Meffert Maltese Gear Cube

Meffert's Maltese Gear Cube

Meffert's Maltese Gear Cube is a gear puzzle designed by Oskar van Deventer, whose designs include the original Gear Cube. The first prototype was made in 2013, and Meffert's later released a mass-produced version. The design combines two well-known puzzles: the Geared Mixup Cube and the Void Cube. It has more gears than the Geared Mixup, and the corners are hollow, so you can see straight through the cube.

How this gear cube works

When you turn a face, the gears move, and the middle layer can shift by half a turn, just like in Mixup-type cubes. This lets edges and centers swap places, and the gears also rotate around their own axes. When the cube returns to its starting position, the small gears give a light "click", so you can easily feel whether a layer is properly aligned.

According to users, the turning is light, and everything snaps back into place once a move is finished. The gears don't skip, and popping is unlikely thanks to the design. However, an occasional lockup can happen and may interrupt an algorithm mid-solve.

Difficulty level

This is not a variant of the regular Gear Cube, and it doesn't solve like one. Puzzle Master rates it at level 8 ("Demanding"), but many owners consider it one of the hardest mass-produced twisty puzzles. In their opinion, it's harder than the Ghost Cube and the Puppet Cube. Solving it as a 2x2 is only the first stage, and the following ones are much more demanding.

Who is it for?

For collectors and anyone who has already solved the Gear Cube, Mixups or other unusual puzzles and is looking for a truly tough challenge. If you're buying a gift for a beginner, it's better to choose a simpler model from the Gear category, such as the classic Gear Cube.

Specifications

• Type: cube-shaped gear puzzle
• Manufacturer: Meffert's
• Designer: Oskar van Deventer
• Size: 60 mm
• Weight: approx. 105 g
• Design: hollow corners you can see straight through
• Body color: Black