I received the DianSheng Solar S3M 2022 magnetic as part of a "free mystery gift" promotion from SCS. Regular price S3M 2022 is $11, though it was on sale for $6 at the time of the promotion. I performed 100 solves on this cube before posting this review. I have the S3M set up on travel adjustment "1" and backed the spring tension off about 1/2 a turn. I added Lunar lube once on initial setup.
PROS
Smooth and fairly quiet (a bit louder than the Tornado V3). The magnets provide a satisfying "bump" to help align turns. Corner cutting is really good, about 45 degrees, while backward cut is about 22 degrees. Removing the center caps and travel adjustment is easy without tools, but spring tension adjustments requires a screwdriver (provided). The price paid (and sale price) both represent a great value for a budget cube. I was surprised by how good this was for a free $6 cube.
CONS
The magnet strength is probably a bit too strong for my preference. Although they don't get in the way of initiating pinky tricks, it does take a bit of push to initiate turns. Regular price is probably a bit high, considering the Guhon Pro is a step above for a similar price. No UV coating (though this is the base model) leaves the plastic a bit slick. When pushing TPS during solves, it does catch periodically since my turns aren't perfectly clean, I did have one corner twist (likely due to my loose settings). Excess factory lube had to be cleaned have during initial setup.
VERDICT
I was really surprised by how good this was for a cheap cube, though the regular price may be a bit high for its performance considering other high value offerings like the Guhong Pro. This is my first cube from DianSheng and I have to say, I don't hate it. I am may have to pick up the MagLev version to see how that one feels, though I can't imagine the turning dynamics change all that much considering the cubie designs are likely the same. All in all, a solid "budget" offering.
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