# Stickers vs Tiles



## chiperten (Aug 11, 2006)

Hi, I have bought several sticker sets from Cubesmith and I am very satisfied. I was wondering recently about the tiles. Can someone give me a rundown on the pros and cons of each and then maybe let me know which are preferred.


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## tenderchkn (Aug 11, 2006)

My first order from cubesmith were a couple sets of textured tiles because I got so tired of my stickers peeling on me. The tiles definately feel different - they are hard and have rough edges and sometimes my fingertips get caught on the edges. Doesn't really affect me when cubing, but it's just an icky feeling.

That being said though, one set of tiles will last you forever. All you have to do is clean them once in a while. His vinyl stickers will chip every now and then, so I prefer to have two sets per puzzle so I can just replace chipped stickers. The color of the vinyl stickers is brighter than the tiles, and looks better.

Overall, the tiles just have a different feel. The cube becomes slightly bigger, which you may or may not notice. It depends on your preference, style, or even the cube itself. When I first got the tiles, I used them for a few months, preferred them to stickers, and then I got a set of stickers and I've been using that for a while. So if you want to try it out, the next time you want to order something, add the tiles to the cart.


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## Me (Aug 11, 2006)

Adding on to the previous post, about the tiles, they're pretty good considering that you never have to replace them, but they take a little while getting used to. The last thing is in my experience the tiles aren't that great if your cubing one-handed because the tiles dont grip as well if your using one hand, so tiles (thick or thin version) for two handed cubing, but vinyl for the one handed stuff


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## cubeobsession (Aug 12, 2006)

Thanks for the information about the tiles and stickers. I have only ever bought the stickers from Cubesmith. I might try the tiles just to see what they are like.


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## chiperten (Aug 12, 2006)

Yea, I think I'm going to put the tiles on one of my cubes.


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## raoul st. texas (Aug 15, 2006)

someone gave me a junky old cube with tiles on it. i removed the tiles and tried it out on my worst speed cube. i really didn't care for it. (aside from inherent differences between the cubes) it felt like i was driving a mack truck compared to my other speed cubes with stickers.

again, its up to your preference, but it adds weight and too much dimension for my liking.

on a related note: my first purchase of stickers was along side my DIY and lube from rubikshop. however, i've since ordered replacements from cubesmith for my 4x4's and 5x5's. i don't know what the difference is, but my 5x5 is already starting to tear and peel (after 2 weeks of casual use). i can tell that i only have 2-3 weeks left on some of the cubesmith stickers. the stickers i bought from rubiks shop show almost no signs of wear and are probably 4-6 months old.

i'm a guitarist and have slightly longer than normal finger nails on my right hand index, middle and ring fingers. all too often, they are digging in and doing the damage. however, my rubikshop stickers have never done that.

i like dealing with cubesmith. he's a nice guy and my orders don't get screwed up. i will continue to use him and replace as often as necessary...just curious about anyone else's experience.


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## Cetron (Aug 19, 2006)

Hey personally I've been using a method from a website which I've forgotten now. Basically it's taking those thin plastic files or folders or dividers and cutting them up and using contact cement/adhesive to stick them on. I've experimented with tiles before, but the cut-up-files are seriously the best way of replacing that I've come across so far. Unfortunately I can't talk about the cubesmith stuff because I've never used it before.

*Tiles*:
Pros: Doesn't peel.
Cons: Thick, heavy, chips so you might need to replace them, feels funny, makes the cube feel bigger.

*Stickers*:
Pros: Thin, light, alright grip.
Cons: Peels, needs constant replacing.

*Files with contact cement*:
Pros: Can be as thin as stickers if you find the right sort of files, light, NEVER peels, NEVER needs replacement, can choose your own colours.
Cons: Takes a bit of time and effort to replace all the stickers, might not be able to find said colours.

So, what I'm saying is to use the files with contact cement. The contact cement/adhesive is important, because otherwise they kind of just fall off. But as I mentioned, I've never used the Cubesmith stickers, and so they might turn out to be superb stickers which never peels and last forever. Anyway, from what I heard it's probably worth a try for me to check them out.


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## cubehead (Aug 25, 2006)

i recommend the non-textured tiles. i have some on one of my cubes and they feel pretty nice. i guess the textured tiles are necessary if your a real clutz, and have trouble dropping the cube often. 

one thing that bugs me about textured tiles is you sort of have to build callouses (spelling... sorry...) in order to get used to them. because at first they feel like sandpaper.

the chipping is definately a problem, but it's not that big of a deal if you have back-up tiles. way better than stickers, if you ask me. those things last like a month. (thumbs down)


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## AaROn (Aug 26, 2006)

I agree about tiles being better than stickers, and the only Con I can think of about it is that if you do a weird move with your finger and the elastic is wearing off of a corner of a tile, your fingernail may go under the tile and that hurts beyond beleif.


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## deKeijzer (Aug 26, 2006)

I ordered tiles and regular stickers today (And stickers for a calander cube as well, but it has nothing to do with this). I`m gonna try the tiles first, if they don`t work out, or if I really want to try the regular stickers as well, I`ll get the tiles off and replace it with stickers. If I stil want the tiles after that I`ll just get out the good ol' glue and use tiles some more


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