# Mini QJ Review and Analysis



## daniel0731ex (Feb 13, 2010)

First impression:

out if the box it's usable unlike the Tiled QJ because it is prelubed. However, i have a strict rule that the factory oil must be removed. so i cleaned it out and re-lubed it. the stickers have a slight glittery pattern on it; i think that it would look very nice on the black one, but the sticker does not look very good on the white plastic.

when i disassembled it i noticed that the bottom of the centers have some molding imperfections. the tiled QJ does not have anything like that. i assume that it is harder to control the quality of smaller pieces.

after lubing, my first impression is that it is not as smooth or fast as the tiled QJ. the outer layers are a bit bumpy, and the inner layer takes a bit more force to move. i'm sure that it will disappear after breaking in. 

the small size makes it very easy to handle, i could connect the finger tricks very sommthly unlike on the Tiled QJ, where i constantly needs to re-grab the cube to do the next move.

occasionally there would be some lock-ups on the inner layer.the center pieces overlaps each and causes lock-ups. this never happens on my large QJ, so i disassembled the whole cube to see what is causing this.

I noticed that the inner radius relative to the size is slightly but noticably larger than the tiled QJ. because of this the center piece is thinner than the original 4x4, which causes them to lock up. they probably did this to increase the space for the mechanism, so they could make the stalk of the center and the corner piece thicker, which is why the Mini GJ does not have the breaking problem the meffert's and tiled QJ does. i wonder why meffert's doesn't do this aswell? most people would preferred to live with the occasional lock-ups rather than having pieces breaking all the time.


Performance:

although theoretically the mini QJ couldn't cut corner as much as the tiled QJ, i am actually able to cut more on the mini QJ than i dare on the tiled QJ. the fragilebility of the tile QJ is certainly a big hold-back despite the performance. the mini QJ, on the other hand, is much more reliable and much easier to handle. the speed may not be a fast as the tiled QJ at first, but after breaking-in when the bumpy feel disappears it loosens up. unlike the tiled QJ, the mini QJ lasts much longer because it does not become extremely loose over time liek the tiled QJ. 
like i said before, the cube fells bumpy at first before breaking in. but after the bumpy feel disappears it have a far superior feel than the tiled QJ. it have just the right amount of resistance that makes the cube feel very easy to handle, along with the small size. the tiled QJ over-shoots a bit if you are not careful, although it's not really a problem if you are an experianced cube.
the gilttery stickers is very durable, probably more durable than cubesmith stickers. if you treat it with care it will last as long as the cubesmith tile does. 


Score:

Reliability (how crazy you can turn without lock-up or pops): 8

Durability (how long cube stays at its peak performance): 10
This cube is a lot more durable than the tailed QJ

Stability (popping): 9
Pops a little more than the tiled QJ becase of the larger inner radius

Solidness (e.g. lock-ups): 8

Speed: 9
undoubtfully very nice

Tolerance: 8
corner-cutting is only slightly inferior to the tiled QJ. (please note that this is the theoretical)

Smoothness: 7
it's still have some barely noticable bumpy feel.

Handling: 10
The small size and the DIY-like resistance makes it very easy to handle. i'm suspecting that the edge pieces' curvature does not fit perfectly in the circle.

OVERALL: 9

Conclusion:
I think this 4x4 is top 2 on the market. the meffert's and Tiled QJ is too large to handle and is just too fragile. I'd recommend buying the black one if you are keeping the stickers. the glittery pattern doesn't look too well on the white plastic.


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## Parity (Feb 13, 2010)

The YJ has a glittery stickers to.


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## LewisJ (Feb 13, 2010)

You definitely need to break in the cube with 50-100 solves and give a second opinion. It changed a lot for me as I used it.

edit: Pics of shiny YJ 4x4 stickers
http://imgur.com/1747k.jpg
http://imgur.com/TuRNI.jpg
Unfortunately my phone's camera decided to focus on my pile of cubes in the background rather than on the YJ but that should still get the point across...and it's white+yellow, no more black.


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## ~Phoenix Death~ (Feb 13, 2010)

Getting a QJ in the mail this week.
This'll be great.


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## kprox1994 (Feb 13, 2010)

Is the miniQJ only available in white now on popbuying? I can't find it in black.


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## nlCuber22 (Feb 13, 2010)

kprox1994 said:


> Is the miniQJ only available in white now on popbuying? I can't find it in black.



http://popbuying.com/detail.pb/sku.4x4x4_QJ_6CM_Magic_Intelligence_Test_Cube_Black-24168

:confused:


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## James Ludlow (Feb 13, 2010)

Parity said:


> The YJ has a glittery stickers to.



The newest one I got has shiny stickers, but the first one I got had them "tile" like stickers on them, similar to the ones I got on a stickered QJ. I wonder why they changed.


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## Thomas09 (Feb 13, 2010)

Now I feel like making a review.


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## whitelynx_nivla (Feb 13, 2010)

I Guess you're reffering to the Mini 4x4x4, not the mini 3x3x3 (48mm)
The white base has the glitter stickers, the black one has the textured stickers, jg like the 67mm ones (without tiles)


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## Neo63 (Feb 13, 2010)

does the colour affect the performance at all?


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## whitelynx_nivla (Feb 13, 2010)

Neo63 said:


> does the colour affect the performance at all?



i dont think so, at least not in my concern
but some of my friends dont like the stickers on the white base
it has that ridiculous plastic that peals off, just like rubik's


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## Neo63 (Feb 13, 2010)

whitelynx_nivla said:


> Neo63 said:
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> 
> > does the colour affect the performance at all?
> ...



we can always change to cubesmith stickers, so the hardware is the same?


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## whitelynx_nivla (Feb 14, 2010)

Neo63 said:


> whitelynx_nivla said:
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> > Neo63 said:
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in my opinion, yes


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## Deleted member 2864 (Feb 14, 2010)

whitelynx_nivla said:


> Neo63 said:
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> > whitelynx_nivla said:
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Umm.... whether the hardware is the same or not is simply a yes or no question.

There are no "imo's" when you're asking whether two things are alike or not...


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## lilkdub503 (Feb 14, 2010)

I have both the tiled QJ (crap if you like having no pain while cubing) and the mini QJ. You know that thing with 3x3's when you twist a corner? Okay, well I idiotically did that with my tiled QJ, and the piece broke off. I thought that was just me, and replaced it with a Rubik's corner I had laying around.
A little later, I was cubing again, and another piece randomly popped during 3x3 stage! I looked a little closer, and noticed that the corner is only molded at one place! Seriously, there is very little space where the inside corner meets the leg. 
When I got my mini QJ, I first checked that same scenario, and I was ultra relieved that it was MUCH more robustly built. The corner meets more flush with the leg, and I could have more peace of mind while cubing.
Lastly, those tiles hurt. A LOT. Sometimes you may be trying to do an algorithm, and you may slip and catch your nail over a tile. It hurts for hours on end if you do that. Not only that, but the raised logo on one of the corner cubies is illegal according to WCA standards.


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## Jake Gouldon (Feb 14, 2010)

They allow the logos, just not in 4BLD


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## olivier131 (Feb 15, 2010)

daniel0731ex said:


> Conclusion:
> I think this 4x4 is top 2 on the market. the meffert's and Tiled QJ is too large to handle and is just too fragile.


And so, what is the top 1 ?


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## CubesOfTheWorld (Feb 15, 2010)

i calculated it. it scored an 8.625 average, which is why daniel rounded it to 9. this means that the percentage is 86.25%. thats a suckish school grade for me, but it is really good when it comes to cubes


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## CubesOfTheWorld (Feb 15, 2010)

olivier131 said:


> daniel0731ex said:
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> > Conclusion:
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black qj is the top one


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## Dfgged (Feb 15, 2010)

CubesOfTheWorld said:


> olivier131 said:
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> > daniel0731ex said:
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I beg to differ. I prefer my mini QJ over my friends fully broken in and lubed full size QJ. But then again that's my opinion.


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## daniel0731ex (Feb 15, 2010)

olivier131 said:


> daniel0731ex said:
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> > Conclusion:
> ...



although i'd hate to admit it, the YJ V-cube KO is currently the best.

It's not that I'm starting to take the opinion of dAn cOhen, I just really would have preferred it more if it's Eastsheen sized and without the clicking mechanism.


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## olivier131 (Feb 16, 2010)

For me, the black QJ is good but i prefer the mini.
The YJ is too noisy !
So the mini QJ is top 1 (for me).


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## ElderKingpin (Feb 16, 2010)

you failed to mention that the colors orange and red get really friggin hard to discern from each other in almost every light i seem to have.

That includes a blue light, a white light, and a yellowish-orange light.


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## Provectus (Feb 16, 2010)

YJ has a that weird clicky feel though.


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## masterofthebass (Feb 16, 2010)

daniel0731ex said:


> olivier131 said:
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> > daniel0731ex said:
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As someone who actually solves the 4x4 fast, I would have to disagree with you. The YJ is in no way the best 4x4. If it didn't have the clicking mechanism, it wouldn't be a KO and therefore, be a completely different puzzle (I highly doubt YJ is capable of coming up with their own new design anyway). 

As for fragility, I haven't broken a single piece on any of 5-10 QJs (Rowe Hessler broke one for me though ). I guess people just have to learn to turn with more accuracy :/


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## daniel0731ex (Feb 16, 2010)

masterofthebass said:


> daniel0731ex said:
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> > olivier131 said:
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well, it's top 1 in MY opinion because i have the ability to mod it. there is actually a new way to glue the pins in.


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## masterofthebass (Feb 16, 2010)

Mines completely modded and its still crap compared to my "good" 4x4s.


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## daniel0731ex (Feb 16, 2010)

masterofthebass said:


> Mines completely modded and its still crap compared to my "good" 4x4s.



well, the inner slice lock-ups are mostly caused by the over-sized slut on the center piece. You may want to fill it with epoxy putty or something.


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## Jake Gouldon (Feb 16, 2010)

daniel0731ex said:


> masterofthebass said:
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> > Mines completely modded and its still crap compared to my "good" 4x4s.
> ...



hehehe


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## masterofthebass (Feb 16, 2010)

daniel0731ex said:


> masterofthebass said:
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> > Mines completely modded and its still crap compared to my "good" 4x4s.
> ...



i don't have any lockups....... the cube just isnt good


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