Man, it's been a lot of history with this cube. 5.01, 4.86, 4.75, 4.69, 4.48. This thing has been through the world and back. But, despite its hype and the release of GAN cubes after this, the GAN 12 stays strong.
The performance is incredible as always. Out of the box, I guarantee you that IT WILL POP. It does not perform well without lube, just like your mo-
Adjustment is easy. My blue thing is set to 2, my clear thing is set to 3, and I use hexagonal magnets on the strongest setting, which still provides a smooth guiding feel without the CLUNK of the WRM V9.
Incidentally, I picked this cube over the V9 for that very reason. The beautiful quality of this cube is that regardless of how strong you set the magnets, it's never clicky. It flows incredibly well, and when turning fast, the magnets are not noticeable in feel but always helping stability.
Since this cube is too similar to the 11 and 13 onward, I'll be comparing it to my XS.
It's crunchier and not as quiet, but with my preferred lube setup (Compound X, DNM, and Mystic) it becomes nearly as quiet as my XS when they are setup identically.
They both cut very well, but the 12 feels more stable in small corner cuts than the XS, mostly due to the light weight and the loooooong core magnets. Notably, the XS suffers more than the 12 at very high angles, but who's cutting over 45 in a regular solve?
The 12 feels similar to the XS in the fact that it feels like you are turning absolutely nothing. They are both light, fast, and smooth, with no hint of resistance or sandiness. Of course, lube will change this, but it's worth noting.
The color shades are of course perfect, and the UV coating is VERY helpful with my hands being perpetually dry (I swear, my hands eat more Vaseline than a 2007-era Rubik's brand.) My only gripe is the lack of a stickered version still available, but hey, I own an SM, so that's cool. (I'm not selling it. EVER.)
The only downsides are the fact that it's pretty hard to get the setup right and that it's more prone to pops than the XS. For the setup, just follow my instructions and you should be okay, and the pops should be negligible. Honestly, I felt as if I just needed to say something at least a little negative so I don't feel like I'm blowing hot air.
Bottom line? Better than the 11. Better than the 13. Better than the 14. Better than the V9. I still love it.
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