# Magnetic vs non magnetic



## Cubeguy11 (Oct 20, 2019)

Personally I prefer magnetic cubes because they snap into place more


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## Filipe Teixeira (Oct 20, 2019)

m


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## GAN 356 X (Oct 20, 2019)

I think magnetic cubes are much better, as they stabilise the cube, for example when I put in the capsules without magnets in my Gan x, it is utterly uncontrollable. They also add a nice magnetic bump and help from over and under shooting turns


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## Cubeguy11 (Oct 20, 2019)

Yeah specially really fast cubes get super uncontrollable without magnets.


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## Scrombo (Oct 20, 2019)

I think it depends on the cube. I have this weird relationship with my Little Magic. I LOVE the way it feels unmagnetized. I have a magnetic one which is pretty good, but I always go back to the unmagnetized one. Inversely, I think the Meilong with magnets is great.


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## wearephamily1719 (Oct 20, 2019)

#Lifeistooshortfornonmagneticcubes.


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## SM cubing (Oct 20, 2019)

its not even a matter of opinion. magnetic cubes are so revolutionary that the only event where you can even get by with a nonmagenetic cube is MAYBE OH.


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## jo1215 (Oct 20, 2019)

SM cubing said:


> its not even a matter of opinion. magnetic cubes are so revolutionary that the only event where you can even get by with a nonmagenetic cube is MAYBE OH.


and 3bld


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## SM cubing (Oct 20, 2019)

jo1215 said:


> and 3bld


but you need stability


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## jo1215 (Oct 20, 2019)

SM cubing said:


> but you need stability


max hilliard has the wr mean and single and he uses a non magnetic gts1


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## Sue Doenim (Oct 21, 2019)

I think it's interesting that for a while after magnetic cubes were first released, M slices were a really big concern, but now, no one gives them a second thought.


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## Nmile7300 (Oct 21, 2019)

Dr. Lube said:


> I wonder how many truly bad puzzles are hiding their shortcomings behind magnets...


Yeah. The Valk, GTS, and Gan air were really the last cubes to come out that were really good without magnets.
Non magnetic versions of today's flagships are for the most part worse than those three because they were not designed to be nonmagnetic.

Many people still think that the nonmagnetic Valk is still better than these new budget magnetic 3x3s, and I can't say I disagree.


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## Reizii_ (Oct 21, 2019)

Magnetic for everything except 3x3, 2x2, and 3BLD. I do main magnetic cubes for those events, I just feel like that's when they're least necessary.
Also magnets shouldn't matter for FMC, but that should go without saying.


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## Karwan (Oct 21, 2019)

Magnetic for sure.


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## Izaden (Oct 21, 2019)

In my experience (which is very limited) One benefit to magnets that I personally thinks isn't covered enough is stabilization.
I have a QiYi Warrior W (non magnetic) and a Cyclone Boys FeiJue M. Both are stickerless and both are budget cubes I know.
I love the feel of the textured plastic on the Warrior W and it turns great after some tuning. The FeiJue turns pretty well after tuning as well.
I find the magnets help a little with turn accuracy, but not to an amount that actually helps me, I have fairly low TPS so my turns are pretty deliberate and accurate as is. 
I actually turn faster on the Warrior W but this could just be the cube as opposed to the magnets interfering.

The main benefit I find when solving on my magnetic cube however is that the portion of the cube that I am NOT turning stays still and requires less grip and attention to control. 
For example, if I am doing sexy move repeatedly ( R U R' U' ) the 2x2x3 block at the bottom left of the cube does not require as much grip and I can be more relaxed about my left hand position because the magnets sort of "lock" it in to position, making it harder to disrupt.

Just my thoughts anyway.


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## Llewelys (Oct 22, 2019)

I went to a comp this week end and tried a magnetic 3x3 for the first time for a couple of solves. It felt really weird and I couldn't get my usual times.
Is it just a question of habit ? Like do you guys remember how it felt when you first tried a magnetic cube ?
I'm wondering if it's worth buying a magnet kit.


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## Izaden (Oct 22, 2019)

Llewelys said:


> I went to a comp this week end and tried a magnetic 3x3 for the first time for a couple of solves. It felt really weird and I couldn't get my usual times.
> Is it just a question of habit ? Like do you guys remember how it felt when you first tried a magnetic cube ?
> I'm wondering if it's worth buying a magnet kit.


I am fairly new to cubing and bought both a magnetic and a non magnetic cube to start.
I feel it is just a learning curve, the cubes handle differently and you need to develop muscle memory to properly harness the magnetic cube. I'd compare it to a mechanical keyboard vs membrane keyboard, the act of typing (or turning) is the same but you need to get used to the feel and positioning.


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## Llewelys (Oct 23, 2019)

Ok, thank you
Does anyone know what's the size and strength of the magnets used in the Valk 3 M ?


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## Mody (Oct 23, 2019)

Llewelys said:


> Ok, thank you
> Does anyone know what's the size and strength of the magnets used in the Valk 3 M ?


I don’t think there a way to measure magnet strength 
But I think most cubes use strong magnets


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## Llewelys (Oct 23, 2019)

Mody said:


> I don’t think there a way to measure magnet strength



Actually there is ! People use N35, N38, etc all the way up to N52 (the higher the number the stronger the magnets)
So I'm asking if someone knows that number


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## Izaden (Oct 23, 2019)

Llewelys said:


> Ok, thank you
> Does anyone know what's the size and strength of the magnets used in the Valk 3 M ?


It is stated to have light-medium magnet strength, but I cannot find anywhere that states the actual neo rating (N) of the magnets.


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## Llewelys (Oct 23, 2019)

Ok, thank you ! I'm going to go with this


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## Mody (Oct 25, 2019)

Llewelys said:


> Actually there is ! People use N35, N38, etc all the way up to N52 (the higher the number the stronger the magnets)
> So I'm asking if someone knows that number


I know there is I meant there is no way to Measure magnets in a cube installed by a factory


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## Zarxrax (Oct 25, 2019)

Buying a magnetic cube vs doing it yourself, is one way better than the other?


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## jo1215 (Oct 26, 2019)

Zarxrax said:


> Buying a magnetic cube vs doing it yourself, is one way better than the other?


doing it yourself is cheaper and allows you to customize the strength to fit your preferences, getting it from the factory is more convenient


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## AbsoRuud (Oct 26, 2019)

jo1215 said:


> doing it yourself is cheaper and allows you to customize the strength to fit your preferences, getting it from the factory is more convenient


Agreed 100%.


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## Llewelys (Oct 26, 2019)

Mody said:


> I know there is I meant there is no way to Measure magnets in a cube installed by a factory



Oh yeah ok, sorry  I was asking because maybe someone knew, either by knowing someone working at the cubicle / scs, or by experimenting with magnets and finding that a certain neo rating was closest to what is used in the Valk


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## Llewelys (Nov 13, 2019)

Update: I wasn't sure whether I'd like having magnets in my cube so I bought the weakest ones (4x1 N35). 
I glued them trying not to mess up polarity and I succeeded on all of them except one, but I managed to take it out and put it back correctly.
I did a few turns and it was immediate: *do not buy 4x1 N35 magnets*, they are way too weak it's like they're barely there.
I had to turn _extremely_ slowly to feel them: my solves are usually around 3 TPS (mainly because of pauses but that's another story) so imagine what I mean by extremely slowly.

So I thought "well, I managed to take out a magnet when the glue had dried (the one with the wrong polarity), I can take them all out and put stronger magnets instead". So I bought 4x1.5 and 4x2 N35 magnets.

Boy was I wrong, I barely succeeded in taking 3 magnets out. I tried acetone, using a screwdriver, soaking the pieces in hot soapy water for a few hours, it did nothing.

So I did the only thing I could think of: gluing the 4x1.5 magnets on top of the 4x1 magnets.

It took a few hours but the strength is fine for me, I'm happy with the result and in the end it was a fun experience!


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## xyzzy (Nov 13, 2019)

Llewelys said:


> So I did the only thing I could think of: gluing the 4x1.5 magnets on top of the 4x1 magnets.


For future reference: you actually don't even need to glue them; just let the additional magnets sit on top of the ones you've already glued.

Also, this is kinda subjective, but I think it's most useful to think about magnets as improving stability, rather than providing that oh-so-satisfying little snap at the end of each turn. It's absolutely fine if you can't "feel" the magnets when turning quickly, as long as they're doing their job of stabilising the cube. (Of course, if you're magnetising your cube only for the satisfying snaps, rather than to improve performance, then feel free to ignore this.)


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## GAN 356 X (Nov 14, 2019)

Llewelys said:


> Update: I wasn't sure whether I'd like having magnets in my cube so I bought the weakest ones (4x1 N35).
> I glued them trying not to mess up polarity and I succeeded on all of them except one, but I managed to take it out and put it back correctly.
> I did a few turns and it was immediate: *do not buy 4x1 N35 magnets*, they are way too weak it's like they're barely there.
> I had to turn _extremely_ slowly to feel them: my solves are usually around 3 TPS (mainly because of pauses but that's another story) so imagine what I mean by extremely slowly.
> ...


Sometimes after much research and fretting just jumping in and winging is the way to go! I do that with cross sometimes, and when I first lubed my cubes


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## iamtolazytonamethis (Feb 27, 2020)

i like rubik's brand


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## VIBE_ZT (Feb 28, 2020)

I prefer magnets 99% of the time.

My current 3BLD main is the GAN Air Pro, and I almost like it more without magnets. The M slices are super smooth and I think that might be better in the case of 3BLD.


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## Mischiiii (Feb 28, 2020)

There is no doubt that magnetic puzzles are better for almost everyone. There is no world record from 2x2 - 7x7 that was set with a non magnetic cube. There aren’t even real flagship cubes without magnets anymore (moyu gan qiyi)


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## xyzzy (Feb 28, 2020)

Mischiiii said:


> There aren’t even real flagship cubes without magnets anymore (moyu gan qiyi)


Just so you don't shift goalposts: what do _you_ mean by "flagship"?


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## kubesolver (Feb 28, 2020)

xyzzy said:


> what do you mean by "flagship"?


I think it's generally understood as the newest, the best, the most advertised and most recommended (if money is not an issue) puzzle from a given manufacturer. Old puzzles or budget puzzles are not flagships.


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## AbsoRuud (Feb 28, 2020)

kubesolver said:


> I think it's generally understood as the newest, the best, the most advertised and most recommended (if money is not an issue) puzzle from a given manufacturer. Old puzzles or budget puzzles are not flagships.


GAN X can be without magnets. MoYu WR is without magnets. Those are flagships.


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## kubesolver (Feb 28, 2020)

I know that we get into derail but is GAN X actually still a flagship? Since XS has been released I would consider it an old puzzle. Don't know about MoYu.

Edit: Oh wait. Do you mean that you can actually remove the magnets? That doesn't invalidate the statement that "There aren’t even real flagship cubes without magnets".


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## Mischiiii (Feb 28, 2020)

yep. Gan XS is is the most current flagship. And there isn’t a option for non magnetic anymore. Also the WR M has still magnets in it. At least the one i I have has magnets inside even though they are very weak.

My point is just that most manufacturers and speedcubers have come to the conclusion that magnets are better. Those who stick to non magnetic probably just have difficulty adjusting to the new feeling you habe with a magnetic. But those can always go to something like the WR M in my opinion as theae magnets are really subtle.


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## AbsoRuud (Feb 28, 2020)

The MoYu WR has no magnets.


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## Mischiiii (Feb 28, 2020)

AbsoRuud said:


> The MoYu WR has no magnets.



Ah okay. Never knew there was a non magnetic version. Maybe because nobody i follow uses it xD

edit: just to be 100% clear: I said magnets are better for ALMOST everyone. And also the term “the best/better” just means that 95% would agree with that.There are always some people with very exotic/specific tastes.  dont wanna offend anyone here.


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## EngiNerdBrian (Feb 28, 2020)

Stability stability stability. After putting down the cube for 6-7ish years then coming back to the scene i must say I'm amazed at the quality of cubes both with and without magnets. I can't imagine i'll ever go back to big cubes without magnets but i think there are plenty of fantastic non magnetic cubes on the market for 3x3s. I think its more about preference with 3x3 but it's easier to argue that big cubes are objectively better with magnets.


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## iamtolazytonamethis (Mar 10, 2020)

iamtolazytonamethis said:


> i like rubik's brand


Jk


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## potatojuiceultra (Apr 15, 2020)

I am kind of new to cubing, and I think my knock-off "speedcube" that turns ok and has barely any corner cutting needs to be replaced with something better. As a beginner, should I buy a more expensive magnetic cube, or just buy a cheaper one that performs well?


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## WarriorCatCuber (Apr 15, 2020)

potatojuiceultra said:


> I am kind of new to cubing, and I think my knock-off "speedcube" that turns ok and has barely any corner cutting needs to be replaced with something better. As a beginner, should I buy a more expensive magnetic cube, or just buy a cheaper one that performs well?


Something like a Yulong V2 M should be fine. Remember that when you get very competitive, a better cube will be out then what we have now.


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## Sub1Hour (Apr 15, 2020)

potatojuiceultra said:


> I am kind of new to cubing, and I think my knock-off "speedcube" that turns ok and has barely any corner cutting needs to be replaced with something better. As a beginner, should I buy a more expensive magnetic cube, or just buy a cheaper one that performs well?


if you are willing to spend extra get a WuWei M. IMO it hangs in just fine with cubes like the wrm and valk line


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## potatojuiceultra (Apr 15, 2020)

Wow, thanks. I didn't know about these. I will probably get one.


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## EvanTheCuber (Apr 16, 2020)

WarriorCatCuber said:


> Something like a Yulong V2 M should be fine. Remember that when you get very competitive, a better cube will be out then what we have now.


The YJ Yulong V2 M will feel very sandy and horrible out of the box(my experience.) But then, I loosened it a ton, and its the best cube in the world. For Now, (Before I get my XS and My Tengyun v2 M) It replaces my GAN 356 X as a main. Its corner cutting is just too satisfying.


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## brododragon (Apr 16, 2020)

EvanTheCuber said:


> The YJ Yulong V2 M will feel very sandy and horrible out of the box(my experience.) But then, I loosened it a ton, and its the best cube in the world. For Now, (Before I get my XS and My Tengyun v2 M) It replaces my GAN 356 X as a main. Its corner cutting is just too satisfying.


You main a Yulong V2 M over an X but are getting the XS??


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## Sub1Hour (Apr 16, 2020)

brododragon said:


> You main a Yulong V2 M over an X but are getting the XS??


The X and XS are performance-wise very similar cubes. They only difference I can find is the different customizable options and feel.


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## RiceMan_ (Apr 16, 2020)

Magnetic cubes are more stable


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## dudefaceguy (May 3, 2020)

I recently fell in love with blind events. After seeing that both the 3BLD and MBLD record holders use non magnetic cubes (Hilliard and Siggins), I decided to put some effort into setting up my Little Magic and Valk. I kinda like them for 3 reasons:

1. They are cheap and durable compared to magnetic cubes. I do a lot of my cubing standing up and moving around, including during my commute. I periodically drop the cubes - this is very upsetting if it's a GTS3M, but not if it's a Little Magic. I used the Huanglong as my main for a while, and dropped it on concrete several times. The green face started feeling weird, so I opened it up and found that 4 edges and 2 corners had loose magnets that had fallen out of their spots! I really don't want to deal with re-gluing magnets every couple of weeks.

2. They can be extremely fast and easy to turn.

3. They are very light - the lightest non magnetic cube will always be lighter than the lightest magnetic cube. I have some problems with repetitive stress injuries in my hands, so this is important. When it comes to weight and ease of turning, every little bit helps.

The main downside is that the cubes are less stable, which causes some lockups - this can make them harder to turn than a magnetic cube. I was able to reduce this with some setup and tensioning, but it's still a factor. My turning is adjusting to be more accurate as well.

The Little Magic's competition is the new Guhong - it's very easy to turn, cheap, and almost as light. We'll see how the magnets hold up after I drop it a few times, haha.

Has anyone else tried out some non magnetic cubes for blind solving recently?


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## AbsoRuud (May 3, 2020)

I've tried and very much liked the GAN Rubik's Speedcube for 3BLD. It's very stable, turns very smoothly and obviously isn't magnetic. But it has a pretty hefty logo that I do not want to remove at all so I'll never use it in a competition.

What I will most likely use in a competition is a MeiLong. I have one set up with strong magnets, but I'm getting a couple of new ones soon and I'll try those out first without magnets. Best thing: MeiLongs come without a logo so I don't have to feel bad about having to remove a logo from a puzzle.


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## Username: Username: (May 3, 2020)

If you are looking at this thread for suggestions, literally put the magnetic version of which cube you want to buy on the cart right now and do the checkout in an instant.

Magnetic cube has a really good clicky feeling, stable turning and it will rarely overshoot (sometimes it depends with the cube but most magnetic cubes will rarely overshoot) and the budget magnetic cubes like the Yuxin Little Magic M could probably compete with higher priced cubes, if setup was correct, with the combination of good setup and magnets, magnetic cubes could probably compete with Gan's cubes.



dudefaceguy said:


> I'm not looking for suggestions - I already have way more magnetic and nonmagnetic cubes than I need. I'm just noting that 3BLD and MBLD world records are using nonmagnetic cubes, and wondering if anyone else has experience using nonmagnetic cubes for blind events. Graham Siggins has a long video about how he sets up his nonmagnetic Weilongs, but it doesn't get into the differences with magnetic cubes.



I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to whoever wants suggestion on whether he should buy a magnetic cube or a non magnetic cube from this thread.


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## dudefaceguy (May 3, 2020)

Username: Username: said:


> If you are looking at this thread for suggestions, literally put the magnetic version of which cube you want to buy on the cart right now and do the checkout in an instant.
> 
> Magnetic cube has a really good clicky feeling, stable turning and it will rarely overshoot (sometimes it depends with the cube but most magnetic cubes will rarely overshoot) and the budget magnetic cubes like the Yuxin Little Magic M could probably compete with higher priced cubes, if setup was correct, with the combination of good setup and magnets, magnetic cubes could probably compete with Gan's cubes.


I'm not looking for suggestions - I already have way more magnetic and nonmagnetic cubes than I need. I'm just noting that 3BLD and MBLD world records are using nonmagnetic cubes, and wondering if anyone else has experience using nonmagnetic cubes for blind events. Graham Siggins has a long video about how he sets up his nonmagnetic Weilongs, but it doesn't get into the differences with magnetic cubes.


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## PikachuPlayz_MC (May 3, 2020)

Gots to give it to magnetic cubes, they may be a little more pricy, but it is worth it.


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## crazykitten499 (Dec 28, 2020)

Cubeguy11 said:


> Personally I prefer magnetic cubes because they snap into place more


I like cubes that snap, but my rs3m 2020 doesn't annoyingly, even though its M cos the magnets r 2 weak


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## freshcuber.de (Dec 28, 2020)

wearephamily1719 said:


> #Lifeistooshortfornonmagneticcubes.


Most of my life cubes were not magnetic.


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## SH03L4C3 (Dec 28, 2020)

For big cubes especially

Sent from my Samsung microwave.


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