1974 vs 2024 Rubik’s Cube: What’s Changed in 50 Years?

[@CubeHead]

Never thought a Rubik's cube would make me emotional 🥲 use code "CUBEHEAD" for a HUUUUGE discount and a free logo! The Cubicle 👉 bit.ly/TheCubicleCUBEHEAD favorite cube 👉bit.ly/yoocubeii

[@hscubingxd]

cubehead are you gonna make a full euros vlog

[@DaCuberGuy]

Gimme a yoo cube my tornado v3 is kinda broken

[@yeaaa4504]

🥲🥲🥲

[@CubePerfect1]

Cubehead you are my favorite cubing channel 🔥 Great vid 😎

[@Remi-SeabstienLosier]

Bro was going to open an original 1980 rubik's cube whit a chesse knife... This sentence feels so wrong

[@MasterofTheDucks]

The reason the ad says 'more than 3 billion' was because it was thought that most people wouldn't even be able to comprehend how big 43 quintillion is or even know what a quintillion is.

[@alexandratapiafabara2470]

it makes sense

[@freez.mp4]

i think it would be good if they put the actual number with all the digits bc everyone would understand how big that is

[@alexandratapiafabara2470]

@@freez.mp4 it makes sense too! XD

[@WYATTTHEBLAH]

i literally came to the comment section to say this exact thing but you beat me to it lol

[@AdamPalmer-nl3zz]

Ha

[@AveryHyena]

It says 3 billion and not 43 quintillion because the average person sees "43 quintillion" and goes "what does that mean", but when they see "3 billion" they say "wow that's a large number"

[@Craft2guardian]

why not 43 trillion. Everyone knows what a trilion is right?

[@marcoarmandoarcega4648]

@@Craft2guardianthat was back in the day before people could comprehend those numbers.

[@Craft2guardian]

@@marcoarmandoarcega4648 But still trillion would be better and im pretty sure they would still go wow thats so big I can't understand

[@osham_]

​@@Craft2guardian Many people didn't know what's trillion either

[@voidarkyt]

@@Craft2guardian the question is why not 43 billion? or 99 billion? or 9 billion? the biggest number people those days could comprehend?

[@bertsy]

At least now I know I can defeat CubeHead in a cubing battle as long as he uses a 44-year-old Rubik's cube.

[@ItsZoonaPlayz]

lol true

[@Chopper069]

haha

[@zoeilgatrblx6713]

HAAA 😂 you are very funny!

[@Kxll_Edits]

Ye

[@Kxll_Edits]

I can even beat him if he uses the aniverery cube

[@NCmountainview]

The old cube definitely comes apart without breaking it. The only way I ever solved one in the eighties was snapping it apart and putting it back together piece by piece in the correct format. Nice video, this just oddly popped into my feed, and I give it a like.

[@heartofthematterlanguage]

@@NCmountainview It did come apart, but if you took it apart too many times it got so loose that it might fall apart. I knew someone whose cube fell apart in his hands in the middle of a city-wide competition.

[@ClemDroning.31]

Now that we know that cubehead took 1 minute to solve it, solving it in 55 seconds at the time seems a lot more impressive

[@creativesparks2164]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="430">7:10</a> this hurt me too! BUT!! Honestly you’re the best person to do it because you’re opening ONE expensive cube so millions can experience it as well.

[@curiousNic]

No surprise that they nailed the terrible turning after decades of experience. I wonder what hints they send the people back who askeld for help. Hopefully they were better than their calculations.

[@mihagomiunik2758]

Dang, they got DESTROYED

[@StragglerTx]

@@curiousNic I remember the first Rubik's cube and the saying was you had to break it in

[@peterkirschner7585]

@@StragglerTx Breaking apart and "grease" the gliding surfaces with a soap did help as well to get better rotation.

[@tenzaemtade6146]

No need for the salty comment over a cube

[@vector6765]

Ernő would have done the same. (I also) The Cube was made to solve it, not to look at it. You honor the cube and not the Packaging and thats cool. yo man. ^^ Greetings from Hungary.

[@CoachTabe]

The Deluxe version is fun - tiles instead of stickers. I still have mine from back in 1982!

[@ChewbaccaCuber]

Was it just me or were you guys scared that he would throw the 80’s cube at the wall?! Great video btw, I really love these kind of CubeHead videos

[@CubeHead]

Haha this time it didn’t even cross my mind 😂

[@OrbitalCubingLiterally]

@@CubeHeadwe have been spared

[@ThatSocialKid]

@@CubeHeadNow it has… *DO IT*

[@cristianopetit-2901]

​@@ThatSocialKidDONT Y O U DARE

[@MaksymWingert-Speedcuber]

Honestly, I actually thought he would do that :)

[@maxim7685]

Hey milan! I wanted to thank you again for having the opportunity to meet you at Euros! I was the one with the custom cubehead-necklace you signed. It really means a lot to me! Hoping to see you again at some competition!

[@Cuber_Safi]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="318">5:18</a> lets get him to 50k likes cuberss

[@richl8438]

The packaging is missing the sticker on the top. It was a gold sticker that had "Ideal" printed on it.

[@brundle_fly_3895]

The poor seller when you said you would open it 😭

[@vahithaibrahim3537]

Cubehead why didn't u upload any more vids

[@SamuelZheng-fz8lp]

That’s what I’m thinking

[@itubeutubewealltube1]

recycling wasnt a thing in the 70's??? Dude, thats when the recycling movement happened... It was huge... A surcharge was put on all glass bottles and the only way to get your money back was bringing them back to the store.

[@solidpixel]

Thank you! And in our town like many others Reynolds Aluminum had a tractor-trailer we used to take trash bags full of aluminum cans to and get money for them. Dad stored them in the shed until we had enough bags to fill the bed of his pick-up truck.

[@kyuubed]

Mad respect, bro opened a 40 year old cube just for a video 🔥🔥🔥

[@Collin-hd1sb]

@@kyuubed *50 years

[@thedave1602]

@@Collin-hd1sb *44 years

[@MartynRice1]

I have one of the 1980s cubes, it belonged to my Mum, who could solve it in 3 minutes (mostly intuitive, corners first method). She also had the OG 4x4 and Rubik's Ball

[@JXPplayzYT]

We need to get this man to 2 million subs he deserves it :D

[@ZagnutBar]

I'm 50 now and owned an original Rubik's when i was a kid in the 80s. I recently bought one for my daughter, having never touched one since the 80s. I was surprised by how lightweight and "cheap" it felt because the turning motion was so loose in comparison to what i remembered. Obviously in the 80s it was just a toy. It wasn't designed for competitive speed cubing, and that's certainly not what i used it for as a kid. I really miss the stiff turns, it made the puzzle feel more substantial. The modern one just feels so flimsy by comparison. Oh and i definitely "solved" my cube in the 80s by popping out the pieces. I can't vouch for the strength of 45 year old plastic but it can definitely be done.

Cheaper build quality? (((WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED)))

[@michelleb7399]

Yep, that was the only way I could solve it, too. I thought I was pretty clever in that my friends “solved” it by removing the stickers. The bad thing about popping out the pieces is that after a few times of doing that the pieces would become so loose they would pop off on their own.

[@zeniktorres4320]

My 1980 cube disintegrated when I picked it up last year. I use vasoline to lubricate it back then, and over the years plastic did not like it.

[@WrainTravels]

Opening old sealed items is one of my favorite things. like this thing waited years and years and years to finally realize its intended purpose.

[@waltascher]

@@WrainTravels I collect Clue merchandise and I open everything. That’s what it’s for.

[@Luke-x5b]

Congrats on 300 vids man! Keep up the good work

[@Ezmoney201]

Yoooo cube head love the video man,also I just got the yo cube deluxe 2 and I got my pb on it it’s such a good cube thank you have a nice day

[@B.h.o.l.e.]

Cubehead hearted it! That means he is alive!

[@pacerdawn5512]

I had one as a kid and I can tell you that the original Rubik's Cube did not have a guide. You had to purchase a book if you wanted the solution. I did (and I think I still have it somewhere). I memorized that thing and I could solve the cube in about a minute or so. People were impressed. Ah, those were the days...

[@rockjano]

Yes same story here... in Hungary.... where it was invented....

[@rikp]

My fastest time on my original 1980 Ideal cube was 1'11". We raced at school (nerds!!!). Somehow I still have that cube and its plastic case. The top square indent has a silver "Ideal" sticker on it, which is missing from yours. The little booklet is long gone, though. The cube did get looser with use and now feels like it wants to fall apart if I try to use it. It will stay on display.

[@RubeDude]

Exactly 12 years ago today max park went to his first ever compaction. This also just so happed to be the exact day that I was born! Happy birthday to me 🎉🎉🎉l

[@Vladii-zn8kd]

Happy birthday 🎉

[@RubeDude]

@@Vladii-zn8kd thanks!

[@Bl0ckyB0i0]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="316">5:16</a> GET THIS MAN 50K LIKES, WE DRAINING HIS BANK ACCOUNT WITH THIS ONE 🗣🔥🔥🔥

[@RicardoKaligari]

No. *runs away* HAHAHAHAHAHAH

[@regitmeisner3546]

My friend and I solved it without any tutorial, we were in grade 7(56 yrs old now)...we went through 3 scribblers and an entire summer on it!... later a tutorial book came out and we went into the bookstore,compared our scribblings and they pretty much matched!, .. spent hundreds of hours on it that summer lol...

[@Savqu]

Tbf I expected you to try to beat that 55 seconds record from og info card on that original 44 year old cube

[@Officiallace415]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="351">5:51</a> I think they used to solve it with a book guide sold seperately

[@HoratioChinn]

When it was first released I bought a book that showed you different moves. I couldn't afford a real Rubiks cube so had to get a cheaper knockoff one which had even stickier rotation than the original.

[@fredbear3915]

The book was a typed-up booklet by David Singmaster, called "Notes on the Rubik's Magic Cube" I've still got my copy.

[@ramonconloscubosderubik.7601]

I have a 20-30 year old Rubik's cube that was a gift from my uncle . When I first tried to solve it , it turned TERRIBLE! But with time it started to turn better . So now I can solve it in about 1 minute (I average 15 seconds) . Also a year ago my friend gave me his Rubik's cube (for me to solve it) and it was literally a ROCK ! Every turn required an ENORMOUS effort and I always thought it was just going to break ! And after 20 minutes of finger workout I finally managed to solve it ! That was the worst cube my hands have ever touched!

[@TheWhomper_67]

Cool story but chill with the double spaces It actually hurts to read💀

[@EtherealProject3D]

My first one was the OG color scheme. Vaseline was the lube of choice before we figured out that it eats the old plastic. It eventually became un usable and I had to get a new one and the new color scheme was a shock.

[@SBCuber64]

Thanks for putting it out there that white was next to yellow, which put blue next to green, on the original Rubik’s cube. I have one, but no one ever believes me. They just think mine is a cheap knockoff from back in the day.

[@PuggyXD]

@@SBCuber64 Yea any true cuber would know that white is next to yellow, they just aren’t invested enough to know

[@YavorM-Yash]

Well not exactly. I have one and the colour scheme is as of the 50 anniversary one. The label says it's produced in 1981.

[@SBCuber64]

In Cubehead’s video at 1:14 you can see that white is next to yellow on that old cube he bought.

[@chrishihi8389]

Hi CubeHead, I have a rare Hungry magic cube produced between late 1978 and early 1980 in the original Hungarian paper box "Büvös Kocka" produced by Politoys (whis is the renamed original "Politechnika" name). The rarest thing is that this first version has not only the white and yellow sides, but also the red and orange neighboring sides.

[@sherwood5103]

I have one too. It says Trial on the box. I think it's before they've been mass produced.

[@elianamiele]

Dont u just love cubehead. I mean bro got the yoo and bamm u already got a favorite youtuber. 16s and 50 views already❤❤❤ (Cubehead pls comment🙏🙏🙏) I liked. Plus no suprize amazing editing and camera and video quality.

[@Jostrks]

Fantastic job, as always my man doesn’t disappoint me

[@DrumWild]

Got the original in 1980 when I was 16. We got the algorithms from TV Guide. I had the best time in school, at 22.23 seconds. We would take them apart and put a big glob of Vaseline in the center and rotate it around. We took it apart by getting the rows crooked and forcing it until an edge piece just popped out. Remove stickers that covered the screws and adjust the tension so it would move properly.

[@jamesbond_007]

I solved the cube without tutorials, right around new years 1980 (actually, over night during winter break). We had had a cube at my house for a few years (maybe ~1978), and I'd given it a few half-hearted tries, but nothing serious). Then one night, I set myself a goal of solving the cube, spent all night looking for patterns and gradually solving it, and by the next morning I had done an initial solution. No tutorials, not membership of the old MIT cublovers mailing list, nothing like that.

[@zeniktorres4320]

That's amazing. I only managed to do two sides in 1980, and I was chuffed with that. Now I can only do one side ;(

[@fuzzmuff63]

Overnight, blimey! Took me months, but yes, no guide necessary.

[@jamesbond_007]

@@fuzzmuff63 I just watched for patterns and systematically applied them. Mind you, I did not come up with all the algorithms that people eventually developed for solving it; and some of my move sequences were not optimal, but they worked, and could guarantee solution within about 3 minutes.

[@ColeGamerIguess]

Keep making good content cubehead ur one of the best if not the best cubing youtuber.

[@thenebbish7709]

Not sure if anyone else knows this, but pencil lead was the first "lube", you took it apart and rubbed the pencil lead on every flat surface

[@YavorM-Yash]

Yeah. It is graphite.

[@yokawabillyj6498]

Top of the original case from 1980 had a “IDEAL” logo sticker with gold background and black logo. Mine still has the sticker. It is my first cube I brought in the early 80s which I still breakout and solve from time to time.

[@CuberGen]

Yooooo Nice video 😃 i enjoyed it

[@Fishthatsing18]

Your the one who made me obsessed with cubes

[@Hi_Cube]

What Happens If You Make a Custom Setup Of That Cube??? Like Adding Maglev, Core Magnets And Corner Edge Magnets

[@StormDiper]

W video idea

[@Yurmm_]

Z3Cubing probably gonna do that in a few months

[@SamuelLandveld]

thts honestly cube-tastic, happy Cube-day rubiks cube!!

[@mensaswede4028]

Back in 2003, this was the best speed cube that was allowed in competition. The rules were that it had to be a Rubik’s brand cube, and you couldn’t do anything to the cube other than lube it and sand off some internal burrs. Oh how things have changed since then.

[@mlee6050]

@@mensaswede4028 that's why I hope there is multiple records as my view of a true rubik cube record is what you said, using ones called speed cube or so I view as unofficial records

[@mensaswede4028]

@@mlee6050 It’s just a different puzzle with a modern speed cube. Modern cubes allow you to perform finger tricks that were utterly impossible even with the best competition cube from 2003. I learned to speed cube back then and competed in the world championships in 2003 and 2005. The finger tricks I learned were the ones that could be done with 2003 competition cubes. Fast forward to 2024, and of course I can now go and purchase a GAN 14 Maglev Pro (or whatever cube suits your style). But what can I do with it? Well, I can do the same slow finger tricks that I learned in 2003. Obviously, I could learn all the new much faster finger tricks that work on modern speed cubes, but that would essentially require me to relearn speed-cubing from scratch again. I just don’t have the inclination to do that. These changes are no one’s fault, and I don’t begrudge the new improved speed cubes. But it’s a different puzzle today than it was in the past.

[@kevinputry5655]

This was a lot of fun! I think I still have my original cube somewhere. Who does that cool electronic music you used in the background? That's really cool stuff!

[@marriedjuly7]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="157">2:37</a> my left ear loved this part

[@TitodoPradoCacau]

Yo Cubehead! I love your videos dude! My name is Tito and I really like rubik's cubes (not from the rubik's brand of course) my main cube right now is a MoYu Huameng Ys3m with ball core and UV coating, I average 40 seconds with the basic method and I would like to know which cube Is good for me, I am starting to learn CFOP with your course.

[@smallpuppydoggo6263]

ngl i never new that the Rubik's cube had the white and yellow there, they stay true to the sh**y turning though, any way love your videos cube head you are my favorite youtuber keep up the amazing work

[@solver5k]

Ah, this takes me back to the early 1980's!!! My PB on the original cube back then was 52 seconds. :)

[@piershanson1784]

This was your opportunity to show your blockbuild petrus skills which might have made the difference in breaking that 55 second world record

[@FrancoGrimoldi]

Not only there are way more than 3 billion possibilities, the are quite more than "just one" solution, accounting for all the center pieces rotations.

[@sofiavalcacer]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="228">3:48</a> PABLOOOO I MISSED YOU ❤❤

[@beragis3]

I had one of the original as a kid and I would take it apart and put lubricant in it to make it turn quicker and smoother. I bought two books on how to solve it, but both were a bit too complicated, having lots of different options to learn, and I figured out several ways to reduce it. Only problem with putting lubricant on the cube was it would slowly decay the cheap plastic.

[@minecraftjens14]

every cuber died inside when he saw him open it 💀

[@cubingperm6]

No

[@TheCubingLord-ro5jc]

@@cubingperm6 Yes

[@noel_996]

@@cubingperm6yes

[@cubingperm6]

@@noel_996 every cuber? are you dumb, as someone who has cubed for 3 years, i didnt give a shit

[@ErrorLovesMemes]

@@cubingperm6yes

[@mattbowd]

Gen-X here - all toys had instruction leaflets and in the days before the internet, email etc - it was really common to use letters to communicate like they said. Everything took a lot longer!

[@StretfordBear]

Did i really just hear Milan say he DOESN'T want to damage the cube? What reality is this?

[@The_Original_Rtxyz]

I just realized all of the gan flagships have had a different case design. The 11 is the only one with two parts that open up, the 12 is the only one with a clear case, 13 is the only magnetic case, and the 14 is the only one with a secret compartment

[@hscubingxd]

cubehead are you gonna make a full euros vlog

[@CubeHead]

Jep going to edit that this week!

[@hscubingxd]

i was one of the guys to review your 4x4

[@jimchabai3163]

Dude: I was around during the original cube craze I was around 12-13. We actually did libe the cubes with Vaseline. Not sure if that was great for the plastic but it helped.

[@thecianinator]

I'm pretty sure the colors were arranged randomly for the first few years that Rubik's cubes were sold.

[@tunneloflight]

There were a number of books on solving them. They explained the set and group theory involved. They went so far as to solve not just the simple solid color cubes, but also the rarer cubes with pictures on each face. Solving it to get all of the pictures correct is harder. Then there were dozens of other "cubes". 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ... element sides. Balls, tetrahedrons and other polyhedrons. Rubiks rings, and more.

[@OfficialDDelete]

I actually used to have the 1980's rubiks cube it was my dads they threw it away 3 years ago😢😅

[@a.ramosakadrumgrl6677]

I have an original cube from when they came out. I also have the 4x4 that I learned to solve on my own. Both have never been lubricated, but so well worked that they can easily fall apart after so many years of use.

[@willycuber]

Yoo im the guy who Interviewed you at Euros 😊

[@cuberaccoon]

Maybe the number of combinations refers to the number of all combinations divided by the ones that are just rotations and color-replacements of each other?

[@thenebbish7709]

I am 57. I do not recall a sticker in the center of the case. And as a collector, what you did broke my heart

[@YavorM-Yash]

@@thenebbish7709 there's a sticker with ARXON logo on it. I am holding the original cube produced in Hungary 44 years ago, that was sold back then in my country.

[@morticia981]

@@thenebbish7709 That tearing sound was my Gen X soul being rendered in two.

[@g4bbe26]

As a non collector this almost make me have an heart attack

[@allaboutroofing2]

I could care less. 😂

[@CallyWasHereOfficial]

@@allaboutroofing2that means you do care (at least a little)

[@鈺釗陳]

I hope you can compare the GAN 14 Maglev Pro and the Moyu Super Weilong for the next video,like the GAN 13 vs Tornado V3.

[@muskratdove]

This video made me dig out a Rubic's Cube that my father gave me back in the early 1980s, but it is a "Wonderful Puzzler", in a cardboard box, not a case, an inexpensive knock-off of Rubik's cube dating from 1981! I will have to watch a video to learn how to solve!

[@marcelborkowski4192]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="26">0:26</a> how did you get into my attic

[@Gogeta659]

Lol

[@chaos.corner]

The method I would use for cube disassembly was to rotate the rear face counterclockwise (from my point of view) slightly then rotate the right face so that the lug of the edge piece would rotate into the space where the corner lug was previously and the piece could be easily removed. After that, the rest of the disassembly was straightforward. This put the least stress on the cube. Though I didn't do it too often, I just had to see how it all went together.

[@JUSTTymekCubes]

is bro still alive?

[@SwagaGamerz]

you are the best yo2uber i have subscribed u from my 5 devices

[@CosmicGoose]

when is bro going to post

[@suchaythecuber.cubediction]

Hey sir! I think it's your birthday today if so happy birthday. I love your content and whenever I wanted to start cubing again , you post very exiting content

[@SBCuber64]

@cubehead Is today really your birthday? Tried to look it up online, but can’t seem to find it…

[@unapersonanormal001]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="682">11:22</a> 😂

[@tonycannon1968]

The recess on the top used to have a sticker with the Ideal company logo on it As for the plastic yellowing, I seem to recall the plastic on mine being a little off coloured anyway, but not too bad. I still have my 1980 cube, but not in the box.

[@JohnDlugosz]

re 1980 cube: can you verify that the white and blue faces are opposite each other? At some point they changed the arrangement and nobody seems to remember the original.

[@tonycannon1968]

@@JohnDlugosz mine isn't, was a UK version. Red/orange, blue/green, white/yellow on mine

[@milfinu]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="322">5:22</a> Absolutely NOT I would NOT sponsor or give you money for this, all you'll do is open it and trash the original box, just for You tube video

[@Doomguy1377]

@@milfinu #savethebox 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥

[@Doomguy1377]

Oh wow you’re an og

[@DuD_08]

It's a toy, not one of a kind, not first edition, I don't think you should hate on him that much for such a little thing

[@lacxox]

I have always owned and used two paperbox editions from the 70s. (They obviously show some wear by now). As I knew nothing about later improvements I got my first 'new' ones about a decade ago, learning about them from my son :)

[@cube4ever-h8f]

Pls make a new vid🥹

[@SamuelLandveld]

tbh cubehead,idk why your vid are so good,but i rly do enjoy it,Am i the only one?lol

[@robtelford1988]

I had one of the original cubes at the time and I think my fastest time was 1’ 15”. It took a lot of trial and error to work out how to solve it, before even any how-to books were available With use, they loosen up and get faster; a little Vaseline to lubricate would help things along

[@GlitchyGreninja76]

Congrats on your 300th vid :)

[@LeoMarcel-gf6hv]

fun fact: <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="270">4:30</a> in german, the rubics cube is called "das Zauber Würfel" which is translated into "the magic cube"

[@chaos.corner]

If anyone wants to learn to solve a cube, it's fairly straightforward. The first layer can be done mostly intuitively, the second layer is just one sequence with two permutations then the final layer can be done basically with only four sequences which are applied in various ways to the top layer (several different-looking moves are actually basically the same). Mnemonics can make them easier to remember and I was able to remember all but one of them after 20 years away from the cube. These won't get you speed-solving but being able to solve a cube is very satisfying.

[@IDICBeer]

We use to put it in the fridge to help shrink the plastic to help pull it apart, not sure if that is really a thing, but it was my dads idea and seemed to work

[@Yakkers]

Regarding the sticker colors, they may have faded with time and slightly changed shades

[@RobloxYoutuberEdits]

Hey Cubehead,I lost interest in cubing 8 months ago and got dragged into more of my school stuff.I randomly found your channel again and now I'm in a new account.I'm back to cubing now and i just bought a new cube,Thanks

[@eldonstrackeii7892]

I took them apart all the time back in the early 80's. In fact, that was how I solved it first time :-)

[@theewarbon7109]

I like the fact that it's challenging to solve and has confusing colors, I'm getting one 🤩

[@m.cigledy6769]

Those original colors really hit me right in the nostalgia. I got one for Christmas back in grade school.

[@RemyMS]

I also have the first original sold cube, I got lucky that the parents of my mother bought it for her at the time! The color scheme was different at the time than now.

[@JohnDlugosz]

Yes, blue opposite white as the "top" and "bottom". But the red, yellow, orange and green around the sides can be in different order on different cubes.

[@delboy1727]

I know a few people, myself included, who managed to solve the cube without instructions as, when it was released, there weren't any instructions available anywhere. Having memorised a few basic patterns of movement, I was able to solve a scrambled cube in about 2 1/2 minutes. Speed solving also wasn't a thing, but even if it was, I would have had to learn a completely different method to improve my time. Don't know if I could still solve one now, it's been a long time since I last saw one.

[@PitfallHarry72]

I remember the Rubik's Cube I had in the early 1980s was one that I could easily take apart and reassemble if I wanted to start over. I could just pull on a corner and pop out the piece, and the others would then come off easily. I bought one about ten years ago and I can't do the same with it, so in the interim they've changed the design.

[@Enigma8750]

If you use a hair dryer on hot you can remove those sticky packaging without damaging it and you could put the sticker back on after you open it making it look like you never opened it. Just a hack for next time. Don't burn it but let it get really hot first.

[@AndrewRoberts11]

Grab a flat head screwdriver and prize the middle cube in one of edges out, on the 50th anniversary cube. Disassemble, lubricate and reassemble, the solid plastic innards differ from a modern cube.

[@Godmil]

My wrists are sore just watching you turn that cube.

[@frankhooper7871]

My cube is older - I ordered it from Hungary before they reached the UK; came in a simple cardboard box and was called a "magic cube" - as shown at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="270">4:30</a>! ETA: Had to check - white is opposite yellow on my Magic Cube, but adjacent on my Ideal Rubik's Cube, bought later.