Palio AK 47 Blue

Contrary to the previous review I regard the AK47 Blue to be an excellent all round rubber and I am coming out strongly in its defence. I have this rubber mounted FH on a Stiga Maplewood NCT V and Galaxy T11 and BH mounted on a DHS PG7. It is fast and responsive and will reward good technique with plenty of spin. As you would expect, all this is accompanied by a distinctive sound. The rubber cuts tidily and is light (44g cut). It is not at all tacky so stays clean while giving plenty of spin, for me, with any type of ball. This rubber is surprisingly resilient to the inevitable knocks to the edges during extended practice against my return board. The blue sponge, unlike many Chinese sponges, is soft and porous so, if you are planning to re-use the rubber, it should be removed carefully. I am a serial sampler of inverted rubbers and many have failed to remain mounted to my blades for any significant length of time. However, for me, the AK47 Blue is now a weapon of choice up there among my top 5 favorite rubbers particularly when fitted to the super light and super fast T11. Finally, it represents excellent value for money.

Don't trust the numbers! This has nothing to do with others 9 out of 10 rated rubbers... If you compare this to Donic Bluefire M2, AK47 Blue is better? No way! If you are on a low budget, go for Palio! But Bluefire M2 is much better. All strokes are playable. That is a BH rubber. The pros : Feather light! Budget! Good spin and dwell, the balls shrink into it. I think it is good when paired with carbon blade. The cons : Durability, consistency... Give it a try, you could be surprised!

Great for looping in mid and far from the table. Very forgiving. It's like cheating your looping....

This blue Ak-47 is a fast rubber. It may be very soft and light but it packs the punch. I highly recommend it for BH only. It's not any spinny but matt finish grips the ball well. Overall a good value for the money. Good for Close to the table hits. If you can bend your writst and hit flat BH then this rubber will work well to you. I'll buy couple more and use it for BH only.

This review is based on 2.2 sponge. For me the AK47 BLUE is inferior to AK47 RED in almost every way. RED is better for loops, kills, blocks, serves, and has a better margin for error. The BLUE is just too soft, great for dwell time, if your stroke and timing are both perfect. My cut BLUE sheet is 40 grams, and the RED is less at 39. 10/20/2022.