Shengshou 5x5 Speed Cube Puzzle

First off, I am a "casual cuber"...not quite a speed cuber or a cube 'nut', but I care enough to solve my cubes frequently.My first 5x5x5 cube was the Rubik's 'Professor' cube......what a disappointment. Not only was that cube literally painful to turn (seriously, every time I solved it, I could feel the carpal tunnel creeping into my wrists), but it locked and popped with every turn. My Rubik's 3x3x3 and 4x4x4 both loosened with use, and were also modifiable- so I suffered through solution after solution on my 5x5, hoping that it would get better. It didn't. Eventually, I decided to modify it, hoping that would make it workable...in trying to take it apart, the cube broke. The cube seemed to have been designed never to be taken apart- the pieces are all jammed together so tightly you can't pop the edges out, and the inner parts are so flimsily fragile that they break with minimum pressure.Anyway, I decided that I needed a new cube; one that was all around better. After thoroughly researching, I came to the conclusion that I needed to get either a V-Cube 5x5 or a Shengshou 5x5......there seems to be a big dispute among speed cubers as to which is better (but the "faster" ones seemed to lean toward Shengshou). My final choice was the Shengshou based on the fact that it is 1/3 of the price of a V-cube, and apparently the same quality. I am so glad I got this cube.Right out of the box, this cube surpassed every one of my expectations. When people say that it turns like butter, they mean that it turns like butter. I've had this cube in my hands for about an hour: it "finger trick's" easy, it hasn't locked up yet, it cuts corners well, pieces haven't popped out, etc. It's easier to use than all of my other cubes- even the ones with modifications and years of use. And another benefit: it's only slightly bigger than a Rubik's 3x3, so it's much smaller than the Rubik's 5x5 and even smaller than the Rubik's 4x4, and therefore VERY easy on the hands.My solution time on my Rubik's 5x5 was between 15-18 minutes, just because it was literally /that/ difficult to turn. My first solve on this cube: less than 7 minutes...that's ~ 10 minutes off my time, just using a better cube.I have two very minor complaints about this cube:1) When I took it out of the box, it was completely soaked with lubricating oil. I'm thrilled that it comes lubricated, but I just wasn't expecting to have to wipe it clean when I got it.2) Because of the oil, it was covered with dirt/dust as well. There are also little bumps that I am pretty sure are pieces of dirt under a lot of the stickers...so I'll probably replace those soon.All in all, a brilliant cube. If you're looking for a quality 5x5 cube, don't let the "cheap" price of this cube deceive you.......it's the most superior cube I have ever touched- and based on other reviews I've read, other people think so too.Happy Cubing!!:) :) :) :) :) :)

Good quality

I bought this cube wanting to replace an older Rubik's brand 5x5. For the price this is a hard cube to beat. It turns smoothly but a little blocky. This cube does not corner cut, without doing the Florian mod to it. Even then most bigger cubes normally don't corner cut much. The stickers are a little on the dull side, compared to the brights that most newer cubes use these days. Those can easily be replaced from several cube shops online with your preferred colors. I used this Shengshou as my main 5x5 for nearly a year, before recently replacing it with the Yuxin. It traveled with me in my backpack several times and across a move, never had an issue with it. Because of it's price I probably treated it a little worse than some of my other cubes.This cube will lock up if you do not have your layers aligned for the most part. Some of them can be pretty nasty depending on how fast or hard you are turning. The pieces have been strong and nothing has broke.While this cube was still as it came I never experienced any pops. Modding this cube I did experience them only extremely rare though, and I wouldn't say mine is heavily modded.If you are looking to have a 5x5, get this. If you are looking to mod a puzzle, I'd say this is one of the better ones to attempt that on. If you are looking for a speedcube out of the box, look elsewhere.

This is my 1st cube from this company. I love the size. It is only about 1/4" larger than a standard 3x3. So, it fits nicely in the hand. It moves very smoothly. The blocks are tight, in the sense that there is not a lot of sloppy play. It does not feel like it is going to come apart at the slightest wrong turn.I only have 2 issues with it. 1) There is grit underneath a few of the stickers. 2) It was a little greasy when I took it out of it's package. Not much can be done about the grit, but the grease was easily remove with some wiping with a paper towel.That being said, I think this is an outstanding cube for the price.

Pros:-It turns great. Much better than my rubik's brand cubes.-It looks good.-Seems sturdy, but i haven't had it long enough to test it.Cons:-You can't purchase this item without buying other things that are worth at least $25. It's stupid that there isn't even an option to pay a high shipping and handling for the item.-The instructions to solve it are in a foreign language, and therefore mostly useless to me. Honestly, not really a big deal at all if you have any kind of internet access.Other:-It's slightly smaller than my 4x4 Rubik's Cube. Doesn't matter to me, but something to point out.-The yellow color is kind of like a reflective vest yellow. I don't mind it, but it's something others might.-Some of the stickers are a little crooked. Again, I don't really care, but others might.-Some people have pointed out their cube is very greasy, has sand under the stickers, or that it isn't the cube they were supposed to receive. None of this is true of the product I received. However, it seems to be a luck of the draw type thing, so watch out for it.Overall:Definitely worth a 5 star review based on the product I received. It works great and you can't complain about the price.

Im most impressed with the price of this puzzle cube. As they get bigger they get substantially more expensive so I’m super happy with that fact that it’s really great quality for this price. Super cool!

The stickers come off easily while trying to solve the cube. They’re unsafe for a child to swallow.

This cube moves easily, its the perfect tension. There is no over lubrication and there are no pops.