YOSHIMOTO CUBE No.1 Gold & Silver by Naoki Yoshimoto

My son bugged me for months to buy this for him. So he ended up getting this for Christmas. At first, I really could not justify spending $80 on a puzzle cube. But my son has had this with him on most school days since then, plus he usually carries it around. It's his "fidget" item. For those with special needs kids, you know what that means. The Yoshimoto cube is actually pretty sturdy, and very entertaining. There's almost unlimited shapes that it can be made into, plus it splits into two pieces for more fun. All in all, it was worth it.

It's hard to really know how to classify this item. Is it a puzzle? Not really. A game? Still no. A toy? In a way. A work of art? I suppose that depends on your definitions. I suppose what it really comes down to is that the Yoshimoto Cube is genius work of design stemming from a mathematical oddity. Personally, though it's not puzzling enough to be a puzzle nor tricky enough to be a magic trick nor competitive enough (or at all) to be a game, I find it to be quite magical. After a minute or two of playing with it, you'll have found all of its permutations, so it doesn't seem like it would have much longevity as an object of curiosity, yet I find myself returning to it regularly because, even though it's obvious how it works, it just doesn't *seem* like such permutations should be possible.Design aside, let's discuss the quality of the physical object. Basically what you're getting is a plastic toy with stickers on each face. Think of a cheap Rubik's cube. Unfortunately, some of the permutations don't quite like to stay in place unless held by a finger. For the price, I would have liked slightly better in that respect. However, after some hours of use, it does seem rather durable. I don't think it would hold up to the abuses of careless small children, but it does seem like it will hold together well over many repeated uses as long as it's not subjected to needless stresses.Minor quibbles about some of the permutations not liking to stay in place aside, my only real objection is that it does seem rather overpriced. That having been said, if you know what it is and you think it's worth the investment, you won't be disappointed when you receive it.

incredibly low quality, dont spend $60+ on that $1 worth piece of plastic with stickers that will go off after 2 days