Bruce

I'm writing this, because I have a somewhat different perspective from other folks who have written previous reviews. I am experienced at solving the Rubiks cube. I would not consider myself a speed cuber, but I can usually solve it in under a minute and have been able to do so for many years. I watched enough of the first section of videos to make sure I was already familiar with his solving methods, and then skipped to the second to learn the effects. Be aware, if you do not know how to solve a cube, you will definitely have to put in the time learning how. I think you need to be comfortable solving the cube before you're going to enjoy learning the effects. If you are anxious about getting the cube back to a solved state each time you pick it up to manipulate it, you may not enjoy practicing the effects very much. Believe me, you will have to solve the cube over and over again when you make a mistake learning the manipulations. I would estimate in the three or four days I've been working with this effect, I have probably had to solve the cube at least 40 or more times when I have made a mistake and scrambled the cube instead of getting it into the right configuration. Part of this may also be because I am left-handed and had to figure out how to modify the instructions so that the effect will work correctly when I use my left rather than my right hand.



I own about eight Rubiks cubes, and have modified many of them for speed solving. I think the cube that came with this affect is first rate. It is adjusted perfectly, that is not so loose that you need to worry about it popping apart, but it is still very easy to manipulate with one hand. The stickers seem high quality as well, so I think that they will hold up for a long time. Considering that a good speed cube is typically $10 or more, this effect is a real bargain.



I have been learning the effects, and I find them to be extremely enjoyable. It has actually been hard to put the cube down, even when my hands get sore. It is really like learning object manipulation or sleight-of-hand. That is, you start out slow and careful and gradually develop muscle memory. Watching the moves in the mirror, especially the imagination solve, is mesmerizing. Getting good at these effects and feeling comfortable performing them will take some time, but that is also true of effects with coins, or cards. What is very cool is that this is a completely normal cube. I have the same satisfaction, if not more, practicing the manipulations with the cube as I have had learning false shuffles or other manipulations of a standard deck of cards.



Bottom line-if you are ready to put in the time to learn how to solve an un-gimmick Rubiks cube, and then learn the extremely well taught manipulations it takes to do some beautiful effects, you will have a great time with Cube3.