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For G-1 in Rubbers
Love/Hate relationship with this rubber
Pros
  • Topsheet grip
  • Capable sponge
  • Very durable
  • Power reserves
  • Amazing dwell when hitting harder
Cons
  • Unpredictable gears
This is, for me, the most controversial rubber I have played with. It is great in so many aspects, but at the same time completely destroys its usability with a problem that I just don't seem to get around.

Let's start with the good stuff. Wide, stable pip geometry makes this rubber relatively insensitive to incoming spin. Pushes from a bad position are just safe, somehow, and in a way this makes it feel kind of similar to a Hurricane 3 Neo.
The grip on the topsheet is amazing, and it lasts, too. The orange, large-pore sponge adds a lot of dynamic to this rubber. Honestly, this is what a good medium sponge should be.
Serving is a dream, receives are very tolerant, placing pushes and harder loops is well manageable.

But here's where it falls apart (for me):
The point where a rally goes from short pushing at the table, to opening up, or putting away a cheeky drive into the corner. Those balls either don't get enough bite into the rubber and hit the net, or they do and subsequently pop out over the end of the table. I can't for the life of me get a predictable low-medium power response out of this rubber and it completely destroys the usability for me. This happens on 5ply (Korbel), 7ply (Fextra) but also on Innerforce ALC and Ma Lin Carbon.

I have stopped using G-1 competitively, and found Glayzer to be an alternative that seems to fit me a little better. But if I do ever get to the bottom of this, I certainly would reconsider using this otherwise great rubber.
Speed
8
Spin
8
Durability
9
Control
7
One member found this helpful.
Should have put a better sponge on this
Pros
  • Spins well
  • Controllable
Cons
  • Collapses under effort
  • Lacks dynamics
  • Shrinks like a cheap towel
Out of the Fastarc series, I honestly think this one is the most "meh".

Compared to G-1, the white sponge on the C-1 is weak and lacks dynamics. It's essentially a tensor rubber, with the feeling of a classic rubber.
The sponge also shrinks dramatically. More than Rakza 7, which I already found ridiculously shrinky, C-1 actually curls up to the point where applying glue is simply not possible. Reviving the sponge with booster only partially works, and when regluing you're going to need to stretch it out to fit. I have factored this in when I scored its durability.

The topsheet is what saves it, and gives this rubber its good capabilities: it's very easy to spin up, down, sideways, and create heavy (but slow) stuff using large movements. The grip on it is up to par with pretty much most tensors and the topsheet basically feels identical to G-1.
The problem is, the topsheet far outlasts the sponge. So while your rubber still looks fine from the outside, it plays more dead by the hour.
I cannot, in all honesty, recommend this rubber, and all of that is down to the rapid deterioration of the sponge. If you like the topsheet, just go to G-1, or get P-1 which seems to have a similar sponge to the one G-1 has.
Speed
5
Spin
8
Durability
6
Control
8
Bang for buck tacky champion
Pros
  • Tackiness
  • Easy to use
  • Dirt cheap
  • Different hardnesses available
Cons
  • Variations in quality
  • Old v new versions
This rubber is (usually) half the price of the next best "cheap, tacky rubber" I can get, with some additional advantages!

For €5 a piece on my latest Ali order (sometimes goes up to €10), I didn't expect much the first time I ordered it. I just added it to an existing order to mess around with.
I have used 729 Super FX several times in the past, and given the low price point of that rubber I will be comparing these two a lot.
Both of these rubbers need breaking in. It takes a couple of sessions to take the stiffness out of the M2 (Mercury 2) especially the topsheet seems to really need to warm up before it will start to give a little bit more.
Booster doesn't help much, on either rubber tbh. Don't waste your time and money boosting them. Mercury 2 comes with a cream coloured sponge that actually reminds me of older tensors like Rakza 7, rather than the high density orange/blue sponges found on Super FX and H3.

The sponge just makes this rubber (eventually) a bit more lively, while the Super FX keeps on playing like a brick, just a softer brick. After a while you could even say there's a little bit of a bounce going on despite the tack. If maintained and covered, the sheet keeps its tack rather well. I have had one for months and it hasn't really changed much at all. I imagine the sponge will eventually give out from under the topsheet but so far it has been in good shape.

The Soft version of this rubber is even easier to pull a ball with, but has a significant power tradeoff. I would not recommend it on FH at all unless you are a complete beginner without power generation experience.
On the BH, it's easy to access its spin capabilities and let the ball sink in a little bit.
The Medium sponge also has a ceiling that's not overly hard to reach, but there is a purpose in having that ceiling, too, because it will basically teach you to not overhit the ball since there's no benefit to be had. I would also opt to use Medium on BH if you have a harder, faster blade. You could probably use the Soft, too, but you'd reach the ceiling so quickly that there's not much of a point to it.

Both sponge hardness versions are just really meant to be stable, spin-oriented rubbers, and that's what they do. Controlling the ball is easy both passively and actively. Serves can be surprisingly heavy on the spin department. Straight up blocking is a bit harder to get right but for a tacky rubber it's actually quite OK.
Looping is easy as you can literally grab and pull the ball. It feels like there's seconds of time to execute your shot. Saving a wide short FH by pulling it over the net is just good fun. In a way, that doesn't really promote good footwork, does it, but still.

Going back to the Super FX comparison, the 729 rubber basically is, and feels like, a classic Chinese rubber, whereas M2 feels like a bit of a modern take on it. It's designed to be thicker, to have the ball sunk into it. 729's version has been updated at some point to offer a blue sponge on the black rubber, but that's all. It also oxidizes like nothing else so it looks like crap within a session.
There's a couple of caveats to M2 though. The quality between sheets can vary quite a bit. We're talking weight, topsheet quality, sponge density, basically every element. For this price point that's completely understandable, but it needs to be said.
Second, and this *can* be important: the old version of M2 is not on the LARC, so it is not allowed to be played in official matches in most countries. The new version, with the spiraling Yinhe logo, is on the approved list, but Ali sellers often don't clearly show which one you're getting.
I am under the impression that old stocks are dwindling, so your chances are getting better all the time. I just bought a stack where the seller didn't show the logo at all and only got new ones. YMMV!

Conclusion: I have said it before in the forums, but if I had to pick one single rubber to use, and pay for, for the rest of my life, M2 would be at least in my top 3. Heck I could use a new sheet every month and be off cheaper than changing most rubbers twice a year.
Speed
5
Spin
7
Durability
7
Control
8.5
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For Glayzer in Rubbers
Dignics-lite does what it's supposed to
Pros
  • Stability
  • Easy to spin up
  • Plenty of power and spin
  • Dynamic
Cons
  • No top end performance
  • Hard to use on 5ply
I'm gonna make this one quick:

Been using Glayzer on FH on Innerforce Layer ALC for a month. Found myself twiddling it to my BH too, so now I have it on both sides.

It took a few sessions to get adjusted to the activation, which to me felt like I needed to break the rubber in. But after adding a second Glayzer to the BH and instantly getting the right feeling, I'm sure it was me breaking in rather than the rubber.

This one does it all as an allrounder. It's not excellent at anything, but it works well for everything. It pushes, chops. loops, drives, blocks, and smashes with good, Intermediate player level quality.

Who is this suited for? Allround and OFF- intermediates who play spin and placement over power. I also see OFF+ power players being able to learn a lot with this rubber, but they will likely be moving on to something more powerful when they've been playing intermediate levels for a while.
I found this to be playing much, much more dead on a 5ply and I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to learn to generate good power and have the ambition of moving on to fiber later on. On Innerforce, this is an easy rubber to play.
Speed
7.9
Spin
8
Durability
8
Control
9
S
steve888
Just an idea from my subjective experience.
For outerforce alc on forehand try 2mm Hammond z2, or D 05 (1.9mm).
They faster and just as controllable and less overshooting the table than 2.1 Glayzer.
On backhand Glayzer 09c (2.1) or Nittaku c1 (2mm). - G09c more control though. I found I can hit hard, as the blade has plenty of dwell more than normal carbon blades. Found its a bit more direct than innerforce and therefore can attack more. I used that combination (Hammond and Glayzer) on outerforce this week in competition and it went okay.
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Tyce
Tyce
I missed a perfect opportunity to test someone's Innerforce ALC with G09c and quite regret it - I've only tested it on weaker blades and it was just as dead/dampened as regular Glayzer felt on weak blades.

Appreciate the suggestion, but at this point I need to build mileage with my current Glayzer/Glayzer/Innerforce, as well as work on technical consistency and proficiency. The weird "double-gearshift" sensation I had when I was using Fastarc G-1, and with H3 Neo, is gone, so I don't feel like I need to eliminate the blade's own gearshift right now.
Also, I'm not going back to Fastarc C-1. The balance on it is all wrong. It's sensitive when I don't want it, and then goes dead when I want it to be dynamic.
S
steve888
Just played with a guy about an hour ago who has an outerforce - rubbers - glayzer 2.1 FH and c1 backhand, he changed glue from butterfly chaulk to DHS glue. He was getting more catapult for some reason with butterfly chaulk glue. DHS glue he found made C1 a lot more balanced. He puts two thin coats on rubber one on blade.
I personally like a firmer rubber on the backhand - G 09c or Battle 2 (39 degree). I found to much catapult when I used Rozena rubbers on the outerforce. It was better on the backhand than the forehand though.
For Rozena in Rubbers
Tenergy-Lite for bouncy rubber lovers
Pros
  • Controlled
  • Packs a good punch
  • Spins up easy
Cons
  • High bounce
This is a double-sided review, for one single reason: this rubber is not a good fit for me. I do feel that in the hands of a person that likes bouncy rubbers, this is a very good, sensible option to use.

First off, I have been using this for a relatively short period of about a month. In that month, the rubber has shown no signs of wear whatsoever. The topsheet looks like it just came out of the package, so that indicates to me you will be getting great mileage out of this rubber.

I have been using this rubber on Innerforce Layer ALC (and shortly on Outerforce ALC), primarily on the BH side, and bought it in 2.1mm to replace T05 which felt too unpredictable and in turn that was bough to replace Fastarc C-1.

The good points:
Serving, doing a BH serve, the soft rubber really allows the ball to sink in and make good spin with a light effort.
Punching is great. If you like to punch fast with a lot of control, this is a really good rubber to do so. Got some great BH slaps in which was lovely.

The "hmm" points:
Opening up is easy, but also hard for me as it gives a lot of speed if I make even a slightly thicker contact. I prefer to grab a ball rather than shooting it, which might be something to improve on my side too, but it just doesn't work for my current technical level. If you, however, do like to be able to just loopdrive through with light effort, I think this rubber is an absolute shiner. (I really need to learn take that ball a bit higher)
The bounce becomes a bit of a problem when pushing, but far less so than Tenergy.

The bad points:
Hard to say. I think the sponge is a bit fragile so don't keep regluing this rubber I guess.
On FH I found it a complete mismatch. Again, just me, and I can see it working even for me if I'd been using all-wood blades.

Conclusion:
It has a lot of the Tenergy feeling and that gives a really lovely sensation. The ball sinking into the rubber easily, shooting out, and producing good spins with lighter efforts. I feel the marketing bit about "tolerance" is completely right, as getting spins and punches in is just pretty easy to do safely. Not my cuppa, but it's really good in its league and I would easily recommend it to someone who likes bouncier stuff.
Speed
7.9
Spin
7
Durability
9
Control
8.5
Unique combination of touch, speed, power and spin
Pros
  • Lots of feeling
  • Great power reserves while keeping it thin
  • Spins like nobody's business
Cons
  • Accelerates quickly
I picked up this bad boy in a nice deal that I just completely jumped on. Second hand but hardly used, and it got me really curious as to how it plays.
I tested this blade with 2x T05 (which it came with) as well as my current main rubbers, Fastarc G1 and C1.
I mainly compare this to my main blade, the Innerforce Layer ALC.

Touch and push
Regardless of the rubber, this blade has more feeling than I expected. This is probably due to it being slightly thinner at 5.5mm than the 5.7-5.8 on the Innerforce. I grew up using a thin blade which makes it surprisingly familiar despite being a Koto topped, fiber-infused beast.
You absolutely need to have a soft touch, though.

Drive and speed
This is where the blade delivers standout performance. As soon as you start tightening up the grip, it will accelerate. Quickly. You will still feel it clearly, as opposed to a thicker outer fiber blade, but it ramps up really fast and you need to anticipate on that.

Top spin game
Despite its speed in a straight line, this baby can spin! I suspect the thin structure produces enough flex to make it whip around the ball like I'm used to.

Conclusion
This blade is for compact strokes, but if you have a bigger topspin stroke that's OK, too. Keep your flat hits, touches and pushes compact and you will have a good feeling bat on your hands with tons and tons of power when you want it.
Would I buy it for the MRSP? Definitely not. Would I buy it over the IFL ALC for the same price? I don't think so. It ramps up too quickly for me to be safe with it. But players with more flow and relaxed motion can make real good use of this.
Speed
9
Control
8.5
Hardness
8
Pros
  • Control
  • Nimble balance
  • Many gears
  • Versatile
Cons
  • Price
  • Not for specialists
I outright disagree with the review posted by Omri on basically every single point, so I decided to write my own.
I've been playing with this blade for a couple of months and haven't quite mastered it yet, but I feel I can handle it quite well enough to warrant a review.

Rubbers
I have used this blade mainly with Fastarc G-1 on FH and C-1 on BH (both in 2.0), but I've also done a quick test with Hurricane 3 Neo 39d. This blade handles all these rubbers very well. C-1 still feels slightly soft, G-1 has its typical firm topsheet behaviour and explosive sponge engagement and H3N plays from super slow to loopkill fast.
Compared to Korbel Japan, there's hardly any change in rubber feeling until you hit hard into the blade, engaging the ALC.

Touch and serve
Pushes are pretty easy to get short and digging into the rubber for backspin is like an all-wood blade. Any popups I encountered were technique issues, not blade problems.
For serve I feel I can't extract my level out of the blade yet, but I'm getting closer each week. Spinny, short services are still behind, I can do either or but not both reliably at the moment.

Drive and flat hit
This blade doesn't scream at you to make compact strokes like a Koto/Outer blade will, but making your strokes short and decisive works really well on it. Finding the ALC treshold is easy and it's in a place where I feel it's very natural for amateur players. As soon as I start driving harder, the blade wants to scale with me.
Backhand flat hits are amazing. Getting that little extra kick while retaining control is exactly what I like to get my hits more deadly.
FH flat hits honestly aren't my forté. But the blade is very well controlled and, for my skill level, FH hits land well with good speed.

Spin and Power
I can feel this isn't a flexible blade. Yet, I think that it's not significantly less flexible than my Korbel due to it being slightly thinner. I can still utilize the same feeling and get good spin, though I am still getting used to getting the ball to dip well enough so it stays on.
From distance, it's miles better. Compared to a Pro 05 (HL5X structure) it's more controlled, so when you inadvertently engage too much blade, the ball won't just power out of the blade.
Its power isn't fit for being very aggressive at long distance, but still allows for sudden accelerations and fast direction switching from behind the table.

Suitable level and style
I would not recommend this blade to a beginner unless they get coached by someone who understands how to play with it. It's easy to chase that feeling of ALC engagement and just forgetting to use friction and generate spin, because it feels so good to do so.
That being said, the gears are more controlled than I've felt on other inner type blades (Yinhe Pro 05, Andro Treiber CI) which does lend itself well to someone learning to play with fiber blades.
This blade favours spin-based compact play at the table, up to mid distance. The balance makes it a nimble, maneuverable blade and it fits medium-soft (C-1), medium-hard (G-1) and harder (H3N 39) rubbers well without altering their characteristics too much compared to using an all-wood blade like Korbel Japan.

Conclusion
At 87g, my specimen feels solid yet flexible. I have considered dumping all my other blades and getting another one of these as backup. That's how nice it is. This is not a blade that does extremely well at any single point, but the synergy of its properties is very, very well balanced and just fits for almost everyone in the amateur space.

This blade is not for you if you just want something that smacks the ball as fast as possible. Also not if you want the ultimate slow-looping machine. It's right there in the middle and does most things at a 7 or better.
Speed
7.5
Control
9
Hardness
5.5
Durability
9
2 members found this helpful.
Tyce
Tyce
I have hit with that one a very short time and I felt the handle on super vis is just slightly less thick, especially where the beveled edge starts near the rubber.
The rest of the shape is pretty much the same, with vis feeling ever so slightly slimmer
N
navuzor
Nice review Tyce, doyou feel the throw angle of the G1 changed coming from the all-wood to the inner carbon?
Tyce
Tyce
Maybe slightly lower, but not a ton.
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