AndySmith's Rubber Ratings
Back to andysmith's ProfileHere are AndySmith's ratings and reviews. These ratings are useful because AndySmith has his/her own standard and will rate and review the ping pong equipment accordingly, giving you accurate and useful ratings and reviews to aid you in your next online purchase.
Adidas (2) 
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Adidas P5
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Review of Adidas P5P5 is the first tensor I've used where everything clicks into place on my forehand side. It has very little of the classic tensor bounciness in the short game, it isn't uncontrollably fast at the top end, and the sponge is medium hardness with a linear power delivery.While dealing with those problems, it also brings really, really good spin, and a useful high throw angle which makes looping a real pleasure. It's even good at blocking. A top rubber, but it's not as easy to find as some other brands, and prices are very high if you buy them from the big-name TT websites. I'm in the UK, but I have to order internationally or pay £45 - it's not worth that much cash. Jul 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Adidas P3
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Review of Adidas P3I just reviewed the P5. Compared to that, this is slightly softer, and the pips look smaller and are spaced slightly further apart.It shares a lot of characteristics with P5, but with the changes above taken into account, it plays a bit more direct, lower throw angle, slightly faster (not by much though). Feels better at blocking and hitting than P5, slightly worse in the looping department. As such, it works incredibly well on my backhand side. A top rubber, but it's not as easy to find as some other brands, and prices are very high if you buy them from the big-name TT websites. I'm in the UK, but I have to order internationally or pay £45 - it's not worth that much cash. Jul 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Andro (1)
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Andro Hexer
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Review of Andro HexerLooking at the sponge construction, this is Andro's answer to Tenergy. The sponge looks very porous, and is quite heavy. There are differences however, making Hexer a good alternative for players looking for something a little less extreme.First off, I found it to be sightly less grippy than Tenergy. So, less easy spin available, but it reacts less to incoming spin as well. This makes it much easier for service returns and the short game in general. Great for flips. It also has a much lower throw, so it performs in a more "traditional" way. And it feels nice and controlled at low-medium pace. However, it really wakes up on hard hits, giving some serious pace. I suppose this makes it a little non-linear, but with a bit of adjustment it becomes a real advantage. I found it a little tough at first to lift backspin from over the table, but that was just a case of getting used to the low throw (I was coming from Tenergy 05). So, all-in-all, a real alternative to T05 for players who find it a bit over the top at times. Don't know how durable the rubber is yet though - hopefully better than tensors... Nov 10, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Butterfly (10)
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Butterfly Tenergy 05
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Review of Butterfly Tenergy 05Get the cons out of the way first - heavy, expensive.Other than that, it's an exceptional piece of equipment. The sponge isn't quite like anything else on the market. It's controlled on slower touch shots, but really lets rip with anything harder. Feels hardish to the touch, but behaves far softer. And the spin potential is massive - much more than the non-tacky surface would suggest. So you get some of the advantages of traditional chinese tacky rubbers (easy spin on serves and loops), but with great blocking and driving ability. One word of warning - it's fast. Not as fast as a heavily glued Sriver, but certainly faster than most vanilla non-glued rubbers. If you're not used to glueing up, some adjustment is required. And the throw angle is quite high. Feb 27, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Sriver G2 FX
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Review of Butterfly Sriver G2 FXGreat all-round attacking rubber with a bit more pace than the traditional Sriver family.Medium-soft feel with low throw and great control. Good mechanical grip for loops, nice feel on blocks and flat hits. Suits most blades, but lacks outright speed so proably a better fit with faster blades if you're a power attacker. Feb 27, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Sriver G2
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Review of Butterfly Sriver G2Great all-round attacking rubber with a bit more pace than the traditional Sriver family.Medium feel with low throw and great control. Good mechanical grip for loops, nice feel on blocks and flat hits. A bit faster than the G2 FX with the harder sponge, but still nice on the loop. Suits most blades, but lacks outright speed so proably a better fit with faster blades if you're a power attacker. Feb 27, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Tenergy 64
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Review of Butterfly Tenergy 64Behaves in a very similar manner to Tenergy 05, but with a slightly softer feel all-round. Sponge is the same as T05, so the difference comes from the pip configuration in the topsheet.So, much the same as T05, heavy, expensive. Topsheet looks a bit more fragile, but it's been fine for me so far. Still a spin and loop monster, with quick pace and high throw. Feb 27, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Tenergy 25
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Review of Butterfly Tenergy 2525 has the same basic cons as 05 - heavy (especially in 2.1mm) and expensive. However, it has many of the positives, but does behave quite differently.Although Butterfly market it as the "hard" version, that's more of a reflection of how it plays rather than how it feels. All the Tenergies have the same sponge, but 25 has MASSIVE pips on the rubber sheet. This results in a lower throw angle than 05 and 64 (although it's not that low when compared to a hurricane, for example - it's just lower than the other Tenergies). So, you get the great pace and easy spin of a Tenergy (serves are loaded), but with the low throw I found blocking and hitting easier. Flipping and looping over the table was nice and easy, but from mid-distance and up it became harder and more effort is needed than 05 and 64. The hard feel results in slightly less mechanical spin, but it's fractions out, and still light years ahead of the last generation of High Tension / Tensors. Hopefully it lasts as long as 05, which has proved to be amazingly durable if you avoid ripping it accidentally. If you play mostly over the table, or previously used glued low-throw chinese rubbers, then 25 is well worth a go. I still use 05 on the forehand, but struggled to adapt my backhand to it. 25 is a much better fit for me on the backhand side, and I'm sticking with it for now! Sep 15, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Tenergy 05 FX
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Review of Butterfly Tenergy 05 FXA softer version of T05, this one has a different (softer) sponge, unlike the rest of the Tenergy range which use identical sponges.This makes it lighter (but only slightly - still heavier than most), loses a bit of top speed, and has a slight click to it if you try hard enough (if you're into your clicky noise rubbers). It's being marketed as the "control" version of Tenergy, but be careful with that. It's still quick, still reacts strongly to incoming spin, and the short game is still tricky. But I found it much easier when hitting, driving over the table and (crucually) blocking. If you've adjusted to regular Tenergy's quirks, but want something with a touch more control (say, on the backhand side), then this is worth a go. But it's definitely not an allround control rubber. Jun 22, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Spin Art
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Review of Butterfly Spin ArtThis is a hard version of Butterfly's spring sponge with a *slightly* tacky topsheet.When you take it out of the packet it feels really hard and very heavy - like a concrete slab. Looks like a Tackifire topsheet on a harder spring sponge. I suppose a lazy way of describing it is a hybrid of Tenergy and DHS Hurricane 2/3. It's not outright quick in general play, and it seems very controlled in the short game and for service returns. Flicks, pushes and blocks are all good. Looping is slightly tricky, because it's not massively tacky for brush looping and it's very hard for a euro style stroke. But I really liked hitting - if you put some beans into a smash, you get good results from the sponge. If you rip the 3rd ball over the table then you get good spin. A lazy stroke won't get you much spin though. I bought T05FX for a more controlled version of Tenergy, but I actually prefer this more. I don't mind hard and heavy rubbers though, so if you're into soft tensors then this will be quite an adjustment for you. Really very good! Jun 22, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Roundell
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Review of Butterfly RoundellNot massively quick, not enough grip on the topsheet for me. A really average Butterfly rubber really, and not worth what they charge for it.The comparison to Bryce made by other posters is a good one - imagine a slower, softer Bryce and you're almost there. A reasonable allround rubber, but I'd rather use Sriver. Slightly slower, but more grip. Oct 01, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Tenergy 80
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Review of Butterfly Tenergy 80Excellent rubber. As others have said, lies somewhere between 05 and 64 in general behaviour. I find it suits my FH side more than 05 due to a more easy-going throw angle. The massive spin potential remains, but easier to keep the ball arc tighter when needed. Plays well on the BH side too, but I prefer softer sponges, so I'll stick with T64-FX until the inevitable T80-FX appears.Also - of all the Tenergy range, I find T80 to be less bouncy and reactive to spin in the short game. Much easier for me to use for service receive and touch shots. Not sure why this is TBH, but I'm happy about it. Still pricy in the EU unless you can find a friendly importer. Sep 10, 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Tenergy 64 FX
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Review of Butterfly Tenergy 64 FXThe best of the Tenergy range for my BH needs. Lower throw than 64, 05, 05-fx, good speed, linear response, good spin generation. Easiest Tenergy for blocking and flat hitting(without switching to the more specialised T25).I tend to switch between this and 05-fx on the BH side. 05-fx has the edge on raw looping, but 64-fx is more stable, better in allround play and close-in, and easier for pushing and noodling around the table. Sep 10, 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
DHS (5)
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DHS NEO Hurricane 3
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Review of DHS NEO Hurricane 3Great rubber for the price. Very much like the original H3 but with a bit more zip. Nowhere near as fast or spinny as a glued H3, but that's not an option these days.Oct 16, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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DHS NEO Skyline 3 TG3
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Review of DHS NEO Skyline 3 TG3I switched to this on the b/hand after trying out a H3 Neo for a month or too, and it suited me much better. Found it easier to develop slower loops - surprising for such a hard sponge.Reasonable pace, nice tack, great serving and general spin generation potential, cheaper than Euro/Jap rubbers. Nowhere near as fast as recent glue-effect rubbers though. Not sure about durability yet... Oct 16, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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DHS NEO Hurricane 2
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Review of DHS NEO Hurricane 2Obviously, quite similar to NEO H3. So, quite heavy, tacky topsheet (but not as tacky as original H2), low throw. It's slow until you start to up the pace and get the ball to dig into the sponge, at which point it becomes a bit springy and things speed up considerably.This one seems more direct than the NEO H3 I tried, with a harder feel all round. It suited my backhand more, but I'm more of a flat hitter on that side than a looper. If you loop more I'd stick with NEO H3. Important to bear in mind that the NEO sponges do seem to soften up with a bit of play, so you can get quite a bit of grippy spin out of them after some use. Feb 10, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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DHS Tin Arc
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Review of DHS Tin ArcExcellent do-it-all rubber from DHS. DHS's traditional rubber line-up is incredibly focussed - tacky rubbers for the forehand. With Tin Arc, they've produced a great all-round offensive rubber that can do just about anything you want it to do.Almost non-tacky, it plays like many of the classic japanese rubbers you used back in the day (Sriver, Mark V, etc), but with more spin, and a touch more speed and throw. It's a bit heavier than the classics though. It can fit with a chinese brush-loop or euro loop style. No real weak points - quality control seems great too. In fact, are DHS even making this themselves? :-) If you are looking for an upgrade on classic rubbers and don't like the feel of tensors - check this out. Sep 24, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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DHS Hurricane 3-50
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Review of DHS Hurricane 3-50This is the H3 topsheet on a Tinarc sponge, which makes it an interesting combination.Comparing directly to a commercial H3N, H3-50: Feels very similar in service and short game (so, excellent then). Is slower on flat hits, loop drives. Is a touch slower when brush looping. Has more of a flexible, elastic feel when looping. The last point is important - when looping, and the sponge is engaged, H3-50 gives good speed and higher arc. This gives you a better window to use when looping than traditional H3-type rubbers, and the elastic nature of the setup means it can work well away from the table (if you put the effort in). If you have a game developed around the strengths of H3N (or similar), H3-50 might feel like a step back. It isn't as good for powerful play over the table - hard loop drive kill shots for example. But it does well in an allround playstyle, and feels a lot safer to me when in a loop-loop exchange. H3-50 might make more sense when coming from a eurojap perspective. It's like a medium speed eurojap rubber with a tacky topsheet. If you switched from eurojap to H3-50, you lose speed (and maybe blocking ease-of-use), but you gain service and short game control and spin. And rather than going for the full-on H3N experience, you get an easier time when looping. It won't feel like such a big change. Jun 23, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Donic (6)
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Donic Acuda S3
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Review of Donic Acuda S3Has some of the springy nature of Tensors, balanced by the soft sponge and grippy topsheet. Has the best mix of control and pace of any ESN rubber I've tried so far. Really good for blocking and hitting, enough grip to loop and lift backspin. Not too bouncy, so short game isn't compromised too much, but enough spring to punch through dead balls with ease. Awesome backhand rubber. Best blocker I've ever used.Speed increases quite a lot with thickness, so if you try MAX and find it too bouncy, give 2.0 or 1.8 a try. I found the difference to be more noticable than most rubbers. Dec 10, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Donic Bluefire M3
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Review of Donic Bluefire M3The BF series is the first tensor I've used with a massive range of gears. The topsheet is also the grippiest I've used in this type of rubber.It's not overly bouncy like old-gen tensors, and behaves very well in the short game. Service spin is excellent. The combination of topsheet and sponge give a real sense of "dwell" when you hit the ball, whereas previous tensors (Acuda, Coppa, etc) just fire the ball out. Accordingly, blocking does feel a little indirect at first, and it's not as fast as previous tensors when hitting flat. But it's looping where this rubber shines. It's a loop monster. The arc is massive, spin huge, which gives you an enormous window to work with. This is a special rubber. Sep 24, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Donic Baracuda
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Review of Donic BaracudaExcellent rubber, one of the best of Donic's line-up. Fantastic spin from the grippy topsheet, not overly fast but still has a little bit of bounciness in the short game. Loops like a champ, and is a good rival to T05. Cheaper than T05, spins almost as well when looping, but durability isn't quite as good. Throw is HIGH, so be prepared for that.Dec 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Donic Baracuda Big Slam
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Review of Donic Baracuda Big SlamI love the original Bara on the FH side, but have recently replaced it with Bluefire M3. However, Bara BS remains an excellent choice on the BH side.Slightly softer than the original Bara, but not as soft as the other Big Slam versions (Vario and F3 Big Slam are much softer). Throw is lower, speed slightly less, spin remains very high. This suits my BH, and I find it a bit easier to use than Acuda S3 on the BH side due to the easy access to spin and slightly deader feel in the short game. Excellent BH choice, and agree with everything NS said in his/her review above. Dec 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Donic Bluefire JP 02
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Review of Donic Bluefire JP 02First up, you might expect that JP02 is in the middle of the range in between JP01 and JP03. It isn't - the topsheet is similar (looks the same to me) as the other JPs, but the sponge is much more open-pored. This is similar to JP01 Turbo, which also has the large-pore sponge type rather than the tight-pore sponge on the JP01 and JP03.It feels like something of a hybrid. It has the grabby, grippy topsheet from the JP range, but the sponge resembles Bluefire M2 in a lot of ways (without the booster smell you get with M2 though). In the short game, it has all of the benefits of JP01/03. Good, easy spin when you need it, but good control when receiving. In medium effort shots or above, it comes alive and feels faster and more slingy than any of the other JPs. It's not a cannon, but it has a great elastic kick which adds a dollop of pace to the shot. It does lose a bit of dwell in these gears in comparison though, so I think high-end spin is lower than with JP01, for example. It's not as linear as JP01/03, but easier to use than M2/M1. Throw is medium - lower than JP01/03, higher than JP01 Turbo. In fact, I'd call this a softer version of JP01 Turbo as opposed to being a member of the JP01/03 series. Sponge is advertised as 45deg, but the rubber as a whole feels a bit softer due to the topsheet. Has a lot of advantages of softer rubbers without the easy bottoming out. The only obvious downside so far is a slight jumpiness when blocking heavy, fast topspin. For me, an epic BH rubber. Easy to use but effective, not expensive. If JP03 feels a bit too slow and mushy to you, this is well worth a look. Aug 05, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Donic Bluefire JP 03
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Review of Donic Bluefire JP 03Bluefire JP 03 is a really different rubber to Bluefire M3.03 has a softer, grippier topsheet than M3, but a slightly firmer sponge (the sponge pores are smaller and tighter than M3). 03 is less bouncy, more linear, lower throw, less reactive to spin. 03 is really easy to use and fits lots of different play styles. It isn't lightning fast, but has quite an elastic effect in higher gears so the speed and spin are there if you put effort in. For me, M3 is an all-out offensive soft rubber, and you get best results if you avoid passive play. I still love it on my FH side. JP 03 is less focussed and can satisfy all sorts of needs, and is my go-to BH rubber these days. It might lack a bit of pace overall for some, but that is the only downside I can think of. Oct 02, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Friendship/729 (3)
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Friendship/729 729-5
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Review of Friendship/729 729-5Not as tacky as previous 729 variations, but noticably faster. Definitely not a glue-effect rubber, but still much faster than the traditional 729FX type stuff.Has an interesting "crystal" effect on the top sheet. Shiny stuff aside, it performs really well over the table for blocking and driving. Nice feel for a hard-ish sponge. Mar 17, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Friendship/729 729-08
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Review of Friendship/729 729-08My favorite 729 so far. More pace than previous types, but more tack than 729-5. Hard sponge but still has a nice feel, so thicker sponges are very usable. I'd say it was just slightly faster than 729-5, but with noticably more spin from the increased tackiness.So, you get good grip on serves, great spin on loops, quick enough to play from mid-distance, but enough control to play an aggressive push/chop game and blocks are still relatively easy. Not a glue-effect rubber, so don't expect tenergy levels of pace. But in my opinion easily the best form of 729 so far for aggressive spin attackers. And still pretty cheap! Mar 17, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Friendship/729 Origin
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Review of Friendship/729 OriginReally nice addition to the 729 range. Not as hard as recent releases (729-08, for example) - more of a medium density sponge. Which reduces the weight. And the sponge is a rather fetching purple. Nice!Tackiness is medium - not massive like Apollo, but enough to generate good spin from serves. But crucially, not too much to slow the rubber right down when getting the sponge involved. Rubber topsheet is quite thin, so durability is a question mark at the moment. Compares well to CJ8000 (same tack, but bit faster). If you're looking for a softer allround chinese rubber, without losing too much pace, this could be it. Apr 08, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Globe (1)
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Globe 999 National
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Review of Globe 999 NationalNice, tacky 999 topsheet on blue sponge (on the black version, anyway). Designed for speed gluing back in the day, and now becomes a controlled spin attack rubber.Not massively quick, but has massive spin potential. Serves are excellent. Slow looping can be evil for the opponent, and the early topspin dip can create extreme angles on the table for 3rd ball attacks. Not great on hits, and you must generate your own speed. If you want to attack, go for a thicker version (2.2mm or above), although that makes it a touch heavy. Great forehand rubber for the money. Not suitable for backhand unless you put a LOT of effort into your stroke. Dec 10, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
JOOLA (1)
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JOOLA Energy Green Power X-Soft
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Review of JOOLA Energy Green Power X-SoftSuper-super-super-soft sponged tensor. Still surprisingly quick and easy to loop with, but not blisteringly fast.The sponge is incredibly soft, which improves control (and spin generation for thicker sponges), but it does bottom out on smashes so be prepared for that. That does have the nice side effect of a very loud crack sound though! If you're after a fairly quick, easy control tensor (perhaps for the backhand side) then this is well worth a go. Not sure how long it lasts though - hope it's better than Express... Mar 31, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
KTL (LKT - Li Kuang Tsu) (3)
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KTL (LKT) Pro XP
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Review of KTL (LKT) Pro XPVery soft sponge for a tacky chinese rubber. My black one was amazingly tacky out of the packet, but it calmed down after a few sessions.Not outrageously quick, but great feel and when combined with a fast blade becomes very useful on both wings. With the super soft sponge I felt that this was a reasonable alternative to far more expensive euro/jap rubbers, but lacks a bit of pace when compared to a standard sriver for example. Has been superceeded a bit with the introduction of the LTK Rapid series, but I still love the XP! Mar 17, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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KTL (LKT) Torrent
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Review of KTL (LKT) TorrentVery unusual. Sponge feels very soft, but in practice I found the rubber lacked the soft feel I expected. Feels much more direct, and so requires adjustment from a traditional chinese rubber perspective. Probably due to crazy pip structure in the top sheet, which is madder than a sack full of frogs.Not massively tacky, but I did have a red sheet and the blacks are supposed to be tackier. Looping was easy with lots of spin and low throw. Smashing and blocking were tricky at first, but lots of potential if you can put the effort in. I guess a good analogy would be to say that it behaves quite like a hard-surface japanese rubber when applying pace, but retains chinese qualities for slower pushes and chops. That said, I couldn't adjust and went with 729-08 on the f/hand in the end. Mar 17, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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KTL (LKT) Black Power
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Review of KTL (LKT) Black PowerReally nice quality LKT rubber. Looks well made, good price, faster than the last generation of LKT hard-sponged rubbers. Black sponge looks cool, loads of spin from topsheet.Probably still not quite fast enough for mid-distance play. A good alternative to Neo H3. Added note - after attempting to remove from blade, the sponge crumbled and ripped. If you plan on swapping between blades a lot - beware! Nov 07, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Palio (4)
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Palio CJ8000 Biotech 39-41°
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Review of Palio CJ8000 Biotech 39-41°This is an incredible rubber for the money. The quality is great, you get a lot of grip from the topsheet, and the sponge is soft enough for easy loops and a good short game.As others have said, it's not naturally quick, but paired with a faster blade it can become a real weapon. Which is top stuff considering how cheap it is! Feb 10, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Palio Macro Era
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Review of Palio Macro EraThis is a top quality rubber - just as good in terms of build quality as any other tensor on the market. So, for the money, it's a bargain way of trying one out.I used the 42.5 degree, 2.2mm one. It seems to be great at just about everything - spin generation, consistency, pace. If anything, it's probably a bit too quick for me - comparible in pace to Express One perhaps, but better in the short game. Still a bit springy though, so I needed to adjust a bit on short pushing. Mar 31, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Palio Blitz
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Review of Palio BlitzAnother really nice Palio / German sponge rubber. Comparing to Macro Era, I think it's got a grippier topsheet, and not quite as bouncy for the short game. I found it much easier to block and push over the table. Great speed on loops - really easy to lift heavy chop.Quality is excellent - just as good as any other Tensor, if not better. Amazing value for money. Consider it a worthwhile upgrade to PME, but with better short-game control. Oct 01, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Palio Thors
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Review of Palio ThorsPalio produced this with the aim of making a chinese/euro hybrid - and they've definitely managed it. You have some of the best qualities of traditional tacky chinese rubbers (easy over-the-table control, massive spin on serves), while the tensor sponge gives the whole thing enough pop to work away from the table and in loop-loop rallies.It's not as fast as the banzai euro tensors - noticably slower than Palio's own Blit'z for example. But there's enough bounce to it to avoid the lack of pace problem with something like Neo H3 away from the table. Imagine a super-spinny Sriver, and you're almost there. The only problem I found was with hitting - the trajectory really flattens out and requires some adjustment. However, the spin you can get is simply shocking. And pace is good once you get the sponge working. An incredible rubber. Could work as a tenergy replacement if you've used chinese rubbers in the past. Nov 08, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stiga (1)
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Stiga Calibra LT Sound
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Review of Stiga Calibra LT SoundFast, and extremely soft-sponged. Makes the most ridiculous glue-effect noise I have ever heard. Even louder than F3 Big Slam.Speed is good, blocking good. Looping is really nice from distance, and it's not so bouncy, so the short game isn't too tricky. The latest generation of tensors all seem to be less bouncy. The only problem I had was the throw angle seems to be very low on smashes. So, all of my hits away from the table went straight into the net at first. Just need to stick with it for a few hours, and you will adjust. Oct 01, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Tibhar (2)
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Tibhar 1Q Sound
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Review of Tibhar 1Q SoundA really well balanced rubber. For me, this is the best example of the current generation of tensors. Not bouncy in the short game, good (but not amazing) grip from the topsheet, and a medium sponge.Great in just about all areas. Blocking, hitting are easy. Short game and service receive are excellent - the rubber isn't massively sensitive to incoming spin. Spin is OK on slower shots, but the topsheet and sponge work well together to generate impressive spin on medium speed strokes and above. Lifting backspin is so, so easy. Incredibly accurate and stable, fast enough (without being a cannon). The only negative for me are a lack of easy spin at low impact speed, so serving is slightly less dangerous, and small brushing strokes are weaker. But the payoff is high short game control, so that's fine by me. Jan 08, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Tibhar 5Q Sound
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Review of Tibhar 5Q SoundA great rubber - good fit on my BH side, but will work on FH if you like soft sponges.I've always preferred soft sponges on my BH, but a lot of the current generation of tensors have all been medium-soft - 42.5 deg or above (JP-03, Rasant PS, etc). 5QS is softer than these, and reminds me more of the good old days with Acuda S3. However, the big advantage with 5QS is the spin, and how it gets delivered. For a soft, elastic rubber, 5QS is amazingly well-behaved in the short game. Pushing and service return are excellent. It's also easy to vary the spin you impart on your own serves - you get rewarded for fast wrist movements. On harder shots, the throw angle becomes quite high. It reminds me a lot of T05-FX in this regard. This makes it a superb BH looping rubber - the high throw combined with big spin can lead to dramatic results. It does suffer in terms of being a bit non-linear though. The elastic nature of the rubber means it can feel a bit wild at high speeds. For example, it's very solid at blocking in general, but when the incoming ball is very fast/spinny, it can spit the ball out surprisingly high. I feel that T05-FX suffers from this too, but I did find 5QS to be easier to predict than the Tenergy. Similarly, if you're a big flat-hitter, you might not like how jumpy 5QS can feel when you dial up your arm speed. The positives outweigh that though, and it just takes a bit of time at the table to understand the rubber's nature. Jun 23, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tuttle (1)
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Tuttle Beijing 4
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Review of Tuttle Beijing 4Very, highly, extremely soft sponged rubber with soft topsheet. Makes the loudest sound on hard hits you have ever heard. Bottoms out easily. Fast-ish, without being all out quick. Very linear power delivery in most shots, hardly any low-speed bounciness, but lacks a really fast top gear.Excellent for blocking, driving, hitting. Surprisingly great for chopping, with a very low, skidding arc. Not brilliant for spin, so looping is less dangerous than a lot of modern rubbers. Plays well over the table, not so effective from distance. A great backhand choice, really cheap so incredible value for money. If you like soft sponged, mechanical spin rubbers, this is worth a try. Jan 10, 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Xiom (3)
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Xiom Musa
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Review of Xiom MusaA non-tensor German rubber, along the lines of Andro Shifter. Surprisingly slow, considering the marketing Xiom has put out. Good spin - topsheet is very grippy. Very, very linear, not bouncy like tensors at all.With its characteristics, this would make a great backhand rubber if you don't need low-speed bounce. Nov 24, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Xiom Omega V Pro
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Review of Xiom Omega V ProI've had 4 sessions with this rubber on the FH of a Rossi Emotion blade. It's a really great rubber, with a wonderful feeling of grabbing the ball for topspin.It's not as fast as previous generations of Xiom rubbers - noticeably a notch slower than Omega 4 Pro, for example. The trade-off is that you gain an incredible sense of security in the short game. Service return is good for a rubber with such good attacking potential. The sponge does a good job of taking the pace out of the ball at soft contact speeds. The topsheet (mine was black) is a wonder - so much grip is available on any substantial stroke, and the arc for looping is high. Great for recovery strokes when on the run. I find it hard to think of any negatives, really. It smashes and blocks well too. The throw is on the high side, so it doesn't suit my BH, but that's a personal thing. And it's too early to think about durability. If you've tried recent tensors and felt they lack topsheet grip in comparison with some other rubbers, this is worth a try. May 27, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Xiom Omega V Asia
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Review of Xiom Omega V AsiaThis is the rubber which does everything very well, and covers most play styles you can think of. It's a hard 50 degree, porous sponge with a soft topsheet. Zero slip with new balls with a feel of immediate grab and dwell. Like many new ESN rubbers, it isn't very bouncy in the low gears, and the hard sponge makes it very linear and easy to use. On flat hits and drives it isn't as sharp and definite as some rubbers (soft topsheet takes the edge away), and it's a bit reactive to spin in passive situations. On more brushy shots it comes alive, with arc and spin increasing strongly. Service and short game are very impressive, blocking feels slightly indirect but is easy to do. Very strong when in a mixed looping situation with great returns from brush looping and more drive-based looping. Lacks a bit of pace when driving the ball in comparison with speed-monster rubbers, but this increases your percentages and the top-end speed is still fast enough. Definitely worth considering if you're coming from a hard, chinese rubber (although it isn't tacky at all), or if you want a highly linear, spin-focused eurojap rubber.Dec 30, 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yinhe (Galaxy/Milkyway) (2)
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Yinhe Moon Speed
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Review of Yinhe Moon SpeedI agree with hallman's review for the most part. Faster than the original Moon, lower throw, and a bit bouncier.This makes it a great BH rubber for me. I prefer lower throw rubbers on this wing, and this is in the mould of speed-orientated rubbers like Bryce Speed, T64-FX, Stiga Boost etc. The topsheet has lots of grip but the bouncy nature can make looping, pushing and chopping a bit tricky. It excels in many other areas - blocking, hitting, driving. I found it had a lot of power, but a bit unpredictable at times with the celluloid ball. It's a great fit with the poly ball though - tested with DHS 40+ Seamed and Palio 40+ Seamless. The extra kick in the upper gears really helps when driving the bigger, slower poly balls. Nov 12, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Yinhe Big Dipper
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Review of Yinhe Big DipperThis is a great rubber. Absolutely incredible performance for the money.You get a semi-tacky, elastic topsheet on a modern porous sponge. On lighter, shorter strokes you get a lot of the advantages of Chinese tacky rubbers - excellent short game, big spin on brush strokes, controllable speed. On bigger shots, when the sponge is engaged, the results are just brilliant. Medium-high throw, good speed, and absolutely massive spin. I use the 38 degree sponge, which maximises this hybrid feel. The results are very much like a modern tensor when playing aggressive attacking strokes. Harder sponges dial this behaviour down a fair bit. The 40 degree sponge gives more of a classic Chinese hard-sponge feel, more linear, lower throw. The only downside I find with the 38 degree is the non-linear behaviour. When the sponge kicks in, Big Dipper gets lively. If you play aggressively though, this gives a lot of advantages. Nov 12, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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