5x5 Speed Cube Puzzle

First off, I am a "casual cuber"...not quite a speed cuber or a cube 'nut', but I care enough to solve my cubes frequently. My first 5x5x5 cube was the Rubik's 'Professor' cube......what a disappointment. Not only was that cube literally painful to turn (seriously, every time I solved it, I could feel the carpal tunnel creeping into my wrists), but it locked and popped with every turn. My Rubik's 3x3x3 and 4x4x4 both loosened with use, and were also modifiable- so I suffered through solution after solution on my 5x5, hoping that it would get better. It didn't. Eventually, I decided to modify it, hoping that would make it workable...in trying to take it apart, the cube broke. The cube seemed to have been designed never to be taken apart- the pieces are all jammed together so tightly you can't pop the edges out, and the inner parts are so flimsily fragile that they break with minimum pressure. Anyway, I decided that I needed a new cube; one that was all around better. After thoroughly researching, I came to the conclusion that I needed to get either a V-Cube 5x5 or a Shengshou 5x5......there seems to be a big dispute among speed cubers as to which is better (but the "faster" ones seemed to lean toward Shengshou). My final choice was the Shengshou based on the fact that it is 1/3 of the price of a V-cube, and apparently the same quality. I am so glad I got this cube. Right out of the box, this cube surpassed every one of my expectations. When people say that it turns like butter, they mean that it turns like butter. I've had this cube in my hands for about an hour: it "finger trick's" easy, it hasn't locked up yet, it cuts corners well, pieces haven't popped out, etc. It's easier to use than all of my other cubes- even the ones with modifications and years of use. And another benefit: it's only slightly bigger than a Rubik's 3x3, so it's much smaller than the Rubik's 5x5 and even smaller than the Rubik's 4x4, and therefore VERY easy on the hands. My solution time on my Rubik's 5x5 was between 15-18 minutes, just because it was literally /that/ difficult to turn. My first solve on this cube: less than 7 minutes...that's ~ 10 minutes off my time, just using a better cube. I have two very minor complaints about this cube: 1) When I took it out of the box, it was completely soaked with lubricating oil. I'm thrilled that it comes lubricated, but I just wasn't expecting to have to wipe it clean when I got it. 2) Because of the oil, it was covered with dirt/dust as well. There are also little bumps that I am pretty sure are pieces of dirt under a lot of the stickers...so I'll probably replace those soon. All in all, a brilliant cube. If you're looking for a quality 5x5 cube, don't let the "cheap" price of this cube deceive you.......it's the most superior cube I have ever touched- and based on other reviews I've read, other people think so too. Happy Cubing!! :) :) :) :) :) :)

Just bought this and have solved it about a dozen times. It moves very fluidly, but does bind if you try to corner-cut much. I have enjoyed solving it over and over!! I also have the ShengShou 4x4x4 and this is almost identical in size and movement. The square stickers seem very small compared to my stickerless 5x5x5 cube which has the entire square colored, but you get used to the tiny squares. The stickerless 5x5x5 that I recently purchased seems to pop apart a lot, so you couldn't just hand it to someone and say "mix it up for me" - you may lose the pieces. With this cube, I have no fear of handing this to someone and asking them to mix it up for me. It is pretty solid and feels much more durable than my other cube, but yet the durability doesn't seem to affect how easily itl spins.

Good quality

Very fun toy for all ages

This is my 1st cube from this company. I love the size. It is only about 1/4" larger than a standard 3x3. So, it fits nicely in the hand. It moves very smoothly. The blocks are tight, in the sense that there is not a lot of sloppy play. It does not feel like it is going to come apart at the slightest wrong turn. I only have 2 issues with it. 1) There is grit underneath a few of the stickers. 2) It was a little greasy when I took it out of it's package. Not much can be done about the grit, but the grease was easily remove with some wiping with a paper towel. That being said, I think this is an outstanding cube for the price.

Shipping: Fast delivery and the package was moderately protected with plastic air cushions. Now, out of the box this cube sucked, it was dusty, "luby"/slimey on the outside and had a very rough feel with tight tensions and little corner cutting. But I wiped it off and did the usual 70 or so solves and with each solve (on the stock tensions with stock lube) the cube became smoother and faster with improved corner cutting on each solve. When I broke in the plastic completely with about one hundred solves I disassembled and lubed it increasing the performance. Now it cuts a full cubie and is incredibly fast and it just keeps getting better with each solve. This is how all 5x5's are though really, the just require a lot of breaking it. This wins me over for the price and the simple well proven design. Don't use loose tensions because your mid center pieces will shoot out and wreak havoc on your eye balls if you are not careful lol. but seriously though. I recommend setting the tensions as loose as possible before that pop happens and yes the center piece caps do come off you will just need a strong fingernail or a small metal tool to pop them off without destroying your stickers. The stickers work just fine with the typical sheng shou colors they have held up well. I recommend this cube, just be patient and it will get fast. For the price it is well worth it. Enjoy, please like this review if it helped. =D

The box was opened cube looks ok.

Im most impressed with the price of this puzzle cube. As they get bigger they get substantially more expensive so I’m super happy with that fact that it’s really great quality for this price. Super cool!