Puzzles 

Puzzles: Pyraminx, Megaminx, Skewb, Square-1 and Unusual Cubes

This category includes every puzzle that isn't a classic NxN cube. You'll find official competition puzzles such as the Pyraminx, Megaminx, Skewb, Square-1 and Clock, as well as shape mods, cuboids, Mirror and Gear models, and brain teasers. They are made by brands well known to speedcubers, including QiYi (MoFangGe), MoYu, YJ, ShengShou, YuXin, KungFu, Zcube, DaYan and WitEden.

WCA events beyond NxN cubes

World Cube Association competitions include five events on puzzles other than NxN cubes. Each one requires different skills. The Pyraminx is a tetrahedron with rotating tips. Solves are very short, so fast turning matters most. The Skewb turns around its corners, and every move shifts half of the puzzle. The Megaminx has 12 faces and takes longer to solve, so stability and comfortable turning over a longer time are important. The Square-1 loses its cube shape after just a few moves: you first restore the shape and only then solve the colors. The Clock has no layers. You set the clock hands on both sides using dials and switches (pins).

For beginners, the budget MoYu Meilong and YuXin Little Magic series work well. They come in Pyraminx, Skewb, Megaminx and Square-1 versions, so you can try a new event without spending much. For regular practice, a magnetic version is a good choice, e.g. the YJ YuLong Magnetic Pyraminx, YJ Yuhu v2 Megaminx Magnetic or YuXin Little Magic Magnetic Square-1. Magnets help the layers stop in an aligned position. This means less overshooting (turning a layer too far) and fewer lockups when turning fast. Not all models in this category have magnets. You'll find this information in the product name or description.

Unusual cubes and puzzles for the curious

A large part of the category consists of non-competition puzzles. The Mirror cube has a 3x3 mechanism, but all pieces are the same color and different sizes, so you solve it by shape. Cuboids such as the 2x2x3, 1x2x3 or 1x3x3 are an accessible next step after the 3x3, because some of their faces only turn 180 degrees. In Gear cubes, the pieces are connected by gears, so turning one layer also rotates the neighboring pieces. More experienced cubers will find Ghost, Axis, Fisher, Windmill, Void, Bandaged, Crazy and Bermuda models here, as well as the Helicopter, Dino, Rex, FTO and many polyhedra.

For gifts, collections and your desk

You'll also find cube keychains, mini and giant versions, collector's models, mosaics, multi-cube sets, folding magnetic cubes, fidgets and Klotski-style brain teasers. You don't need to know any algorithms to solve them.