Moyu RS3M v5

While we don’t know what went down exactly at that Moyu management team meeting last year, we do know that they decided that they would release a new cube every 5 months. But the assistant taking the minutes of the meeting was having a rough morning that day and must have typed something wrong when sending the information down to the design teams, who are now coming out with a new product every 5 weeks.

So while everyone is waiting for the next Moyu product to arrive, let’s review one of the latest almost-the-same-but-not-quite releases from an increasingly multi-pronged series of cubes known as the RS3M. The RS3M v5 is the third cube in the budget line of cubes that shocked the cubing world and has now become the most owned speedcube in the world. And if you’re wondering why it’s not called v3, well… probably letting a LLM come up with a name might yield better results: the second one wasn’t called v2 either, and even if the “RS3M Super” line has branched out into the “it cost HOW MUCH…?” realm, there’s still 5 of them. Unless we count the 3 versions that were released before the MF3RS3M2020 came out.

And so here we are with 3 new versions of a cube from a brand that has released 12 cubes in a span of months, and this time, it comes with a fancy cube case! I’ll give mad props to the marketing team for coming up with a better alternative to the triangular cube stands that everyone is trying to spoon feed us at every purchase. And truth be said, the “Cube Robot” is actually cute... and will end up in exactly the same drawer as all the other cube boxes, until we remember to clean up and its life cycle will go from inside a box, to inside a drawer, to inside a furnace with around 1h of life in the light in between all of that. Who said robots don't get any love!

But as for the cube itself… I guess the 12th time is the charm. This is a cube that works really well, is super fast, super light to turn, but very controllable and very forgiving. This is what you want from a cube, and if we had to go through a WRM v9, Super2 and YS3M to get there, then it was well worth the trip. The cube has the very appreciable advantage of retaining the price level of its early predecessors, making it an excellent candidate for first cube, and for second one, and probably third too. The solving is very pleasant, without the jarring clicks of the WRM v9, or the stiffness (before you un-tighten it) of the ys3m. The turning feels similar to the airy control of the Meilong M, but with the corner-cutting and forgiving smoothness of the first RS3M. From its predecessor it also retains a flagship-level quality of build (from the plastic feel to the caps design), but without the clackiness and loudness.

It has become an insta-main for a lot of Roux and OH solvers thanks to the combination of lightness and smoothness, and it is forgiving to beginners, making it a cube that people should seriously consider as a gift to novices. The standard versions are just as good as the ball-core one (you forego the auto-align for a slightly lower price), as long as you wear off the frosted surface — which at the end of 2023 is finally starting to feel like most of the ideas we tend have when a bit more than tipsy. The UV version is fantastic if you can pitch in the necessary budget, but even if you can’t, this is a cube that belongs easily in everyone’s cubing bag.

But Bas, which Moyu cube should I get?

Going for bangs for your bucks, the RS3M v5 is hard to beat. I find myself using a loosened YS3M more than this one, but that one is finicky and might not be the best for new cubers. Get the UV Ball-Core version to get the best version, or anything else to align with your budget, you won’t be disappointed. For the higher-priced cubes (super2, wrm9, and maybe the upcoming wrm10?) the nuances of the cubes are going to hit the spot differently for different people and their popularity will wane with time, but I suspect that the RS3M v5 will remain a big favorite for quite a while to come!

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!