# Purchase for school cubing team



## fanwuq (Aug 21, 2008)

I'll need to buy cubes for the school. Let's say about $200. With the recent troubles people had with Cube4you, do I dare to place such a large order?

I plan on getting a pyraminx, a ^2-1, a magic, several DIY 3x3s, one or two ES2x2, and one or two 4x4/5x5s.
Stickers:
Are these stickers any good?
http://cube4you.com/172_New-Skidproof-Sticker-(7-Color).html 
http://cube4you.com/182_New-PVC-Sticker-II-(7-color).html 

Also, I'm considering these:
http://cubesmith.com/Vinyl Sheets.htm 

Are vinyl sheets different from PVC stickers?
And do you need to cut these yourself?
How much more durable are tiles compared to PVC or vinyl stickers?

For DIY cubes, which type? I've only had experience with the old type A. I know many people recommend type Ds, but I'm skeptical. 
Are these any good?
http://cube4you.com/392_White-DIYKit-3x3x3-Cube-II-(a).html 
Also, what's the main opinion on type F's? (they seem flimsy, I want something durable and solid like the old type A.)
I'm considering getting a few type As and Ds and perhaps an A-II, B, C or F. E's look like they suck.
What exactly is so bad about type Bs and Cs?
Which magic is not so easy to break?

Thanks!


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## MistArts (Aug 21, 2008)

*NO MAGIC!*

If you get another pyraminx, can you beat my NR after I beat your NR?

Vinyl sheet are only good if you make custom puzzles.

Just get bunch of D's and A's.


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## 512456 (Aug 21, 2008)

By the way, just to tell you, cube4you shop is giving out coupons again. So, save some USD20.00 for more puzzles.


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## crazyasianskills (Aug 21, 2008)

You're lucky your school has a cubing team thatd be sweet. But I dont know about trusting cube4you. Maybe try PuzzleProz they have As and Ds. And get the stickers at cubesmith maybe.


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## Carson (Aug 21, 2008)

Cubesmith tiles are extremely durable.


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## shelley (Aug 21, 2008)

The cube4you "skidproof" stickers have a nice texture, but they're very thin. Because of this, make sure you put them on accurately, because peeling them off pretty much ruins them. Also, I find the colors too dull and because they're so thin the color of the cube shows through. They may look better on white cubes, but on dark cubes all the bright colors become muted. I don't really like them. If you want stickers/tiles Cubesmith is probably your best bet. Just get the pre-cut sticker sets; the vinyl sheets are just sheets for you to cut your sticker shapes yourself.


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## PCwizCube (Aug 21, 2008)

Vinyl stickers are better than PVC stickers.

Type A II is a very bad cube. Horrible. They might even send you the wrong cube.

Type E with old Type A core is very similar to the Type D - I would get it because it's the cheapest. Some people say it's better than the Type D with old Type A core with silicone lubrication.
I would get the same number of As, Ds, and Es. Also make sure you get old Type A cores for all your Ds and Es. Otherwise they're not as good.

Type C's turn slowly. That's one of it's big problems. Type B idk, but a lot of people say they're very bad. Type F feels very hollow and light, and doesn't cut corners well.

Stickers you probably need to replace at least once a year (for vinyl and PVC). Tiles, if you put them on correctly, will last forever.


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## fanwuq (Aug 21, 2008)

crazyasianskills said:


> You're lucky your school has a cubing team thatd be sweet. But I dont know about trusting cube4you. Maybe try PuzzleProz they have As and Ds. And get the stickers at cubesmith maybe.



I just made it, I'm not sure how it would work out. So far I only have one friend who is really interested, and the teacher has been cubing for years. A few random people kinda interested, but they rarely cube and average over a minute, some average like 5min.

MistArts,
I don't think Magic is a puzzle either, but some of the stupid people might have to use it as a way to step up to the real puzzles.

Thanks for the comparison, Rubik's cube fan.

And thank you Shelley for the advice on stickers. I'll probably get a few of the skid proof stickers, tiles and vinyl stickers.

I'm still undecided about the cubes. Old type A and D, not sure about E, I heard that they suck without lube and can't cut corners. The teacher has a really great 25th anniversary Rubik's cube. Are they consistently good? (But I wouldn't get them If they cost more than the DIYs.)


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## PCwizCube (Aug 21, 2008)

fanwuq said:


> I'm still undecided about the cubes. Old type A and D, not sure about E, I heard that they suck without lube and can't cut corners. The teacher has a really great 25th anniversary Rubik's cube. Are they consistently good? (But I wouldn't get them If they cost more than the DIYs.)


I'm telling you, the Type E without lubrication is horrible. Lubricate it, it's very good. Switch the core with old Type A, it's AMAZING. I'm tell you it's a good deal. $4 and to lubricate it just pop and edge piece out and spray (using silicone). Switching the core will take like 3 minutes. The entire process will take you like 10 minutes. You can have friends help you. 10 minutes and $4 for an AMAZING cube!

The Type E with the stickers instead of the paint are better. Don't know how to get the right one though...


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## Tim_Likes_Cubing (Aug 21, 2008)

I wish my school had a cubing team. That would be insanely awesome.


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## fanwuq (Aug 21, 2008)

Tim_Likes_Cubing said:


> I wish my school had a cubing team. That would be insanely awesome.



I just met with some teachers and tried to make it myself. I'm hoping to get at least 4 competitors at Virginia open. Try talking about it with teachers at your school! It really helps having a teacher who cubes at your school .



Edit:
I'll just go with A and D and try my luck at E or F if there's enough money.
Thanks, everyone!
[/thread]


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## Bryan (Aug 21, 2008)

I wouldn't worry too much about the cubes themselves. If people are new to cubing, they actually don't like really loose cubes or fast turning cubes. As long as your avoid dollar store cubes, you should be fine.


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## pcharles93 (Aug 21, 2008)

Bryan said:


> I wouldn't worry too much about the cubes themselves. If people are new to cubing, they actually don't like really loose cubes or fast turning cubes. As long as your avoid dollar store cubes, you should be fine.




You could sum all that up by telling him to buy Rubik's brand storeboughts. Or rubiks.com DIY's to teach everyone about finding their optimal tensions and how to take care of a puzzle.


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## Bryan (Aug 22, 2008)

pcharles93 said:


> Bryan said:
> 
> 
> > I wouldn't worry too much about the cubes themselves. If people are new to cubing, they actually don't like really loose cubes or fast turning cubes. As long as your avoid dollar store cubes, you should be fine.
> ...



Yeah, shame on me for deciding to include rational in my answer


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## Neroflux (Aug 22, 2008)

Rubik's Cube Fan said:


> Vinyl stickers are better than PVC stickers.



pvc is vinyl. poly vinyl chloride.


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## PCwizCube (Aug 24, 2008)

Neroflux said:


> Rubik's Cube Fan said:
> 
> 
> > Vinyl stickers are better than PVC stickers.
> ...


Vinyl and Poly Vinyl Chloride stickers are different. Vinyl *stickers* are better. PVCs are better in other stuff. 

I think there was a thread on this a while back.... I will try to look it up... Hmmm... can't find it


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## fanwuq (Aug 24, 2008)

Then, I'm a bit confused. Anyway, PVC is already pretty good, they lasted almost a year for me so far.


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## PCwizCube (Aug 24, 2008)

fanwuq said:


> Then, I'm a bit confused. Anyway, PVC is already pretty good, they lasted almost a year for me so far.


Vinyl and Poly Vinyl Chloride are different. That's why they have different names. Vinyl is just vinyl. Poly Vinyl Chloride is vinyl plus some other things added to it.

For some other uses PVC is stronger. But vinyl is better for stickers. Idk why, but it just is.

So, viny is better than PVC for *stickers*.


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## Neroflux (Aug 24, 2008)

Quote from cube4you forum:



auhsoj said:


> Vinyl is an organic group, and does not exist on its own. I it is bonded with other atoms/groups to make up a vinyl monomer, which bond together to make a polymer.
> Depending what the vinyl is bonded with makes them different vinyls, and they are very different from each other.
> When bonded with benzene, it makes polystyrene, very different to vinyl stickers. With Acetate, forms PVAc, a glue, very different to vinyl stickers. With alcohol (ethonol) forms PVA, a glue, again not the stickers. I could keep going but, When with Chloride, makes PVC, which is what is used for stickers.
> Vinyl stickers ARE PVC stickers.


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## Odin (Aug 24, 2008)

well school is going to start tomorrow and yesterday was a back to school meeting thing, and i was talking to some teachers about making a cube club , they said i could i just need to find at least 2 teachers to sponsor, and 5 kid to make it a club. so it things go right ill be the president of the Murchison middle school speed cubing club  but i need to get faster my best time so far is 1:38 ....


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## fanwuq (Sep 2, 2008)

Hi everyone, 

I've made this list, any suggestions?
Thanks


A B C D E F
1 Quantity Name link price each sub-subtotal reason
2 1 Rubik’s Magic http://cube4you.com/375_New-Magic-8(Red).html 10.99 10.99 Easy for beginners
3 2 Two magic strings http://cube4you.com/347_Two-Magic-Strings.html 0.60 1.2 Magic breaks easily
4 3 (D) DIY 3x3 cube http://cube4you.com/380_White-3x3x3-Cube-no-sticker-(d).html 6.82 20.46 good cube
5 2 screw/washer pack http://cube4you.com/394_Screw+Washer+Spring.html 0.490 0.98 just in case there's trouble of less screws in a pack
6 1 Black 3x3x3 edge (a) http://cube4you.com/298_Black-3x3x3-edge-(a).html 0.59 0.59 for Mike's broken cube
7 1 New Skidproof Sticker http://cube4you.com/172_New-Skidproof-Sticker-(7-Color).html 0.97 0.97 Interesting stickers
8 5 Old yellow core http://cube4you.com/231_Old-Yellow-core-(a).html 0.63 3.15 Must change type D and E cores
9 2 (E) DIY 3x3 cube http://cube4you.com/370_Diansheng-White-3x3x3-Cube-(e).html 3.89 7.78 Fast, but not easy to pop. Good for Mr. Todaro
10 1 (A) DIY 3x3 cube black+white package http://cube4you.com/260_White-DIYKit-3x3x3-Cube-(a).html 13.64 13.64 choose the package, not the specific cubes, it's cheaper.
11 1 Eastsheen A2+A4+A5 package http://cube4you.com/317_Eastsheen-2x2x2-Cube-(A2).html 35.09 35.09 choose the package, not the specific cubes, it's cheaper.
12 1 Square-1 http://cube4you.com/127_Black-Square-1.html 7.79 7.79 Puzzle I haven't tried.
13 
14 Cube4you subtotal: 102.64 Shipping is about $20
15 
16 1 Meffert's pyraminx http://sites.webec.com.hk/meffert/index.cfm?id=571475&pageid=87 18 18 Easy and fun puzzle
17 
18 Meffert's Subtotal: 18 Shipping Free
19 
20 1 Textured tiles http://cubesmith.com/3x3x3tiles.htm 4.5 4.5 very very durable
21 1 Smooth tiles http://cubesmith.com/3x3x3tiles.htm 4.5 4.5 very very durable
22 2 Bright replacement set stickers 3x3 http://cubesmith.com/3x3x3.htm 1.85 3.7 Nice colors, good for Mr. Todaro (Petrus method, color neutral)
23 1 Standard replacement set 4x4 http://cubesmith.com/4x4x4.htm 1.5 1.5 Might as well as get nice stickers for these too to get over $15 for free shipping.
24 1 Standard replacement set 5x5 http://cubesmith.com/5x5x5.htm 1.5 1.5 Might as well as get nice stickers for these too to get over $15 for free shipping.
25 Standard replacement set ES2x2 http://cubesmith.com/Eastsheen 2x2.htm 1.25 1.25 Might as well as get nice stickers for these too to get over $15 for free shipping.
26 
27 Cubesmith Subtotal: 16.95 Shipping free if over $15, or else $2
28 
29 Total subtotal: 137.59

Edit: I know this looks very sloppy. Anyway to attach MS Excel documents here?


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## crazyasianskills (Sep 2, 2008)

man thats a big order. I hope cube4you doesnt screw up on this one.


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## fanwuq (Sep 2, 2008)

crazyasianskills said:


> man thats a big order. I hope cube4you doesnt screw up on this one.



I was thinking about that too. What's a nice way to contact them if it goes wrong just in case?


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## Lotsofsloths (Sep 3, 2008)

fanwuq said:


> crazyasianskills said:
> 
> 
> > man thats a big order. I hope cube4you doesnt screw up on this one.
> ...



Skype?


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## Mike Hughey (Sep 3, 2008)

Just $102? I'm not sure I've ever placed an order that small from Cube4you. Sad, isn't it? 

My even larger orders came fine, for what it's worth.


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## Carson (Sep 3, 2008)

fanwuq said:


> Two magic strings http://cube4you.com/347_Two-Magic-Strings.html 0.60 1.2 Magic breaks easily



I would get more than two magic strings. Each magic has 16 strings.


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## Neroflux (Sep 3, 2008)

well since you are making a purchase above $100 you could talk to rubik on msn and request for additional discounts.


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## fanwuq (Sep 3, 2008)

Carson said:


> fanwuq said:
> 
> 
> > Two magic strings http://cube4you.com/347_Two-Magic-Strings.html 0.60 1.2 Magic breaks easily
> ...



really?
Then, forget getting a magic at all.

Then why do they sell packs of 2?
how many strings usually break at a time and how often do they break? (estimate # of solves.)

I'm thinking about taking out magic and cubesmith tiles+stickers and add a type C.


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## MistArts (Sep 3, 2008)

fanwuq said:


> Carson said:
> 
> 
> > fanwuq said:
> ...



Wait for the Meffert's minx....If you get extra, I might buy one at VA 08.


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## fanwuq (Sep 4, 2008)

The order is made.

There are some small changes.

It is basically 2 A, 2 C, 2 D 3x3 cubes. 2 ES 2x2 cubes. 1 Magic. 1 Square-1. Replacement edge for Mike. Cores, screws, stickers, magic strings. Total was about $84 for cube4you and $16 for cubesmith.

We will order from Meffert's later.


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