HOT Seller
GAN has recently released their latest and greatest flagship, the GAN 13. However, many cubers are still interested in this one specific GAN cube from 2020 - The GAN 356 M.
The GAN 356 M is a stripped-down version of their 2019 flagship, the GAN 356 X, and its slightly updated version, the GAN 356 X V2. Does it still hold up against modern flagship cubes over 2 years after its release? Let's find out.
Specifications
The GAN 356 M, not to be confused with the 356 Air M, was released in 2020. It's 56 millimeters across and weighs only 74 grams. The cube is only available in frosted stickerless plastic with black internals, which is what GAN used to use as their regular internal color before switching to primary plastic with the GAN 11. The cube sports a numerical IPG core, which has predetermined screw depth, for each of the nuts. This is similar to GAN's modern screw depth systems like the GAN 11-13 in the fact that there are predetermined settings, which has the advantage of having 100% even tensions.
The cube comes in a simplistic white box, which contains GAN's old white plastic cube case, a cube station app, a GAN bag, and three more sets of colored nuts, which each have a different-strength spring similar to the old GAN elasticity nuts.
Importantly, this cube is factory magnetized. But unlike its flagship counterparts, the magnets are not adjustable. The magnets found in the cube are of a moderate strength - not too overbearing, but definitely noticeable at slower turning speeds.
There is certainly a difference between the auto-alignment of the GAN 12/13 and the regular magnetization of the 356 M. Because the 356 M doesn't have corner-core magnets like the GAN 12/13 do, it does require a bit more proximity to the end of each turn to get the layer to align fully and become a cubic shape.
Auto-alignment of the GAN 13.
Performance and Feel
On stock tensions, the cube corner cuts past 45 degrees, albeit with a little resistance, and it reverse cuts pretty much anywhere.
However, out of the box the cube is uncontrollably fast and needs to be set up. After setup, the cube's performance increases dramatically.
"After setup, I could get my average times on the cube. I do quite like the feel of this cube still, even in comparison to some of the newer GAN cubes."
Ari
In the past few years, GAN's newer cubes arguably feel a little more crunchy and harsh in comparison to the older, black-plastic cubes, which have a more muted turning feel.
Conclusion
To date, the GAN 356 M has sold 1.4 times more than the GAN 356 X V2 at SpeedCubeShop, which goes to show that sometimes, the lower end budget cubes that omit features (in this case, adjustable magnets) can still be a viable option if you don't mind losing customizability. For example, the RS3 M 2020 does not have adjustable magnets and it's one of the all-time best sellers at SpeedCubeShop.com.
