My review on H2 Neo is based on my style and technique. I am penholder, mostly a pips-out player, though I also use inverted from time to time. Due to this, my style is mostly close to the table-counter attacker focused mostly on 3rd ball attacks and short rallies. I bought the H2 because I wanted to permanently convert to pips-in rubbers due to the many disadvantages of my pips out style because of the new polyball. I believe I got lucky to finally find the perfect rubber for my style.
Here are my reviews for the H2 Neo 2.2 (unboosted) on 3+ 2 Hinoki Blade (BTY Gergely Clone);
Physical: I got the softer one, I believe it's around 38-39 in the scale. I've tried H3 before and this H2 Neo is a bit softer and a little lighter. The sponge doesn't feel dead as compared to the H3 though the tackiness is about the same. Speaking of tackiness, the H2 is very tacky when new but slowly lose it after several hours of play but the spin characteristics are still the same, only with less tack it's much faster.
Serve: It's a dream. For someone who heavily rely on serves to control the game, this rubber is the best so far. Very controlled and excellent spin rubber on services. It obeys all your commands and doesn't over shoot when serving short like tensor rubbers. I score many points out of service alone. (9.5/10)
Counter Drive: This is where the rubber shines best. It's low throw, absolute control and high spin nature makes it difficult for the opponent to handle during this stroke. There are even circumstances when during counter attacks, the rubber produces vast amount of spin that the ball skids on the table and bounces very low. I've only done that with this rubber, heck I can't even believe I could do that. (10/10)
Loop: I seldom loop. I only loop when I'm receiving chopped balls. Looping is not that hard nor not that easy on this rubber. Coming from pips-out rubber this rubber is better. But one thing I notice when looping, the ball makes a low arc, which from time to time touches the net. (9/10)
Hit: I believe this is the great gap of H3 and H2 Neo. When flat hitting the ball H3 always overshoots and misses the table, but for H2 Neo it's a different story. It's throw is low that I can say it's almost same as pips-out rubbers. So when hitting it doesn't overshoot to the table but sinks to the table flat with almost no arc. (9.5/10)
Away from the table: Uhm..hard to say as this is not really my style but there are instances when I'm forced by my opponents away and this rubber, I say, lacks the speed to attack long or wide on the other side of the table. Plus I think this is where the low throw is a disadvantage, you need to make lots of efforts to just to clear the net. Most of the time when I'm far away all I do is lob the ball, it's safer this way. (7/10)
In conclusion, I think this rubber suites my style perfectly and I don't have to adjust a lot on this rubber. I recommend this to players who doesn't like rallies and focuses more on 3rd ball attacks and kills.
Here are my reviews for the H2 Neo 2.2 (unboosted) on 3+ 2 Hinoki Blade (BTY Gergely Clone);
Physical: I got the softer one, I believe it's around 38-39 in the scale. I've tried H3 before and this H2 Neo is a bit softer and a little lighter. The sponge doesn't feel dead as compared to the H3 though the tackiness is about the same. Speaking of tackiness, the H2 is very tacky when new but slowly lose it after several hours of play but the spin characteristics are still the same, only with less tack it's much faster.
Serve: It's a dream. For someone who heavily rely on serves to control the game, this rubber is the best so far. Very controlled and excellent spin rubber on services. It obeys all your commands and doesn't over shoot when serving short like tensor rubbers. I score many points out of service alone. (9.5/10)
Counter Drive: This is where the rubber shines best. It's low throw, absolute control and high spin nature makes it difficult for the opponent to handle during this stroke. There are even circumstances when during counter attacks, the rubber produces vast amount of spin that the ball skids on the table and bounces very low. I've only done that with this rubber, heck I can't even believe I could do that. (10/10)
Loop: I seldom loop. I only loop when I'm receiving chopped balls. Looping is not that hard nor not that easy on this rubber. Coming from pips-out rubber this rubber is better. But one thing I notice when looping, the ball makes a low arc, which from time to time touches the net. (9/10)
Hit: I believe this is the great gap of H3 and H2 Neo. When flat hitting the ball H3 always overshoots and misses the table, but for H2 Neo it's a different story. It's throw is low that I can say it's almost same as pips-out rubbers. So when hitting it doesn't overshoot to the table but sinks to the table flat with almost no arc. (9.5/10)
Away from the table: Uhm..hard to say as this is not really my style but there are instances when I'm forced by my opponents away and this rubber, I say, lacks the speed to attack long or wide on the other side of the table. Plus I think this is where the low throw is a disadvantage, you need to make lots of efforts to just to clear the net. Most of the time when I'm far away all I do is lob the ball, it's safer this way. (7/10)
In conclusion, I think this rubber suites my style perfectly and I don't have to adjust a lot on this rubber. I recommend this to players who doesn't like rallies and focuses more on 3rd ball attacks and kills.
