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Dont bother buying this rubber. Spend extra and go with something from DHS if you like tacky rubber or just buy a quality ESN made rubber.

I am using mine for my desktop mouse. Thanks yinhe

Hi TTD members.
I just received the new Yasaka Alnade blade. My initial thoughts is that the blade has a nice finish and looks great! Comparing the pitch of the blade vs. M.Maze ALC and Viscaria the blade has a higher pitch and feels stiffer than the blades from Butterfly.


I will make a review as soon is have tried the blade.

[EDIT] Updated with review!

























The Yasaka Alnade is a signature blade of Liang Jingkun and it should be similar to the Viscaria. My initial thoughts about the Alnade blade by bouncing the ball I could hear the pitch is higher than my Viscaria. The design is very nice and the finish is high quality. Edges is nicely sanded of the one I have received and it comes in a nice presentation box.

Composition: Koto-PA Carbon-?-?-?-PA Carbon-Koto
Handle: Flared
Head size: 157x150mm
Thickness: 5.8mm
Weight: 91g

Test setup: DHS Hurricane NEO 2.1mm and Butterfly Tenergy 05 2.1mm

Drive
When driving with the Alnade I could initial feel that the blade was fast. The sweet spot is huge and this was obvious with the consistency no matter where I hit the ball on the racket.
Setup felt a bit head heavy, but this was due to I was too lazy to remove the old layer of glue before putting it on the blade.

Loop
Looping with the Yasaka Alnade I could feel the full potential of the blade. I did not have to add too much power before over hitting the ball pass the table. The feeling of the blade is better than the Viscaria. It is not that numb as the Viscaria. The trajectory was medium on both wings and the blade is very consistent. It feels like the blade has a bit more flex than my Viscaria and that could be the reason I needed to adjust not hitting pass the table.

Block
In the blocking game the Alnade is showing its force. Control, feel and stability is the words to describe about how the Alnade performs. Due to the large sweet spot it has massive control even though you try to punch ball. This is one awesome feature it has.

Flick/short game
With the Alnade it was nice flicking on both sides. Without a huge effort I could get good grip with the ball. With that said I struggled a bit in the short game aspect. I had problems keeping the balls low to the net. Could be me being tired or my technique .
Funny enough the GZLC has a soft touch although the blade is fast.

Conclusion
Yasaka has made a fantastic competitor to Butterfly’s Viscaria FL. The retail price is notable lower than the Viscaria and quality wise the Alnade is up in the same league as
Butterfly. The Alnade blade is definitely not for beginners or for players that want to develop their technique.

I would recommend the blade to players who rely on their passive game and plays close to mid from the table. Also the player that is a hitter more than a looper and/or emphasizes the to go behind the table to make powerful loops away from the table.

A great blade by yasaka good speed for offensive player but a little too hard to control need alitlle bit more of the control and surface hardness part

I have played with this rubber on my forehand for 1/2 year now and feel that this rubber provides me with the right amount of speed to complement my game. However when serving backspin this rubber just will not do! I tried serving with this rubber, my coach tried serving with this rubber but we both came to no avail when trying to create a decent amount of backspin.

I agree with the majority of the past reviews for MX-P. Being a pre-plastic ball rubber, you'd think that all the new stuff coming out would be better. But like T05, this rubber just has that perfect balance. The speed and spin are just enormous. MX-P is a dream for players that have used T05 or use compact strokes. Being a long time user of Hurricane 3 rubber and its ilk, MX-P is absolutely lethal with full body strokes and brush techniques. The only part of my game that suffers a bit is the short game. You can serve short, but when pushing, the high catapult of MX-P requires really deft touch. MX-P is an attackers paradise.

The rubber is not very sensitive to spin which makes it easy to block and return serves,however, it has low dwell time.It is very fast which can be good for counter attacking but gives a low margin for error.I feel the rubber is suited to the backhand because of the lack of spin.If you block,punch and counter on the backhand this is the rubber for you!

This blade is great for a first time carbon user.It's not too fast or too slow.Spiny open ups are at ease with this blade due to the dwell time,short touches are also very easy.The blade is not too fast which helps with blocking and controlling the play,however,some may argue that it is too slow especially compared to other carbon blades such as the Timo Boll ALC.

Very easy to control,due to the soft sponge.I found it was very suited to the backhand and was easy to block and punch with.Short game is also very good with this rubber;serves are good due to the spin produced.Overall,this provides an alternative to the standard Rhyzm for players who are looking to control the game rather than all out power.This rubber is still pretty fast though!

I changed my VISCARIA blade to CARBONADO 145, it give me more sensitivity in my forehand spin and my backhand block, it's very good for control and speed with heavy spin, I think it will be future blad but I hope more durability

So I finally bought myself the DHS rubber. Full of excitement I put it on my BTY ZJK ALC and went straight into a match. Warming up I felt a big difference to my old T05:

Speed: Since I'm not boosting the rubber is very slow (expected that) so more effort was needed to bring the ball over the net

Control: I had a lot of control while looping, blocking and smashing. It was very easy to block the ball.

Spin: Playing topspin against backspin was quite easy, I was waiting for the ball a bit longer than with the T05, important is the right acceleration and timing

Serve: I had major problems with serving, I couldn't get the feel for it and needed a lot of practice to get near of my old serves with the T05. I struggled to do short serves so they often were long or went into the net

Counterloops: I surprisingly noticed that counter looping close to the table is very easy and controlled. After some adjustments I felt quite safe.

Mid-range: It is okay but a lot effort is needed to bring the ball over the net, I wouldn't suggest to get this rubber if you want to play from mid-range only!

Durability: This is the main reason I will be switching to another rubber. After 2 weeks the rubber started to decrease, sometimes the ball touched the rubber but the ball fell down. This is also a result of the tacky surface, it is magnetic to dust You started to see the pimples and I couldn't generate much spin anymore ( 4-5 trainings a week).

Summary: In the first week I was stunned by this rubber and thought this might be a opponent to my tenergy even if the rubbers are very different. But after 2 weeks the rubber showed his real face. It was an interesting experiment but I will be switching back to something else. If you have the money to get a new one after a short time go for it since the price is not that high. But for me the DHS Hurricane 3-50 is definitely not an option!

This is my first long review so be kind with me, sorry for any mistakes because english is not my mother tongue!

Thanks for taking your time and reading my review!

It is a good forehand rubber for the modern defenders due to good balance between spin, control and speed. You can easily deliver the ball wherever you want and fast enough to counter attacks. For modern defenders, it is a good alternative for T05

A nice ball with good consistency,quite cheap for a plastic ball but compared to other famous brand ball like dhs,andro still a bit worse

I used this with h3 neo Commercial with 2.15mm sponge for forehand. I dont know whether its the blade or the rubber , but this is really slow. Around all+

However, the amazing control made up for it. But i am kind of disappointed in the feeling. It didnt match my expectations as its dwell time was just slightly above average.

Also, it is very light . this may be bad or good to some people

Overall Good value for money

Well, I've always been reluctant to buy the Tenergy 25 because it seems to be the least popular of the series. I got my hand on a sheet and decided to give it a try on my backhand. I have to say I've never been more impressed with a rubber. I used to play with the rasant powergrip on my backhand. I use my backhand mainly for opening up against backspin with a loop and once the game is open I use it to hit flat hits or control the rally with the placement of my shots. Some may say I should use short pips but that doesn't work for me. I need the spin capabilities of a rubber to do spinny loops against backspin.

The strength of the Tenergy 25 is the control u have. It's easy to block topspins and to place every ball precisely where u want it. Killing higher balls is also a piece of cake. U also have enough control in the serve receive and to do chops.

I think this is a specialist rubber which doesn't suit any playing style. If u like to play a looping game further away from the table, this rubber might not be for you. I also don't see it as a forehand rubber. I use my forehand mainly for looping and I think the Tenergy 25 is too low throw for my forehand. But if you are a close to the table attacker with your backhand who has a backhand style close to the techniques used with short pips, look nu further. This rubber will help you in the close to the table game while still being able to put enough spin on the ball. I played a league match with the T25 on my backhand and I beat two players with this rubber who were way above my playing level. And i played those matches without ever practicing with the T25, I just gave it a go. Safe to say that my search for a replacement for the Rasant Powergrip is over. I found a rubber which is even better for my playing style.

It's a light 5ply offensive blade. Tibhar does a good job as usual, sanded handle, sanded head, and is real looker with a nice emblem and a gold tag. I used MX-P and T05 when I tested it.
5ply Abachi-fibreglass(fibre layer)-balsa-fibreglass(fibre layer)-Abachi
Thickness: According to Tibhar the core is 7.5mm is pretty thick, will measure this tomorrow as well.
Weight: 72g (manufacturer details 70-75), I got a 2nd one in 68g.
Speed: OFF (squarely off but it's top gear is around OFF+)
Feel: It has a soft feel in general and still has this soft feel even on hard impact shots.
Gears: Has many gears, it's fast when you hit hard and feels good on touch play.

Control: Very easy to control MX-P on this blade and it feels great. Though control is relative, my friends have also said that it has immense control. That's the first thing that came to their mind and is the defining characteristic of this blade. I can vary placement of my shots easily as well as the speed.

Conclusion: The MX-P felt really good on both wings. With immense spin and speed yet with a lot of control. MX-P blocks well and loops underspin well on this blade. The T-05 didn't perform as well as the MX-P imho. If you like a light,blade with a soft feel and with immense control then this is for you. This blade would be good for Controlled Offense or Allround Attackers. Would also be good for those who would like a light setup when using Modern Tensors in Max on both sides.

I used the Hurricane 8 as aforehand rubber for 6-8 months during which it lost very little of it's tackiness - it was very durable. I started of using it on an old version of the Butterfly Timo Boll Forte (they don't sell them anymore) which was a moderately soft blade and around an OFF-. The first few weeks when I used the hurricane on this blade, it was so beautiful that I thought that I found the perfect rubber; it was extremely good for serving - thanks to it's tackiness - and open-ups off a backspin ball, as well as looping was incredible. The rubber put a lot of spin on the ball during loops, more than a tenergy, the only downside being that the power was limited. This means that if you prefer power over spin, this rubber is probably not for you.
The only thing that I left out of the equation when playing with the Hurricane was adapting my technqiue to the Chinese technique over the standard European techniques. This could have been a factor which limited the power that I was able to generate with this rubber, maybe, I don't know.
I then changed blades to a Timo Boll ZLC whilst still using the Hurricane 8, for anyone hwo doesn't know, this is a faster blade than the Timo Boll Forte which I used before and a lot harder than the other blade. One thing that I can tell from this experience is that hard blades and hard rubbers do not go together, so if you are using a hard blade DO NOT buy this rubber. The ball will spring off the bat too quick for the rubbers to spin the ball and the feeling of the bat becomes really bad.
Hope this helps, Mat

The best allwood blade I've ever played with!.Really good blade with a sweet spot covering almost the whole playing surface!!
Driving feels good with little vibrations and the feeling is fabulous!! Using a hard tacky chinese rubber is the best with this blade,it plays good even with tensor rubber! LOOPING with this blade is just toooo good!!! its a MONSTER!.Even though its a fast blade the touchplay is not affected,the ball stays low to the net when pushing or chopping .One thing i admire in this blade is its control,its really good,blocking is and piece of cake with this blade. I dont feel it too heavy as some people said and the handle is really very comfortable and thin,but the wood absorbs moisture/sweat and the blade gains some weight....that's not a big problem,u can just lightly lacquer the handle or keep silica gel packets (absorbs moisture) in your racket case.

Overall, this is a good blade, I have it for 8 months now.
However, this blade is recommended to me so I tried it, but I noticed that it is not good for the modern topspin player, which made me pretty anoyed, becouse i am one... So this is a good blade if you're a active blocker, shortswing topspinner and a hitter.

I have tried this blade with speed-glued Sriver EL a long time back and used it for several months when I put Bluefire M3 on both sides. The blade has a very good feeling due to it being comprised of balsa. It has a core that has carbon balls which move around as you make your stroke. You fell the effect very well on power loops which are incredibly fast. I also had the blade in the OFF+ version so it was a real rocketship. Still, the control was quite good. For blocking I'd say there is no better blade. No matter how hard the opponent loops or smashes the block is effortless and very consistent. The looping with this blade requires very little effort and you might want to take the ball a little later if you're using high-throw angle rubbers. The serving and short game bits are pretty good especially if you want to get a good low spinny push due to the speed and high throw. Flicks require little more than just a simple flick of the wrist (around 90 degrees) However, long pushes can go long. Opening up against backspin just requires a little more open of an angle and barely any effort and it doesn't come up really high. This blade shines at mid to long distance where you can do top to top rallies, lobbing, and counter loops/smashes very easily. It's not bad close to the table but you will find it hard to play a strong loop close to the table due to the blades speed. Still overall a very good blade for those who like to take a step away from the table and play with very little effort.

STIGA Mantra Medium
Weight: 66 grams uncut, 49 grams uncut
Sponge Hardness: 45°
Hardness: Medium
Speed: Medium
Spin: Medium/High
Blade used: Carbonado 90 & 145 + Infinity



Written Review

Initial Inspection

Latest review with myself and Tom reviewing the new rubbers from STIGA, the Mantra series. Last year STIGA launched their new rubbers, the Genesis. This year STIGA have rolled out the all new Mantra rubber series which come in 3 versions, soft, medium and hard. The Mantra rubbers are made in Japan, the same factory that produced the Airoc series. The most obvious difference we notice right away with the Mantra, is that the topsheet is not as shiny as the Airoc. The Mantra seems to have a more grippy topsheet on initial inspection, something STIGA have really improved on over the last few years with their rubbers such as the Genesis.

The soft, medium and hard versions of the Mantra all have the same pimple structure with the only difference being the sponge hardness. The Mantra medium has a 45 degree sponge hardness and comes in at 66grams when uncut and when cut is 49 grams.


Speed

From the word go myself and Tom noticed the obvious high speed of the Mantra. This is quite typical of Japanese based rubbers, and the ball shot of the bat fast. Tom has been using Genesis for the last 3 months in his Swedish league matches and noticed the initial increase in speed on the Mantra as he blocks off the table on numerous occasions.

The Mantra rubbers felt really controllable on the backhand. I actually preferred it on this side. I could change direction with ease and had excellent control due to the balance of the speed and spin even when accelerating my arm and wrist at max pace.

During the popular exercise 2 backhands and 2 forehands, tom found a Stable, consistent contact.

When using the hard version of the Mantra rubber the ball sometimes almost felt like it was diving down towards the net due to the low throw produced. Sometimes we both found we needed to finely brush the ball to get the amount of grip needed to get the ball over the net. As you would expect the hard version produced the most speed in the series. When using the medium during 3 point forehand the rubber was a touch slower than the hard version however produced a higher arc, this was even more apparent with the soft version.


Spin

When opening up against backspin we were pleasantly surprised with the spin we were able to produce. The grip of the topsheet of the Mantra series is much greater than the previous STIGA Airoc series. This allowed me to pick up low balls with relative ease. The Mantra rubbers are not as spinny as the Stiga Genesis series however pack more punch in terms of speed especially when following up with a fifth ball attack.

I sometimes struggled to pick up wide balls on my forehand side and needed to be in good position due to the low throw of the hard version. I found this easier however with the medium and softer versions.

Tom produced a lot of spin on the backhand side when top spinning balls with backspin. The medium and soft versions grabbed the ball well.


Backhand flicks

When playing a backhand flick from a service, having a grippy topsheet on the rubber is important to pick up the ball with spin. The mantra series has this grippiness and we were both able to backhand flick strongly with good spin.
When serving Tom was able to impart a good amount of backspin on the ball when using a fast acceleration of wrist.


Counter topspin

Initially the ball shot of the end of the table during the counter topspin again this was due to the speed, but with certain bat angle changes we were able to adjust and play a strong shot.


Touch play

During touch play we had enough bite on the ball to keep it low over the net which helped to stop each other from attacking. Sometimes the ball did pop up a little high as you can see in the footage, but again, with a few adjustments to the bat angle, we were able to keep the ball low over the net.


Top to top

Top to top rallies with the mantra rubbers were fast and direct especially with the hard version. We both found we had good control. However when playing away from the table with the mantra series, you do need a more open bat angle to get the height needed to get the ball over the net.


Conclusion

STIGA’s latest Mantra rubber series are a great advancement to their predecessor Airoc. The major difference between the Airoc and the Mantra is found in the topsheet. The topsheet of the Mantra is a lot grippier, however packs similar speed to the airoc, thus the Mantra allows you to have more safety in yours shots without compromising on speed.

In comparison to other rubbers the Mantra series have similar spin capabilities to ESN based rubbers Donic Acuda and Joola Rhyzm. But less than the previously released STIGA Genesis series, although they do have greater speed. The speed being similar to the recently reviewed Tibhar evolution series.

A key feature we like with the Mantra series is its quality during active blocking and holding against aggressive topspin balls. The rubbers are not too sensitive to incoming spin which gives you great confidence when you need to really control the ball.

The Soft is good for all round offensive players, as it's slightly slower than the medium and hard versions and possesses more control giving greater safety. The Medium is for players who want a equal balance between high speed and good spin. Finally the hard version is good for all out attacking players wanting decent spin but are primarily focused on playing hard offensive shots.

Stay tuned for upcoming TableTennisDaily reviews in 2017.


Pictures

Weight of the STIGA Mantra Medium



Sponge hardness of the STIGA Mantra Series