As a kid in the early 1980s, I was at ground zero for the Rubik’s Cube craze. Although I was fortunate to have lots of great stuff as a kid, I never did get an authentic Rubik’s Cube. Instead, I made do with a knock-off, one that was extremely difficult to turn properly. I still put countless hours into mastering it, and, although I never got much better than regularly solving for two sides, those particular memories are still fond. While I still have yet to own an authentic Rubik’s Cube (although, oddly enough, I had some of their offshoot puzzles), I’m happy to say that this three pack of DOLAIMI cubes not only provides unique puzzles, but also move at least as smooth as their iconic inspiration.

You’ll receive one 2x2x2 six-sided cube, one 3x3x3 six-sided, and one 4x4x4 six-sided cube. The 2x2x2 is the easiest to solve, while the 4x4x4 is the hardest. The 3x3x3 mimics the original Rubik’s Cube design.

The ABS plastic is well molded and brightly colored, with a stickerless design. The pre-lubricated rotating action is indeed smooth and quick on each of the cubes. The only limit here is how quickly your hands, and of course, mind, can work.

The included instructions are not in English, and the small diagrams aren’t much help. If for some reason you need assistance with these, particularly if you want to work out solutions without trial and error, you’ll have to look for generic information online.

If you have heavy-handed kids or are a similarly heavy-handed adult, these cubes can be pulled apart with some effort. The good news is is that they’re easily repairable by simply popping segments right back in place. In fact, that’s exactly what I had to do when my middle daughter got a bit careless with the 2x2x2 cube.

While far from perfect, this is still a great value pack of cube puzzles. If you’re a puzzle enthusiast, these are well worth the investment, particularly if you want to practice your speed solves.

Pluses:

• Fast action
• Unique puzzles
• Colored plastic, so can’t cheat by removing stickers

 

Minuses:

• Screws are highly visible on 2x2x2 cube
• Can cheat on 2x2x2 and 3x3x3 cubes by rotating individual blocks
• No English instructions

 

Thanks to DOLAIMI for the review unit.