A 5x5 speedcube, also known as a 5x5x5 cube or simply a 5x5 cube, is another challenging twisty puzzle that is another step up in complexity from the more common 3x3 Rubik's Cube. The primary difference between the two is the number of layers and the mechanisms involved in their solving. Here are some reasons why a 5x5 speedcube is more difficult than a 3x3 cube:
- Increased Complexity: The 5x5 cube has five layers on each side, totaling 25 individual smaller cubes (or cubies) per face. This is nearly three times as many cube pieces as the 3x3 cube, which has only nine per face. The increased number of pieces adds to the overall complexity of the puzzle, making it take longer to solve.
- Parity Errors: the 5x5 cube does have parity similarly to the 4x4 but it only has OLL parity (where two edges are flipped), however, this can be spotted just before doing 3x3x3 stage because the inner edge piece will be solved.
- One nice thing about the 5x5 cube is that the centre pieces are fixed, you don’t need to worry about getting the colour scheme in the wrong place.
If the 5x5x5 sounds interesting for you or you already have a bad 5x5 cube and want to get a better one then I hope to explain which the best 5x5x5 cube on the market is at the end of 2023, 5x5s are generally a bit better in performance than 4x4s because they don’t require inner pieces, cube manufacturers sometimes release the 5x5 first before a similar feeling 4x4.
Important things to note:
5x5s are slightly easier to reassemble than 4x4s because there aren’t fiddly inner pieces to deal with, however, I would still recommend keeping them on tight tensions to prevent popping issues and obviously if the cube does pop, stop turning immediately and focus on fixing it. you can use fast lubricants instead to make the cube turn faster, if you are doing lots of solves then you are going to need to regularly add fast lubricants such as Luboss Rapid to your cube to prevent it slowing down.
If you try to force a corner cut which is beyond what the cube is capable of then it can lead to deformation of the cube where an extra piece gets jammed into the wrong layer, this can easily be fixed by pulling that piece back down the cube while holding the pieces in the way in place. If you end up with 10 centre pieces in one side then you are going to need to take one out and put it in the side with 8 (in the right place). this video here may be helpful in fixing them if this happens to you:
Best 5x5x5 overall:
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Picube YJ MGC 5x5x5: £50 Since I got this cube my averages have been consistently better than what I have had before, the core magnets really help to stabilize a cube that is generally a bit too fast and a bit uncontrollable without them. It is a naturally fast, flexible and somewhat snappy cube that just feels really nice to turn. |
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Best 5x5x5 (£30 and under):
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DaYan NeZha: £24
The DaYan NeZha is a great 5x5x5 which features fast and somewhat smooth turning, it has pretty good corner-cutting and is slightly more stable than the YJ MGC, it has DaYan’s classic quiet and smooth feeling which is enjoyable to solve and also makes parents less annoyed about the noise of cubes turning.
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Best 5x5x5 (£20 and under):
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YJ MGC 5x5x5: £17
YJ could definitely have gotten away with charging significantly more for these MGC big cubes as you really can’t go wrong with them, the 5x5 feels slightly different to the rest of the series as it is a bit more flexible and quite fast, nonetheless, it is still a smooth and relatively stable speedcube that is used by so many speedcubers!
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Best 5x5x5 (£15 and under):
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QiYi MS 5x5x5: £14
The QiYi MS 5x5x5 is larger than most options on this list at 64mm, it is a more blocky version of the old Valk 5, It is a feeling that some people will like but many won’t, I am able to get quite good solve times on it.
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Best 5x5x5 (£10 and under):
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The MeiLong 5x5x5 is a non magnetic 5x5 speedcube that still performs very well, it was initially released in a 62mm version but then was redesigned into a 60mm version which performs much better, It is currently the lightest 5x5 available for sale at just 99.3g. It is probably the best modern non magnetic 5x5 but magnets would definitely help improve it, MoYu did also release a magnetic version
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Best for smaller hands:
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YJ ZhiLong 5x5x5 (£15)
The ZhiLong series features puzzles that are simply slightly smaller than regular puzzles, the ZhiLong 5x5 is 58m. The design is actually more similar to the YuChuang V2M than the MGC but is still an excellent design from YJ. It turns just as fast as their larger cubes but is just perfect for those with smaller hands or who want something easier to carry around.
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Highly commended options:
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MoYu AoChuang WRM (£32)
The MoYu AoChaung WRM is a very good 5x5x5 that deserves a mention on this list, I used it as my main for a long time. Unfortunately as of writing this list, it is currently out of stock and expected to remain out of stock for a long time due to moulding issues at MoYu’s factory. I feel that a PiCube core magnetic version would probably be better than the PiCube MGC but PiCube had to stop making them. |
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QiYi Valk 5 (£36)
The QiYi Valk 5 is still used by a lot of top speedcubers, it is very smooth and performs very well, unfortunately they are now out of production so may not ever be in stock again. |
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