JonathanJ's Rubber Ratings
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Here are JonathanJ's ratings and reviews. These ratings are useful because JonathanJ 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.
Butterfly (8)
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Butterfly Tackifire Special-Soft
Speed  |
7.5 |
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Spin |
9.2 |
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Control |
9.0 |
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Gears |
4.0 |
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Tackiness |
0.0 |
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Throw Angle |
6.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
5.0 |
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Overall |
8.6 |
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Review of Butterfly Tackifire Special-SoftThis was a strange rubber to use. At first, I really was confused as to where the spin comes from because this rubber really is not tacky like Chinese rubbers (which I most often use), but it still produced great spin. After exploring Butterfly, I concluded that the spin comes largely from the dwell time of the ball on the rubber. This rubber has great spin and great control. It has a comfortable speed -- not too fast, not too slow. Tackifire Special-Soft is a good rubber for anyone to have. It's not really all that great for any specific kind of shot, but I think the beauty of this rubber is in it's versatility. Loopers, allround attackers, counterdrivers, basically anyone with a more offensively-oriented style can make good use of this rubber.
Dec 27, 2008 |
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Butterfly Solcion
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Weight |
6.0 |
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Gears |
10.0 |
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Tackiness |
5.0 |
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Throw Angle |
10.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
0.0 |
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Consistency |
10.0 |
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Review of Butterfly SolcionVery very soft for good control :)
It's supposed to be slightly faster and spinnier than Sriver and the softest and easiest to control of all the Butterfly High Tension rubbers. It is supposed to be good for all shots -- from chopping and blocking to smashing and looping.
Have not had for very long. I'll update my review as I use it.
Aug 15, 2009 |
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Butterfly Tackiness Chop
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Speed |
5.0 |
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Spin |
9.8 |
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Control |
10.0 |
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Weight |
4.0 |
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Gears |
4.0 |
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Tackiness |
2.0 |
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Throw Angle |
10.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
0.0 |
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Consistency |
10.0 |
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Overall |
9.0 |
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Review of Butterfly Tackiness ChopChop isn't really my game nor is defense for that matter, but this rubber does exactly what it's made for extremely well. Chop has never been so simple. On a different note, this rubber is also very good at developing a slow but spinny and consistent loop. This rubber has such good control due to its softness that this rubber can be used for pretty much anything. Only know that this rubber is extremely slow; it was made for defensive techiques after all. Yes, this rubber was made for the chop in mind, but I say it can be used for the purpose of developing your game if only just because of the high control. Still keep in mind that if it's an aggressive or offensive game you're looking for, you ought not to use this rubber beyond learning at a novice level.
Jan 14, 2009 |
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Butterfly Sriver EL
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Speed |
8.0 |
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Spin |
8.5 |
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Control |
9.0 |
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Gears |
10.0 |
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Tackiness |
5.0 |
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Throw Angle |
6.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
3.0 |
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Overall |
9.5 |
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Review of Butterfly Sriver ELGreat rubber for allmost any style of offensive play. It is a great compromise between Sriver and Sriver FX.
Feb 09, 2009 |
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Butterfly Sriver FX
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Speed |
7.5 |
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Spin |
8.0 |
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Control |
9.5 |
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Gears |
7.0 |
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Tackiness |
2.0 |
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Throw Angle |
6.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
0.0 |
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Overall |
9.0 |
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Review of Butterfly Sriver FXGood rubber for almost any style of allround to offensive play except for hard-hitting. I think this is a great option for controlled loopers, but at the same time this one may be a bit too soft for other very aggressive players. Sriver EL may be a better option for most people looking for a softer version of Sriver.
Then again, if you aren't a very hard hitter, this one might not be a bad choice either. This version of sriver might just be the best considerind defensive play along side offensive play. I think this one is the best as chopping and giving feedback.
Feb 09, 2009 |
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Butterfly Sriver
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Speed |
8.5 |
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Spin |
8.0 |
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Control |
9.5 |
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Weight |
4.0 |
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Gears |
10.0 |
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Tackiness |
0.0 |
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Throw Angle |
2.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
7.0 |
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Consistency |
10.0 |
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Overall |
9.6 |
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Review of Butterfly SriverVery very good rubber. Probably my favorite next to Mark V. My primary blade has Mark V on both sides, but I have Sriver on the backhand side of my back-up blade (which is the same: Boll TriCarbon). Sriver is very very similar to Mark V in most aspects: decent speed, controllable spin, many many gears, and incredible control. On the other hand there are subtle but noticeable differences between the two rubbers. In comparison, Sriver is slightly less tacky. I'm talking about new sheets (with a bit of wear down, they are almost identical in this aspect). Sriver has a very slightly harder topsheet with a comparably soft sponge to Mark V. The one thing that I find Sriver excels Mark V in is its durability. I have a friend that used Sriver waaaaay before I did, and that thing just barely seemed to wear down at all. All in all, I can see why Sriver is the most popular rubber out there. The only thing was, I think the top sheet is just ever so slightly too hard. Mark V seemed to be perfect for me, so maybe I'm just biased LOL
Mar 04, 2009 |
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Butterfly Tenergy 05
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Speed |
9.4 |
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Spin |
9.4 |
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Control |
8.0 |
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Weight |
6.0 |
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Gears |
4.0 |
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Tackiness |
0.0 |
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Throw Angle |
10.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
7.0 |
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Consistency |
10.0 |
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Overall |
9.0 |
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Butterfly Tenergy 05 FX
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Speed |
9.4 |
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Spin |
9.1 |
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Control |
8.0 |
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Weight |
8.0 |
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Gears |
4.0 |
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Tackiness |
0.0 |
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Throw Angle |
10.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
5.0 |
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Overall |
9.0 |
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Review of Butterfly Tenergy 05 FXSimilar power to Tenergy 05 but just a little bit less. Very easy to play with in comparison to the original though.
Mar 15, 2011 |
DHS (4)
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DHS Hurricane 2 (H2)
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Speed |
9.0 |
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Spin |
9.7 |
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Control |
7.0 |
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Weight |
10.0 |
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Gears |
1.0 |
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Tackiness |
10.0 |
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Throw Angle |
2.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
10.0 |
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Consistency |
0.0 |
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Overall |
8.5 |
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Review of DHS Hurricane 2 (H2)There are different variations of this rubber. I used the 2.20mm thickness / 41 density version. My H2 had an amazing close-to-the-table game. The speed of this rubber was great, and the spin is even better. There are only very few rubbers I know that can surpass H2 in spin. Quick attack/drive close to table are very effective as are loops at short and mid range. The only thing I did not like about this rubber is that its far-from-table capability is pretty low. A LOT of effort must be exerted to make loops work effectively at a distance. I have a friend who uses H2 with a lower density. His version offers much more control and better far from the table game, BUT its close to the table power is at a deficit with a speed much lower than the one I have. In order for this rubber to work maximally, you should know what density and thickness fits best with your game beforehand. This is otherwise an awesome rubber.
Jan 02, 2009 |
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DHS Hurricane 3 (H3)
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Speed |
9.0 |
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Spin |
8.7 |
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Control |
9.0 |
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Weight |
8.0 |
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Gears |
1.0 |
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Tackiness |
8.0 |
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Throw Angle |
0.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
7.0 |
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Consistency |
0.0 |
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Overall |
8.8 |
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Review of DHS Hurricane 3 (H3)The Hurricane 3 is in some ways similar to the Hurricane 2, but in many more ways different. First of all, H3 has MUCH less spin than the H2. Nevertheless, H3 still has very good spin. The beauty of H3 lies in its control. which is significantly greater than that of H2. This was how H3 was designed. It was intended to imitate the play of the H2 but with a control-based playing style in mind. My personal experience reflects that H3 has a greater smashing ability but a slighty lower looping ablity than H2. Obviously this is due to the H3's lower spin factor. I do feel that H3 bas a great deflection for blocking and counterdriving. H3 should be played close to the table.
This was the very first DHS rubber I used. Even now after having explored several rubbers - a great portion of which came from DHS - I still think very highly of this rubber and would recommend it to anybody regardless of skill level.
UPDATE: Great control for a hard rubber
Jan 02, 2009 |
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DHS Skyline TG3
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Speed |
9.0 |
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Spin |
9.3 |
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Control |
9.5 |
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Weight |
6.0 |
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Gears |
1.0 |
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Tackiness |
8.0 |
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Throw Angle |
0.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
7.0 |
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Overall |
9.3 |
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Review of DHS Skyline TG3This is actually my second review of TG3. I felt as though I had to expound upon things I said the first time.
TG3 is still my favorite of DHS rubbers. I know that last time I gave the TG3 a control rating of 10, but since then I have tried some of Butterfly's softer rubbers, which have so much more control. TG3 still has amazing control for a harder rubber. Speed and spin are still pretty amazing, but they wear down over time just as quickly as other Chinese rubbers. Although long arc loops are pretty easy, I have discovered that it is a bit difficult to do short spinny loops. Smash, drive, counterdrive, counterloop, and block are all awesome. Chop is okay. Service is great but only depending on personal service styles. So after a little more time using this rubber, I'm decreasing my overall rating from 9.5 to 9.3
TG3 is still pretty amazing though.
Jan 02, 2009 |
Friendship/729 (5)
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Friendship/729 GeoSpin Tacky
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Speed |
7.5 |
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Spin |
10.0 |
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Control |
9.5 |
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Gears |
4.0 |
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Tackiness |
10.0 |
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Throw Angle |
6.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
3.0 |
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Overall |
8.8 |
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Review of Friendship/729 GeoSpin TackyGeoSpin Tacky has a great spin and is very easy to control. I have quite a few friends who play a loop-based style, and they all love this rubber. I, on the other hand, play a allround attack/counterdrive style. For me, this rubber only works if you have a high offensive rubber on the other side for contrast. If you chose to use it this way you can get an amazing mix of very fast and extremely spinny shots. This rubber is a must have for loopers. I think it's probably the tackiest rubber I have ever experienced. The only thing is that the spin quality wears down very very quickly. You can still get great spin but not oustanding. After it wears down, it becomes more or less an average Chinese rubber. Even with that said, this rubber is still practical in the sense that it comes at a relatively cheap price and can be replaced fairly often.
Jan 02, 2009 |
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Friendship/729 Cream Transcend
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Speed |
9.2 |
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Spin |
9.4 |
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Control |
9.5 |
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Tackiness |
8.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
5.0 |
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Overall |
9.4 |
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Review of Friendship/729 Cream TranscendWOW
This was one of the two rubbers that helped me transition from recreational table tennis to competitive table tennis. So easy to use for beginners and yet still a great choice for seasoned players. I haven't used this rubber in a while, but it is probably the one that I keep considering using again. Anyone who has played even for a little while competitively can control this rubber even with a carbon blade as I did. The neat thing about this rubber is that -- ok I know this might sound crazy -- it seems to get better as the player improves. It doesn't really seem to have great speed until you decide to work on your smashes, counterdrives, and other power shots. It doesn't really seem to have great spin until you decide to start chopping and looping. ALWAYS, it has great control.
You know what... I think I going to go get another sheet of this sometime soon...
Nov 27, 2008 |
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Friendship/729 Sky Wing
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Speed |
8.0 |
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Spin |
8.5 |
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Control |
9.5 |
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Weight |
4.0 |
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Gears |
7.0 |
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Tackiness |
2.0 |
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Throw Angle |
4.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
0.0 |
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Overall |
9.0 |
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Review of Friendship/729 Sky WingThis was a pretty good rubber all-around and also one that is great for slow, spinny loops founded on ball control. Faster shots with this rubber take advantage of its good control in ball placement rather than sheer speed. Spin comes from dwell time due to softer sponge rather than tackiness. This rubber can be good for everyone except for those who are almost strictly drivers of any sort; this is due to the slower speed. Even still, a power shot once in a while can still be very effective due to control. If you choose to use faster shots, use the superior ball control to play the sides of the table to throw your opponent off his/her footing as much as possible. Being a great control rubber, it can be a good rubber for allround attacker or someone with a weaker loop if used with a speed-based rubber on the other side. The difference can give the player a good tactical advantage especially if he/she can effectively switch forehand/backhand in the middle of the game or before ball return. This rubber is also great for pretty much any serve.
Jan 02, 2009 |
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Friendship/729 729-3 Transcend
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Speed |
9.3 |
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Spin |
9.4 |
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Control |
9.4 |
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Tackiness |
8.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
5.0 |
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Overall |
9.4 |
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Review of Friendship/729 729-3 TranscendThis was my forehand rubber on my first professional-grade racket along with the Friendship/729 Cream Transcend. I found them very similar to be honest. So you can read my review on the Cream (just because I reviewed that one first LOL). I did fin just a little difference: the Friendship/729-3 Transcend was ever so slightly faster and lesser in control than the Friendship/729 Cream Transcend. Otherwise I found them more or less the same. This was one amazingly impressive rubber.
Nov 27, 2008 |
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Friendship/729 804 (Anti-spin)
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Speed |
3.0 |
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Spin |
2.0 |
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Control |
9.0 |
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Weight |
0.0 |
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Gears |
1.0 |
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Tackiness |
0.0 |
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Throw Angle |
0.0 |
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Overall |
8.0 |
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Review of Friendship/729 804 (Anti-spin)This is the first anti-spin rubber I have ever used, so I may have to revise this review if I try others.
This is a really neat (and really cheap) rubber. I normally use more standard rubbers (Sriver and Mark V), but this rubber was an easy switch. It chops and blocks really well, and over-the-table quick attack is pretty awesome, too. If you try really hard, you can get some spin on this, but normally it will be a no-spin shot or simply reverse your opponent's spin. I used this rubber with a 0.6mm Japanese sponge, which worked pretty well except for the expected deficiency in power that I never quite fully adjusted to. Objectively speaking, this rubber I think would be a good one for people to transition to anti rubbers.
Jun 14, 2009 |
KTL (LKT - Li Kuang Tsu) (1)
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KTL (LKT) Torrent
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Speed |
8.5 |
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Spin |
9.0 |
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Control |
9.0 |
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Weight |
6.0 |
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Gears |
7.0 |
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Tackiness |
5.0 |
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Throw Angle |
2.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
5.0 |
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Overall |
8.9 |
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Review of KTL (LKT) TorrentWeird weird weird rubber!
I thought that this rubber was very strange at first, but after only a short while I really grew to like this rubber a lot. Considering some of the other reviews on this page, it might just be because Torrent fit my game well. I don't really understand the strange pip structure quite yet. During play it seemed similar to Butterfly's Tigh Tension rubbers but with a quality characteristic of Chinese rubbers. Very strange. Both smashing and looping are easy with this rubber; blocking and service work like a charm. Strangely, for a rubber marked for speed, chop is also pretty decent with a lower ball trajectory.
Very strange, but in a good way. This was very different than any other Chinese rubber I have ever used.
UPDATE: This rubber, although decently fast, works very well as the backhand rubber for any moderately to strongly offensively minded player. It, having decent control for its speed, can help make backhand shots comparably powerful as forehand shots (unless of course you use a super speed rubber for your forehand).
Jan 02, 2009 |
Stiga (1)
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Stiga Carbo Sound
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Speed |
9.0 |
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Spin |
8.5 |
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Control |
9.0 |
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Weight |
4.0 |
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Gears |
10.0 |
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Tackiness |
0.0 |
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Throw Angle |
4.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
0.0 |
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Overall |
9.0 |
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Review of Stiga Carbo SoundI just got this rubber, so my review will be updated shortly.
Right now, I can say that this might just be the softest rubber I've ever had yet. What makes this rubber special is that it has carbon integrated into the sponge, which is something only very very few rubbers can boast. I know it sounds strange, but it looks promising :)
UPDATE: This really is a great rubber. It is not quite like most other rubbers at all. I think this is because of the carbon-integrated sponge technology. One thing about this rubber is its sound. This may sound strange to some people, but when you hit the ball just right, the sound at ball contact is different. This is probably again the carbon sponge; I imagine it can be used to make sure you hit the optimal area for speed and spin on the sponge. I think this rubber is best used for all-round or mid-distance looping style of play. It's not really tacky, but it has great loop capability from mid-distance.
Feb 20, 2009 |
Xiom (1)
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Xiom Vega Europe
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Speed |
9.5 |
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Spin |
9.0 |
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Control |
9.5 |
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Weight |
4.0 |
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Gears |
10.0 |
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Tackiness |
2.0 |
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Throw Angle |
6.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
3.0 |
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Overall |
10.0 |
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Review of Xiom Vega EuropeAmazing balance. I'll update as I use it more. But for now... this rubber really is incredible. Everything everything everything works. As long as your have an offensively oriented style, this should be a great fit :)
Jan 18, 2011 |
Yasaka (3)
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Yasaka Mark V
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Speed |
8.5 |
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Spin |
8.3 |
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Control |
9.8 |
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Weight |
4.0 |
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Gears |
10.0 |
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Tackiness |
2.0 |
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Throw Angle |
4.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
5.0 |
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Consistency |
10.0 |
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Overall |
9.8 |
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Review of Yasaka Mark VThis is one of my favorite rubbers of all time. I can see why this rubber is one of the best-selling rubbers ever along with Butterfly Sriver. Not particularly fast and not particularly spinny, one might wonder why so many people really like Yasaka Mark V. After using it of a while on two different blades, Yasaka Gatien Extra and Butterfly Boll TriCarbon, for both forehand and backhand each time, I am convinced that the Mark V is an extremely forgiving rubber with outstanding control, a perfect weapon for the Allround Attacker. By "forgiving" I mean that this rubber is slow enough for very consistent return on all of your opponent's spin and power shots. It works best with a hard OFF+ or carbon blade; I have found that any loss in control by the blade is compensated for by the outstanding control of Mark V and also that the offensive quality of the blade can take the rubber up a notch in terms of play. Great for both offense and defense, Mark V made me feel so at ease while at play, there was ABSOLUTELY ZERO hesitation before any loop, smash, chop, block, counterdrive or simple topspin return even with a super fast blade like the Butterfly Boll TriCarbon. Like I said, Mark V is not really all that fast or spinny; its beauty lies in its control. But don't take it from me, this rubber has been tested by both hundreds and hundreds of players and time. Don't just read my review but the reviews of the hundreds of other people, and I'm confident enough to say that they will agree: Yasaka Mark V is a top quality, top class rubber.
UPDATED REVIEW: After playing with it for a while, I have new and good things to say about Mark V. This rubber can do ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING. Like I said before, it is not particularly awesome at a specific kind of shot, but the good control makes it so that chop is just as easy as loop is just as easy as block and counterdrive. I think this rubber is top notch and is really at a very inexpensive price (relatively). Everyone should try this rubber especially for new players. But it also works amazingly in the hands of an experienced player. It's great that this rubber comes only second to Butterfly Sriver in popularity according to most review sites, but I cannot imagine why it shouldn't be first. This is now my FAVORITE rubber yet :)
Mar 04, 2009 |
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Yasaka Mark V XS
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Speed |
8.5 |
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Spin |
8.8 |
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Control |
9.0 |
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Weight |
4.0 |
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Gears |
10.0 |
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Tackiness |
5.0 |
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Throw Angle |
4.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
5.0 |
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Consistency |
10.0 |
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Overall |
9.5 |
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Review of Yasaka Mark V XSAmazing rubber! Although it has a little less control than the original Mark V, control is still amazing. Speed is just about the same. This is the looper's version of the Mark V although it has a fairly low trajectory compared to other spin rubbers. It performs all shots very well from chops and blocks to pushes and loops and smashes. I really like this rubber, which is why I stuck with it for about 1.5 years and am still using it :)
Dec 03, 2010 |
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Yasaka Mark V HPS Soft
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Speed |
9.0 |
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Spin |
9.0 |
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Control |
9.8 |
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Weight |
4.0 |
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Gears |
7.0 |
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Tackiness |
2.0 |
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Throw Angle |
6.0 |
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Sponge Hardness |
3.0 |
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Consistency |
10.0 |
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Overall |
9.5 |
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Review of Yasaka Mark V HPS SoftA great backhand for the Mark V user!
Dec 05, 2010 |
