When I was growing up one of the crazes when I was at school was the 3D combination puzzle the Rubik’s Cube. A cube with different coloured sides that could be twisted and turned to mix up all the colours and the idea was to get it back to each side being one solid colour, and as fast as you could. The Rubik’s Cube is still going strong, one of the world’s most recognised and bestselling toys selling in the hundreds of millions, it has been updated over the years and comes in different shapes and sizes. And as with any popular toy there are new and improved versions and we were sent one of these newer magic speed cubes for review, the NEXcube 3×3 (it is available in other options).
The NEXcube is very similar to the Rubik’s Cube in the fact that is a cube with different coloured sides and the idea is the same – to get the sides all one solid colour as fast as you can. But unlike the original Rubik’s Cube, the NEXcube is less clunky and rigid and has a lot smoother and faster twisting action, enabling you to rotate and move coloured squares a lot faster – the world record for solving this cube is 3.47 seconds! That really is some speed!
The aim of the NEXcube is to mix up the colours on all sides and challenge yourself to solve it as quickly as you can, getting each side back into a solid colour (made up of nine smaller cubes). No one in our house is never going to get close to solving the cube in under 4 seconds, nowhere near (although with practice we can keep our fingers crossed).
The action of the NEXcube is extremely smooth and the twisting and rotating actions are very fast. It has been ergonomically designed with a unique mechanism. Manoeuvrability is excellent with the rounded corners; it is smooth and fast, and the elasticity can be adjusted to make the movement tighter.
Overall, we love the NEXcube! We have several Rubik’s Cubes in our house that have seen lots of love, but we feel the NEXcube is better. It is smaller than a Rubik’s Cube but works so much better, the speed in which you can twist and turn it is super-fast, whilst also being super smooth!
It is constructed from coloured plastic, no stickers to be peeled off to try and cheat. It feels quite durable, especially with how fast you can manipulate it.
It is an excellent toy to stimulate the brain as well as being a great fidget toy to help release excess or nervous energy. It is a fun a calming toy that can also help with attention, concentration, patience, agility, problem solving and developing memory.
It can be quite addictive but can be put down and resumed so you can play for as little as a few minutes or a lengthier time period. Although you do have to be careful when you put it down as when you pick it back up again it can twist easily and mess up you progress (or someone else will pick it up to have a go, which has happened in house, and mess up progress).
With Christmas fast approaching we think that the NEXcube would make an excellent gift for a Christmas stocking or even a Secret Santa gift, especially for people that love fidget or problem-solving toys.
The NEXcube 3×3 speed cube is hours of fun, requires no batteries and best of all, is screen free! It is small and light so is easily portable and can be played anywhere. Perfect for children (aged 8+) and adults.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £8.79
Available to buy from Amazon here.
