QiYi X-Man Tornado V5 Flagship UV

The QiYi Tornado V5 Flagship is the second of QiYi’s two V5 releases and the more conventional of the pair. It is built around stability, and for a good many solvers that is the quicker cube in practice.

An 8-magnet ball core sits behind conventional screw and spring tension adjustment. Dual magnetic positioning puts magnets in the core and between the pieces. A spherical core shell holds those magnets in place under fast turning. The UV coating gives a glossy, grippy, scratch-resistant surface. It measures 55.5mm.

Springs are no downgrade in themselves, and the QiYi Tornado V5 Flagship makes a good case for them. They give a progressive, damped return that plenty of solvers prefer, and they are more forgiving of an imperfect setup.

The Tornado V5 Pioneer alongside it has twelve more core magnets and MagLev in place of the springs, which makes it smoother and more adjustable. Most solvers who try both prefer it. A good number stay with the Flagship, though, and if you have tried MagLev and did not care for the feel you will be one of them.

The spherical core shell is the quiet improvement over the V4. Keeping the core magnets fixed stops the alignment drifting as the cube wears, so it holds the feel you set it to for longer.

Cubes dry out with use and start to feel scratchy. A few drops of GAN No.1 Lube Maintenance 10ml keeps the turning smooth and slows the wear.