LanLan Skewb Dodecahedron

Recommended for all

Since it ain't perfect, I wanted to give this puzzle a rating between 4.3~4.7 stars, but that isn't an option... so after thinking about it, I give it 5 stars because of the low price. Although most cubers (like myself) would classify it as a 2x2 puzzle, this thing is about the size of a 3x3 cube. The 4-kite corner-blocks are obviously much larger than anything on a standard 3x3 cube (when you hold it in your hand). While the 3-kite corner-blocks are ALMOST (slightly smaller) the same size as a corner-block of a standard 3x3 cube. I guess if they made it smaller, those 3-kite corners would be to small for speed-cubing. As such, I can't really count the size as a negative... just want to let people know it is significantly larger than a 2x2 cube. The sticker quality and colors are ALMOST perfect. Out-of-the-box, the stickers are flawlessly cut and placed with no bubbles or curling. Overall the 12 colors are vibrant and distinct, but I have one minor issue. The GRAY is very light-colored and easy to confuse with WHITE if playing with poor/indoor lighting. However, the GRAY and WHITE colored stickers appear on opposite sides, so this was never a problem for me when solving the puzzle... just a minor artistic issue I wanted to inform you about. It turns smoothly Out-of-the-Box (OOB): the tension is near-perfect and seems well-lubricated. It WILL corner cut, and NEVER pop from my experience. It could almost be a speed-cube, except it does RARELY jam... I imagine if they rounded-off the sharp corners this would be less of a problem. For casual play, this is a minor inconvenience if it occurs. Besides smooth-turning, it also has internal "detents" that lock a turn into place, similar to the original Pyraminx. Although it feels and sounds nice, it will click half-way through a turn, which is NOT appropriate for this puzzle (no shape-shifting!) So the clicks aren't perfect, but I appreciate them. This puzzle plays like a Skewb or face-turning-octahedron... but has important differences... I enjoyed solving it and recommend it... not very hard, but not trivial either... which makes a good puzzle in my opinion!! Summary: Quality build, interesting shape, and unique/rare game-play. I dare say a MUST-HAVE for any cuber, even if you are NOT a collector.