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Andro Hexer Grip
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Review of Andro Hexer GripBought in red, 2.1mm sponge, used on my Xiom offensive s blade:This feels softer than medium (45 degrees), probably because the topsheet is soft. Very forgiving; picks up the ball safely in the low gears, and has some kind of consistent trajectory/throw angle which is nice for a softer rubber. Closer in, during pushes and flicks, there is a noticeable bounciness (which most soft tensors seem to have). Blocking is good. Sweat makes the rubber slippery to the touch, like Bluefire and Acuda Blue. Drives work pretty well with this. Enjoy your TT! Nov 26, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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DHS Tin Arc
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Review of DHS Tin ArcThis rubber has a medium-hard orange sponge and a slightly tacky topsheet. The topsheet is very durable, mine has one small rip after over a year of use. It has lost its tackiness but still performs excellently on most shots. I reglued it a few months ago and it shrunk by a millimetre or so overall, but hardly enough to notice.I used this on a 5-ply all wood blade (DHS A6002 pre-made bat). This rubber feels dead in the short game, but once you start hitting the ball it springs the ball out at a decent-ish pace. However, it is not too fast to chop with it; it has the low gears but is missing some of the higher ones. This rubber develops a higher throw angle if you hit hard, which took me by surprise in bh flicks when I really went for them. This helped to give me the impression that this is not a very precise rubber (for a non tensor). Spin is there as always if you work for it, but it does not have lots of easily accessible spin like most tensor type rubbers do. Enjoy your TT! Oct 10, 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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DHS Hurricane 3 (H3)
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Review of DHS Hurricane 3 (H3)Hurricane 3 has an extremely hard orange sponge, which means that a full brush stroke is required or else the ball will rebound down into the net. The hard sponge also prevents much feeling for the ball, but this is OK if you don't mind being unable to feel the ball.The speed is not high, chops are possible at most skill levels but sometimes the rubber can feel so dead that pushes go into the net. If you get the right technique your shots can be extremely spinny, but likewise a more passive shot puts little spin on the ball. This rubber really requires fast arm speed to play with effectively, but this can help to 'hone' ones technique, making other rubbers seem really forgiving and easy to use. Enjoy your TT! Oct 10, 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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DHS Gold Arc 8
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Review of DHS Gold Arc 8Bought second hand in 47.5° red max and glued to an old schildkrot blade so just a few thoughts: feels about medium hardness during play, but has a solid purchase/contact on the ball which improves confidence unless you don't hit very hard, in which case this is probably too fast for you. Fairly springy even on the slow blade. Arc is nice and predictable. Enjoy your TT!Jul 26, 2019 | |||||||
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Friendship/729 GeoSpin Tacky
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Review of Friendship/729 GeoSpin TackyFirst of all, this rubber (red, 2.0mm) has not got loads of speed. It has lots of spin, forehand loops are very easy to get on the table, chops are very spinny and are very floaty.Spin on service is great, short pushes are very easy. I have had this rubber about a year, and apart from the topsheet losing its tackiness after a few months, it still plays well with good spin. It has been banged on the table several times and only has one very small chip on the edge. Enjoy your TT! Oct 10, 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Friendship/729 RITC 2000 Tack Speed
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Review of Friendship/729 RITC 2000 Tack SpeedI used this rubber on backhand, 2.0mm. It's very easy to control and shots are very easy to place with good amounts of speed and spin, but this rubber is not built for speed alone.Tackiness is medium, so it attracts a little dust. I have had this rubber for about 13 months; it has lost its grip but is still playable. Enjoy your TT! Oct 09, 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Friendship/729 Focus 3 Snipe
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Review of Friendship/729 Focus 3 SnipeOn a Stiga Allround Classic and in max thickness, this rubber provides a very easy to use custom set-up. While not fast it has got excellent feeling and control, both for shot placement and when controlling opponent's shots, and also performs well on basic strokes. This and the fact that it gets better with improving technique makes it very good for players learning the game - strong points include controlled blocking and a superb, easy serve receive. It makes a fantastic first rubber whilst also being very cheap and light.Players who play a more advanced style such as power-looping and technical service will probably want more spin and speed, especially when looping away from the table. Lifting heavy backspin needs a good technique although this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I found that it's better-suited as a backhand rubber partly due to the soft sponge. Focus 3 Snipe exceeded my expectations of a medium-quality cheap rubber, and impressed me by it's durability and little cleaning needed over the six months I used it (probably about 80 hours). All in all, I'd recommend it as a can't-go-wrong first rubber or as a cheap rubber for relaxed club players. Enjoy your TT! Feb 19, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Gewo NanoFLEX FT45
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Review of Gewo NanoFLEX FT45Gewo NanoFlex FT45 2.1mm, black, used on Stiga All Classic and KTL Instinct. This is an excellent product from a minor brand, and has very few weaknesses. The firm topsheet couples really well with the medium-hard sponge. Durability is good but a dull patch appears early on in it's lifespan; fortunately the only difference this makes is a lower throw on weaker shots like blocks. Close to the table this rubber performs well; service is spinny and easy to place, close to net touch-play is very controlled due to the less reactive topsheet. Flicks are average since the topsheet does not have excessive grip on compact strokes especially against heavy backspin, but responds better to spin from an accelerated arm speed. Backspin pushing is better than any other offensive rated rubber I've tried. Short loops are very spinny and have a short trajectory due to the impressive range of lower gears, enabling effective topspin placement around the table. Attacks with a flatter trajectory are also easily attainable. Blocking is a breeze; so is looping at mid distance - every shot has a pleasing, adjustable arc, meaning you can vary your pressure easily. It also smashes particularly well due to its low reactivity to spin, and has plenty of control in advanced speed play. For power looping this might need a fast blade because it's a step down in speed from professional 'Tenergy clones', and doesn't have a big trampoline effect. Overall this is a superb controlled and spinny rubber, it's real selling point being that it allows you to focus on making your own shots better without the worry of a rapidly changing throw angle. Plus, every shot is easy to play; thus, I would highly recommend Gewo NanoFLEX to developing intermediate players. More offensive players should consider the FT48 version. Enjoy your TT!Aug 26, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Stiga Genesis M
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Review of Stiga Genesis MTested in black max, on the forehand, on a Stiga allround classic and an Xiom Offensive S: Speed is just faster than vega pro in 2.0mm. The feeling is much more chinese-like; just a bit of a thicker contact on the ball than the chinese rubbers (such as h3n) that I've tried before probably due to a softer topsheet. It's extremely easy to control the placement and trajectory, partly because the rubber does not react so much to spin. Another feature of this rubber is its trajectory, which especially away from the table (and especially on the allround classic) comes across as having a very pronounced arc, although you've got to put in some effort to pick up the ball first. As you might have guessed, the spin is high - comparable to vega pro and the like. This feels really safe on the allround classic compared to the offensive s, which in contrast provides quite a bit more speed and a longer trajectory. What sets this rubber apart from euro rubbers is the improved linearity, and the main difference to chinese rubbers is the more elastic, dynamic nature. This rubber would suit an allround-offensive playing style which makes use of spin and placement in addition to speed. Enjoy your TT!Jul 26, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Xiom Vega Euro DF
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Review of Xiom Vega Euro DFVega Europe DF is extremely grippy - the DF tech creates a huge amount of spin whilst being non tacky and so doesn't react heavily to spin.It's very soft and bouncy, so requires a delicate touch, especially for mid table pushing (as opposed to short-short); speed doesn't increase that much for harder strokes, but it's great for close to the table attacking due to its bounciness. Topspins (open ups) are very spinny and slow if you brush. The pip structure (long, thin and sparsely arranged pips) also means that shots have less of a direct/predictable trajectory, and the dwell time seems short because the rubber 'repels' the ball before it can grab it, especially on slower/more passive shots; so control isn't the best. Correctly executed strokes produce a loud click, with good dwell time from mid-distance if taking the ball late. However, any shots where speed rather than spin is the main object are likely to bottom out, unless it's a close to the table drive. Service is so-so; good enough due to grip, but nothing special, and flicks are very controlled. Grip is still super, after very roughly 50 hours. I would say it's good at teaching a good technique if the user is willing to learn. Enjoy your TT! May 23, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Xiom Vega Pro
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Review of Xiom Vega ProOn a Xiom Offensive S, in 2mm black: Out the packet the topsheet is very slightly tacky. The sponge is hard, more porous (larger pores) than Tenergy and black. First couple of drives feel unspinny, but a spin stroke kills that sensation. This has a lot of spin potential, but it is essential to exert energy in brushing the ball to achieve this spin (unlike rubbers such as Vega Elite). I can but imagine of the spin achievable on a softer blade with more flex. On short pushes using the topsheet there is little bounciness. Mid-table pushing is a less secure; compressing the sponge much will make the push/chop catapult long, although the hardness does help. FH looping from close/middle distance is superb; the ball does indeed 'cannon' across to the other side, although this needs very good energy transfer from the legs and waist and more than a little brush in case you’re thinking of using this lazily. Loops have loads of precision, and the confidence this instils is invaluable, especially close to the table. The throw angle is high, not low. On BH, power loops had to be extremely well timed. Maybe a max sponge would give a bit more dwell. BH open ups were unpredictable until I closed the racket angle, whence the rubber suddenly performed much better. Blocks on both sides are good but not as good as something like Rasant Power Sponge, especially if you don’t like closing your BH racket angle. Serving is great, no complaints and plenty of spin when I’m not lazy ;-) Conclusion: A really good quality rubber for offensive players, with both a huge spin potential and a precise and predictable trajectory, even if this means sacrificing a little forgiveness found in softer rubbers. This could be good for the FH of improving loopers in 2.0mm or 1.8mm, who are trying to achieve a more consistent contact with the ball, because it gives a lot of looping control in the mid-low gears, yet retains a great catapult for further back. Enjoy your TT!Aug 15, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Xiom Vega Elite
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Review of Xiom Vega EliteVega Elite max, on Stiga ALL Classic and XIOM Diva. Butter-soft, hyper bouncy topsheet on very soft, springy cream sponge. This rubber is made for close to the table play, with a super high dwell time. Spin seems irregular; sometimes topspins are super spinny but at other times the ball seems to float long. It has a high throw on drives meaning the ball always clears the net and so blocking is very easy, however its bouncy nature often throws it too high to spin down in time unless a slower stroke is used. This bounciness makes service receive difficult. Service itself is one of its best points, due to the very grippy topsheet and high dwell time. A very impressive click is produced stepping back and one can achieve a large, bowing arc. However it is simply too slow to rally effectively against aggressive players and bottoms out immediately when smashing. Regarding durability this rubber should last if it is taken care of; otherwise it loses its grip quickly. The edges hold together well. Vega Elite would suit a close to the table topspin player who wants a soft, glue-effect rubber to do the work for them. Enjoy your TT!Aug 26, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Xiom Musa
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Review of Xiom MusaTested in black, 1.5mm: Very soft. Not suitable for hard hitters in this thickness, difficult to find consistency. Hitting softly, playing consistent shots is much easier. Control and placement at low gears is great, and spin is better than the term "non-tensor" would suggest. Nothing exceptional, mind you. Good first rubber since easy to use. Enjoy your TT!Jul 26, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||
