Hey guys, long time no see, it's me CriticalCubing and today we are going to take a look at the
upgraded Valk Power.
Valk power was quite the hyped cube considering the brilliant introduction video that was
made, however bluntly speaking, the finished product in your hand doesn't live up to the
hype.
The box that comes along with the cube is similar to the Valk3 box, but the design has
been revamped and it looks quite cool according to me.
Good unboxing experience, but lets move onto more serious things.
The Valk3 Power is a 55.5mm puzzle which is the supposedly an upgrade to the Valk3, it's
predecessor.
It costs nearly 25$ and weighs roughly 88 grams which is a bit heavier than other cubes
on the market which come at about 70 gms.
But the difference in weight isn't blantantly noticeable.
When you first start turning the cube, you'll notice that the feel of the Valk Power is
different.
The normal valk feels hollow, bumpy, and sort of has this diluted mix of scratchiness and
smoothness.
The new valk power feels smooth in comparison.
Very smooth and kind of soft compared to the hollow scratchiness of the Valk3.
It sort of reminds me of the Yuexiao pro slightly, and the smooth feel of the valk power is due
to the changes done to the mechanism.
The hollow corner of the valk3 has been filled in completely, making the cube feel more solid
and diminishing the hollow feel of the valk3.
The edge has the capped design opposed to the split design of the valk3 where the edge
would split in the middle, and in the valk power, the edge is a complete whole with caps
on top like the GTS.
The change in the pieces gives the cube a smoother feel while not having the hollow
valk3 feel.
The current feel of the valk power is also comparable to the GTS2, but just less scratchy.
The GTS2 is more scratchy, and the Valk Power is softer and smoother.
The Valk3 was known for being a stable cube, so how does the Valk Power stack up in terms
of stability?
Well, not so good.
The Valk Power has problems with lockups and catches, and albeit not often, it's still
there and does have the power to ruin your solves.
Valk Power, right?
Don't let this make you think that the Valk Power isn't stable.
It is stable, but compared to it's younger brother, the Valk3, the stability of the power
is not powerful enough to surpass the younger brother.
The speed is also slower than the normal Valk3, and I can make it faster with Maru and lubrication,
but once the effects of lubrication dies down, it goes back to it's slower speed.
This may be good for people who turn slowly, but the valk3 is definitely faster and more
stable.
The valk power is supposedly faster according to the introduction video, however practically
turning both the cubes, the Valk3 is definitely faster than Valk Power when comparing raw
speeds.
Corner cutting with modern speedcubes is quite similar.
The cube can cut 45 degrees for normal corner cutting and line to line for reverse corner
cutting which is more than enough, and something all flagship cubes should be capable of doing.
So what are the differences between Valk3 the normal version, and Valk Power?
Instead of thinking the Valk Power to be an upgrade to the Valk3, I personally think of
the Valk Power to be a completely different cube, and an alternative to the Valk3.
The feel is radically different, and not reminiscent of the Valk3.
The design has been changed, and the speed is slower, and the only similarily is the
staiblity, although slight similarity since the valk3 is more stable.
The speed is slower, and personally for me, the valk3 is the better cube.
Do take my opinion with a grain of salt, but the valk3 does come on top of the valk power,
for me.
According to the introduction video, the valk power is supposed to better, but that is pretty
subjective and I still think that the normal valk is better, and cheaper too coming in
at about 20$ opposed to the 25$ of the Valk Power.
The Valk Power isn't faster than the normal version.
But yeah, it has power, right in its name.
Valk 3 Power, so I can agree with the power statement.
However do try out both cubes and see which one you like better.
I'm still going to use my trusty GTS2 non magnetic version as my main, but if I were
to main the Valk3 or the Valk Power, I'm going to leave the power behind since with great
power comes great responsiblity and I don't think I'm up for it when lesser power like
Valk3 fits me better.
The force is too strong in the valk power for a mere speedcuber like to be its owner.
Anyway the valk power is a good cube, no doubt, but the valk3 the normal is cheaper and also
the better option according to me.
Another good cube is the GTS2 by Moyu which is also cheaper and the better option.
For magnetic cubes, you can buy a normal valk and magnetize it yourself, or for a mass produced
magnetic version, you can go for the GTS2M which is the same prize as Valk Power coming
in at 25$.
If you wish to buy any of these cubes, do check out lightake.com for cheap prizes and
thank you to lightake for sending this cube to me.
I'll see you next time, take care guys and yup see you soon in my next video.