GAN Pyraminx M Enhanced

TL;DR: this is an okay puzzle, but only after quite a bit of work, and I am very disappointed in GAN for releasing it in the state that they did.

Out of the box, this puzzle is unstable and pops very easily, even on the tightest tensions allowed by the numerical GES system. The tip magnets are also extremely strong, to the point that they would have an impact on my solves. Finally, my first copy was missing a magnet in one of the centers, but thankfully I was able to get a replacement. In my opinion, all of these issues are inexcusable, especially at this price point and by a company as highly esteemed as GAN.

Fortunately, I was able to find a solution to the majority of the performance issues that I had. The first thing you need to do is remove the tips, which is not trivial on this puzzle. The best way I found is to insert a plastic razor blade between the tip and the center about in the middle of the piece. Pull out slightly and push up to remove the tip. This requires more force than most people would expect, so don't worry too much about breaking it. The first modification I did was adding a washer on the center stalk under the nuts. The washers I used were from an MF3RS2, but anything of a similar size will be fine (most post-2015 3x3s made by MoYu and their sub-brands will work, along with various others). This mod effectively tightens the tensions by reducing the amount of travel in the center piece before it hits the top of the nut. It greatly improves the stability and significantly reduces popping, although it does not eliminate pops completely. The other modification I did was removing a magnet from each tip. This can be done by pushing a thumbtack through the bottom of the piece holding the tip magnets. It will leave a tiny hole, but it doesn't impact performance.

After the mod(s) are complete, there is a very simple yet effective setup for this puzzle. I added Weight 5 on one of the torpedoes, the main surface of one of the centers, and on each tip. If it is too slow, add a bit of DNM-37 on top of the Weight 5. I am currently using green nuts on 0.6, but experiment to find what you prefer.

Doing all of this will result in a fast, smooth Pyraminx with excellent corner cutting. Pops are possible, but they should not be much of an issue unless you have extremely inaccurate turning. However, if you would rather have something that requires less work, check out the Little Magic M. It is a solid puzzle and doesn't have any major issues out of the box.

Bare with me this could be a long review I am going to try and answer some of the questions that I see in the question tab

One of the first questions that I have seen is which GES nuts do what and I too was confused but it goes from purple to yellow in a reverse rainbow. The purple ones provide a flimsy speedy feel that I personally really like. If you squeeze down on the nut it should compress really easily in your hand which makes the cube really flimsy and fast. It makes corner cutting really easy however because you are turning so fast it is easy to make mistakes. The downside to the really lose springs is that it pops all the time so I will be having a sub 5 solve with a last layer skip (I use top first because it was the first tutorial I found) and then when I go to AUF or I guess in Pyraminx ABF the edge piece slips out and boom goes the dynamite. When you use yellow springs on the other hand when you go to squeeze down on the nut it becomes harder to do and it becomes more firm. It makes turning harder and corner cutting far worse. If you like a really stable feeling cube then you will love yellow the turning is harder however I have never made a mistake on yellow springs.

If you look closely at the GES nuts real close you might see something that says 0.8, 0.6, and then a ban sign. On the Ban sign you can pull out the spring and change it. On 0.6 The feel is tighter and on 0.8 the feel is looser but to me I think for me it actually adjusts how strong the magnets are and 0.6 gives more of a pull. The personal settings I use are Purple springs on 0.6 but I would play around with all the settings and do even an average of 10 is what I did but if you want to do an Ao100 then I am not stopping you but do you really want to do 800 solves.

Now you might be wondering how to adjust settings, if you have used any other Pyraminx then you know to pop off the tips. You might however find yourself struggling to pop them off because they move but don't all at the same time. Some people might be able to find a way to uses their nail to get under it because if you feel under the cap you will find a lip. I don't have good nails so I often use my keys. You will thank me later.

One of the other questions that I see is: is the customizability worth it. The short answer is yes the long one is maybe. If you can customize then it is always worth it. However if you do not want to do some solves to find settings or you are a beginner and just want a really cheap functional cube get the Qiyi MS I have heard great things about it and I know that the Qiyi MS 3x3 used to be (or still is) Phil Yu's main. Besides the point I know that the MS line is Qiyi's good budget cube alongside the RS3M and the Monster Go I guess. So if you are looking for a good Pyraminx get that one because it is fine and functions well but it is a budget cube. But if you are like I got this cube as person who had only once solved a Pyraminx once before I became a cuber and someone in class had the ShengShou so I tried it out and was happy when I had solved one layer and the rest of the puzzle happened to be solved. Unrelated but what I am saying is that if you want to spend the money spend it.

So I hope I have provided enough insight. It is a great Pyraminx if you want to make it great. I would most definitely recommend it.

Thanks to the one person who read this.

Never ordered from this company before, flawless!

This is a great first step twords gan doing other puzzles, The packaging is totally premium and it is halve the experience. I didn't really play around with the GES nuts but I did find the the stock ones made the puzzle a little flimsy, which is worrying since if the tightest setting is too loose, then the tensionining system is a little retorical. I did find that the yellow ones worked for me though. The pyraminx itself was amazing, just amazing, it turned like air and was so light. One thing that I think could be improved upon is the tip caps, they are so so hard to get off, but overall I would recommend this to anyone who wants an awsome puzzle, the packaging and the pyraminx itself were amazing and it really comes together to create a great product.

Great Pyraminx! It turns well and is the best I have ever had!
I lowered my average from 12 to 13 seconds to 7 to 8 seconds.

Previously, I used to main the X-Man Bell Pyraminx and was looking for an upgrade over that and finally settled on the GAN Pyraminx M Enhanced. Despite it's hefty price, I can definitely say that the performance is worth every dollar spent. The corner cutting is phenomenal and the cube was just so smooth out of the box and barely took any set up to reach the perfect feeling for me. Overall, I highly recommend this puzzle to anyone who has the money and is looking for a top-tier Pyraminx!

This cube is absolutely amazing!!! If you need a pyraminx this is worth every penny. I dropped my pr from 8.54 to 5.19 on the first day of owning the cube (even without lube). I own the X-Man Bell Magnetic Pyraminx (previous main) and MoYu magnetic pyraminx, and this pyraminx has already outperformed them both on the first day of owning it.

this cube is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
good

The cube feels really smooth. It also has good grip, and has much better corner cutting than the Qiyi ms

poggers