DaYan Tangram Cube Extreme

I was a little disappointed in the original Tangram Cube because there's just not that much to the solve. It consisted of only 3 steps and 2 of them were really easy. I'm still a fan of the overall design though so thankfully the 'extreme' version of the Tangram Cube introduces many new elements to the solve while still feeling like a Tangram Cube. It still has the same turns, the same 3 edge turns and same 2 corner turning layers, but new cuts allow the edges to now turn while the corners are offset. Not only does this create new pieces that are not present on the original cube but it also means the cube can now shapeshift as pieces can be jumbled into spots they don't belong. It provides depth to the solve that the original cube lacked.

The cube can be solved with a single simple alg, just like the original, but the difficulty lies in understanding the correct order of what pieces to solve next. Which is not easy when everything is all jumbled up and small triangle pieces look similar to other small yet different triangle pieces. It's a fun solve working through the logic of it and even knowing the solution it's fun just to do it. There's no orientation to worry about, just get the pieces where they need to go.

I have to deduct a point for how often it locks up though. There's lots of pieces of different types sliding across one another and getting stuck while turning is very common. It also can be annoying handling a cube with lots of sharp little pieces sticking out. There's a lot of little triangles on this cube and because it can shapeshift that means there's a lot of sharp little triangle points sticking out everywhere. It's not going to cut your hands up but it can be annoying at times to handle when you can't even grip it without getting poked.

Overall a huge improvement over the normal Tangram Cube regarding the solve but a step back regarding how it handles.

It’s an excellent puzzle, with a fun solution.

No further words are needed.

I was excited to get this and was pretty pleased with it on unboxing and first turns. The stickers weren't great, and some were already lifted at the points, but that didn't bother me since I was already planning to resticker it. The problem came with the first scramble, when after about 10 turns several pieces popped out, and It basically disintegrated in my hands. Nothing broke, it was just too loose. Reassembly was a nightmare, and required a lot of tape just to hold things in place. When I got it back together I tightened each screw all the way down, and then backed them up just enough to let the sides turn freely. Now it's solid, and has not popped anymore after several solves. It probably should've been this tight from the factory. I'm still very pleased with the quality of the cube, but that might be something to watch out for. The core screws are under each of the 3 large parts of the middle slice (each cap is 2 pieces), and the 2 cubee shaped corners.

I've wanted this cube since it came out, but never got around to it until now. The turning, as mentioned in other reviews, is not great. Something catches and locks it up nearly every turn, but it's never hard to get past it. Nothing has popped out yet, and if you align everything well on the "slice", the 180° turns are fairly smooth.
I haven't solved it yet, but I will, and I can already tell I'm going to enjoy that. First though, I want to re-sticker it. I prefer a certain set of shades, and I had already planned to do that, but it's a good thing, because seeing the stickers that it came with would've been disappointing otherwise. The points on the triangle stickers were mostly lifting, with absolutely no adhesion beneath. If I had kept them, they'd be peeling by the 3rd solve. Fortunately, the cubicle previously provided me with some uncut sticker sheets in my chosen shades.