# How can I fix my Cubetwist Bump/Mirror Cube? It's too loose to play with.



## ihaveaface (Dec 12, 2012)

I ordered a gold bump cube on amazon recently: http://www.amazon.com/Cubetwist-3x3x3-Golden-White-Mirror/dp/B006UWD80Q

The reviews it has are both good ones. However my cubies are really loose and the cube locks up severely when trying to solve; like lock-ups so bad that cubies feel like they're being tangled together and you lose your algorithm. I disassembled it and took the center-caps off only to find that the screws are a special kind that have a cylinder going up the top half of the threading to stop the screw after a certain point. I screwed them all out, and then all the way back in, hoping that would do something. It can't be a tension issue because the screws go as far in as they allow.

I'm trying to figure out how to make the actual cubies not so loose. When the cube is scrambled, and you play with it, it doesn't wanna turn and it feels like the cubies wanna just fall out. This makes no sense because the cube itself feels weighty and sturdy. My friend's bump cube is a thin and light 3 dollar one and it turns way better than mine which is almost 10 bucks. At least on his cube, the pieces wanna stay in. On mine, you can slide them apart and they flex out very far. Just holding the cube in your hand when it's scrambled, you notice pieces just flopping around and wanting to flex and bend out of place. It doesn't feel tight or stable. On the top, thinnest layer, I can slide a cubie so far that I can set my index finger into it. The corner pieces also get jammed and actually rotate themselves. The largest cubies on the bottom layer also wanna flex to the side quite a bit. The whole thing feels like it'd pop apart if you tugged on it. The top thinnest center piece is also just a cap, so it can't be removed or adjusted as far as I know, so it's stuck staying loose. 

The center pieces also like to wobble quite a bit. When I was putting it back together, the force of an edge against a center actually bent it over a few millimeters, leaving a gap between the edge and center. This isn't an issue when it's solved, but once you scramble it up, this wobbling becomes an issue when a lot of smaller pieces are around a center being bent over by a big piece. This may be another cause of lock-ups because of the catching.

Is my cube defective, or are super loose cubies a common issue with bump cubes that can be fixed? Is Cubetwist just crappy? In it's current state, it isn't fun to play with at all. It feels more like you're fighting it, rather than solving it. I really wanna love this puzzle. I just wish there was a way to fix it so it's playable.

Edit: I just scrambled it up to see if the tightening helped with anything, and it didn't. It's gonna take me 10 minutes to solve simply because I have to slowly line up each turn and make sure nothing gets caught up. All of the pieces overhanging are far too wobbly and jiggly. I noticed this when I was going to turn a layer, and felt the piece move, but not the rest of the layer. I looked, and the piece my finger was on was just flexed over a good half inch.

Edit 2: I got fed up with it and fully disassembled it again. Now everything is just sitting in a plastic bag right now.


----------



## ihaveaface (Dec 16, 2012)

Can I bump this? I still need help. :/ If it helps, I think the issue is that the thinnest layer on top is too loose (the one with the smallest center piece that's just a cap). I don't know how to remove the cap and tighten the screw though.


----------



## AlexByard (Dec 16, 2012)

I do not want to seem 'blunt', but i would have just gone with a shengshou... I can not speak for the cube twist model but shengshou's are good.


----------



## Kyooberist (Dec 16, 2012)

I had a similar problem, it broke so the shop sent me a new one for free.


----------



## Kattenvriendin (Dec 16, 2012)

Indeed I would ask for a refund and with that refund get a shengshou right here for $4 including shipping

http://lightake.com/detail.do/sku.3x3x3_ShengShou_Wire_Drawing_Style_Magic_Cube_Black-52135


----------

