Are they really starting to lube their cubes? That is a good idea if they are!
I got the same one (re-tooled 2008 3x3, but it came in hex packaging), but I got mine about 9 months ago. I don't think it was lubed when I popped a edge piece because the pieces didn't look coated with anything. But it turned very well out of the box. Which is kinda why I popped it open because I wanted to see if it was, lol!
Well, My Best 3x3 (re-tooled Rubik's brand like yours) is broke! :( So I of course had to get another one because all my older Rubik's 3x3s don't come close to it... But, I know the quality varies so I picked up 2 and hoped for the best. Well, I made a note to pop them open to see if they were lubed and they weren't. :( Granted they were in different packaging then yours, but still...
Oh and they don't come even close to my broke one! :( I don't know what I'll do now for speedcubing.
i know what you can do! Sand down all peices, lube with vaseline for a month or two, then switch to Silicon spray. It'll hurt the stickers a bit but its worth it! If you want, ill make a video about it.
I have heard that works because of the dissolving nature of vasoline to plastic. I don't worry about the Rubik's brand stickers anyway because they have that plastic lamination that peels off through use no matter what.
I'd recommend making a video on it anyway even if it's not for me. It's a good thing a lot of people could use.
But, I for one am not a vasoline fan because you have to clean it ALL out then switch to silicone otherwise the vasoline and silicone will make a "gum". :(
youd be amazed at how easy taking the vaseline out is. i was very scared to do it to my cube for that reason and the stickers, but i am very happy with the results. ill show you the rest in the video so that you can judge then whether you would like to or not. i am very busy right now, so the vid may not be out for a few weeks
Really? Because that stuff is highly water resistant. It gets everywhere too, including in the cracks of the pieces. Which could work itself out during high-speed turning, mix with the silicone and make it gummy.
No rush on the video though, but I do look forward to seeing how you clean it out. :)
Oh one more thing I remembered, when I took apart the cubes, I noticed the core's springyness was MUCH tighter then my broke cube. My broke cube's core spun smooth and fast right out of the box. (it was pretty much a near-perfect cube) So how could vasoline loosen a tight core up and make it turn better? I know the idea with vasoline is to "melt" the plastic quickly to simulate months of break in time, but if the core is tight, will it matter because of the resistance it'll always have?
it will get better, it would be more like the other kind of store bought cube out of the box. i wish that rubiks wasn't so unreliable as to what the cube quality is out of the box. i would suggest breaking it in first, then sanding, since sanding, if done on all surfaces, loosens the springs. This is because the pieces are oversized, and the springs are stretched just sitting in the cube.
Yeah I know, every cube I get from Rubik's feels different from each other. But, I'm willing to try the sanding thing. I've already broke them in well, so how much do I sand? Like just enough to get rid of the "sheen" of the surface? I know if you oversand, it can make it worse. But it would make sense because the pieces do seem to be tight. But then again, if the center's tension was looser, that really wouldn't be a problem. :( I wonder if I can get a quality control job position there... lol!
Instead of sanding, I did a quick test to see if it would work... I took the pieces from my broke-core 3x3 and put them on the new stiff-core 3x3s I just got. Those pieces are WELL broken in for about 8 months of daily cubing and thousands of solves.
It was still stiff. A bit looser then the newer pieces, but still too stiff. So yeah, I'm not sure sanding will work either. :(
Yep, pretty much, plus break in time wears down the pieces from rubbing. Heck, I even was semi-forcing some corner cuts on the new cubes to try and loosen the springs as much as possible. It made it more flexible to cut corners better, but it is just as stiff. :( Which is why I don't think sanding + vasoline will do anything to improve performance because the tension on the centers will always be there.
I should probaby describe how the cores are to give you a idea on what I'm working with.
The old core: if you take all the pieces off of it, (even when it was new) the centers are loose and "rattle", yet when the pieces are in, it holds firm, yet has loose turning.
On the new cores: The springs pull the centers right down to the core. The centers don't shake at all. But they do have more "give" for some reason, just not easy to turn because they
wierd
Ruzlier 2 years ago
Are they really starting to lube their cubes? That is a good idea if they are!
I got the same one (re-tooled 2008 3x3, but it came in hex packaging), but I got mine about 9 months ago. I don't think it was lubed when I popped a edge piece because the pieces didn't look coated with anything. But it turned very well out of the box. Which is kinda why I popped it open because I wanted to see if it was, lol!
It's now my best cube! :D
PkGam 2 years ago
this is the first time this has happend for me. happend about a week ago
zarker24 2 years ago
Interesting... I almost want to buy one just to see how it feels.
Maybe they're taking after the V-cube people because of their success.
PkGam 2 years ago
Well, My Best 3x3 (re-tooled Rubik's brand like yours) is broke! :( So I of course had to get another one because all my older Rubik's 3x3s don't come close to it... But, I know the quality varies so I picked up 2 and hoped for the best. Well, I made a note to pop them open to see if they were lubed and they weren't. :( Granted they were in different packaging then yours, but still...
Oh and they don't come even close to my broke one! :( I don't know what I'll do now for speedcubing.
PkGam 2 years ago
i know what you can do! Sand down all peices, lube with vaseline for a month or two, then switch to Silicon spray. It'll hurt the stickers a bit but its worth it! If you want, ill make a video about it.
zarker24 2 years ago
I have heard that works because of the dissolving nature of vasoline to plastic. I don't worry about the Rubik's brand stickers anyway because they have that plastic lamination that peels off through use no matter what.
I'd recommend making a video on it anyway even if it's not for me. It's a good thing a lot of people could use.
But, I for one am not a vasoline fan because you have to clean it ALL out then switch to silicone otherwise the vasoline and silicone will make a "gum". :(
PkGam 2 years ago
youd be amazed at how easy taking the vaseline out is. i was very scared to do it to my cube for that reason and the stickers, but i am very happy with the results. ill show you the rest in the video so that you can judge then whether you would like to or not. i am very busy right now, so the vid may not be out for a few weeks
zarker24 2 years ago
Really? Because that stuff is highly water resistant. It gets everywhere too, including in the cracks of the pieces. Which could work itself out during high-speed turning, mix with the silicone and make it gummy.
No rush on the video though, but I do look forward to seeing how you clean it out. :)
PkGam 2 years ago
Oh one more thing I remembered, when I took apart the cubes, I noticed the core's springyness was MUCH tighter then my broke cube. My broke cube's core spun smooth and fast right out of the box. (it was pretty much a near-perfect cube) So how could vasoline loosen a tight core up and make it turn better? I know the idea with vasoline is to "melt" the plastic quickly to simulate months of break in time, but if the core is tight, will it matter because of the resistance it'll always have?
PkGam 2 years ago
it will get better, it would be more like the other kind of store bought cube out of the box. i wish that rubiks wasn't so unreliable as to what the cube quality is out of the box. i would suggest breaking it in first, then sanding, since sanding, if done on all surfaces, loosens the springs. This is because the pieces are oversized, and the springs are stretched just sitting in the cube.
zarker24 2 years ago
Yeah I know, every cube I get from Rubik's feels different from each other. But, I'm willing to try the sanding thing. I've already broke them in well, so how much do I sand? Like just enough to get rid of the "sheen" of the surface? I know if you oversand, it can make it worse. But it would make sense because the pieces do seem to be tight. But then again, if the center's tension was looser, that really wouldn't be a problem. :( I wonder if I can get a quality control job position there... lol!
PkGam 2 years ago
Instead of sanding, I did a quick test to see if it would work... I took the pieces from my broke-core 3x3 and put them on the new stiff-core 3x3s I just got. Those pieces are WELL broken in for about 8 months of daily cubing and thousands of solves.
It was still stiff. A bit looser then the newer pieces, but still too stiff. So yeah, I'm not sure sanding will work either. :(
PkGam 2 years ago
i think all that breaking in does is loosen the springs : / hmmmm.
zarker24 2 years ago
Yep, pretty much, plus break in time wears down the pieces from rubbing. Heck, I even was semi-forcing some corner cuts on the new cubes to try and loosen the springs as much as possible. It made it more flexible to cut corners better, but it is just as stiff. :( Which is why I don't think sanding + vasoline will do anything to improve performance because the tension on the centers will always be there.
PkGam 2 years ago
I should probaby describe how the cores are to give you a idea on what I'm working with.
The old core: if you take all the pieces off of it, (even when it was new) the centers are loose and "rattle", yet when the pieces are in, it holds firm, yet has loose turning.
On the new cores: The springs pull the centers right down to the core. The centers don't shake at all. But they do have more "give" for some reason, just not easy to turn because they
are pulled down so tight.
PkGam 2 years ago
mine were pre-lubed too
Cheddarcheez222 2 years ago