benpuzzles | MF8 Master FTO Solve + Written Review @benpuzzles | Uploaded May 2021 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
Was hoping for a sub-4 but I didn't have a whole lot of time to record this session. Hand-scrambles so I'm not claiming any record.

Overall this puzzle is very good. Out of the box it felt tight, the layers were quite stiff to turn and it was absolutely soaked in bad factory lubrication, but 3 break-in solves later and it loosened up just fine. After disassembling and making slight adjustments to the tensions, they became more even and feel quite nice now.
The size is pretty much perfect and the sticker quality/shades are fantastic aside from a couple air bubbles that were present, but peeling up one side and re-applying the affected stickers fixed this.
I think the biggest problem is that the stability of the puzzle goes way down when you make a deep turn with two layers; in the half-way position the 2x2 corner sections can pop with enough force. Others have even reported explosions when making second layer moves (though that could just be a tensioning issue). Lastly, the springs MF8 used in the four fixed centers are way too long and rigid which makes these layers stiff (the four floating ones do not have springs). Replacing them with shorter and lighter springs (perhaps from a Pyraminx or even a Skewb) will likely help make these turns easier.
In summary I'm ecstatically happy MF8 chose to push this design through their pipeline of unreleased projects so soon and it's super cool to see a new FTO-like puzzle become mass-produced, despite the minor design flaws. If you like solving FTO and have cash to burn, this puzzle is a great experience and does not disappoint.

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