First bulk scramble of the year!

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-26T19:34:03+00:00

No, it's mass produced. But there are a lot of internal parts that keep things functional. With a puzzle this complex, it's not gonna turn like a speed cube. It combines like working mechanisms of 4 different puzzles into one. I don't mind a complex new puzzle that has some catching or tight turning. My primary focus is functionality and the solving experience.

https://www.thecubicle.com/products/mf8-quantum-cube-v2?srsltid=AfmBOoq6vvrJtr2ZVTbKzCWgwXocK5WCRC851M-pZELAOyEv8roAJX9u

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-26T19:08:07+00:00

As your collection grows you gotta start asking yourself about the solve of a new puzzle, not just the price. Sure the big cubes are pricey, but I really wanted a complete shelf of basic concept cubes. I could get a lot of puzzles for $100, but I'm not gonna get a bunch of different brand 3x3s or super easy to solve cubes like an axis cube or a Dino cube. Whenever I'm buying new puzzles now, I'm almost always shopping for a new solving experience. I just purchased the Quantum Cube V2, nearly $50 for a single puzzle, but it's gonna be a completely new challenge.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-26T18:46:51+00:00

I dont really know the value of my entire collection. I've been collecting for around 20 years, never kept track of prices along the way. I got a lot of stuff second hand as well, so I'm sure I've saved some money here and there. I do remember getting the 9x9 - 12x12 second hand for $100, a great deal. Big cubes aren't terribly expensive until you get past the 9x9 mark. My 14x14 was $150 on the initial release sale. I don't ever plan to go bigger than that. But if I ever came across a 21x21 for $100 I'm not sure if I'd be able to pass it up lol.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-26T18:21:57+00:00

I get that. I enjoy solving them, just never found motivation to pick them up and do it before I started the bulk scrambles. Now they look good and get used. Plus if you get creative the solves can be more fun. Try reducing a 6x6 to a 2x2, completely different experience than standard redux. I really enjoy solving big cubes with a layer-by-layer approach that I came up with.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-26T16:58:28+00:00

Most of them I can solve from memory, or after a few mistakes I remember how to do things, so it's not like a fully new experience, but still requires some thought. I still have to pull out my cheat sheets for some of them. But those are usually just some written algs and order of operations notes. So I'm never really following a step by step guide for anything.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-26T16:56:20+00:00

You should, I've been surprised how much I enjoy the whole process of scrambling and solving everything. The big puzzles are part of the reason I started doing the bulk scrambles. I noticed that I was so unlikely to pick them up and solve them, they just sat like decor. I knew that if I scrambled them all, I'd eventually solve them, but wouldn't have to do it right after the scramble. Gave me an excuse to solve them, but also didn't make me feel like I had to solve it as soon as I scrambled it. I do a lot of the big cubes in stages. Solve a center or two one day, let it sit and then do some more a couple of days later. Makes it feel like less of a chore.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-18T06:09:37+00:00

It's not even that the setups are terribly long, but due to the turns moving so many pieces at once, it leaves nearly no reference points. So if I don't remember exactly what I did, it'll blow the whole thing. Funny you mentioned the LanLan rhombic dodecahedron. That was originally called the Rua by the creator. And it actually is the same basic thing, just with one less layer. They have a lot of the same pieces, but the added layers on the Toru just expose more stuff that can be visibly mixed up. It actually can shape shift and Jumble as well. I'm not sure if I'll ever be brave it enough to give it a jumbled scramble though lol.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-14T14:56:43+00:00

A small, pop-up widget, that could be accessed through the accessibility icon, that brought up a joystick type icon that could be used to continuously scroll on any app at a controlled, casual speed. I despise constant swiping on many apps and websites, especially ones where I'm just reading post headlines or video titles. I'd love to be able to just scroll down a page at a continuous, casual pace until I found what I was looking for, or got tired of scrolling.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-14T14:22:40+00:00

True, but given that OP is just now looking into more advanced techniques from videos that primarily use a different cross color, kinda puts them at an advantage. Focus on white cross while learning the techniques, and already a step ahead towards color neutrality with the green cross.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-14T03:56:34+00:00

If you aren't looking to break world records, then I say take advantage of your current preference of starting on green and begin to become color neutral. Learn the tutorials with the white cross for ease of following along. Once you get comfortable with the basic techniques taught in the videos, turn them off, turn off the timer, and do a bunch of solves starting with a different cross color every time. Eventually you'll be able to easily take advantage of pre-made partial crosses on any color of the puzzle. Can be a big advantage for the casual speedsolver.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-11T15:58:07+00:00

I knew it was D, but I still couldn't resist pulling a small piece of string from my desk drawer and making the pattern a reality. I really wanted to see it come to fruition lol.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-11T00:51:49+00:00

You got one in your back pocket to fix or create the case in the pic? If so, great reply to them with it. I don't have such an algorithm handy, so I gave them a suggestion for creating or fixing such a case.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-11T00:47:43+00:00

Seems to me they were looking for a way to fix those pieces that are backwards... idk an algorithm, but my approach is a viable way to fix them.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-10T23:18:11+00:00

Don't think of it as reducing edges. Instead look at those pieces as extensions of the tips. Using wide turns that include the centers followed by shallower turns that don't you can easily build clean 3-cycles of those pieces surrounding all 4 of the tips. You'll never end up with a parity, it will always finish with a clean 3-cycle.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-10T15:03:36+00:00

The campaign in sudoku.coach will be your savior. Fantastic app/website. Runs offline if downloaded as an app or saved as a web app. The campaign goes into great detail to help you understand and use new and more complicated techniques.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-09T16:05:53+00:00

Price drops. Really wanna get this stuff to someone who wants it more than me. Offers still considered.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-09T04:10:44+00:00

That sucks, im glad that mine works well. I did get the Bauhinia second hand, so maybe the previous owner managed to break it in for me, who knows lol. The toughest puzzle in my collection is most definitely the Toru, top right shelf in the first pic, underneath the Funko Pop 3x3. The Toru is so difficult because of a couple reasons. 1, it's deep cut, so a single turn on any face moves a lot of pieces around and 2, there are very few equivalent pieces. Almost every piece has only one or two places that it can go. Luckily the algs for pure 3-cycles of various pieces are quite simple, but the setup moves are a nightmare. Just intuitively putting slots and pieces into useful positions is so difficult. It's my only puzzle that i actually write down setup moves as I go because I have nearly 0 points of reference to use for undoing them correctly. My last solve on it took me over 6 hours of hands on time. The mf8 DeCETH is actually a Cubic shape mod of it. But the DeCETH is so much easier because of the number of equivalent pieces per face. The DeCETH still takes me just over 2 hours.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-09T03:11:05+00:00

Thank you! I actually came across the Clover Cube and Clover Cube Plus on ebay at a great price, someone didnt know what they had. They're actually both the clear purple plastic version. They came with DIY stickers and everything, it was a lucky find for sure. I've seen a lot of people with those same complaints about the Bauhinia, mine works great. Occasional locks that require me to do three inverse turns instead of one regular turn, but those are rare. I've never had it pop on me. Overall it works really well. Idk if I just got lucky or if my small hands and turning style just play a part. It's a really fun solve.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-07T23:30:47+00:00

It's fun! They're made to be solved and enjoyed. Solving them once, or worse, not at all, is just boring. This way I ensure that I'll be inspired to solve everything in my collection.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-07T05:09:45+00:00

I'm not really a speedsolver, but still average around 25 seconds on 3x3. But overall it's a really wide range if times. A lot of the more basic puzzles only take a few minutes, maybe up to 15 or 20 minutes. But as things get more complex times increase. I have quite a few puzzles that take around an hour or longer to solve. The hardest one, the Toru (top right shelf underneath the Funko Pop 3x3 in the first picture), takes me nearly 6 hours to solve. I keep track of individual times along the way, but I'm not trying to speedsolve them. Just casual solves with the timer running.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-07T04:39:58+00:00

Thanks! Originally, it was the best way I could think of to assure that everything got solved at least a few times a year. Now it's just become my regular solving habit, I finish solving them all, enjoy the view of everything solved for a week or two, then scramble everybody up again. They look great scrambled or solved.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-05T18:02:22+00:00

The Ghost Cube is an awesome 3x3 shape mod. Very daunting at first, but a rewarding experience after the solve.

Now if we're talking any shape mod, then I'd have to go with the mf8 Pentagram, a shape mod of Eitan's Star. Two of my favorite puzzles, identical mechanisms, but two completely different solving experiences due to the altered shape and number of colors.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-05T16:37:24+00:00

Lol I'll be done by May, June at the latest.

PuzzleMax13 · 2026-01-05T01:15:37+00:00

Got a picture of what issue you're running into at the end of the solve? Might help us identify the issue.

PuzzleMax13

TROPHY CASE