Latest reviews

H8-80 37 degree version.
Used by many as a BH rubber, but the 37 degree version shouldn’t be considered ‘ONLY’ a BH rubber. For many people this would be a good FH rubber as well.
In the right hands this rubber is capable of high spin levels. Serves are very spinny.
Speed is not fast but it has more than enough speed to put balls away.
As with many tacky rubbers, short game control is good. On harder strokes the sponge kicks in, but for short pushes etc this rubber is very good.
looping on both FH & BH is very good, slow topspin v backspin can be loaded with spin.
blocking is solid, crisp.
mid distance play is good, long distance is OK you still have to put more effort in than with a tensor/spring sponge rubber, but no more than playing with H3 Neo or similar.
DHS has various rubbers with 37 degree sponge hardness these days, targeted as BH rubbers. This sponge hardness gives you more ‘easy’ power availability on the BH wing.
Many will say that 37 degree is ‘too soft’ for FH, but at the end of the day this is just personal preference.
Many will say it still needs boosting, again personal preference. For myself it doesn’t need any boosting, my preference!!!
If you just can’t be bothered with having to boost Chinese style rubbers then give H8-80 a go!!

I’ve been playing with Glazer on my BH wing for about a month now.
Spin levels are good / high, especially when serving, I found that it was easier to put high spin on serves, compared to G09C,
Glazer is a pretty stable rubber, fairly easy to control. Blocking is solid, and I do a lot of blocking when coaching!! It is easier to change speed of the ball, I can play slow, medium or fast blocks, I would say that compared to Rakza Z (previous BH rubber) Glazer has the upper hand in blocking.
Topspin open up’s v backspin are nice, high spin with correct technique.
My Flicks, banana flicks over the table are good, get a nice curl with the bananas!!!!!!
Short game control is good, pushing and varying spin, speed, depth of ball is for me more consistent.
BH topspin v topspin is controlled, reasonable spin.
Overall (easy) speed is not as fast as many rubbers out there. However it’s no slouch!!
Once again, for the price, this is good choice!!!
A rubber (& series, Glazer/Glazer 09C) will suit intermediate plus level players and will not hurt your pocket as much!!!

G09C is excellent value for money, especially when talking about Butterfly rubbers.
Priced at about £44 & €44 (uk price and Butterfly eu store price, may be more expensive in other countries?) compared to Tenergy Series which is £59/€59 & Dignics Series £79/€79.

So it sits above Rozena (which has had a price cut in some countries according to the grape vine) and below Tenergy, but performance wise, all in all its not that far behind D09C,

Speed - is the biggest gap, for readily available speed anyway, when you use full swing, weight transfer etc good technique speed is there but more effort needed. Away from the table looping is where the slower G09C will be noticeable along with blocking at closer range.

Spin - less than D09C, but not by much. In general play it has high spin capability.
I noticed during serve practice that it was harder for me to get very high spin ghost serves, especially when compared to Rakza Z EH, R48, Barracuda and it’s brother regular Glazer. I got the high spin ghost serves less often. It seemed that very precise contact was needed.

Controllability - Easier to control because the overall speed is less, the spring sponge x doesn’t kick in at lower impacts when pushing. More or fuller active block is need for more speed, but the feeling is good and secure.

Looping / Topspin Drives- for me, feels nicer or better than when I tried D09C.
G09C feels harder than Rakza Z EH when looping. Regarding shape of MY loops, arc is high, but not as high as Rakza Z and Z EH.
Felt like I was more in control.
Open ups v backspin were good, good spin, not as spinny as D09C Rakza Z / Z EH
Didn’t notice any balls ‘slipping‘ off the rubber, but you must check the rubber surface regularly for dust, attracts / picks up dust easily.

Flatter hits - these were good, better than Rakza Z / Z EH, on par or better for overall quality of placement than D09C, which is a little harder to control but crisper / faster.

Durability - too early to say for sure, but with Butterflies track record it should be good, hence 8.5 score.

As with all equipment reviews, take mine with a pinch of salt!! Everyone’s different.!!!
Don’t forget, its as forgiving as you allow, if you play the wrong shot in the wrong position with poor timing, that ball is going in the net or off!!

The real thing with G09C and Glazer is it’s strategic pricing, performance and what market share Butterfly are aiming for.

Aibiss is an over priced H3. why spend twice as much for one sheet of Aibiss compared to the ’real thing’?? Perhaps BTY got that wrong!!
D09C an overpriced hybrid, compared to many out there.
G09C enters at a price where it competes directly with the likes of Rakza Z, Dragon grip, Golden Tango etc I would say this time BTY is bang on regarding competing with other manufacturers

The market share is geared towards intermediate level players, a rubber that is easier to use than D09C, with a drop in performance, but really this drop in performance will be noticeable more by high level players who need max this or max that and can ’see’ this.
If you are Butterfly ‘person’ and wanted to try a ‘Hybrid’ rubber, D09C was really Butterflies only offering, so now you have the option to try their cheaper hybrid option and upgrade later!!!

Spring Sponge X in grey is NICE !!!

After using the normal version of Rakza Z, it was only going to be a matter of time before I tried the EH version!!In many ways RZ EH plays very similarly to RZ, as would be expected, the feel is somewhat harder because of the harder sponge, RZ EH is less bouncy on softer strokes, a little more effort is needed to better engage the sponge, but once accomplished the speed is there.RZ EH has been used on FH only.Tackiness was good out of the packet, I glued new sheets of RZ and RZ EH onto my blade at the same time. RZ still has tackiness similar to new whereas the EH hard version has lost about 50% compared to new.Spin levels are high, kick is good, when looping the feel is good, not too hard not too soft. serving is great, good spin.blocking is fine as well, crisp controlled.Flat hitting is average, add some spin and it’s better!!short game, due to the extra sponge hardness short game control is great, good for pushing, FH flicks are greatThere is some spin sensitivity but nothing to bad, you just have to adjust bat angle to compensate.Throw - not as high as RZAs with RZ, RZ EH doesn’t excel at anything in particular but is good in all aspects of game play.If you have tried RZ and thought it a bit too soft / bouncy / high throw for FH then give RZ EH a goRakza Z series is one of my favourites 😁

Donic Slice 40This was one of the first rubbers I used when I started playing again about 3yrs ago.1.5mm sponge on Backhand. Mounted on a Stiga Def Pro Blade.During practice and play I did swap over the Slice 40 to FH to get a feel for FH strokes.Even though this is a pretty slow rubber, good speed can also be produced when you put the effort in!!This rubber can produce high spin levels and when cleaned is very grippy, needs to be kept clean during play.Control is this rubbers forte, great for close to the table blocking, crisp and precise. Short game is excellent and due to the v grippy surface good spin can be imparted on pushes etc.Chopping is really very good!! Again good control and high spin when needed. Spin variation can be fully utilised as well.Counter Attacking is another strong point, this rubber can be easily used for counter top spins and punch shots, very active blocks etc.If you feel inclined to open up top spin v back spin, then no real issues there especially for slow spinny openers!! Generally top spin is pretty spin loaded although not fast as far as speed is concerned.If you are a player that has a mixed spin and control oriented game with a defensive bias, comfortable to chop, block, attack when necessary and prefer inverted rubbers then this would be well worth trying!!

I first tried this rubber on a Donic Ovtcharov Dotec off blade, FH only, really liked it and now have it on an Acoustic and Acoustic Inner BH & FH!!! I really like how Rakza Z (RZ) plays and feels, I’m using it with the 2.0mm sponge. I believe the sponge hardness is around 50 degrees give or take!! Yasaka give a fairly broad rating for their sponges, rather than a precise one. Hybrid Energy ‘Power Sponge’’Top sheet is fairly tacky, a little more than D09C, less than H3 / H3 Neo. Like D09C some tackiness is lost after a week or so, when cleaned the tackiness returns for a short while. The surface picks up dust easily and needs regular cleaning during play.When new the bounce test produces a fairly ‘dead’ bounce, but after a week or so the bounce becomes more like a controlled spring sponge.For example H3 3-4 bounces, RZ 4-7, T05/19 loads!!! Top sheet is softer than D09C H3 etc I think that the softness helps to engage the sponge, I can really feel the ball sink in when playing harder strokes, this gives me confidence that I am applying good / high spin levels to my top spins and loops.RZ has a high throw angle, personally I don’t mind this, but some may feel it’s too high. The arc is high but the spin really pulls the ball back onto the table.When looping and activating the sponge the speed picks up well, it’s plenty fast enough. Faster than I was initially expecting.Spin levels are high, up there with maybe a tad better than D09C and not far behind H3 / H3 Neo, but its easier to get the best out of this rubber compared to the H3’sShort game is good, easy to control, not to much bounce from the sponge when pushing. A little ‘muted’ compared to harder top sheets.Blocking is good, drives and flatter hits easier than H3’s not as crisp as D09C, but I’ve played some really great counter top spins shots with RZ when you catch it the ball is really propelled quickly past your opponent ‘Power sponge’ mode!!!Chops can be played, but the high arc and softer feel is not really suited to chopping style.Topspin v backspin - the high arc and great grip makes it easier to play against backspin, good technique is still needed!!serve flick return on BH, very good, something I’ve been working on recently, good speed, spin and control.Serving is very good, loads of spin, and I find it relatively easy to be able to control the amount of spin imparted which gives really good variation.The soft feeling adds control and some forgiveness, I have confidence with RZ in all areas and that’s a big plus!!Overall this is the best hybrid rubber I’ve used (so far!!!!) it has it all in high levels but not necessarily the best of any!!!! Easy to play with..[Tau 2 is on it’s way to me, on a ‘slow boat from China’ another rubber I would like to try is Xiom Omega China Ying / Guang].RZ would be an excellent starting point for players that are considering moving from ESN/Spring sponges and grippy top sheets to the tacky Chinese rubbers.

So, here we go!! took the plunge and bought T19, 1.9mm black, T05 1.9mm red & a Viscaria!!Previously I had tried T80FX Max sponge, this was when I 1st started playing again, so I wasn’t where I am now technically and was ‘rusty’ to say the least!!, I have also used D09C 1.9mm sponge. I have played with T19 for about 5 hrs v robot and serve practice.I will also try and compare to T05 and D09C where possible and Rakza Z [RZ] (rubber I been using for a couple of months)Top sheet is grippy, not sticky.Bounce test - typical spring sponge - very bouncy!! D09C has less bounce because it has slight tackiness.Serving - Very good, once I got accustomed to the additional bounce I found that I could control my serves pretty easily. Spin levels were high = to T05, D09C and on average slightly better than RZ, but when I caught the ball really well ( not that often!! ) RZ had a tad more spin.This was evident for example with ‘ghost’ serves, BH and FH. T19 produced slightly better spin on serves with average contact, but with optimum contact, fast light brush, both T19 and RZ brought the ball back to the net, RZ had a tad more reverse acceleration. For consistency T19 was slightly better, T05 was similar, D09C is similar to RZ in that there was slightly better spin on perfect contacts.Short game - again, once I was use to the bounce, in general, short pushes were easier than I thought they would be, care has to be taken though, as soon as you use a little more force, the bounce kicks in and the ball can go longer than you may like. T19 and T05 are similar, I had quite a lot of net cords that dropped over nicely!!!!! Compared to RZ when playing really short push returns to backspin robot serves. More short pushes went in the net with RZ😖!!Fast pushes were fast!! Both T05/19 quicker for the amount of force imparted than RZ, very direct, good spin.push variations were good, no spin, light, heavier back spin and slice side/back spin were all consistent.D09C is in between T05/19 and RZ, slightly less bounce than T05/19 slightly more than RZChopping, yep that’s right chopping!!!! Considering that my table is in a garage with limited space, max 6 ft behind the table and the robot pumping reasonably fast topspins at me!!! Chopping with T19 was good, now, this may seem strange compared to what I’m going to say later. When chopping T19 had a higher throw than T05, to my surprise chopping with T05 was really top notch, lower throw and a low flight, very direct great spin. Both T19 and T05 produced good spin, I found that T05 had, for me better control and consistency when chopping, it suited my chopping technique very well.Once I adjusted to the higher throw, I started to get a few more low deep fast chops with the T19 as well.with RZ it was harder to keep the ball low and fast, D09C was more like T19 slightly higher throw. For chopping T05 was way better than the others for me.Butterfly may have missed a trick here!!! I think T05 with a 1mm thick spring sponge would be a choppers dream!!! Topspin vs backspin, so now the opposite seemed the case for me!! T19 had a lower throw than T05 when playing topspin shots, both BH and FH.when I first started this exercise (FH) I was using T05 and doing ok, good speed, spin and nice arc, twiddled after 20 or so shots and put the next 7 - 10 balls in the net with T19!!! Adjusted bat angle slightly and got similar results as T05, twiddled again and put the next 3 balls off the table with the T05 !!! So for me T19 has a lower throw than T05, RZ has a higher throw than both. RZ feels much softer, seems as if the ball sinks into the top sheet more. T19 = mid low throw, T05 = mid throw RZ = high / v high throw.Top spin drive and counter top spin - T19 was crisp when countering, good control and speed - pretty quick, very direct. T05 was very similar, tad quicker. When counter hitting both T19/05 remind me of R48/53, definitely a strong point of these rubbers.Stepping in and playing aggressive fast top spin drives were really very good for both T19/T05, this I really enjoyed!! Fast, good spin and forward kick for both, but again T05 slightly quicker. Both generally better in this department than both D09C and RZ, ( D09C is no slouch though!! Still pretty crisp, Neither is RZ, but the softer feeling RZ just doesn’t come over as being as crisp)FH and BH top spin / loop - both produce great speed and spin, with good kick, T19 comes over as having a little more control, I could place the ball slightly easier with the T19. D09C is slower has a higher arc and from memory is a little more spinny, RZ has a high arc with more dip, just as much spin.I liked looping with both rubbers, T05 would be preferable on FH, T19 on BH. That little bit of extra control on BH and that little bit extra loop kill potential on FH !!!!Blocking - controlled , crisp and fast with both, more control with T19, but I only block practiced for a short period of time.What I did notice, in general, is that T19/05 are a little less forgiving than RZ/D09C, if I was a little out, timing wise, or out of position, late to the ball etc then there were wider errors with the T19/05, this is partially due to the grippy top sheets compared to the tacky top sheets and the closeness of the sponge hardness to that ‘magical’ 50 degree sponge hardness that I struggle with, when in conjunction with grippy top sheets !!!Now ‘DWELL TIME’ ha ha here we go!!!I’d by lying if I said I hadn’t read the reviews on the ‘review’ posts, and watched both Dan’s and Brian’s video reviews!!!So far, taking into account my lower level of standard than both Dan and Brain !!!! I can safely say that the difference in ‘dwell’ between T19 and T05 is FOR ME pretty small !!! Does T19 ‘hold’ the ball longer? If so it seemed minimal to me? The difference that I could feel was small.🤔 Now comparing T19/05 to RZ, there’s a BIG difference, I can feel the ball sinking into the RZ top sheet so much more!!I think the sponge hardnesses are pretty similar, within a degree or so, Butterfly seems to have a better quality control regarding sponge hardness, Yasaka give a wider margin for their sponge hardnesses. if the sponge hardnesses are similar then it’s RZ’s top sheet that is softer. Pimple pattern, size of pimple etc all play a part as well. For the record RZ was mounted on a Nittaku Acoustic inner. Regarding speed of the set ups, I tend to relate landing depth of shot played with similar force.So an average FH topspin,Both T19/05 on the Viscaria landed within 150 mm of the end of the table.RZ on Acoustic inner landed around 450mm from the end of the table.RZ on Acoustic (all wood) landed around 750mm from end of the table.T19 is a quality rubber as is T05. I would be happy to use either of them!!!

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!!

R53 is overall a good rubber, it is, in my opinion better suited to advanced players, so my ratings for control are really based on my short comings!! Which will likely be similar to other players of a similar level.R53 is capable of producing high spin levels, for a rubber with a hard sponge the top sheet feels pretty soft, you can feel the ball sink into the rubber, so when brush looping the ball is gripped very well and high spin is produced. Top spin v back spin is fairly easy, the rubber has a medium to mid-high throw angle so the ball can be lifted well.Counter top spin, drives and fast blocks are where this rubber stands out, once the sponge is engaged the catapult kicks in, it feels very crisp indeed, fast and direct.Good technique and feel is needed when blocking, because the sponge is engaged and the ball pings off fairly quickly.Short game, pushing etc is similar a light touch is needed.Serves can be loaded with spin but again good touch is needed in order to control the ball well.Durability - still to be confirmed but there seems to be a drop off in spin capability, nothing to serious, but the ‘out of the pack’ performance does drop off.If you’re a higher level player then it’s likely you may give this rubber a better rating!!

Primorac FL, made in Japan model.

I really like the balance of this blade, D09C on both sides, not head heavy at all.
Fast enough with the D09C.
Very good control.
Feedback is excellent
Enough power for my needs.
Definitely one of the best all wood blades out there.

Golden Tango was the first "hybrid type rubber that I tried, used on my BH side. Un-boosted.

I used max sponge thickness, red topsheet, sponge is a hard 54 degree pink sponge.
Topsheet is reasonably tacky, more than D09C.
The rubber and sponge feels hard when you compress between thumb and index finger. Sponge looks dense, small bubbles.
I didn't weigh this rubber, but once on the blade it felt quite heavy, blade used was a Joola TPE Perform, FH rubber was H8.

Spin levels are high for serving, topspin drive and loop. Great short game control, slightly spin sensitive, but this can be the case with tacky rubbers.
This rubber may feel 'dead when compared to an ESN or Spring sponge, but its not a slow rubber, it has good speed capabilities, the more you put in the more you get out of this rubber.
When I tried it on FH side, where more power is available, loops are fast and spin loaded. Good forward 'kick', Throw angle, I think is medium, medium/low.

Opening topspin v backspin
BH - very good for flatter trajectory/ fast openers, slow very spinny higher trajectory openers not so easy. The flatter openers, are due to the throw angle.
FH - good for both, but effort is required to get speed. (I find it easier to play a higher spin loaded shot on FH side)

BH - block - great control, solid feeling, fast and firm blocks are easier, softer blocks just require a softer touch, active blocks can add spin easily.
BH - push/short game - very good control, ball doesn't 'pop' up easily, once you get use to the spin sensitivity, you can play nice controlled short pushes, long attacking pushes, no spin higher spin pushes etc Easy to keep the ball low during short game exchanges.

BH - very good spin levels when brush looping,
BH - drive - good but better with spin.
BH - flat hitting - average, this rubber performs better when spin is applied.
BH - chop - chops are playable, good spin, not so controllable.
BH - flick - not a shot I'm proficient at !!!! Mid/low throw makes it slightly more difficult.

Overall I liked this rubber alot, ended up using 2 or 3 sheets, which is the most of any one rubber that I have used so far!!! Rated as 5☆ but its 4 1/2☆
Review is BH orientated because that's where my experience with this rubber is.