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Pros
  • Light
  • Crisp
  • Round
Cons
  • Sound
A completely different ball compared to all others right now. It is crisp, light and with a good bounce. It does sound broken on contact, as the sound is brighter. I believe that this ball is the closest we have to the old celluloid ball, which is a good thing.
Roundness
8.4
Hardness
6.7
Speed
7.4
Durability
7.7
Pros
  • Stability
  • Sturdy
This is the gold standard of non-showcourt tables. You can see them being played at the highest international level down to leisure games. New tables have a matte finish. Over years of use the surface may turn into a glossier one. The tables are solid and can be moved and stored on a daily basis. The bounce is even and consistent, even on the edges, altough the sound is different.
Bounce
7.1
Consistency
8.4
Pros
  • Sound
  • Softness
Cons
  • Spin
This is an unique rubber, one of a kind. It was one of the first rubbers with built-in glue effect, so everyone in Sweden tried it. It has great sound, kind of low arc, not so much spin, but a lot of feeling. It is difficult to describe, since there are no other similar rubbers that I'm aware of. It is also very difficult to get good backspin with on service receives. Time might have made this rubber obsolete, but I will always remember it fondly for the sound and loops.
Speed
6
Spin
5.8
Durability
6.1
Control
5.3
Pros
  • Tacky
  • Easier to remove
Cons
  • Thick
  • Slow
  • Unforgiving
If you have to attach your rubber to the blade, and make it last, look no further. This is the thickest glue I've tried. It also bonds the hardest. It is difficult to use, be careful and only brush the glue a few times, otherwise you'll have clumps of glue. It dries slowly, around 20 minutes. There are easier glues to work with, but they don't bond as good.
Pros
  • Stability
  • Softness
Cons
  • Sweet spot
The ZJK blade is a nice carbon blade. Compared to the Timo Boll ALC, it is somewhat softer and slower. It has a low arc and a straight trajectory. Very well balanced from handle to head. The sweet spot is quite close to the handle, which might take some time to get used to. The dwell time is there for those spinny shots.
Speed
7
Control
7.4
Hardness
6
Durability
8
Pros
  • Cheap
  • Balanced
  • Controllable
Cons
  • Quality control
I played with this blade for a year. It is a classic beginners' blade in Sweden. Controllable with good feel. Slow and light. The main drawback is the difference between two blades. Some are softer and some have a more direct feel.
Speed
4
Control
7.6
Hardness
4.4
Durability
5.8
Pros
  • Cheap
Cons
  • Oval
I use these for multiball. They are of low quality with regards to roundness. I think the might be the ones that does not pass quality control for the 3-star version. Be aware of strange bounces. None of the 30 balls I've tested is suitable for match play.
Roundness
2.7
Hardness
6.5
Speed
5.7
Durability
6.4
Pros
  • Stability
  • Durability
  • Odor control
Cons
  • Price
  • Narrow
This is a very expensive shoe. It is quite narrow so people with wide feet might have to try another shoe. I have used mine for a year, and it was fully functional, but I decided to buy a new pair and keep the old ones for the gym. I play about 8 hours a week, which means they are very durable. They have Asics Gel techology which is used in running shoes for cushioning. They are quite cushioned compared to many other shoes. The grip is excellent. A mesh net in the bottom of the shoe should provide breathability but I have not felt any difference compared to other shoes. A good thing is that they do not smell bad after one year of heavy use! Quite incredible.
Comfort
8.2
Grip
8.7
Durability
9.5
Weight
7.7
Pros
  • Balance
Butterfly created a hybrid between Tenergy 64 and 05, and this rubber is precisely this. It has more spin and a higher throw compared to Tenergy 64 and also a bit slower. For blocking, Tenergy 64 still rules with a lower throw. I wanted more spin and changed to Tenergy 80, while still being less sensitive to incoming spin compared to Tenergy 05.
Speed
8.3
Spin
8.2
Durability
8.2
Control
8
Pros
  • Spin
  • Control
  • Touch
Cons
  • Heavy
  • Slow
  • Unobtainable
I got lucky and bought my Holy Grail in China from Bora Wang, the Chinese player who played for Turkey. It was expensive, even in China. 650 RMB which equals around 70 EUR at the time.

I opened the vacuum sealed rubber and added three thin layers of Haifu Seamoon booster. This might not be required, but I wanted to feel the true experience. The rubber is rated at 41 degrees, which is quite hard, even for Chinese rubbers. That is why I added the booster.

If you have played with any other national versions of the Hurricane 3 rubber, you will feel right at home. At first, this rubber had a distinct "ping" sound. After around 5 hours of play, this sound faded and the rubber became softer and came to life. There are two reasons to use this rubber.

1. Spin. This rubber has ridiculous amounts of spin. This gives a very characteristic arc when looping. Tossing spinny serves is easy.

2. Control. What you play, the rubber answers. There is a linear function of input and output. If you touch the ball softly, service returns will be short. If you swing at full power, the ball will explode from the racket. It is very difficult to do flat hits. You have to really work with every stroke. Counterlooping is much easier compared to tensor rubbers, since the rubber will grip the ball and reverse the spin.

The rubber is slow when using incoming speed, everything has to come from your stroke. This is a direct consequence of the control that this rubber has. For me, the advantages overcomes the disadvantages. This rubber is very similar to a 41 degrees regular Hurricane 3 national orange sponge. The main difference is a bit more bounce and a less tacky topsheet.
Speed
5.9
Spin
9.1
Durability
8
Control
9.1
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Pros
  • Fast
  • Light
  • Durable
Cons
  • Advanced
Rakza 7 is a fast rubber with a nice top sheet, which Yazaka claims has a higher amount of natural rubber. When executed properly, this rubber will really shine. It is not very forgiving, but instead demands good quality shots. This rubber has a medium throw. This rubber has built-in glue effect which is one source of the power. When the glue effect runs out, the rubber becomes quite dead.
Speed
9
Spin
6.5
Durability
7.4
Control
4.6
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Pros
  • Speed
  • Precision
  • Quality
I've had two of these blades, one 86 grammes and one weighing in at 87 grammes. I think this is a baseline for composite blades that all other blades have to be compared against. It is quite hard, with a muted feel. What really excels with the TB ALC is the precision. Blocks and passive shots are easy to perform, as the blade has a low throw and great stability. There is a great deal of power if you need it and a good touch for the short game.
Speed
8.3
Control
7.6
Hardness
8
Durability
8.9
Pros
  • Control
  • Feel
  • Stability
Cons
  • Price
I wanted to find a softer version of the Timo Boll ALC. I took a chance and bought this. I think it's a unique blade and probably useful for a lot of players.
Compared to the TB ALC, it's softer and slower. It also has a much higher throw. You can feel exactly where the ball hit the racket. My backhand has improved with this blade. The lift of the higher arc is good for third ball attacks from backhand. The balance with Tenergy 64 is perfect. i really like the dimensions of this blade, a tad bit smaller than Innerforce. The blade has a crisp feel and a harder touch in the short game. When playing away from the table the sound is just great. Away from the table the TB ALC is better, but i find the ZLF better in all other aspects. The downside is the price. I also find that the edges are starting to chip away, since I do a lot of heavy pushes which slams the racket to the table. Woody feel, but with the stability that ZL fiber has. Mine is 86 grammes.
Speed
7.3
Control
7.9
Hardness
6.4
Durability
8.7
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