stable turning make it a must have for any cuber.

Quick unboxing of the new Megaminx.  It has a very solid feel even on looser tensions.  The new shape of the pieces that are concave is very nice to hold and use.

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The YuSu R is now out from YJ.  It is said to be an upgrade from the YuSu and GuanSu.  I personally was not a big fan of the GuanSu mainly because of it’s easier ability to pop, and although liked the YuSu it was a bit slow.

I want to thank SpeedCubeShop for helping make this happen.  You can stop by their store and use discount code CubeReview to save 10% on your order.

Out of the box the new YuSu R is insanely fast.  The only other cube out of the box that was this fast was the Cyclone Boys G4.  The YuSu R is 62mm and currently there is no mini version available.  The YuSu R is a mixture of the external YuSu pieces and the internals of the GuanSu.

Out of the box the cube was a bit loose and after a couple solves I had a pop of an internal piece. I put it back together and tightened the tensions.  I was afraid they were too tight but corner-cutting is still exceptional and the speed is still amazingly fast.

The cube is quite light and you can see that the hollow pieces is the major reason for that.  Because of the multiple piece design there can be stickerless unlike the GuanSu but there is only a pink stickerless option. 

This is probably the only 4x4 I have ever really needed to slow down.  The inner layers are very smooth and still very fast making parity algorithms very nice to execute.   If this is something similar to what we can expect form the new AoSu I am excited.  I might even say that this is currently better than an AoSu, and for some people they might claim that this is the best 4x4 on the market.  I still like smaller 4x4s and although my times are about the same I still like my Cyclone Boys G4 over it.  

Should you get this?  Definitely.  With it’s extremely low price point, great corner cutting, super smooth and fast turning this is worth it if yo are new or experienced.

The WeiLong GTS is here.  This is the new super-hyped cube that is suppose to beat them all, but does it live up to that hype?  Let’s find out. 
Before I begin I want to thank SpeedCubeShop for helping make this happen.  You can stop by their store and use discount code CubeReview to save 10% on your order.


The WeiLong GTS is nothing like the WeiLong V1 or V2.  Before I got the cube I assumed the edges might be similar  just like the HuaLong which was said to be a new iteration in the WeiLong line when it came out.  This is a completely new cube that just happens to use the same name.  It comes in 56mm and currently stickerless is not an option because the cube uses caps instead of separate pieces for the corners and edges.  It does come in the multiple colors that MoYu has been doing lately with this being the Teal one.

Speaking of similarities to the 356 you can also see them in the corner design.  The grooves on the sides, cap design, and curved bottom of the stalk although similar in all cubes is definitely inspired by the 356 design.  The edges are pretty standard and nothing that stands out of the ordinary. 

The caps stay on very well and I doubt will ever pop for anyone unless there is some defect.  To take the cap off the best way is to pull straight up.  From here we get to the springs which are different than I have seen in other cubes out today.  Part of the spring is tighter than the other. MoYu claims that this helps both create great corner cutting while also keeping the cube feeling stable.  

The final thing is the core.  It looks like the GuoGuan YueXiao with the reinforced edges and not the old core they have been using for some time.  

This is undoubtably the nicest cube MoYu has ever produced and the only cube to really challenge the 356 as the most premium cube on the market.

Let’s talk about feel of the cube.  That is what most of this comes down to.  As far as in the hands before turning it feels just like a YueXiao.  The pieces are rounded, it is 56mm and has similar flexibility.  When turning this does not have the air-y feeling of the GuoGuan, It does not have the super smooth feeling of the Gans 356, and it really doesn’t feel like any other MoYu cube.  Honestly this feels like a Fangshi cube.  There is a scratchiness that I haven’t experienced since the ShuangRen.  I feel that if Fangshi made the 356 this is what it would be.  It is also EXTREMELY fast.  This is the most uncontrollable out of the box cube I have used.  I did put in some weight 6 from SpeedCubeShop.  What weight 6 is good for is a more controllable feel but since you don’t need much it keeps the super scratchy feel.  I could use more of a lighter lube but I didn’t want to loose the feeling.  You can even hear a clicking sound which reminds me a rollercoaster track.  Now it is not catchy even though that sound is there.  

Lastly, corner cutting is above with would be expected a year ago and will cut from almost anywhere.

Now, the big question, is it good?  

Oh my god yes.  I have been so jaded about newer cubes because there is hype and it is more of the same.  This to me is a big step forward in what is expected in cubes today.  Yes Gans did that with their cube but with the initial catching issues and super high price point it was harder to take as the new standard, but it is here.  I will most likely use this more often than other cubes I have.  I will probably get a black version because although I’ve gotten used to the teal I feel like I would be a bit more consistent with black.

This also has been very nice for one handed even though it is what many would consider a full size cube.

Will this cube get you better times if you already have a nice cube, probably not.  Most people will want to slow it down.  I highly suggest this weight 6 lube.  You just need a couple dots and it will slow it down without loosing that awesome fangshi type feel.

Not since the Thunderclap have I been this happy with 3x3.  I am excited to see where cubes go from here.

I want to mention that the cube does come in this very nice box that reminds me of the Gans where it is not just made of paper.  Even the inside color was taken into consideration.  There are these plastic pieces that hold the cube in place that MoYu says can help break in the cube but really it does nothing but hold the cube in place in the box.  ​

First I want to thank LightTake for sending me this.  Now, I was interested in this because for the past year most thing Yuxin comes out with just seem to be a cheaper but improved version of other cubes on the market, especially for their 5x5.  When I took this out I was first surprised that there was no stickers, not even on the side to install.  Now this is the blue version and it looks like there are stickers on the white and black version.


So out of the box this was horrible.  It was slow and extremely tight.  Later that day I popped some of the caps off to loosen it.  Many of the screws were stripped and one of them was so bad I still haven’t been able to loosed it at all.


After a bit of loosening the cube was a bit better, corner cutting well but nothing in reverse.  I took a couple pieces out and noticed something odd.  This looked very similar to my old Shengshou Mirror cube.  I took that out and not only is it similar, it looks like the exact same cube.  Now many cubes are similar and there are a lot of companies that mimic a design but this is a straight up copy.  Even the center caps are the same, including the odd center cap on the smallest side.  


This cube does not feel much different from the Shengshou at all and although comes in blue or pink is not any sort of improvement.  Now I did my review of the Fangcun Ghost cube and gave it a bit of a pass because the Mefferts one is hard to come by and much much more expensive.  The Yuxin mirror cube on light take’s site is about double what the Shengshou one is.  
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So, this is one of the first time I am beyond disappointed in a review.  If I had just tried this in the first place and never had a Shengshou I might not feel this way, but after this terrific year from Yuxin I would expect more.  I will put a link to the Yuxin, but above that I will put the link to the Shengshou cube which is in my eyes a much better purchase.

Text is very similar to transcript to the video.

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This cube came out from MoYu like the Cong's Design where a designer has their own "brand"

The stickerless version has slightly different shades than normal using half brights with a darker red and blue with a bright green from the pink version.

I'm not a big fan of the green under certain light getting it mixed up with the yellow but the red and blue are not too dark which is nice.  For stickered versions you get get the regular MoYu shades.

As far as performance, you have already heard it.  It is a fantastic cube.  It flows really nicely and corner cuts really well.  There are videos out there where people say it can corner cut from any spot.  That was the case when I unboxed it but after slightly tightening the tensions it will not cut anymore from certain spots.  It is still great and cut over 45° but it is not beyond anything else on the market.  The Cong's Design MeiYing and the Gans 356 both can cut in a similar way.  So corner cutting is not beyond anything we haven't seen before.  

Because of the squared off corners the cube does not corner twist easily.  

As far as the feeling of the cube, I did not like it when I got it.  There felt like there was a lot of contact between the pieces.  The best I could compare it to would be a HuaLong that is very tight.  There is a lot of plastic touching each other.  This does not make the cube worse in any way but because I like the lighter feeling cubes and the YueXiao does not have the airy feeling I don't enjoy solving it as much.

As far as pieces go, the edges are VERY similar to the MeiYing.  The Corners have the same design with the solid piece for the stalk and the three other pieces going around it.  The main difference is that the GuoGuan has smaller holes than the MeiYing.

This is a great cube.  It can get anyone great times.  I just do not like the feeling that much.  If you like the MeiYing but wished it would be more stable feeling this would be perfect for you.  Same thing for the 356.  If you like the flexible but solid feeling you might like this too.  But if you like the airy-ness of the MeiYing or like the 356 because of the quiet sound or heavier stricture you might not like the GuoGuan.

So again, is this a good cube? yes.  Is it the best cube on the market?  Absolutely not. 

Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
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Let’s take a look at the Gans 356s V2.
So first there was the 356.  This was such a hyped cube.  The pictures looked like nothing we had ever seem before, the rumors about the weight system as well as possibly springs and tensioning of each piece were all over the place.  When the cube came out it was a bit of a let down.  Not because the cube itself wan’t great, but mainly because it was a pretty catchy cube.  A few months later Gans came out with new caps to fix the issue dubbing the new version the 356s.  Now they have altered the cube a bit more with the V2.  
The main thing that is different in this cube is the grooves in the corner pieces.  They are a bit more shallow.  This basically makes it feel slightly smoother.  Out of the box I thought that the cube was faster than the old version but after some messing with it and taking out the old versions I realized that i had changed the springs in the old switching the standard the s8 to the s7, my old one was a bit tighter caused by he higher tension springs.  
Like you would expect from the 356 this cube is pretty fast but not insane.  Locking very minimal, and on standard tensions corner twisting and popping is nonexistent.  As far as difference from the V1, when I tried to guess the old version from the new, I was able to tell the difference some the time, but not every time.

So is this a great cube? of course.  Is the V2 that much different no.  I want to go a little more into this though.  I have seen multiple times on comment sections of other reviews of this cube that Gans is just trying to push the same product on its customers by rebranding it, making slight alterations, and changing the packaging.  First off, isn’t that the case for pretty much every single cube company?  Almost every major cube has gone through slight alterations from shapes of the pieces, to converting 2 piece corner design to three piece, extra groove in the edge pieces, and so on.  If you have a 356, and especially if you have the newer caps than this is not for you.  The v1 will not be in stock so improving a cube for newer purchasers is something I would expect any reputable company to do.  
For someone who doesn’t have the 356, is it worth it?  I would say not for the Regular or Advanced edition, but a big yes to the Masters edition.  Now you might say, wait.. the regular one already costs a bit more than pretty much every other cube on the market, why would I get the same one that is even more.  I’ll tell yo why.  If you are just looking for any random cube to practice, than you can get pretty much anything and practice on that.  The problem is that there is so much out there, knowing what you prefer as far as feeling and tension is difficult.  With the 356, first I feel the cost of the regular edition is justified.  The construction is very solid and I would say the most durable feeling speedcube I have felt.  With the Masters edition you get some very high quality half bright stickers on the cube but the alternate spring sets make it worth it.  They come with what they call the s8.  and have three others with it.  I like my cubes to feel a bit more stable, so the s7 springs do that for me.  If I wanted an even more stable and controllable feeling cube the s6 works even better.  If you like very loose and fast cubes the s9 will make that happen.  Yes you can buy spring sets separately for different cubes but these are made for the 356 and fit perfectly.  With construction, stickers, springs, you also have the ability to add weights to the pieces like I did in a different video.  Also, with the metal octopus core you eliminate any chance of having a damaged core or stripped screw.  You pretty much have the only cube you will ever need with tons of ways to adjust the feeling of the cube to make it just for you.  Is this cube going to make anyone a world record solver by switching to if, of course not.  But if you are in the market for a new cube but either don’t know what kind of cubes your like, or want to try something new this isn’t a bad choice
​Yes you can get sometimes two cubes for the price of this one, but for what you get the 356s V2 is worth it.