DaYan ZhanChi Pro V5 3x3 Premium (Magnetic, MagLev, Ball-Core)

Dayan has made two great cubes in the Premium and Fancy versions. They are very different puzzles, so it depends on what a person likes better in a cube. I'm writing a review for both of them, so if you are on the fence, it's worth reading both.

The Premium is a very stable cube, stable meaning it keeps its cube shape. If I had to guess, that is the main thing the cap magnets provide. The cube is controllable and provides even greater stability with stronger cap magnets. I own the Tornado V3 Pioneer, and this cube is comparable to that feel and speed.

There are a lot of options for customizing the feel, from making the cube faster by taking the cap magnets out to all the other options in the description to slow it down. All in all, this is a really awesome cube.

Is this cube better than a Gan or Moyu? I don't think so, but is it comparable and will a lot of cubers like it better? I think that could be true if this cube was given the chance.

Is the Zhan Chi going to pull cubers away from other brands? Probably not, but if you want to try a great puzzle that is a possible main contender, this is a good choice. Dayan made a heck of a cube, and I hope it becomes more popular.

As a final personal testimony, before the Zhan Chi I was not a big fan of 3x3. I preferred bigger cubes. But the feel of this cube is so good, that I now solve 3x3 as one of my main puzzles. This cube is definitely worth a try.

I got this cube expecting innovative designs, but nothing short of many flaws. Instead, I was absolutely blown away by this cube! It is so smooth right out of the box, and Dayan has once again gone and outdone themselves by making the best sounding cube out there! I just can't get enough of those satisfying clicks. It also has fantastic piece to piece contact and accepts lube better than any other cube I own. My favorite part about this cube though, is the slice layers. After taking a look at a couple reviews of this product (on other websites) I was ready for flimsy or unstable slices, and that is exactly what I got. But in a good way! I dislike the slice layers on most cubes because my turning style requires me to target the slices more directly to get the accurate turn, and then it takes more force than usual to do so because of the double amount of magnets holding the layer in place. With this cube, turning the slices feels just like turning the ordinary U or R layers! The flimsiness of them allow me to give them nimble flicks in-between the easier moves, and it has made my solves so much more quick and effortless. This cube has really set in concrete Dayan as my preferred manufacturer and I can't wait to see what they release in the future. I do wish though that it came in better condition. There were several scratches and marks on several of the pieces when I got it, but I trust that Dayan is able to do something about it in the future. And for a final note, if anybody is wondering, the lid on the cube container is a sliding lid, not a hinged lid. It took me five minutes to figure that out.

This cube is super cool and unique, and I love that the internals are my favorite color! It is worth it to buy it, but I personally enjoy the fancy version more. The turning feel on the fancy version is a little more effortless and fast in my opinion than the premium. If you don't like the faster versions of cubes though and you like them to be slightly slower, the premium might be your best option! Overall very stable and enjoyable experience.