Shengshou Megaminx Gem

ShengShou Megaminx Gem

ShengShou Megaminx Gem is an affordable stickerless megaminx. It belongs to ShengShou's budget Gem series, which the brand continues to develop. The faces are made of colored plastic with a matte, slightly textured (frosted) finish, and the inside is black plastic. The puzzle has no magnets. Its design is based on the earlier ShengShou Megaminx.

How it turns

Straight out of the box, the Gem is often heavily lubed at the factory and feels quite heavy to turn. Users report that after a few hours of solving the mechanism breaks in, the puzzle speeds up and becomes easy to control. At that point turning is smooth. Its weakest point is corner cutting: the Gem handles basic corner cutting, but if you turn the faces less precisely, expect some lockups. It's an honest, simple megaminx for learning, not a puzzle for breaking records.

Design and tension adjustment

• Three-piece corner caps. This way of finishing the corners sets the Gem apart from other megaminxes. Several users point out that the caps come off fairly easily, so it's best not to pry them with your fingernail.
• Adjustment screws let you set the tension to suit your turning style. The factory setting is usually medium, and many people leave it unchanged.
• No magnets. The faces don't align themselves, so you need to take care of turning accuracy yourself.

Who is the Megaminx Gem for?

For anyone who wants to start solving the megaminx and would rather not spend a lot on their first dodecahedron puzzle. It also works well as an inexpensive backup megaminx or as a gift for a child who can already solve a 3x3 cube. If you want to train megaminx for speed and good corner cutting matters to you, consider a higher-end magnetic model.

Specifications

• Type: Megaminx (dodecahedron), stickerless
• Manufacturer: ShengShou, Gem series
• Size: approx. 70 mm
• Weight: approx. 144 g
• Magnets: none
• Tension adjustment: adjustment screws
• Finish: colored frosted plastic, black interior
• Approved for official competitions: yes
• In the box: puzzle, solving instructions