When I switched to cross on bottom / f2l on bottom of the Rubik’s cube it was like I had to translate every move as I solved. I used to do Cross on top / f2l on left.

Anyway… I practice f2l slow a lot. I’m getting better at using d (little D, bottom 2 layers) turns instead of cube rotations when possible.

My cross time is definitely getting faster but it was decent already.

I gave each f2l pair a name and though of some key things that it’s color reminds me of… this made it a lot easier to see them around the cube as I insert each other pair. Great look ahead trick and it’s also helping to lock in unconscious competence of the order of colors (like what’s left and right of what). I wrote about this on my cube site.

Anyway… just thought I’d drop a quick F2l Update.

I’ve received a few cubes since the last time I posted. I have some black and some white “old” type 1 (A) cubes. They are great as I indicated in another post.

I’ve also received a type 2 A cube (or is it type A 2?). It’s clicky and it locks up easily. Not the best corner cutter. The type A 2 cube is stable when it comes to piece popping but that’s about all it has going for it. It has raised guides and grooves that are supposed to keep it stable but they prevent it from corner cutting properly.

I’ve also received the New White 3x3x3 speed cube. This is the smoothest cube I have. It has very soft plastic. I haven’t been able to get it to stop popping pieces yet but I’ll keep messing with it. If I can stabilize it then it will make a very perfect cube… not to clicky and not to poppy. That seems to be hard to get.

I wrote these up on my cube site… helpmechris.com/cube/   the site is a work in progress.

I also have a couple of diangsheng (diykit type E speed cube) cubes on the way. I’ll let you know how those work out.

I have some averages to post here… this is where I come back to see my progress… as always… this is just for me but if it helps you solve the Rubik’s cube faster then great.

April 2:

Average: 00:47.79
Best: 00:34.46
Avg. 5: 00:48.32
3 of 5: 00:47.57
Avg. 10: 00:47.05
10 of 12: 00:48.39

April 3:

Average: 00:53.83
Best: 00:44.85
Avg. 5: 00:49.67
3 of 5: 00:48.05
Avg. 10: 00:54.06
10 of 12: 00:52.10

April 5:

Average: 00:47.36
Best: 00:38.07
Avg. 5: 00:50.68
3 of 5: 00:50.08
Avg. 10: 00:47.51
10 of 12: 00:47.13

April 6th:

1:
Average: 00:50.01
Best: 00:38.65
Avg. 5: 00:45.58
3 of 5: 00:45.85
Avg. 10: 00:50.45
10 of 12: 00:49.51

2:
Average: 00:48.07
Best: 00:41.84
Avg. 5: 00:47.48
3 of 5: 00:47.65
Avg. 10: 00:48.57
10 of 12: 00:47.81

I took about 2 weeks to really know them all and now I’m still getting faster at recognition and execution. Here and there I mess up and have to start over on the LL… it’s becoming less and less… I’m starting to feel them.  I’ve also been gaining skill with cross on bottom and F2L on bottom.

For PLL I memorized badmephisto’s (they guy with the youtube videos) algorithms from his web site. I also watched his tips videos and found them helpful for learning recognition. Also, check out his pll trainer… it’s a nice way to find  your weaknesses on the pll step.

If you read my previous posts you know that I switched to cross on bottom about a month and a half ago. This was an easy switch… my cross skills were already bad so they didn’t get any worse. Now I’m happy to report that I can almost always identify the cross solve during the 15 second inspection time. Rarely does the timer start with me still contemplating the cross solve. I’m even getting to a point where I’m looking for corner edge pairs before the timer “dings”.

I also switched to F2L on bottom. This was much tougher than I expected. I’ve been doing F2L on the left for years now so switching to f2l on bottom has a big learning curve. After a month or so of this I’m getting where the little tricks and shortcuts that I knew on the left are starting to feel natural with cross on bottom. Cube rotations still feel clunky. I believe that the cross on left grip is more natural for cube rotations. However, with cross on bottom it’s eaiser to pair and insert without rotating the cube when I would have before. I’m still not as fast as I was with F2L on left but I can see and feel how F2l on bottom will enable me to gain more speed than I had before.

Anyway here is today’s average. I post this mainly so I can come back later and compare but if it helps you or makes you feel good then awesome.

Average: ……..00:55.35
Best: …………..00:46.42
Avg. 5:………..00:54.78
Avg. 10:………00:55.08
3 of 5:………….00:55.20
10 of 12:………00:55.59

My cube4you order finally came… it took over a month with air shipping. I made another order and used EMS so those cubes should be here in the next week or so.

The diycube type A (old or type A 1) definitely lives up to the hype! My old sanded/lubed store bought felt so great but now it feels like a garage sale cube. If I were you I’d hit cube4you.com and order a few of the old type A’s right now.

Wow, this cube is loose, fast and light. Once you get the right tension it doesn’t pop at all but you can spin a layer with one finger. At first it was almost too loose for me but once I became comfortable using less pressure with my fingers it was cube perfection. I will say that even though it doesn’t lock up it is a little bit clicky. I’m weary of sanding it because I’m afraid it will become and edge popper if I do.  I ordered 4 more so I’ll sand one and see how it works out.

The diycube type A 2 is a bit disappointing. It has internal ridges which I think are supposed to prevent popping but they cause bad lock up… when the layers are perfectly aligned it does turn smooth but cutting corners is no good with this one. I am definitely going to sand the ridges so that they are smooth on the edges… this might be the answer for the diycube type a 2. I’ll write about it when I do.

I put cubesmith textured tiles on my diycube A 1 and they are awesome. I actually ordered smooth but when I received the package they had sent textured. As soon as I felt them I was glad about the mix up. I have been using their stickers for a while and the tiles definately live up to the cubesmith quality that I’m used to. The texture is not rough or uncomfortable. It feels a lot like a kitchen counter or desk top. Very nice indeed.

So the verdict is in. Textured tiles on a diycube type A 1 is a beautiful combination. Give it a try.

Also, even though I haven’t taken any averages I can tell that my cross and f2l times are going lower… I’m getting down close to 30 seconds for cross + first two layers of the rubik’s cube. That’s not fast enough… After another week or two I will start focusing on f2l and taking averages. I also take notes as I cube so that I can track my set-backs and work on the things that slow me down.

I also ordered a DIYCUBE type A 1 and a type A 2. They say that the type A 1 is the best of the best… I’ll know soon enough. I’m excited about receiving my diycube but it takes forever to ship from china unless you pay twice the price of the cubes for shipping… not me… so I’m waiting. I’ll write an update about my type A diycube when they arrive.

Anyway, here are the results from today’s average.

Average: 00:52.82
Best: 00:41.98
Avg. 5: 00:52.78
Avg. 10: 00:52.07
3 of 5: 00:51.71
10 of 12: 00:53.09

I used to do it like this: orient edges, permute corners, orient corners, permute edges. This was good but didn’t work for building up to a full Fridrich Last layer. I’m still a little bit clumsy on the corner orientation algorithms but I’m getting smoother.

Really I’m rusty at f2l too… having to think a little more than I should. When you have to watch the algorithm it makes it hard to look ahead. I could probably get back down to the 40s if I’d just work on f2l for a week but I decided to go ahead and learn new LL algs first so that I would be practicing them as I worked on f2l.

Anyway, here are today’s averages:

Average: 01:00.46
Best: 00:48.52
Avg. 5: 01:03.35
Avg. 10: 00:59.58
3 of 5: 01:00.90
10 of 12: 00:59.37

Average:      01:24.46
Best:      00:59.75
Avg. 5:     01:33.85
3 of 5:     01:33.76
Avg. 10:     01:23.66
10 of 12:     01:24.23

…not bad for a guy that only solves the Rubik’s cube once ever couple of days. I used to be down in the 35-45 second range though. Not enough hours in the day for that kind of perfection.