I think build quality can be really inconsistent, especially when considering the brand you’re buying from. I can’t speak much about QiYi, since I only have a Square-1 from them (soon I’ll be getting their clock, which I’ve heard is the only one worth getting right now), but I’ve had my fair share of frustrations with other brands. For instance, earlier this year I got the MGC 6x6, and, after opening it up to lube the core, it [the core] just kind of… collapsed, which made the cube unusable.

It was all ok, in the end. The store I bought the cube from provided me a replacement 6x6, which is awesome and hasn’t given me any problems (yet). But this is just to show that we’re buying mass produced plastic puzzles and quality tends to vary a lot.

Take, for example, the WRM V9, which you praise in your post. I won’t deny that it is a high quality puzzle, and it’s my main 3x3 ever since I got it last October (I think). But the corner magnets (I got the ballcore version) have fallen out of three corners. I solved that with superglue, and I’m thankful that it all happened when I was at home, as losing the magnets on the bus would’ve been nothing short of tragic. But, again, this only goes to show that even flagship cubes can have their shortcomings, regarding build quality, as you yourself can attest with the Tornado V2.

I say all this because I like to keep in mind, and advise you to do as well, that reviewers generally only have access to one puzzle and have to give their impressions based only on that one puzzle, which may or may not be defective. So, unless the model itself is prone to defects (as was the case with a DaYan puzzle a few years back, though I can’t recall what model), I don’t really think reviewers should have the responsibility or even have the possibility to talk about build quality beyond the quality of the plastic and how sturdy the puzzle and its pieces are/feel.

Cube head says it’s adjustment system is dogshit and it’s a travesty that you can’t adjust the magnets.

But I just don’t agree. How often do you honestly adjust a cube, once or twice? Who cares that you need a screwdriver to do this? The magnets on my Tornado seem to adjust themselves so the fact that they’re adjustable is moot anyway.

Well, I also think the MoYu dual adjustment system is fine, but I believe that it’s in the best interest of cubing, for the future, that we demand better technologies in that respect. I’ve been dealing with screws for a decade now, so I don’t speak for lack of experience, but something like the GAN adjustment system, although a bit restrictive, can make it far easier for the consumer to set consistent screw distances from the core (I forget the proper name for this setting), and that is without having to touch a screwdriver. Which, of course, should only be done a few times in the lifespan of the puzzle, but making it easier to adjust allows for easier experimentation and an overall better time with the puzzle.

So I get why CubeHead disparages the screw adjustment system. Not because it is bad, but because demanding for better systems may push companies to a better direction, which I certainly agree with.