I bought the Guhong Pro standard, 56mm after buying the maglev version.
I had been looking for a quiet cube for twisting while the family watched TV, which the maglev provided, but I also wanted to see if the spring version felt any different. Regular price on it is $18, but SCS had it on sale during Black Friday for $10. This is an amazing $10 cube, definitely main worthy, though not quite on the level of the WRM V9, Tornado V3, Gan 12, or Gan 15. I performed about 250 solves on this cube in the last week before posting this review. I have the cube set up on tension "1" with Lunar lube. (I put an SCS logo sticker on the white face to distinguish it from the maglev version.)
PROS
Quiet during metronome exercises, and only slightly louder when pushing TPS solves. Ultra angle corner cutting isn't amazing, but it will corner cut at 45 degrees (tensions set to "1") and any angle less than that will corner cut with almost no effortless. Removing the center caps and adjusting tensions is easy to perform without tools. Magnets are strong enough to provide self-alignment from about 15 degrees out, but not so strong that turns are hard to start. There is a nice 'bump' during turns. The plastic feels nice, especially for a "budget" cube. I've not had to reapply lube yet, so the wavy lube retainment marks on the cubies seems to hold lube well. Twisting is forgiving up to a point if your turns aren't clean. It rarely locks up, unless you are forcefully misaligned on fast TPS solves.
CONS
Cube only comes with a frosted finish (UV coating isn't an option). If you prefer UV coating, you are out of luck. The entire cube is caked in factory lube from the box. It isn't hard to disassemble and clean, but it is slick until you get the cubie faces cleaned off.
VERDICT
Without considering the price, I would rate this a 4 out of 5. Considering the price, it is easy a 4.5 out of 5 (rounded up to 5 for this review). When going for best times and TPS, I still reach for the WRM V9, Gan 12, Tornado V3, or Gan 15, but the Dayan Guhong Pro maglev 56mm is an enjoyable, rewarding cube. I can't feel much difference between the spring version and the maglev version. Both are strikingly good. $3 isn't a lot to upgrade to the maglev, but I'm not sure that is necessary. This is definitely the best $10 cube I've ever twisted.
HOT Seller
