# Roux on "Big Cubes"



## Roussell (Dec 26, 2017)

I started cubing around a year-and-a-half ago so I'm fairly new but I'm not the fastest or the slowest. I started solving with lbl move up to cfop pretty quickly. after a year I avarage sub 12 and then about 5 months ago I switch to Roux. During my year using cfop in I casually solved big cubes. one of the things that was holding me back from starting to use Roux earlier was big cubes. it is been said for the longest amount of time that Roux solvers will never be fast at Big cubes I am one of the people who think that is not true anymore.
After a month of using roux I sign up for a competition that offered 5 x 5 I already knew at that time that Roux was my main 3x3 method by far and I wanted to use it on 5x5 but I couldn't find any information. I found a video my kian mansour explaining meyer 4x4 and a web post about mayor for 4x4. so I kind of didn't have much to go off of with a competition approaching I decided to use what I like to call Rouxduction it's free slice into Roux 3x3 stage. I ended up geting 10th in 5x5.
so what really makes Roux a terrible method on the cubes. well first it's the M slices. turning multiple layers with one finger is extremely difficult to master. there is 3 things you can do to make those slices better
1 you can learn how to finger trick in slices properly it's really hard to explain but there are actual finger tricks you need to be using for big cubes with roux.
2 is over lubeing your puzzle it may sound weird to overlube the cube but it comes with a big dowside of you get tired faster.
3 the last option which is what I found in my opinion what makes roux is no longer terrible for big cubes. Its magnetic cubes there is miles of difference between non magnetic and magnetic cubes
so now you're in the slices are way more Stabler and you can fluently finger trick m slices now what is making you so terrible on big cubes now here's the 2nd thing. Roux uses more inspection on a standard 3x3 solve in my opinion which makes it harder on big cubes where there's an immediate transition between edges and 3x3 stage. Now this can be solved with look ahead and practice but, I think this problem solves itself in the wash because Roux uses less moves then cfop so if you are efficient it really doesn't matter that much
So I think if you want to switch to roux and big cubes is holding you back. you have no reason why not to switch because roux is in my opinion just as good as big cubes as cfop.
now over the past three months I have been casuly experimenting on 5x5 6x6 4x4 and have discovered some tips and little things that help make my roux 3x3 stage better and I'm willing to share if people want to hear about them like. I have a special algorithm I use for Dots I even came up with a new-old way of solving 5x5 called M5
I'm hoping this starts a discussion about roux on big cubes because it's an Avenue that people tend to avoid and I would like as much feedback as possible from all sorts of cubers and what your opinions are.

Thanks for reading

For refence I avarage 50 on 4x4 1:40 on 5x5 3:30 on 6x6 I'm not fast but I don't consider my self slow


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## The Pocket Cuber (Dec 26, 2017)

Kian Mansour has a tutorial on the Meyer method for big cubes on his YouTube account. 3x3 reduction stage starts off with first block already solved. People say that M slices on big cubes are hard but really it just takes time to get used to, so the Meyer method is probably the way to go.


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## Competition Cuber (Dec 26, 2017)

Roussell said:


> I started cubing around a year-and-a-half ago so I'm fairly new but I'm not the fastest or the slowest. I started solving with lbl move up to cfop pretty quickly. after a year I avarage sub 12 and then about 5 months ago I switch to Roux. During my year using cfop in I casually solved big cubes. one of the things that was holding me back from starting to use Roux earlier was big cubes. it is been said for the longest amount of time that Roux solvers will never be fast at Big cubes I am one of the people who think that is not true anymore.
> After a month of using roux I sign up for a competition that offered 5 x 5 I already knew at that time that Roux was my main 3x3 method by far and I wanted to use it on 5x5 but I couldn't find any information. I found a video my kian mansour explaining meyer 4x4 and a web post about mayor for 4x4. so I kind of didn't have much to go off of with a competition approaching I decided to use what I like to call Rouxduction it's free slice into Roux 3x3 stage. I ended up geting 10th in 5x5.
> so what really makes Roux a terrible method on the cubes. well first it's the M slices. turning multiple layers with one finger is extremely difficult to master. there is 3 things you can do to make those slices better
> 1 you can learn how to finger trick in slices properly it's really hard to explain but there are actual finger tricks you need to be using for big cubes with roux.
> ...


If you can afford one, magnetize a big cube (or at least just the inner layers). It can really help (I dont use roux, but I can feel the difference in the M slices)


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## The Pocket Cuber (Dec 26, 2017)

Competition Cuber said:


> If you can afford one, magnetize a big cube (or at least just the inner layers). It can really help (I dont use roux, but I can feel the difference in the M slices)


Very true. When I got a magnetic YuXin Blue, it became much easier to solve with Meyer, even though I don't use that cube, it has great M slices


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## Roussell (Dec 26, 2017)

Competition Cuber said:


> If you can afford one, magnetize a big cube (or at least just the inner layers). It can really help (I dont use roux, but I can feel the difference in the M slices)


 I do have a magnetic 3x3-7x7 I built my self and they are awesome. And you can't bulid a magnetic cube for under $10. my point is the hardware is no longer an issue it's just a matter of time and practice of the softwhere. so why it still a thing that "roux solvers will never be good at big cubes".



The Pocket Cuber said:


> Kian Mansour has a tutorial on the Meyer method for big cubes on his YouTube account. 3x3 reduction stage starts off with first block already solved. People say that M slices on big cubes are hard but really it just takes time to get used to, so the Meyer method is probably the way to go.



I use meyer on 4x4 and freeslice into roux on 6x6 and 7x7. but 5x5 its a toss up between m5 and freslice into roux. I'm leaning more towards the latter


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## 1001010101001 (Dec 27, 2017)

I use 'Roux-duction' on big cubes like this: Solve F2b, CMLL , centers , redux. It's good as u can commutate 2 edges at a time very quickly. The only downside is not being able to do 3-2-3 or 6-2.


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## GuRoux (Dec 27, 2017)

nice post. keep up the good work exploring roux in big cubes. how are your 5x5 times different when using your method and normal reduction into roux?


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## Roussell (Dec 27, 2017)

GuRoux said:


> nice post. keep up the good work exploring roux in big cubes. how are your 5x5 times different when using your method and normal reduction into roux?


That's the funny thing they are both about the same freslice-roux is around 1:43-1:48 but I get a lot of sub 1:40 singles. M5 has all my pb's my 1:26 single my 1:33 avarage of 5 and my 1:39 ao12 but I'm Realy inconsistent i get a 1:50 right next to a 1:40. My avarge of 50 is1:42 I've been practicing more and the inconsistent solves now hapaning less often
I avarage about the same. M5 is a bit faster


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## Roussell (Dec 30, 2017)

I've been practicing 5x5 a lot and I im sub 1:40 80% of the time.





There's my 5x5 1:37 avarage of 5 useing M5 I'm still playing around with the method but any advice for improvement?


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