Customer Reviews

Rubik's 5X5 Cube

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I bought this puzzle for my kid after he solved the original cube. I had read the review here and other places stating that one needed to be cautious when turning the puzzle. However, our major problem with it was that the orange stickers (within ten minutes of playing with the cube) began to peel back and fall off. We tried using glue (they had no stick to them) to put them back but it was not long after that the green stickers began curling back and falling off as well.

The major problem is that these turned out not to be "stickers" after all, but rather colored squares of vinyl adhereing to additional stickers beneath (all white) by means of static. They fall off easily.

This is a nice puzzle for show (impressive on the desk) but not for actual continued use. Hopefully, Rubik's can use proper stickers or adhesive in the future and maybe even tighten up the design so that this can be used as a fun puzzle.

I'm an avid Rubik's cube player of the 3x3 model and have owned my cube for nearly two decades. Since I can solve it in under 2 minutes, I decided to invest in the 5x5 for a bigger challenge.

Unlike its robust sister (my 3x3 cube is well lubed with vaseline, and only has one re-glued sticker), the 5x5 proved fragile within the first two days. I used a careful touch, since I'm very familiar with how untried cubes explode. Nevertheless, many stickers started to peel on the first day, and two of the center squares have completely falling off and look to be non-reparable.

I lubed my 5x5 before using it, though it's more difficult because the squares are smaller and turns tighter. I was also careful to turn rows precisely to avoid misalignment and subsequent explosion. Even so, it broke on me. It's a shame, because I was really getting into the challenge of it. Now, it just sits like a broken toy on my desk.

For a $30 or so product, I find this inexcusable. Rubik's is supposed to have a strong brand name and I have been very happy with my 3x3 cube. I'll never invest in another Rubik's product.

Just to add to what others have said--the orange and green stickers are falling off my cube after about 3 days of use. When the color peels off, it leaves a white box underneath, which I guess I'll color in with a permanent marker or something.

No regrets on the purchase, but the shoddy construction is annoying.

I had heard rumors of this cube, and didn't find it until a few months ago. It is, quite obviously, much harder than the 3x3x3, but it's fun to twist it, especially to see the combinations of colors impossible with smaller cubes. And no, I haven't solved it...yet(Bum-ba-ba-bum-ba!)

You do have to be careful twisting it. But it does warn you on the box that it's not for "speed cubing" or the like. Also, they do not include a hints/solution manual, but do give a website. I haven't broken it yet, and unless you're just reckless or impatient, it would be hard to do. Overall, it's a fun puzzle. I would suggest buying it only if you like the original cube, but that's just me. It's fun on its own merit, too. That's it for me - long live Rubik's Cubes!

I was skeptical purchasing this cube for my son reading all the bad reviews. He's a "speed cuber" with the 3x3 and we warned him contanstly that this cube was not for speed cubing. He heeded our warning and we have had NO issues with the cube.

It is NOT fallen apart.
The stickers have NOT fallen off or come loose.

It's such a great toy - provides hours of entertainment, makes you think, doesn't need batteries, makes no noise, has no flashing lights, and is portable.

The cube is very fun and cool, but the colored stickers started falling off after a few days. In my opinion, it was still worth it. I will not purchase replacement stickers because they won't stay on. I just used colored permanent markers on the squares missing stickers.

This is probably my favorite Rubiks puzzle. It hasn't fallen apart on me yet, and after several weeks of wear and tear turns quite smoothly. Solving the center pieces is pretty easy, and matching the edge pieces is fun to do; never quite the same combinations. And then you get to finish by solving it like the 3x3x3.

great product. fun and educational, but this rubik's cube is very fragile and is hard to turn, so be careful. even if you only know how to do the original rubik's cube, this is not extremely difficult.

I have no idea what the other reviewers that claim their cubes were so durable were doing, but the inner squares on my cube pop off no matter how much care I take with the cube. The piece has a very thin, delicate neck and breaks very easily. Also, the stickers were wearing off within two weeks of using the cube. I contacted the company on the box and they were kind enough to send me a replacement... which the stickers wore off after two weeks of use and the inner squares broke no matter how much care I took. I have found replacement stickers on the Rubik's website so I've been able to solve the falling-off-stickers problem. I've rated this toy as 5 stars on fun because, even though it is very frustrating when the squares break, it's been kind of a new puzzle taking it apart and supergluing the pieces back together every time they break (think 'model-building'). I've been able to play that game well over 20 times so far between the two cubes I have now (the one I bought and the replacement cube). I just recently took the two cubes apart and made one good cube with the unbroken inner corners. We'll see how long this one lasts.

I don't know if it's a matter of defective items, or differing ideas of what it means to treat a cube gently, or what, but I've had none of the problems reported here with this cube breaking so far. One cubie did start to pop loose one time, but I pressed it back in and it was fine. Yes, this is less robust than the order 4 (Rubik's Revenge) cube which in turn is less sturdy than the order 3 (Rubik's Cube); yes, you do have to be more careful with it; no, you can't speed cube with it. But mine isn't prone to breaking under gentle use. Nor are the stickers peeling off.

I figured Rubik's Cube out on my own, many years ago (not from a book), and when I bought the order 4 cube I found there was much that carried over from the order 3, but there were new problems to be solved too. Proceeding then to the order 5 (Professor) cube, it seems to me there's nothing really new if you have a good understanding of how to attack the order 3 and 4 cubes. There are more cubies to deal with, but nothing fundamentally different. I unscrambled mine the first time in under an hour -- and that's with treating the puzzle gently, and my own lack of speed generally, and a few times I made mistakes and messed up some of the progress I've made. So, if you're looking for a new level of intellectual challenge, this isn't it. And, obviously, it's not for you if you're obsessed with speed.

On the other hand, if you just like unscrambling the lower order cubes just for the mental calisthenics of it, this is a good puzzle. And obviously if you're into pretty patterns, or if you're simply a cube completist, you'll want an order 5.

Just treat it gently, and I think you'll be happy.