You are one brave cuber if you are ready for bigger cubes like this and I am very happy that you are here. Once the smaller cubes no longer pose a challenge it is the time for an upgrade. In this guide, I will show you what to pay attention to and how to choose the best 6X6 rubik’s cube for you.
The 6X6 speed cube functions similarly to all the other nxnxn cubes but it is significantly more difficult to manufacture and design than the cubes of smaller dimensions. Internal designs of cubes with this much layers are very complex and these cubes are more often than not pretty bad.
Most of the 6X6X6 speed cubes which are out there on the market place are just horrible. They will get stuck, they can’t corner cut or will pop up and etc. These poorly designed puzzles are to be avoided!
Your speedcubing must be a beautiful experience where it is only you, your 6×6 and your skills.
In the buying guide below you will learn what are the characteristics you should look for in a quality 6X6 rubik’s cube and I will review the best 6×6 cubes below.
Related: You should check out our ultimate guide for choosing the 3 by 3 cube. There we have covered everything you need to know about the twisty puzzle characteristics in general. You can read all about it here: hobbyinspired.com/best-speed-cube
But if you know how the puzzles work you can just read on or even skip to reviews themselves.
Table of Contents
The Most Important Features of the 6X6 Rubik’s cube
Most of these characteristics will be familiar to you if you are an experienced cuber and since you are looking for the 6X6 I am guessing that you are. So I will write in short about the characteristics that are of the highest importance specifically for the 6X6 cubes.
These features of the cube will dictate the quality of the puzzle and your solving experience.
Control and Speed
These two are the most important characteristics for any speed cube. Every twisting puzzle will provide you with a combination of the smoothness and the speed.
It is up to you to go with a cube which has more speed meaning that the layers turn faster or with a puzzle that has more smoothness meaning that the layers turn slower but with more control.
There is no better choice between the two because it depends on your personal cubing style.
Keep in mind thou that with big cubes like the 6X6 rubik’s cube it is wise to have more control. There are too many layers and overshooting will happen, meaning that a very fast cube with not enough friction between the layers will inevitably mess up some inner layers.
However, you shouldn’t trade all of the speed for the control because this is speedcubing after all and if you are after beating your PB it is best to customize the cube with lubes in order to achieve the combination of speed and smoothness which works for you.
Corner Cutting
When it comes to the corner cutting with the 6x6x6 cubes I would say that it is one of the most important elements to a joyful solving.
6×6 speed cubes have a lot of layers and if you are trying to solve it fast some overshooting will happen and you will need a layer to turn even if the vertical face is not properly aligned. Your cube should be able to corner cut when it is needed and not to ruin the algorithm execution by throwing you off and getting a lock up.
However, on the cubes big as these don’t expect corner cutting to be even close to the quality of the lower dimension cubes like 3×3 or 4×4 cubes.
6X6 Cubes Stability
Stability of the 6×6 should cover the following:
- It should be a bit flexible so that it doesn’t feel rigid
- The puzzle should not deform
- Your 6×6 speed cube should not pop up
Due to their very complex design, these cubes will always face the problems of pop ups. Pop ups happen when a piece of the cube pops out of its place when you are speed solving.
However thanks to the advancements we are seeing in the design of the bigger cubes these tend to happen less than they used to but it is still a frequent issue.
Reviews of the Best 6X6 Rubik’s Cubes:
The cubes below are the best choices for 6×6 in my opinion but are also widely accepted in the speed cubing community. You can’t really go wrong with any of them but not all of them will offer the same degree of quality. They actually differ a lot in quality so you should choose according to your needs and budget.
I also want to let you know that I earn a small fee if you purchase puzzles through the affiliate links in the article. This helps me to keep the site running and it doesn’t influence which cubes I recommend.
I encourage you to buy your cube at TheCubicle (cubes linked below). They are the best US-based puzzle shop led by passionate speedcubers. You will get the highest quality service. They are trusted and loved by the cubing community.
1. Moyu Aoshi 6×6 Gts M:
Last update on 2024-04-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
MoYu Aoshi is a stickerless 6X6 speed cube and it is one of the best options out there. MoYu Aoshi is a magnetic puzzle which means more control.
I love the fact that the inner layers have stronger magnets than the outer layer because this will help you keep what you solved inside while you are working with the outer layers. It provides you with a lot of control when speedsolving.
That being said, the Aoshi is a quite fast speed cube with a crispy clicky feel to it when speedsolving. It is not as smooth as some other 6×6’s. It also comes quite stiff out of the box and it takes quite a lot to break it in.
MoYu AoShi is the best 6×6 cube when it comes to the pop ups. It is highly resistant to it. They do happen but less often than on any other puzzle of this dimension.
This 6X6 will catch somewhat often and this will slow you down as you are solving it because the corner cutting as said above on the cubes of such size is not really good.
Turning: Fast turning, Corner cutting: Average, Control: Great, Catching: Often, Lockups: Rare, Popups: Very Rare, Speed Solving: Very good
2. X-Man Shadow 6×6 V2 M
Last update on 2024-04-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
X-Man Shadow is definitely one of the best 6X6 rubik’s cubes. I can’t really decide which is better between the X-Man Shadow and the MoYu Aoshi. I would say that those two are unquestionably the best options. It just depends on you personally which one you will like more.
This puzzle has a soft sandy feeling out of the box but once you break it in it will settle in with a slight crispy feeling which feels very nice.
It is in my opinion the fastest 6X6X6 on which you can get but it is also quite smooth and controllable. Considering that it is a magnetic puzzle it is no surprise that it will provide you with a lot of control. Magnets are stronger in the inner layers to protect them from being scrambled as you fly around with the outer layers.
This speedcube is very fluid and this can be a problem as much as it is a good thing. It is very fast but stable. This new version has excellent popup resistance and the catching between the layers is reduced to a minimum.
Corner cutting is very good I would say and especially after proper tensioning. Still, even if you do tension it, it may lock up in some cases if you overshoot too much and try to corner cut with a lot of force.
Turning: Fast and smooth turning, Corner cutting: Average, Control: Great, Catching: Rare, Lockups: Rare, Popups: Rare, Speed Solving: Very good
3. YJ MGC 6X6
Last update on 2024-04-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The YJ had a tremendous success with their MGC line of cubes and I think that they had the biggest success with bigger cubes starting with 4×4 and onwards. Because they offered a great price to quality ratio.
This 6×6 puzzle from YJ is only a bit lower in quality than the two puzzles above but it has a significantly lower price. Meaning that it represents the true value choice.
This puzzle has a great feel somewhat similar to MoYu Aoshi and it is very fast. Almost similar to it. The corner cutting is decent but you can’t expect anything special as it is generally difficult to manufacture a big cube with great corner cutting.
This puzzle is however more prone to popping and that can be a problem for some cubers. Especially if you are not careful with your solves. Catching layers and then having pieces pop up all over the place is not a pleasant experience. This can be helped by tensioning this puzzle a bit.
This 6×6 has decent control as well and if you apply proper lubes you can further improve it. Overall I recommend this 6×6 rubik’s cube to anyone that is looking for something on the cheaper end that still offers a professional experience. The cubes below are even cheaper but they are not a value choice as this one.
Turning: Fast turning, Corner cutting: Average, Control: Very good, Catching: Often, Lockups: Rare, Popups: Rare, Speed Solving: Very good
4. Cyclone Boys 6X6
Last update on 2024-04-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Now let’s talk about some budget 6×6 speed cubes. This puzzle from cyclone boys is pretty good for a budget option but considering this is a 6X6 and like I said they are very hard to manufacture and design do not expect some perfection from the cheaper options.
That being said the 6X6X6 from cyclone boys is a pretty decent option if you are not really into fast speed solving.
The layers on this puzzle are quite stiff and hard to turn and the puzzle generally feels very tight. Now I know that you are thinking “well just loosen it up”. Unfortunately loosening the tensions will most likely end up with an explosion of the cube all over the floor. If you want to loosen it up make sure that you are very careful and not to overdo it.
Depending on how fast you are going this 6X6 will catch and lockup quite often. However, popups will not happen as often unless you are going very fast and you are quite rough. And of course if you do loosen it up you should expect the pop ups to happen.
Turning: Stiff, Corner cutting: Average, Control: Great, Catching: Often, Lockups: Often, Popups: Rare, Speed Solving: Average
5. YuXin Little Magic 6X6
Last update on 2024-04-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This is also one of the best budget 6×6 cubes that you can buy. YuXin is known for making the budget variants and they did just that for the 6x6x6 market as well.
Now unlike with the cyclone boys, this puzzle actually comes overly loose out of the box and it can pop and lock quite easily. Tightening the tensions will definitely help with that but don’t expect to be speedsolving with this 6X6 cube with some crazy speeds.
This cube turns quite well and pretty fast too but it is also quite controllable with enough smoothness. This can be additionally corrected to your preference by applying lubes you like.
The inner layers are a bit slower than the outer layers which is to be expected.
Overall this is a great budget choice which I would recommend for the beginners who wish to get their first 6×6 and don’t plan on going full speeds.
Turning: Fast with enough smoothness, Corner cutting: Average, Control: Great, Catching: Often, Lockups: Often, Popups: Rare, Speed Solving: Average
Conclusion
Every cuber has different needs and preferences for their cubes but some things like pop ups or lock ups we all want to avoid. There really aren’t any 6X6 cubes which will never experience any of those because no one ever made such a puzzle.
You should think about your cubing level, budget and your turning style and then decide with which 6 by 6 rubik’s cube you are going to go.
If this guide helped you please share it with your cuber friends and if you have anything to add or ask feel free to drop a comment below.