# MeiLong 3 M vs. QiYi MS 3x3.



## AbsoRuud (Jun 23, 2020)

Today I am going to compare the Mofang JiaoShi MeiLong 3M and the QiYi MS 3x3.

Price
I compared the prices on a random website that sells both puzzles. The MS costs 8 dollars. the MeiLong costs 6 dollars. Budget cubes have come a long way and it's amazing to see two main worthy puzzles at these prices. The MeiLong is cheaper, so it gets the point.

MeiLong 1 - MS 0.

Packaging
The MS comes in a very nice plastic case, which is wrapped in plastic. Inside the plastic case, the cube is also wrapped in plastic. This definitely ensures that the cube is well protected against outside elements. There is a piece of cardboard to hold the cube in place and a small pamphlet.

The MeiLong 3 M comes in a basic cardboard box. Mine was fairly banged up by the postal service and the cube inside had one corner piece that came apart slightly. So it would be prudent for cubing stores to protect the puzzle a little better for shipping. Apart from the cube, you'll find a stand, a box with a couple of cards, a pamphlet and a screwdriver.

This is a tie. The QiYi MS box is much better, but the MeiLong comes with a screwdriver and a stand. So both puzzles get a point.

MS on the left, MeiLong on the right.
 

MeiLong 2 - MS 1.

First turns
The MS is ready to go out of the box. I've done no setup to it, and I've gotten a good Ao100 on it. This makes it extremely suitable for beginners or people who don't like to set up their puzzles. The sound is clacky and loud, the magnets are very snappy and feel fairly strong and it's satisfying to turn. While shades are personal preference, this puzzle does have good shades that are easy to distinguish. The green is fairly light and a bit warmer than average, the red is very dark. There is virtually no spring noise.

The MeiLong is dry and sandy out of the box, but also fairly quiet. There is a little bit of lube on the stalks, but other than that this cube is dry. I get decent times on it, but the MeiLong needs setup before being competition ready. Without lube, it's catchy and locky. The shades are good, especially the bright yellow stands out. Otherwise I like the dark blue, dark red and dark green a lot. There is a bit of spring noise, which I personally don't care about. But this might bother some people. I prefer the brighter white of the original MeiLong over the new, slightly more ivory white of the new MeiLong M.

The brighter, warmer green and the dark red of the MS on the left left, the darker, slightly cooler green and the slightly less dark red of the MeiLong on the right

 

MeiLong 2 - MS 2.

After setup
The MS needs no setup and I haven't changed anything about the cube since taking it out of the box. In my opinion QiYi really did a good job setting this puzzle up in the factory. Cornercutting is about 45 degrees, reverse corner cutting is just under one piece. If you need more cornercutting, you should consider changing your turning style to be a little more accurate. The magnets are fairly strong, but they don't make turning heavy or tiring. It's a very good puzzle that would be suitable for a lot of people. It's fairly flexible without being catchy or locky.

I took apart the MeiLong and put some thick lube on the springs and three drops of Silk on the pieces. This really changes the puzzle. The basic feeling of the cube stays intact, but the puzzle now glides and solves very smoothly and cornercutting is improved to almost 50 degrees while reverse cornercutting is still just under one piece. The magnets are weak to medium, they do enough to keep the cube stable. I would have preferred something slightly stronger, more like the Premium A&M from Moyustore, but this magnet strength is sufficient for most people. It's interesting to note there are magnet slots in this puzzle now.

My times are much more consistent on the MeiLong and in general, I get better averages on it. In my Ao100 my fastest Ao5 was a second faster on the MeiLong and my slowest Ao5 was almost 2 seconds faster on the MeiLong. So I'm going to have to give the point to the MeiLong.

MeiLong 3 - MS 2.

To summarize
Both cubes are really good. I would recommend both of them to anyone.

If you are willing to set up your cube and tinker with it, definitely get the MeiLong. It's cheaper and more consistent after setup.
if you want a cube that is ready to go out of the box, get the MS.

You can get the cubes here:
MS: The Cubicle (excluding shipping)
MeiLong: MoYu store (includes shipping)


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## Zubin Park (Jun 23, 2020)

The points that you give the cubes may be different than from other cubers. Objectively, which one you you recommend?


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## AbsoRuud (Jun 23, 2020)

Zubin Park said:


> The points that you give the cubes may be different than from other cubers. Objectively, which one you you recommend?


Basically what I wrote in the last few lines. If you want something ready out of the box, get the MS, if you don't mind tinkering, get the MeiLong. 

With setup, I like the MeiLong more.


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