Mega Comparison - What cube is best for you?

(Mainly transcript from video)
In the past year the amount of Speed Cubes on the market has exploded.  There are a lot of new cubes on the market, so let’s compare them and see what is best for you.  Now this comparison is being done in the spring of 2015.  Within a few months there will most likely be another great cube on the market, and by next year we will most likely have to do a whole new video and comparison.

Before we go through these cubes I want to note that you can be a sub-10 second solver with any of these cubes.  None of them will give you a huge jump in times unless you are using anything that would not be considered a “speed cube.”

Most of the cubes have had their stickers replaced with my own shades from TheCubicle (Link down in the description) so I can properly test the cubes.  I want to give a big thank you to TheCubicle for donating some of these cubes and allowing me to do this.  Stop by their store and use discount code: SpeedCubeReview for 5% off your order.

We are going to go over

1. Some cubes that are still relevant will not be in my final comparison
2. Quick comparison cubes by the same company
3. Overall comparison of all top cubes on the market today

The first cube will be the DaYan Zhanchi.  The Zhanchi revolutionized the way cubes are made and is partially responsible for many of the great cubes that are available today.  It was the cube that held the previous world record of 5.55 seconds by Mats Valk.  It is a great cube but compared to the newer ones on the market it is a bit catchy.

Another cube that is relatively good, but most likely wont be seen as a main for most speedcubers is the Shengshou Aurora.  It is incredibly smooth and quite.  This is a great cube for those getting into speedcubing because of how controllable it is.  For faster solvers it has a tendency to lock up with inaccurate turning.  It does boast a low price tag which a slight bonus.  

Rubik’s came out with a speedcube and has some very nice tiles.  This cube is very fast and corner-cutting is just below 45°.  Reverse corner-cutting is where this cube faulters.  Again you will most likely not see many speedcubers using this as their main, but if you would like a speedcube and want to support the Rubik’s brand this is not a bad cube to get.

We are not going to include the AoLong Version 1 in this comparison.  it is an amazing cube, but it is no longer produced.  We will be including the Version 2 though.

Now, lets look at some cubes my MoYu.  MoYu has really paved the way for the cubing industry in 2014.  The three big cubes available today are the WeiLong, the AoLong, and the recently released HuaLong.  The WeiLong came first and has a quite block-y feeling to it.  It is very smooth but can catch a bit.  Tho AoLong is a bit more bubbly, and can flex a bit more.  It has a similar feel as far as speed goes.  It is less catchy than then WeiLong, but has a much higher tendency to corner twist at similar tensions.  The new HuaLong is said to be an enhanced version of the WeiLong.  It is very fast and flexes a ton.  It corner cuts as well as the AoLong  but without the corner twisting.  The WeiLong and AoLong feel a bit similar in terms of weight and speed, while the HauLong cranks it up feeling very airy, light and fast.

WeiLong

AoLong

HuaLong

Another cube made by the same company but under the YJ name is the GuanLong.  The GuanLong’s claim to fame is its low price tag.  You can pick it up for under $5 and is extremely cheap if bought in bulk.  It is light and airy, almost like the HuaLong but more so and also without being as fast or flexible.  Corner cutting is not as good as other cubes on this list but will still work well for most cubers.

GuanLong

Earlier this year MoYu released a new company for one of it’s designers.  The Cong’s Design YueYing is a very interesting cube.  It is a tad smaller than the standard 57mm size.  The corners have holes in them allowing for amazing corner cutting in both directions.  It is not a super speedy cube, but not sluggish my any means.  and holds a cubic shape very well, not able to flex very much.  This is a very flat feeling 3x3 and if you like that cubic shape this is perfect.  Because of the holes in the corner pieces this cube is very loud.  

YueYing

Now, lets take a look at Gans cubes.  The two main ones out today are the 357 and newly released 356.  The 357 is light, airy, and fast.  It also can flex a lot.  It is quite similar to the HuaLong.  The difference would be in the feeling of the pieces.  The Gans 357 has much sharper edges and corners while the HuaLong feel more rounded.  The shape of the pieces allows for incredible corner cutting in both direction.  As far as the 356 goes, it is quickly becoming many people’s mains.  It has a similar shape to the 357 but is heavier, more stable, and not as fast.  The internal structure is a bit different with most notably a metal core and pieces that can have weights added to them.  I made a video testing that which you should check out if you are interested.  A major issue with the 356 is catching on the corner pieces.  Normally they slide off the center pieces fine, but if the center pieces twist at all they tend to lock up very easily.  This was a major problem on mine and I had to do a lot of sanding to the underside of the corner pieces to resolve the issue.  It still can catch, but most of the time pushes through it.  Now although some have said they get the catches as well others have said they do not get any.  

357

356

Yuxin released a new 3x3 and 4x4 in the past year.  It’s shape of the 3x3 resembles a Gans but internals are more similar to an AoLong.  It is not too fast of a cube, but corner cuts very well.  Although can flex in place, it is not as much as the Gans 357 or HuaLong.  This is a great feeling cube and most notably has a price tag below $10.

Yuxin

Fangshi released the GuangYing.  It’s former flagship cube was the Shuangren.  The Shrengren was fast for it’s time, but the Guangying pumps that up a bit more.  The Shrengren was known for being very scratchy.  The Guangying has a bit of that, but it is not as prominent.  Although the cube is very fast it can not corner cut as well as some of the other on this list. 

GuangYing

ShuangRen

Lastely we have the QiYi Bullfight, also known as the New Island Phoenix.  It has an AoLong shape to it, but is a bit lighter and scratchier.  This cube boasts a low price tag through QiYi at under $10.  Corner cutting is on par with many cubes on this list.  Nothing extraordinary, but more than most people will need.

BullFight/Phoenix

Once again, you can be sub-10 seconds with any of these cubes.  Any of these cubes would be a good purchase.  What matters is what feeling you like.  For example, there is no cube that a majority of people all use for their main.

Felik’s Zemdeg’s current main cube is the Gans 357 and was using the MoYu AoLong for quite some time.  Collin Burns who recently broke the world record with a 5.25 second solve did it with the Yuxin 3x3, but says his regular main is the MoYu HuaLong.  The Former World Record by Mats Valk was with the DaYan Zhanchi.  As far as other YouTube channels, both CrazyBadCuber and the Cubeologist recently switched to the Gans 356, and JR Cuber recently mentioned that the QiYi Bullfight was his main.

To help organize them all of the cubes I’ve mentioned today I have put them in to speed groups.  

Right now the GuangYing, Gans 357, and HuaLong are all 5-star rated for speed on SpeedCubeReview.com.  The Guangying is the most stable in my opinion followed by the HuaLong and the Gans 357 being the most flexible.  Feliks has said that he likes the Gans 357 because it fits his rough turning style and I’m sure the flexibility has to do with that.

In the Medium speed column we have the MoYu AoLong, Cong’s Design YueYing, Gans 356, Yuxin 3x3, and the QiYi Bullfight.  The MoYu AoLong is a very good middle of the road cube that would fit many people’s turning style.  The YueYing has amazing corning cutting and is nearly impossible to corner twist.  The Gans 356 is also nearly impossible to corner twist and is the quietest cube I have used, but it can have some catching issues.  The Yuxin corner cuts very well and feels like an AoLong clone but with a low price tag.  The Bullfight is a bit scratchier than some of the other ones out of the box and also boasts a low price point.

Here are some of my final thoughts to keep in mind if you are looking for something to fit your style:

Loudest cube: Cong’s Design YueYing 
Quietest cube: Gans 356
Least Corner twists: Gans 356, 357 and Cong’s Design YueYing
Fastest out of the box: Gans 357, MoYu HuaLong, Fangshi GuangYing
Least Catchy out of the box: Gans 357, MoYu HuaLong
Most Cubic: Cong’s Design YueYing
Most flexible: Gans 357, MoYu HuaLong
Cheapest Cube: YJ GuanLong

Of course any of these you can also alter with different lubes.  The three I have in front of me do a pretty good job of slowing cubes down, speeding them up, or just making a nice gummy feeling to the pieces.  If you are looking for the best cheap cube on the market I would go for the YJ GuanLong.  at around $4 it is a steal.  If you have no idea what to get the MoYu AoLong would be a good middle of the road cube that currently has the most posted reviews on the site.

Now,I  apologize if this comparison seems very vague.  It is currently impossible to say that one cube is definitively better than another.  On every cube shown in this video my averages are within one second of each other.  So, if you are using one of these and feel like you are stuck, a new cube will not make a sudden drop in your times.

If you would like to let me know what your favorite speedcube is or have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I will try to answer as many as possible.