Latest reviews

Pros
  • Solid
  • Last long
  • For new players
Cons
  • Outdated no new>
  • Technologies
  • slow for plastic
This rubber is an all time classic. It is cheap compared to modern rubbers, but still does the job. It won't play like today's rubber, since sriver doesn't use spring sponge, high tension and so on. If you are looking for a rubber that is cheap whilst still having high quality then this is it. This rubber is very good for beginners and allround players, due to its high control and easy to use feeling. Definitely a classic that shouldn't be underestimated.
Speed
6
Spin
7
Durability
8.5
Control
8.5
Pros
  • Great feedback
  • Long dwell time
  • Cheap
Speed: This blade is not fast at all. It is perfect for a beginner and can be upgraded by putting on faster rubbers along the way.

Control: The control is exceptional due to the high dwell time.

Open ups: Are easy to do. The ball really soaks into the blade, making it very controllable in this department.

Topspin: Topspins can also be played without a problem. But they won't be as fast as some off blades. Still you can place the ball wherever you want.
Serves: serves are easy to do and will always land short.

Receives: Receives are easy with this blade as well, as it is an allround blade.

Blocking: This is one of the strengths of this blade. The slower speed makes it easy to block with.

Conclusion: The Allround Classic is certainly a classic. There's a reason why a lot of coaches recommend this for beginners. The blade gives good feedback, which helps when developing strokes. It is also an allround blade that helps you develop your own style. This blade lets you play offensive changing up speed and spin. On the other hand you can play an allround or defensive style with it too. The blade really helps with touch shots, which a lot of beginners struggle with. Overall a very good blade at a very cheap price. Definitely one of the best options for beginners and developing players in the early stages.
Speed
5.5
Control
10
Hardness
3.5
Durability
10
Pros
  • Crisp feeling
  • Performs well
I've been using the viscaria for 4 1/2 years now. This week I used my old infinity Vps v again, and when switching back to my viscaria I could really feel the difference. I'm using tenergy 64 on it.

Speed: This blade has a high base speed, but still very controllable.

Serves: If you practice your serves a bit you'll be able to get them short without a problem.

Receives: now this is the only problem that I have. This is probably more due to the tenergies I'm using than the blade itself.

Open ups: since the ball releases very fast you don't get as much dwell as you'd get with an allwood blade. It's still enough to play with a lot of spin.

Topspin: Now this is where the blade really excels. You can play topspins without any problem. The crisp feeling adds a really nice touch to them. Especially in games where you sometimes have to play when being in a suboptimal position, the blade still performed well and gives enough speed.

Backhand: I personally don't like the fast rebound on the backhand. A fast backhand topspin without hesitation works better than trying to guide the ball to the other side.

Conclusion: The viscaria is a blade that doesn't have any weaknesses. It doesn't help you at generating more spin like an allwood would do, but it does everything that your skill allows you to do. This is a fast blade designed for all out attackers. If you pass up more than one opportunity to attack then this blade isn't for you. Playing the first one with a lot of spin and following up with full power is the best feeling that you can get with this blade. The change between spin and the crisp second ball is extremely good.
Speed
9
Control
8.5
Hardness
5.5
Durability
10
Pros
  • Spin
  • Blocks
  • Speed
I just wanted to give this rubber a try as I loved Rasant Grip.

Initial Impressions:
Looping: Tenergy 05 alternative slightly low on speed from mid distance.
Blocks: Less sensitive to incoming spin and can easily make placements on table
Power Loops: Perfect rubber for power loops and backhand openings
Spin: The rubber grabs the ball really well, making it a good weapon for spiny serves.

If you are looking for a controlled spinny rubber to play from close to mid distance, this is the best one available in the market.
If you find MXP - harder and Tenergy 05 difficult to control, but still want that premium grippy feel, this one is for you.
Speed
8
Spin
9.5
Durability
9
Control
7
One member found this helpful.
  • Like
Reactions: FrenchFrog33
Pros
  • Feeling
  • Handle
  • Blocks
Cons
  • Headshape
Bought this amazing blade last week and played for approx 50 hours. and the feeling is WOW even after all these sessions.
It is a simple 5-ply blade with the outerply as top notch spruce wood. The blade gives a good power from mid distance looping and close to the table blocks are just amazing. Punch blocks are a con as this blade is not meant for that. I have tried Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial Orange and Hexer Grip rubbers on this blade and extremely happy with the results. This is my 2nd Love after Virtuoso+
Speed
8.5
Control
9.5
Hardness
4
Durability
8
Pros
  • control
  • spin
  • speed
Cons
  • incoming spin
  • power
  • not for beginner level
I really like Tenergy 05 on my Apolonia ZLC and Mizutani ZLC blades, but it's price is high, and it's initial great play characteristics change quite fast (after 80-100 hours of play it' already noticiable), so I tried to find a cheaper alternative... for FH I somehow migrated to Rasanter R50, but on BH I couldn't find anything to change tenergy 05... until I tried O7A rubber, it's a bit stiffer than 05, but overall for me they kinda alike to the point that I switch to O7A from 05 entirelly, I even changed Rasanter R50 on FH to O7A... But, I still think Tenergy 05 is better, the reason is overall balance of key parameters (speed, spin, etc...) and a few cons of O7A... The main issues for me in O7A is the lack of power and incoming spin sensitivity. But maybe problem with lack of power is because 2.0 thickness of the sponge in O7A I use, already ordered one rubber with max thickness, waiting for it to arrive, hope it solve the issue, at least at FH... Still kinda bugs me the problem of incoming spin, having issues with playing topspin on incoming backspin, the reason is with O7A I have to consider the amount of backspin and do it quite precisely, or else ball could go to the net or over the table easily... So, not beginner level rubber at all, but I like this rubber, so will try to struggle with it some more, but I'm not entirely sure my level will be enough to eventually use this rubber freely...

P.S. Originally the price to O7A is close to Tenergy series, so IMO if you don't have a big discount on O7A it's better to go with Tenergy or search something cheaper...
Speed
8
Spin
8.5
Durability
9
Control
8.5
I like the quality of the rubber and felt it was very controllable. It is listed by Yasaka as having built in effect (their way of saying tensioned or tensor rubber), and I think it is a lot like a "tensioned Mark V" and for that reason a good step up from Mark V for intermediate players. But so too are rubbers like Mark V HPS or Valmo, both of which are also listed by Yasaka as having a built in effect. I play both of these and both of these are faster than Rigan, with Valmo being clearly the spinnier, and hardest to control. So I guess I would say that Rigan stands out because it offers more but not at the sake of control. I tested it on the backhand side of a Ma Lin Carbon bat with Rakza X soft on the forehand. It replaced the Mark V that was on there and so I am confident of Rigan offering more - but it is not shockingly obvious. In summary - Rigan is a "tensioned Mark V" that doesn't lose its control just for the sake of speed and spin, but does offer gains in both.
Pros
  • Good blocking
  • Control
Gewo Nanoflex FT 48 is a great backhand rubber. I flip most receives and FT48 is a breeze in that department. Even if I switch to a push, I get good depth and spin. The rubber excels in blocking game and has enough power away from the table to keep the rally going. Serves are spinny too. I feel this rubber has good power reserves if you want to smash. I haven't tried the new Nanoflex range, but I guess it would just be a minor improvement over the older rubbers. If you are looking for a punchy rubber on the backhand and have a good blocking game, FT48 is worth a try.
Speed
8.8
Spin
7.9
Durability
8.4
Control
8.6
Pros
  • Control
  • Consistent
  • Grippy
Stiga Mantra falls easily in my top three choice of rubbers. The top sheet is non-tacky but grippy, and makes it very easy to lift backspin balls or open up a rally. I use it on my forehand on the Xiom Zeta Offensive blade. Mantra M isn't an explosive rubber and it doesn't have speed and spin values of MX-P or MX-S. Instead, it is a very linear rubber, with adequate speed and spin, and that helps me maintain the tempo I want. I rarely overshoot the table with Mantra M. My counter game on the forehand has improved due to the consistency of the rubber. I will try the rubber on my backhand soon. I don't find it overly sensitive to incoming spin. One can adapt to this rubber very easily and I think it's a good option for players seeking more control in their game without compromising a great deal on speed and spin.
Speed
8.3
Spin
7.8
Durability
7.7
Control
9.6
Pros
  • Good blocks
  • nice spin
Cons
  • durability
I use this rubber on my backhand and these are my thoughts. IT can generate quite a bit of spin on backhand loops. There is enough speed to produce winning shots on backhand or forehand. The durability is not that great due to the fragile sponge. It is great for blocking as you can block quick top spins and place the ball where you want.
Speed
7.2
Spin
7.9
Durability
5.5
Control
9.9
Pros
  • Superb blocking
  • Consistent
  • Good handle
Zeta offensive is a superb 7-ply all-wood blade. It can generate decent spin, and has lovely control in blocks and drives. I have paired many rubbers with it and they all have worked well. El-S, Mantra, Gewo FT48 all suited well to the blade. The throw is medium-high and provides ample safety over the net. Despite that, you can still execute flicks and short pushes well. At 40 euros, I don't think there is a better all-wood blade in the market and it can help immensely if one wants to progress to a faster blade from a standard 5-ply one.
Speed
8.3
Control
9
Hardness
6.6
Durability
8.9
Pros
  • Short game
  • Serve
  • Spin
Cons
  • Lowish throw
I decided to try Stiga Genesis II as I am a fan of hybrid type rubbers and normally use DHS Skyline 3-60, but have had a couple of sheets with quality issues recently so am looking for an alternative.

Reading Stigas description: "It's a powerful synthesis of Japanese and Stiga-developed OCS technology, Swedish knowledge, and a new ultra-thin elastic top rubber made in China. The new sticky surface has been specially developed for the ABS ball for maximum spin." I was hoping it would be the Stiga Mantra sponge with a tacky topsheet, however I am fairly sure the sponge is also manufactured by DHS and most resembles something from the Tin Arc series of rubbers.

I would also say the Genesis II M is harder than the Mantra or Airoc M rubbers, and it would make more sense if it was labeled H to keep it in line with the rest of Stiga's range.

The topsheet looks really good quality, it is tacky, maybe not quite as tacky has DHS Hurricane or Skyline rubbers, but definitely a tacky rubber. It has a really smooth look with absolutely no imperfections and although I have only used it for about 8 hours so far, it looks like it will last really well. It still looks brand new, which would not be the case with Skyline 3-60.

Compared to Skyline 3-60 I would say it is slightly harder with a slightly lower throw. It is great for serves and in the short game and can generate really good spin with the right technique. I would say that it generally plays very slightly more like a Chinese rubber whilst still very much being a Hybrid type rubber. This is not the 'best of both worlds' because no rubber is and there is always going to be some compromise, but if you like hybrid type rubbers, then this is a really good quality one and well worth a try.
Speed
7.5
Spin
8.8
Durability
9.3
Control
7.8
Pros
  • Like anti spin
  • Very soft
Cons
  • No spin
Hi all, I'm very sorry but worse than this rubber, I have never seen in my life. There is no rotation at all. It felt like playing only a blade without a rubber. Maybe I got a defective product but I know for sure that I will never advice to anyone buy it. I read a lot of reviews on this rubber and the feeling that they are all corrupted :( I usually play the Tibhar Genius rubber and there really is a spin of the ball, unlike Tibhar Nimbus Sound.
Speed
7.8
Spin
2
Control
6.6
Pros
  • Speed
  • Stability
Cons
  • Speed!
Hi All,

I played with this blade for about 2.5 years now and thought i'd share my impressions of it.
It is by the far the fastest blade I have ever played with and i suspect that will be true for most people. Compared to a viscaria I would say its about 20 to 30% faster easily. However I wouldn't say that it is uncontrollable, as I found it it super easy to block with and on the forehand side topspin would generally go where I intended them to go. In general opening up on the forehand or countering is pretty straight forward as the blade feels very stable and when the contact is good it the resulting shot is fast enough to either lead to a direct point or an easy follow up shot in most cases.

Additionally, while the feeling/ feedback isn't great its not as bad as it initially seems. When i first got the blade it seemed very dull and muted, however nowadays I am quite conformable touching balls short and it performs well in general over the table play considering the speed. That being said, its night and day when compared to pretty much any wooden blade i have played with and even compared other ALC blades the touch is lacking. This also comes into play when playing opening loops against backspin and sometimes flicking, where i frequently miss due to the pure speed of the blade.

All in all I think its a great blade for players that play relatively flat and have a big forehand with a passive backhand. I've personally found myself to be almost addicted to the feeling of playing a good forehand with the blade, which is probably the primary reason for me sticking with the blade for so long along whit a nice backhand punch. However I suspect that my terrible backhand opening loop has much to do with the speed of the blade since i'm much better at it whit slower blades and have therefore decided to switch to a slower alc blade with the aim of relying less on power and speed on more on spin.
Speed
9.9
Control
6.6
Hardness
6.7
Durability
8.4
Pros
  • Short game
  • Control
  • Quality
Cons
  • Speed
Tried both Genesis II M and S on ZJK Super zlc . Overall great quality , light rubbers (44 grams cut). Found the S version Better then M on my blade. Both versions are harder then expected I would put the S version between Elp and MXp so its more like a medium rubber then a soft one. Great short game ! , very good control low spin sensitivity, low catapult , higher arc then the M version . Could play both backhand and forehand with this rubber depends on your preference. I tried the 2.2 version and my blade is very fast so I wouldn't suggest try the 2.0 versions since they are pretty slow rubbers. Spin was good enough still inferior then Tenergy 05 /05fx but overall greater control. The S version made a lot more sense for me then the M which felt very hard and rigid on my blade. So I would suggest this rubber as a forehand rubber for Fast hard blades and for players who prefer a good spin / controlled game and don't rely on finishing the point early. Or as a backhand rubber again on fast blades for players who don't want big catapult rubbers and value short game / control and spin oriented game.
Speed
8.9
Spin
9
Durability
10
Control
9.7
Pros
  • Short game
  • Control
  • Quality
Cons
  • Hard
  • Slow
Tested on ZJK super zlc, which is a hard fast blade, I haven't played with Genesis I, But here are my thoughts about the rubber. It was a lot harder then I expected maybe even harder then MXS, Great control in short game and insensitive to incoming spin since the rubber's tacky surface . Low catapult as expected, good spin but inferior to Tenergy 05 for example I found it pretty slow even at 2.2 in my racket. Good weight (lighter the MXS ) around 70 gramms uncut , great quality overall, medium angle . Did not pair well with my Blade even it was a lot better after 2 thin layers of falco boost but overall felt hard and not "lively" enough. I would suggest pairing it with more flexible blades with higher angle then mine or boosting it so it becomes softer and less rigit.
Speed
8.7
Spin
8.5
Durability
10
Control
8.5
Pros
  • Good control
  • Adequate speed
  • Adequate spin
Cons
  • Not very durable
  • Too soft
Overall it's a pretty good racket for beginners although when you become better and have to loop against more spinny balls, it will be very difficult. Also, the rubber is slow so after you loop your opponent will have a good chance to attack you but it's still a good racket for beginners. Durability is trash as the edges of my rubber peeled away after a month despite me having put edge tape on my racket.
Speed
5.6
Spin
6.8
Durability
5
Control
8.8
[FONT=&quot]Stiga AzaleaAll Around has the following info:[/FONT][FONT=&quot]<o:p></o:p>[/FONT]

Plies: 5 (limba-ayous-ayous-ayous-limba)
Weight: 87 grams
Thickness: 5.86mm
Speed: ALL+ to Off-




It is a surprisingly superb even with the concept that it is designed for female table tennis players. The blade rated as ALL+ speed but it feels like an OFF- speed blade sometimes because it feels faster than an ALL+ when you are hitting with it. The Azalea ALL has enough speed to produce above average power shots. This was designed to have a very good feel but at the same time not as slow as the Stiga All Around Classic blade or the Stiga Evolution All Around blade. Imagine if you combine the characteristics of the 2 blades and make it a notch or 2 faster, then you would get the Azalea All Around. The difference between this and the Offensive version – it has the ayous as 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] and 4[SUP]th[/SUP] layers instead of spruce which makes the the blade a bit softer and slower than the Azalea Offensive.
This is a blade you not only can start to develop your skills but also the blade will not disappoint you in terms of performance as I will be explaining more. In my opinion, if the Azalea Offensive blade can totally replace the Offensive Classic and Offensive Classic CR versions, then the Azalea All Around can replace the Evolution all around and the All Around Classic. The 2 Azalea blades are surprisingly offer more than what they have in looks which is to replace the blades they are representing on their specific class.

The best feature of Azalea All- Around is the feel or ball-hand feedback. The A-ALL has a medium soft feeling with minimal vibrations and it does not vibrate much compared to the All Around Classic. It also does not feel hard but feels medium to medium soft when hitting or driving the ball. The Azalea All Around is one great looping machine and it loops better than any off- down to the all around blades in Stiga. The Azalea Offensive is already an awesome looping blade but the All Around version is even better if it is just slow looping where your focus is more on brushing the ball that produces a slow but very spinny ball. The rubbers used were Hurricane 3 and Mantra H for the test and even with the Mantra H being a very fast rubber, you can still brush the ball properly and gives you enough "dwell" when you are looping the ball. This is the blade you can grow your skills especially with spinny the ball at late point of contact. Of all the blades Stiga has produced this is the best blade they have right now for spinny loops and also seem to have the best feel (arguably). It has a medium to high arc when looping, I think the Azalea Offensive version has somewhat a higher throw than the All Around version but the All Around version also has a profound arc when you are spinning the ball that is essential in clearing the net especially with players learning how to brush the ball properly and looping the ball against underspin or backspin.
Doing smashing and driving are all above average and it is quite understandable since this blade is not made for speed but more on control and development of skills but blocking is excellent as the great amount of control makes you feel more confident on your defensive shots. If you are a long pips user, this blade is good enough to learn the use of long pips or even as an advanced type of player you can either attack with long pips or even chop with it. It is good enough to chop using long pips but needs to have an OX version for a chopping LP for better control.
The Azalea All Around is a great blade to start with if you are a beginner and an excellent blade to use even if you are on an advanced level if you use faster rubbers like Mantra H or Calibra LT Plus. This seems to be one of the best all around blades in the market right now with good quality and feel.
Speed
6.5
Control
8.5
Hardness
6.8
Durability
7.7
Pros
  • rapida
  • precisa
  • rigida
Cons
  • pouco controle
Uma madeira para jogadores do estilo allround , muito boa para jogar longe da mesa , e para trabalhar drives pivos e topspins
Speed
9
Control
6.5
Hardness
7.8
Durability
9.8
Pros
  • Featherweight
  • Fast
  • Cheap
Cons
  • Serves
  • Non-grippy topsheet (thin, new style)
This rubber, when cut, weighs.... wait for it..... 38 grams. That's right. With a 47 hardness sponge at that.
That is absolutely freakin phenomenal.
With this rubber on both wings the bat feels like air. You can accelerate as if you're holding nothing.

HOWEVER

There are variations, some rubbers can be heavier and so lose the main advantage.
Also, the topsheet is of the new variety (very thin topsheet), so it doesn't bite on the ball. And of course, it is a lower grade rubber, at only $10, so you can't expect that much of it, but it delivers easily over double the price.

I wouldn't use it on backhand because the backhand needs more grippy topsheet, but for forehand you can get pretty much any kind of spin, since it rewards deep spongey contact (like the new thin rubbers in general).
Speed
9
Spin
8
Durability
8.5
Control
8
Top