Tungsten & Aluminum Cube Set - 1.5" - One Kilo Tungsten & 150g Aluminum

I was interested in this set for a long time before I pulled the trigger. I would have ordered a lot sooner had I known just how cool and impressive they'd turn out to be.Q: Will these look awesome sitting on my desk/shelf/mantle?A: Yes. Even before you pick them up, they're visually impressive. The geometric perfection and the truly excellent finish on the metals makes them nice display pieces even before people pick them up.Q: Won't cubes only 1.5" on a side look kinda small?A: No. I was worried about this, because 1.5" doesn't sound like much, and I wondered if I should spring for a 2" cube (which costs substantially more). I shouldn't have worried - when you carry 1.5" through three dimensions and fill the space with solid metal, it looks plenty big. Any bigger and I think it might start looking obnoxious. Plus it's very handy at this size to remember that the aluminum cube has a mass of 150g and the tungsten cube has a mass of 1kg.Q: Is the difference in weight really that impressive?A: Oh heck yes. Even knowing what to expect, it's shocking. A lot of people will pick up the aluminum cube and say, "Oh, heavy!" because although it is aluminum, it's still a solid cube, and a lot of people just don't get many opportunities to pick up a solid chunk of metal like that. Then they pick up the tungsten cube, and are completely blown away. Even I am continually and happily surprised all over again when I handle the tungsten cube. It seems uncanny, almost otherworldly, that anything that small could be that heavy. This will not wear out, you won't get tired of it, it will continue to be impressive and surprising and thought-provoking for, well, as long as you have it. I'm certain that the vast majority of these tungsten cubes will outlast their owners - short of a nuclear blast or an asteroid impact, I can't think of many things that would destroy one. Which is another cool thing to contemplate while you're holding it: ten thousand years from now, this cube will still be here, either being played with or buried and waiting to be discovered by future archaeologists.Q: How about the packing, stands, etc.?A. These things come very well packed. There's a large outer box, which contains a layer of bubble wrap and two smaller boxes. Each smaller box is a cube about 4" or so on a side, and inside it is filled by a hollow cube of closed-cell foam that surrounds the metal cube. The top "lid" of the foam cube lifts off to reveal the metal cube and the little plastic stand. The aluminum cube is further wrapped in a plastic bag to prevent scratches during transport. The plastic stands are just little hollow triangles, but they're thick and solid and they work beautifully. I hadn't realized that the stands were included so that was a pleasant surprise for me. Oh, the big box also includes information sheets with fun facts about tungsten and aluminum on the front, and the specifications (chemical makeup, mostly) of the cubes on the back. Another nice touch.Q: Anything else I should know?A: Yup - if you're sufficiently interested in this set to read through this whole review, just pull the trigger. You won't be disappointed.

The 1 kg tungsten cube is nothing short of amazing. Take it in your hand, it feels like the cube is attracted downwards by a strong magnet. It's hard getting used to it, because you never come across other materials with such a density in everyday life.The build quality is good, the cubes are as shown on the pictures. The aluminum alloy cube is shiny, not mirror-like but looks OK. The tungsten alloy cube has a "brushed metal" finish, and is indeed darker than the Al cube. Looks pretty good, too. There are no sharp edges thanks to a small chamfer. The cubes arrived very well packed and with no visible defect (not dents or scratches or anything). Certificates of composition are provided. The tungsten alloy is type MT-18F (95%W 3.5%Ni 1.5%Fe), density 18.02 g/cm3. The aluminum alloy is aerospace grade 6061 (95.85%Al 1.2%Mg 0.8%Si 0.7%Fe 0.4%Cu 0.35%Cr 0.25%Zn 0.15%Mn 0.15%Ti 0.15% other), density 2.7 g/cm3.The small plastic stands are quite convenient, although they would look slightly better with all sides polished in my opinion.About the size: 1.5" is a good choice because it doesn't look that big, it is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet 1kg is pretty heavy already.

I bought this as a gift and the recipient was very happy. They picked these out specifically because other products that were similar were not made as well. We did a lot of research and settled on these as the best option. We are very happy with our cubes, they are a fun, hands-on way to talk about science! They came nicely packaged and on time. They also came with a description of the items along with some interesting history and facts. Overall we are very happy with our purchase!

The cubes are beautifully made and very cool - and they're expensive and pretty useless. Not exactly an "object de arte," a little small as a display item on a desk, and too big to use as a "fidget" - my son (35 year old Veterinarian, who just opened his own clinic) kept talking about wanting a tungsten cube to "play" with while writing notes and making call backs. I thought the comparison between the weights of the tungsten and aluminum was a cool feature so I bought him the set. I think he would have been happier with the 1/2 inch cube because it would be better to fidget with - (and would have cost me $30 instead of $170,) but that's not a flaw in the product, which is beautiful, just in my wrong idea that more would be better. I also think the sphere would have been the coolest of all, and really pleasant to hold, but that was too expensive ($250.) So that's my long review of a lovely but useless gift that I somewhat regret buying.

Love these cubes. Well made and machined. The Al block is polished and both are surprisingly precise on the measurements. W block isn't as reflective so they are visibly different but that's expected.Comes with small triangle stands do display them at an angle. Admittedly useless, but I like to just have on a desk and pick up randomly. Always fun when somebody new picks them up. Very glad I got them, they're one of my favorite dumb things I own.

It’s is just a block of tungsten. There is no more to say. I am very happy with the blocks. They are nice blocks. Only thing is that the tungsten block is a 95% alloy of tungsten. These blocks are nice.

Perfect quality, amazing product with excellent communication from the seller. And very quick shipping for US to UK.

It's very cool to feel the difference in density.