Nexcube 3 x 3 Review

Reviewed by Amanda Hayes

Well, they say fashion repeats itself and the latest craze at my son’s school was one that I was really into when I was at school, the Rubiks Cube. I’m sure everyone over a certain age remembers those square plastic puzzles, with coloured stickers on, that you had to turn to solve. Time has moved on and there are several new versions, including pyramids and hexagons, all with imprinted coloured squares so you can no longer cheat and peel the stickers off to solve them!
My 9 year old had my old cube that id kept all these years and a new pyramid style one, but was desperate for more, and lots of the boys at school had several, so he was super excited when he heard that we were getting the Nexcube 3 x 3 to review. In fact, he was so excited that he ripped the box open as soon as the postman arrived before I even had time to take a photograph!

Suitable for children age 8 plus, the Nexcube is a speed cube, so although it looks quite similar to my old one, the movement is light years apart. It is so fast and smooth to turn, it’s a world record setting brand, which apparently can be solved in 3.47 seconds, but definitely not by me or my son! The aim of the game of the toy from Vivid Games is to challenge yourself, or compete against others, to get all the squares on each side the same colour. So, start by messing it up, it arrives pre-solved, and off you go. I was amazed at how quick the Nexcube could be turned and manipulated compared to other products, with my son particularly commenting on the flexibility of the corners. These can be hard to turn on other brands, needing absolutely correct alignment to turn, but on the Nexcube that wasn’t the case.

When I see the children so engrossed in playing for hours, I do worry about their hands and wrists getting strained, but I certainly won’t be worrying with this new cube, the action is so smooth it hardly places any strain on the joints at all. It is also very light, so easy to pop in the school bag and carry around all day or take out for a trip in the car, so much better than screen time. The problem solving aspect of the cube increases focus and concentration and the repetitive nature has made everyone at school really competitive with some children now amazingly fast at it.

It is quite addictive, but I’m way happier to see my son addicted to this toy that helps him concentrate, than being addicted to some mindless computer game that just makes him zone out. At around £8.00 each for the 3 x 3 version, I think the Nexcube is great value, as it gives hours of fun, and costs nothing to run. They also do a 2 x 2 version with four squares on each side instead of nine, but you can only seem to purchase it as a dual pack (rrp £14) in the UK, which is a shame as my son was keen to try one, elsewhere In Europe I can see it available as a separate product.
If your child likes problem solving, or is into the latest cubing craze, I highly recommend the Nexcube. Excellent value, and super smooth to turn, it’s a fantastic update on the old style cubes of my youth.

Rating: Highly Recommended 5 out of 5

RRP: £8.99

This product can be purchased from Amazon here.

UPDATE: further to my previous review I was kindly sent the dual pack containing both the 3 x 3 and the 2 x 2 cube, so that my son could try out the 2 x 2 version. This cube has all the same great playing abilities as the larger version, but in a smaller more compact square. It also makes it slightly easier to solve so its great as a starter cube. It’s the perfect size to take to school, but if you are concerned about it getting broken, don’t be. My son dropped the Nexcube in the playground where it broke into lots of pieces, luckily he managed to find them all and brought them home where we quickly and easily snapped them back into place, so it is definitely robust. The dual pack is good value at £13.99 so it would make an excellent gift.