DHS Hurricane 3 (National)

I tried out the H3 National 40 degree, 2.2mm blue sponge.I tested boosted and un-boosted sheets.Boosting with 2 layers of Falco long term booster seemed to make little difference to how the rubber played, maybe more layers of booster are needed, or a different booster such as Seamoon.Top sheet was tacky and remained so over time and use, reducing slightly. my sheets were not overly tacky held ball for 3-5 secs.top sheet also felt quite hard to start with, especially the un-boosted sheet which needed to be softened up by playing for 6+ hours.Quality of the rubber is good, sponge is very dense with small bubbles. Used on FH wing.Spin levels produced whilst looping were very good, low arc, late dip and really good kick after the bounce. Technique is everything with this rubber, if you are used to rubbers with high catapult properties, it’s likely this rubber will not suit you!!Flat hitting is not a strong point, contact that produces spin is necessary. It can be difficult to get good speed and control with flatter hits.Counter topspin is good.As far as speed is concerned, it’s generally not fast, but if you have good straighter arm technique, good footwork, weight transfer etc and put everything into your strokes then the rubber responds and you get high spin, high speed loops.Top spin vs back spin - because this rubber has a fairly low throw angle some adjustment to technique may be needed, but once you get in the groove low fast (ish) spinny topspin shots can trouble your opponent, main from the acceleration when the ball kicks forward.Blocking is okay, but for me, nothing special, for a quicker block, technique needs to be more ‘active’.Serving - because of the ‘dead’ feeling - lack of bounce/catapult effort has to be put in, but serves have very high spin levels.Short game - control is excellent. Pushes can have high spin.Smashing - twiddle to your BH rubber!!!!!! ( if using a BH rubber with catapult effect)The main strength of this rubber is high spin capability and great control. It’s a rubber that will keep giving, the more you put in effort wise the more it gives you!! Is this rubber for everyone ?? No, advanced level players with good ‘Chinese FH loop’ technique will love this rubber!!

This review is for DHS Hurricane 3 National (white package) which is available to the public (Megaspin, Table Tennis 11, TTnPP, Li-Ning). It is the most expensive ($50 - $100) of the Hurricane rubbers that is officially sold to the public by DHS ($60 from shop-lining.com, Li-Ning majority stakeholder of DHS).

Top sheet is tacky (can hold a worn plastic ball upside down for over 10 seconds), grippy, and extremely durable (still tacky with excellent grip after 72 hours of play). The quality and consistency is above other iterations of Hurricane 3 and Hurricane 3 Neo (except I have not tried any National versions of Neo rubber and do not know how legit these are since they are not officially sold by DHS).

The sponge is orange, 40 degree hardness. Quality like the topsheet is exceptional. The rubber has 4 edges.

Usage: Rubber gets one layer of Haifu whale speed glue, then the blade, then the rubber gets a second layer. The rubber curls and must be held flat with a couple of heavy books for at least 2 hours. This initial priming softens the sponge and the rubber is ready to use. There after, the rubber is never removed or reglued for the 3 months played. Rubber is cleaned with water after each play session. Between points, breath and palm wipe is used to remove dust.

Short game: It is very easy to place forehand push shots. It has high control with the forehand flip as well. For users of the Hurricane 3 series, the feeling is familiar.

Forehand drive: The catapult and control is equivalent to H3 neo and Hurricane 8. Shots have excellent feel. There is no lack of power at the middle distance. A more powerful blade seems necessary from far distance.

Forehand loop: Spin can be extremely strong and consistent. Where the tacky new Hurricane 8 slips with a counter loop brush, Hurricane 3 National has no problem. Hurricane 3 National top sheet has more spin than Hurricane 8. The arc is mid-high and dips earlier compared to H3 neo.

Serves: As with the short game, the extreme spin and control makes short pendulum/reverse pendulum serves easy to execute.

Overall: Hurricane 3 National is the best Hurricane rubber that I have used. Speed and spin are at least equal to other H3/neo/H8, while quality
consistency and longevity (and price) surpass the others.