XMan Hong

Big cube releases are interesting : nothing happens for half a decade, and then a ton of new cubes that are actually good come out at the same time. Enters the new 5x5 by XMan Design, who apparently decided that after making one of the best 3x3 in recent history, they’d try to repeat the feat for 5x5.

And… they would have blasted away any competition if their timing had been better. As it stands, their newest product shines at a comfortable 2nd spot, ahead of any cubes from last year of before, but not at the level of that very expensive one with the blue logo.

The Xman Hong is a really good 5x5 that feels like a normal 5x5 that performs really well. It is a bit springy and flexible, albeit not as much as the MGC, and has very differentiated layer magnets, with a stronger pull on the inner slice and a rather weak one on the outer layer.

The cube requires some setup (lube, maybe some re-tensioning, but I was pretty happy with the tension out of the box), but if you’re shelling out the cost of this cube you probably have some lube around and half an idea of what a cube that is too tight or too loose feels like. Despite that, I’ve been getting my normal times very quickly and very consistently after a relatively short time solving with it.

The only true flaw of this cube comes from the weaker outer magnets : they make slices fantastically comfortable, but the weaker pull doesn’t let you finish your turns precisely with ease, and the core magnets are unable to compensate for it. Factor in the flexibility of the cube and you might get slight catches and lockups, unless you loosen the cube and then might risk pops.This makes it sound as if the cube might be bad. It isn’t. Slightly catchy and locky cubes have always been the standard for 5x5, where corner cutting can only help so before pieces start to jump around like popcorn. Within the context of big cubes, this one is perfectly fine, it just requires you to be more accurate than the clumsy slob that most 3x3 will let you get away with being.

The comparison with other cubes is where the question of timing comes in: Had I been writing this review 4 months ago, I would have been raving about the new king of 5x5. More controllable than the MGC and without as many pops, more flexible than the Valk5, faster and lighter to turn than the WRM. It feels like it manages to get the right balance of many features that other cubes only tend to hit piecemeal.

But then there’s the new blue elephant in the room. The Gan 562 is just a different type of puzzle. Call it next gen, or very lucky happenstance, or the result of big investments and engineering, but the Gan just overperforms all the other 5x5 that are available, Hong included. Nevertheless, the Hong does have two advantages : Price and Size. The Gan costing almost one and a half times more than the XMan, means that many of us will have to consider whether to fork out the difference. The Hong being noticeably smaller than the 562 means that cubers with small hands might find their happiness here, and be able to execute some fingertricks that are more challenging on the larger and unwieldier contender.

As for the rest… in terms of design the cube looks ok. Some of the colours are more vibrant (orange, red), others are darker (blue, green). A very minor pet peeve I have is that the grooved pattern on the inner side of the edges (to keep lube in) are very visible even when the cube is solved. This creates small shadows between the edge pieces that make it look as if something is stuck in between. Add in the less than stellar tidiness and cleanliness I manage to exert when it comes to taking care of my cubes, and my Hong has quickly started looking a lot gnarlier than it really is.

So… should I buy it?

There’s no super easy answer. If money is not an issue at all, then I would just get the Gan : it’s a beast from a different planet. If money is not an issue AND you have a Gan 562 already, then definitely get this one, it can make for an excellent backup cube and you might discover that the smaller size and more flexible feel suits you well. If you’re just starting out but want to get serious about 5x5 then this is a great place to start while breaking the bank only up to a point. If budget is somewhat limited, then it is more of a challenging question : get the Hong for the price of 3x Zhilongs, or the Gan for the price of 5x Zhilongs, or the MGC for the price of 2x Zhilongs? The short version is likely "If you can't afford the Gan, get the Hong".

A note: this cube was generously provided by SpeedCubeShop.com, which is kind enough to send me cubes for testing as long as some of you use the code SCDB when purchasing from them. So if you’re buying a cube and you want to get it decently quickly, consider making your purchase using [This link]. That will send some love our way and let me keep doing this!