LanLan Gear Icosahedron

LanLan Gear Icosahedron

LanLan Gear Icosahedron is a gear puzzle, a 3x3x3 cube with a geared mechanism, housed in an icosahedron-shaped body. Inside, it uses the same type of mechanism as the classic Gear Cube. The different outer shape, however, makes the scrambled puzzle look completely different and much harder to read.

How the gear mechanism works

On a regular 3x3 cube, you turn one layer and the rest stays still. Here, the edges have gears that mesh with the neighboring pieces. Turning an outer layer therefore also turns the middle layer, just by a smaller angle. That's why solving it is noticeably different from a classic 3x3 cube, and 3x3 algorithms won't help you directly. You need to understand how the pieces move relative to each other.

The Gear Cube was invented by Oskar van Deventer, and his puzzle has since been reworked into many different shapes. The Gear Icosahedron is one of them and belongs to LanLan's series of gear shapes, which also includes the Gear Dodecahedron, Gear Octahedron and Gear Mastermorphix, among others.

What to expect

This is a puzzle for your collection and for relaxed solving, not a cube for setting fast times. It has no magnets, and its movement comes from the gears, so you'll feel resistance and the characteristic clicking of the pieces as you turn, unlike the smooth turning of speedcubing cubes. It's best to turn it calmly and precisely, without forcing the mechanism.

Who is it for?

For people who can already solve a 3x3 cube and are looking for something that requires a different way of thinking. If you already own a Gear Cube and enjoy its mechanism, the icosahedron version gives you the same mechanism in a shape that's harder to read. Collectors will also appreciate it as one of the less obvious shape mods. For a child's first puzzle, it's better to choose something simpler.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: LanLan
• Type: 3x3x3 gear puzzle, icosahedron-shaped shape mod
• Magnets: none
• Weight: approx. 113 g (without packaging)
• Color version: Black