# Gan 356X V2 Review: What have they changed?



## Mo_A2244 (Aug 5, 2020)

GAN X V2 Review​


Spoiler: Summary



Introduction


Buttery Smooth
Papery Feel
Fast, uncontrollable
Lubrication


2 drops of lube
Break In


Required very little break in
Nice and smooth
Should you buy it?

Yes if:

You’re not on a budget
You like smooth and quick cubes
With the intention of slowing it down
No if:

You are on a budget
You want a better cube that’s cheaper and better
You like your current 3x3




Hello Everyone,
This review is about the GAN X V2
Enjoy!

*Sections:*



Review of Service - GAN
Review of Cube – GAN 356X V2
Unboxing
OOTB
First Impressions
First Turns
Lubrication
Break-in
Final Thoughts
*General Info
Name*: GAN Amazon
*Link*: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/GanCube/Homepage/page/BE84F8CB-5D23-431E-ACDA-67022232EBB7


Review of Cube​

*General Info*
Name – GAN 356X V2
Link – https://www.amazon.co.uk/GAN-Magnetic-Speed-Magic-Stickered/dp/B08594BTLS/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1BZQQF2I4G1JI&dchild=1&keywords=gan+356+x+v2&qid=1596616014&quartzVehicle=92-1189&replacementKeywords=gan+x+v2&sprefix=gan+356,aps,155&sr=8-9
Availability – Black and Stickerless
Price - £54.99
Size – 56.0mm
Weight – 80.0g



*Brief Overview*
The GAN 356X was a great cube at the time and is still used by many who either liked the cube or couldn’t afford to buy a recent Gan 356 XS which topped the Gan X with adjustable magnets that can be adjusted quicker than many other cubes. However, the manufacturers claim to “beat the 356X” with a brand-new Gan 356X V2! This cube was released in many stores in February 2020 and came across too many cubers as “an exact version of the Air M, just without changeable magnets.” The Air M however I never received so I got these cubes to see whether or not you SHOULD buy these cubes, or if you should go for the cheaper budget brands of cube instead. Another thing I had noticed whilst looking at other reviews of this cube would be the matte finish on the plastic. This I like, however, according to many other cubers this was not great to see and to feel as GAN usually would go for the glossy plastic instead. Much like their previous GAN 356X which also had glossy plastic.

*Unboxing*
The box contains the cube, a GAN Card and an accessories box. The accessories box containing the changeable magnet capsules, a GAN Pamphlet and another GAN Pamphlet about the magnets and the cube.

*Out of the Box*​
*First Impressions – Before Turning*
Appearance
In terms of the shades on this cube, seeing as though I had received a stickered GAN for the first time, I didn’t see a particular change in design of shades between the last Gan 356X but I am sure some of you may. The colours, however, were nice and dark which meant F2L recognition would be clear.
Feel
When I felt the cube, I felt no difference between the Air M Stickered I had and this cube. The size was 56mm meaning that hadn’t changed from the last Gan 356X which was also 56mm in size. This meaning I cannot say anything about the feel of this stickered cube or the size as it was the same.

First Turns
Immediately, I noticed the cube had a slight papery feel out of the box but that was suddenly showered by the speed and the controllability of this cube. It had a nice smooth turning that was also really fast in comparison to the other cubes I have felt out of the box, it also had a nice controllable feel about it that separated it again from the other brands and prices of cubes I have felt. The tensions were nice and even and weren’t too loose nor to tight which I am also glad was the case of this cube. I also thought the strong magnets worked really well this the cube to counter it’s uncontrollability making it more controllable.

Corner Cutting
Forward – 47 Degrees
Reverse – Line to line

The corner cutting was nice and quick/” snappy” nothing like many other cubes like Moyu’s MF3RS2 which has nice smooth and slow corner cutting.

Solves – Strong Magnets
I began my solves on this cube with confident 22/23 seconds solves as I most certainly wasn’t used to the speed and smoothness of this puzzle. However, after another couple of solves, I benefited slightly from being used to the speed, smoothness and controllability of this cube, so my times decreased ever so slightly to around half a second or so below my original averages of 22/23 seconds. However, I began to pick up the pace and my TPS meaning I decreased yet again another second of my original average which at the end of my progression and my solves, came down to 20 or so second average which I was very happy about.

My times were as follows:


18.71
21.34
21.40
25.81
22.07
22.41
22.91
20.41
22.95
22.66
23.48
24.77
20.89
22.08
31.22
26.10
30.83
22.45
24.46
26.14
Average:

Ao5:

20.43 – Best

Ao12:

Best – 22.44


Solves – Medium Magnets

I once again began my solves with the intention of not reaching or achieving my best averages. I began the session around the 24 25 seconds mark, this of course being expected from a medium magnet setup. However, as I got use to the less controllable cube, I began to achieve 20 – 23 second solves which again, I was very happy about. This was when my times decrease to around 20’s meaning I was achieving was I didn’t really think I would achieve. However, because the cube was very uncontrollable, my times rose to around the 26 second mark which was where I stopped to switch to the Weak Magnets.

My times were as follows:


Spoiler: Times




22.36
30.18
26.57
20.01
18.92
20.49
21.57
23.89
21.09
26.59
27.32
24.35
18.42
20.97
21.17
18.64
21.16
21.47
23.30
22.36
Average:

Ao5:

20.26 – Best

Ao12:

21.77 – Best





Solves – Weak Magnets
Now, what was expected from this session was a very uncontrollable setup, bad times because of the uncontrollability and just an overall mess of times and pops and corner twists. I was partially expecting the right thing. Corner twists were there, they came every once in a couple of solves whilst I was scrambling and sometimes whilst I was solving. My times were also very bad because of how uncontrollable this cube was. I was reaching low high 20’s when I first got used to the setup which then turned into mid 20’s which then turned back into low 30’s which I never average. To be specific, my average of 12 was 25.19 which I was not happy about. I then finally went onto the No Magnet Setup…
(if you see this congratulations,)
My times were as follows:


Spoiler: Times




24.00
22.47
25.82
23.13
23.42
29.19
20.70
22.97
19.75
22.76
20.03
24.43
30.05
21.28
23.50
24.36
27.70
23.78
18.79
16.98
Averages:
Ao5:

21.16 – Best

Ao12:

22.99 – Best





Solves – No Magnets

Now, with this setup I was expecting lockups every couple of turns, a very loose cube and just bad solves and bad controllability. I was right. About everything. This cube was loose, bad and I just wouldn’t recommend this setup for anyone unless you tighten the cube but even then, it is very uncontrollable.

My time were as follows:


Spoiler: Times




27.34
25.82
23.91
25.87
20.90
36.71
23.92
27.59
36.12
32.89
33.51
32.78
38.76 (Dropped the cube)
29.78
17.89
19.04
35.70
24.61
24.55
26.43





*Setup*​

Lubrication
Very little setup required however, 2 small drops of thin silicon lubrication was applied to make the cube slightly slower.


Break-in

The cube was slightly gummy but was slower due to the silicon lubrication that was applied. No further solves were needed to break in the lube.


Final Thoughts​

The cube most certainly worth the price. From fast delivery to great performance out of the box, this cube was really good. However, price may be an issue to those on a budget, especially because the cube is around $50 on amazon meaning this cube won’t be bought by many on a budget. However, this cube is a nice and smooth cube out of the box, the delivery from amazon was very quick (with amazon prime it’s 1 day!) Overall thoughts are below, however, I would like to say now that… You SHOULD by this cube.


Should you buy this cube? Yes
At only $50, this cube may be unreachable for the majority of cubers in which case I would think something like an RS3M would be a great alternative. However, for that small percentage of cubers that aren’t on a particular budget I would most certainly suggest this cube. The stickered version. The cube has a nice smoothness to it and grip is not an issue as well as corner twisting, spring sounds and speed as they are all not an issue. Except for maybe the speed.

The cube was also very quick. Maybe even too quick for my liking particularly as it wasn’t a wobbly issue but more of speed and how controllable it was. The cube could turn 2 faces and a but with one effortless flick this is why I wouldn’t think the weak magnets along with the out of the box setup would not be a great idea.

Out of the box the cube was really good. However, comparing to the Gan 356X V1, a difference was there, I just thought the difference wasn’t prominent between both cubes. However, spring sound, corner twisting etc out of the box wasn’t seen or heard from me as I unboxed the cube and turned the cube for the first time. However, on weak magnets is where the twisting begins to happen.

Because the cube has strong magnets out of the box, I wouldn’t expect it to outperform the main strong magnet setup on the weak magnets. Why? Well, the strong magnets hold up and supports the cube making it stable enough to out-perform many cubes that are for a higher price.

The service is also amazing from GAN Amazon, the delivery being very quick and within a day or so, the cube would arrive which wasn’t expected. The company was very responsive during these difficult times which I was very grateful for as well.

Mo from The CubeCritics


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