Moyu Aosu V7

What a novel idea : Take a look at what cubes everyone is using, why people like them, and then make something that does the same but maybe a bit better.

We don’t have a lot of new 4x4 each year; rather, we count them in “new cubes per lustre”. And indeed in the past 5 years we haven’t had a ton of them. Most people have been either using the (old by now) Moyu AOSU for its solid reliability, or digging the small YJ Zhisu Mini for its size and flexibility, or getting the MGC for its performance vs price ratio. Not really a lot of alternatives have come out (and indeed the Zhisu mini was the most novel release that people actually liked, and is now starting to date a bit as well). So imagine the delight of discovering that Moyu was coming out with a new cube following the cherished tradition of taking a name and adding a random number between 1 and 20 at the end of it.

Enter the Moyu AOSU v7, which follows the… ehm... Moyu AOSU WRM? Ignore the name, and what you have is the best 4x4 to hit the market in the past several years. A cube that takes the stellar performance of its predecessor and namesake, but packages it in a mini-size volume (well, 2mm bigger, but that’s actually an improvement, see below).

The turning is very reminiscent of the previous Aosu, with a very controlled and sturdy turning (in contrast to the gummy elasticity of, say, the MGC).

The corner cutting is another thing that should make us pause : that we’re talking about corner-cutting at all for a 4x4 just shows to what extent the ease of solving is getting closer to the experience we can have with a 3x3. And while we're not talking about 45° yet (especially when turning the 2nd layer), the forgiveness of the corner cutting, combined with the auto-align of the double or triple tracks version, make solving this cube so much easier. This could make a world of difference for new cubers, who sometimes have unfortunate surprises when switching from the smaller/simpler events to 4x4 and realise that “Whaaaat? I need to actually finish my turns?”.

The size is also an important change and one that is truly for the better. The very success of the YJ Zhisu Mini was that its size allowed to perform 3x3-style last layer algs and double slices on a 4x4. The Aosu v7 goes a big step in that direction, but remains slightly larger (58mm instead of 56mm). While the difference might not feel significant, the slight extra space makes it very comfortable to do inner-layer slices even with chubby body-positivity fingers like mine, which was not a given for the Zhisu and was sometimes the reason for remaining with the larger cubes.

The magnets are very well balanced, with a slightly stronger pull on the central slice compared to the outer edge. This makes it very easy to switch from single to double layer turns (as well as full-slice vs quarter-slices). The double vs triple track versions do not really provide a true difference in feel or performance : the variability of setting up the cube to your liking (e.g. the amount / type of lube you put in) will have a much larger impact on how the cube feels compared to using a double vs a triple. (I couldn’t really tell apart the double and triple currently sitting on my table except by weighing them, and even there I couldn’t really tell by just holding them in my hand). I ended up keeping the triple on my bag, which has made it much more scuffed, and is now easier to distinguish. But if money is a concern, just go for the double, you won't be missing anything. As for the single track, I haven't been able to test it so I can only imagine the impact of not having a ball-core. Going with my experience with the older AOSU, that should still give you a plenty good cube, but I have the nagging suspicion that it might be worth shelling the extra 20$ for it (I know that it's basically doubling the price of the cube). But it's better to buy a great cube once than being disappointed with its dumbed-down version as it might not bring much new compared to the older brother.

The plastic feels solid and premium (the UV coating does what it needs to, i.e. it grips well from the get go instead of needing a period of getting to know each other) and squeezing the cube does not provide the mushy elasticity of the MGC or Zhisu Mini. Much as its predecessor, the Aosu v7 is almost impossible to pop, unless you loosen its tension by quite a bit. The sound is not quiet by any stretch, but it does not generate that el cheapo sound that annoys you as the solver almost as much as everyone else (MGC I’m looking at you).

In terms of raw performance, I beat all of my PBs within a matter of hours (from single to AO5 to AO100), which is a testament to how much better this cube is than (at the very least) the other 4x4 I had around (granted I hadn’t set them up in a while, and now there’s no reason for me to).

While we wait for the guys with the blue logo to release their new version of their 4x4, eager to see if they will pull off a miracle as they did with their 5x5, and open a new era of cube technology for 4x4 as well, you will not be doing any errors getting yourself an Aosu v7, whichever amount of tracks you end up preferring.