# Are DIY or pre assembled cubes better?



## Crabadelix (Dec 11, 2009)

I have always thought DIY cubes are better but i have never had a reason. Can you tell me if DIY is better than pre assembled cubes and provide reasons.


----------



## Zarxrax (Dec 11, 2009)

The Pre-assembled cubes I've gotten have always been perfectly fine. The only difference is just do you trust someone else to build it more than you trust yourself to build it? I assume whoever is building the cubes has much more experience than I do, so I don't like putting them together myself. I worry I might not get the screws into the core straight.


----------



## michaellahti (Dec 11, 2009)

I just like the fun of putting it together . It's really just preference.


----------



## ISuckAtCubing (Dec 11, 2009)

i like putting it together myself, it is more fun


----------



## SuperNerd (Dec 11, 2009)

It really all depends on your preference, and your experience.

If you are a new cuber, you may like a pre-assembled cube more than a DIY for several reasons.

There's no assembly required, so you are less likely to break it or mess it up
If you have a pre-assembled cube, than the tensions are usually set perfectly. I have a pre-assembled Cube4You Speedcube that I picked up at the Stanford Cube-A-Palooza. The tensions are very good, and it comes pre lubricating with some kind of lubricant that works wonders.
The cube will usually have a nicer look (no silicon stains if you overlube, the stickers are put on with a machine so they aren't very lopsided, where a beginner might misplace the stickers on a cube.

However, if you are not new, and you think that you would be comfortable assembling/adjusting tensions and lubricating yourself, you may prefer a DIY. Here's why:

With a DIY, you can take the center caps off after you put them on, so if you need to loosen/tighten the cube, you can take off the caps. You cannot easily do this on an assembled speedcube/storebought.
With a DIY, you can choose different types of cubes, so you can get cubes that fit your needs better (corner cutting, speed, lock-ups)

I have always preferred DIY's over Pre-Assembled cubes because there are a lot more choices of DIY's than there are of Pre-Assembled cubes.

After a while, what it really comes down to is preference. After a testing many cubes, you really get a feel for what works for you, and then you can choose a better cube for your needs.

Hope I helped


----------



## snckdude (Dec 11, 2009)

I prefer the DIY's, half the fun of a new cube is putting it together. Both are similar in preformance (to me anyway) nothing compares to settin gup your own cube though.


----------



## Krible (Oct 8, 2010)

*DIY vs pre-assembled*

What are the diffences between a DIY cube and a pre-assembled cube? Of course you have to put DIY cube together yourself, but are there any other differnces? 

I'm going to order a Guhong from lightake but i can't decide witch of these i should buy:
 DIY or Pre-assembled


----------



## acup13 (Oct 8, 2010)

if you want to save money..........buy DIY


----------



## Cool Frog (Oct 8, 2010)

If you want to save Time.......... Buy Pre-Made


----------



## Krible (Oct 8, 2010)

ok lol. Does the Pre-made come lubricated?


----------



## Edward (Oct 8, 2010)

Saving money > Saving time :3

Premade usually comes pre lubricated.


----------



## acup13 (Oct 8, 2010)

haha.......
but DIY is better because have 2 set sticker........Pre-Made only have cube..........hehe


----------



## acup13 (Oct 8, 2010)

Krible said:


> ok lol. Does the Pre-made come lubricated?


 
i think it come with lubricated


----------



## incessantcheese (Oct 8, 2010)

Edward said:


> Saving money > Saving time :3


 
for people who have a lot of free time: yes, this is true.

therefore, since you're a cuber: yes, this is true.


----------



## drewsopchak (Oct 8, 2010)

diy is better because u can adjust your tensions and change cores and start with cube-smith.


----------



## eastamazonantidote (Oct 9, 2010)

drewsopchak said:


> diy is better because u can adjust your tensions and change cores and start with cube-smith.


 
Dude, read the question.

I personally like assembling my cubes, but pre-assembleds require only a tiny bit of adjusting. I also like FI and CII stickers better than cubesmith stickers, so I get those. I have not found them in non-assembled form (not that I've looked hard). The money makes everything worth it though. So go DIY.


----------



## Akuma (Oct 9, 2010)

The fail of this thread and the posts along with it are on an entire new level of epic fail of all epic failures.

*IT'S ONLY $1.4 DIFFERENCE. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE CRYING ON ABOUT?*

It's not exactly like you're going to save an EPIC ammount of money buying the D.I.Y-edition.
Talk about blowing up a problem to insane proportions.
I bought the pre-assembled version and it's fine.


----------



## flan (Oct 9, 2010)

He has a point. I bought it assembled and it was perfect. Needed lube though


----------



## CubeCraze (Oct 11, 2010)

I think it would be reasonable to get DIY for cubes that you know you're going to modify so you won't ruin the stickers. (like the alpha v) Otherwise I like pre-assembled.


----------



## Cool Frog (Oct 11, 2010)

Akuma said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
That is About 10% of the cubes cost... And if you buy 10 or so cubes, you could have gotten another one.(Who wants to pay 10% more on anything)
I Like Pre-assembled because I am terrible at putting stickers on....


----------



## MEn (Oct 11, 2010)

Akuma said:


> The fail of this thread and the posts along with it are on an entire new level of epic fail of all epic failures.
> 
> *IT'S ONLY $1.4 DIFFERENCE. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE CRYING ON ABOUT?*
> 
> ...


 
boy, talk about overreacting


----------



## Toquinha1977 (Oct 12, 2010)

I'm cheap by nature, so anywhere I can save $1.40, I'll do it. Besides, I happen to like putting stuff together, and yes, getting the tension right is always tricky, but I've had to adjust pre-assembled cubes anyway, so there you go.


----------



## Lorken (Oct 12, 2010)

I would go for the assembled guhong, I heard one of the screws it like too long or short or something like that. It's sad because I don't have a screwdriver


----------



## ~Adam~ (Oct 12, 2010)

Definitely go for preassembled with GuHongs from LighTake.
I ordered a bunch of DIYs. I had a deformed corner stock, 1 bag with 1 peg too few, but luckily another with 1 too many.
And every core had one hole with an opening too small for the screw so they had to be opened up slightly with a knife.
Still waiting on a corner stock replacement.

edit - To Akuma I ordered 6 DIYs so is $8.40 worth saving?


----------



## cuber576 (Dec 18, 2010)

*Advantages of DIY*

What are the advantages of a DIY ? Because the only reason I can find is that it is possible to adjust tensions on it. And is it true that the assembled GuHongs are actually DIYs assembled?


----------



## DeathCuberK (Dec 18, 2010)

Nearly all DIY cubes are faster, lock up less, and cut corners much more than cubes like the Rubik's brand, which is not a DIY cube.


----------



## cuber576 (Dec 18, 2010)

What about the Guhongs? Are the assembled ones actually DIYs?


----------



## DeathCuberK (Dec 18, 2010)

Any cube with adjustable tensions is generally considered a DIY.


----------



## stinkocheeze (Dec 18, 2010)

Please use the search function or the one answer question thread.
Pretty much every good cube on the market is DIY, so even if it is assembled you can change the tensions


----------



## cuber576 (Dec 18, 2010)

stinkocheeze said:


> Please use the search function or the one answer question thread.
> Pretty much every good cube on the market is DIY, so even if it is assembled you can change the tensions


 
OK I'm sorry. I'm not used to the forums yet


----------



## TheMachanga (Dec 18, 2010)

If it's not a rubik's store bought, then theres a 98% chance it has adjustable tensions.


----------



## Zarxrax (Dec 18, 2010)

Also, pretty much every DIY out there has a different feel to it.
Some are smooth, others are "crispy". Some lock up more than others, some pop more than others. Some are faster and looser, some are tight. Until you've actually handled a DIY you might not really be able to understand how all of this could matter much.
The guhong is currently considered the best DIY by many people.


----------



## Rpotts (Dec 18, 2010)

TheMachanga said:


> If it's not a rubik's store bought, then theres a 98% chance it has adjustable tensions.


 
lol it seems like you're forgetting about all the dollar store cubes and pursuit of happyness magic cube puzzles (Warning not for speedcubing, wear protective goggles if speedcubing) -says that on the damn box. But yea, there are lots of non rubiks brand puzzles that you can find that are definitely not DIYs.


----------



## Akuma (Dec 19, 2010)

The fact that you can do maintenance on a DIY is reason enough to concider them severely superior to non-DIYs.

If you want to say CLEAN the core, on a non-DIY you won't be able to do that further degrading the cubes condition with time.
DIYs also give the ability to mess around with hybrids by changing cores out if you are into that sort of thing.

Either way you look at it, DIYs are significantly superior to non-DIYs


----------



## o2gulo (Dec 19, 2010)

Rpotts said:


> lol it seems like you're forgetting about all the dollar store cubes and pursuit of happyness magic cube puzzles (Warning not for speedcubing, wear protective goggles if speedcubing) -says that on the damn box. But yea, there are lots of non rubiks brand puzzles that you can find that are definitely not DIYs.


 
That's why he said 98% lol


----------



## OliveMaster (Jul 3, 2011)

*DIY OR Fast assembled cubes*

Hi I'm going to order some cubes soon and I was just trying to find out wi=hich is better, a diy or an already assembled cube. Thanks :tu

PS. should I get an official timer or use the internet?


----------



## Godmil (Jul 3, 2011)

doesn't really matter. unassembled kits can sometimes be cheaper, and it's fun to build a cube from bits at least once... but I can rarely be bothered putting a new cube together. Also if it's pre-assembled then there is less chance of messing it up.
Timers... either is fine. stackmat timers are nice and portable (and I guess would be better practice if you have a competition soon) but most people just use computers, there are some really good programs that keep track of all your stats (I use Prisma Puzzle Timer, but qqTimer is really good too I hear -both of those you can also plug a stackmat timer into if you do get one)


----------



## izovire (Jul 3, 2011)

It use to be that a lot of people would buy DIY kits either for price or for the joy of Doing It Yourself. It is slowly changing to assembled cubes these days probably because a lot of people aren't sure how to assemble these new High Tech cubes! 

When you order from my store I test each cube for tension and missing pieces, then I also lube them. The quality of service is often more appreciated than a KIY kit that might have 9 corners and 11 edges.


----------



## Olji (Jul 3, 2011)

I mainly buy DIY kits, I like to build it myself and also since I'm using a different color scheme it will require me to either contact the seller that assembles them and tell him/her the color scheme I want, or resticker the cube when I get it.
Since I save some money (not much though) and since I enjoy assembling the DIY option is great for me.

Like Izovire said, DIY kits can sometimes be missing a piece, it never happened to me though, I got extra pieces/logo stickers sometimes instead


----------



## izovire (Jul 3, 2011)

Oljibe said:


> I mainly buy DIY kits, I like to build it myself and also since I'm using a different color scheme it will require me to either contact the seller that assembles them and tell him/her the color scheme I want, or resticker the cube when I get it.
> Since I save some money (not much though) and since I enjoy assembling the DIY option is great for me.
> 
> Like Izovire said, DIY kits can sometimes be missing a piece, it never happened to me though, I got extra pieces/logo stickers sometimes instead


 
I check my DIY's before sending them out as well. The most common missing piece is an Edge. Some sticker sets are missing green (I don't know why). Even when I order hundreds of cubes wholesale there is some error. I then prefer not to sticker cubes a lot of times, due to the different color schemes.


----------



## Repsela (Jul 21, 2014)

*Diy are better than normal cubes?*

I mean, I have got a moyu weilong and aosu, various Dayan, Fangshi shuang ren, cyclone boys, Guns 3... I didn't ever buy a DIY cube?. Are they better than the others?


----------



## TheNextFeliks (Jul 21, 2014)

No. It just depends on the cuber and how they set it up.


----------



## Fawn (Jul 21, 2014)

They're the same as stock. People, such as myself, like buying them because it's easier to lubricate it and set tensions without taking it apart first. I also like seein howneverything fits together first, and I just like putting stuff together.


----------

