Andro Rasanter R47

Incredible spin. Made with new thicker-sponge, thinner rubber-concept. Tried on Nittaku Septear Lead and Stiga Clipper CR. On CR it is a monster, very, very fast. But the spin is ridicolos. I have won alot of my points in the league just on my serves with incredible spin. Played 110 times with it, then bought a Hexer Powergrip to try. Also good, Good on both FH and BH, but this kind of rubber is always FH for me. Always in black. Highly recommended speedglued too. The sound in the traininghall on the Septear is awesome. Buy and try!

R47 is softer than the R50 that I use on my forehand, but with its medium sponge still made for good players. My backhand was never as good as my forehand, and to keep a bit of control I need a rubber just a bit softer.

With 47 degrees Rasanter R47 still has a lot of power and catapult. But indeed it is easier to control.

This is one of the favourite rubbers for many players, because the speed is high and the spin reserve is also good. This leads to a very good compromise.

This is the 2nd fastest Rasanter rubber. This is slightly spinnier than the V47 version and has a higher arc. The topsheet grips the ball fairly good enough. This has a lesser spin compared to MX-P but better control. This is still very spinny. Also, the MX-P is still faster than this rubber but with a small difference. This is a good offensive rubber and I would prefer this over the V47 because of the amount of spin. The speed difference between the V47 and this is just a few notches so better to choose the version with more spin. This is definitely for advanced players. Almost similar to the Joola Rhyzm but a tad softer and Blue Fire M1.

andro Rasanter
Weight: 70 grams uncut, 49 grams uncut
Sponge Hardness: 47°
Hardness: Medium/Hard
Speed: High
Spin: Medium/High
Blade used: andro treiber k


Written Review[/B]

Initial Inspection

The sponge of the new rasanter series has a 2.3mm sponge in comparison to the previous powergrip and Turbo which has a 2.1mm sponge. Andro have managed to increase the sponge size by thinning the topsheet, this allows the plastic ball to absorb through the topsheet into the sponge quicker. The Rasanter series comes in two types, the R and V version. The R standing for Rotation and the V meaning velocity.

You have a lot to choose from the Rasanter with the R series coming in 4 sponge hardnesses, 37 degrees, 42 degrees, 47 degrees and 50 degrees. The V series comes in 2 sponge hardnesses, 42 and 47 degrees. The R and V series differ due to the pimple structure with the V having shorter and thinner pimples. The Rasanter comes with andro’s unique green sponge with a newly developed, stickier topsheet.

The weight of our Rasanter R samples, when uncut, increased in weight as the sponge hardness went up. As you can see on the table (see below), the 37 being the lightest at 60 grams and the 50 being the heaviest at 76 grams. This applied for the V series to with the 42 being 64 grams and the 47 being 70 grams. The weight of the rubbers when cut can be seen in the table (see below) and also increases as the sponge hardness goes up.

The Rasanter rubbers were used on the Trieber K blade throughout the review. Most of the review focuses on the R47 as this seems to be the most balanced and popular of the rasanter series so far.

Speed

With the Rasanter R47 you notice the rapid speed from the word go. I liked how I got a lot of feeling from the rubber, whilst still being able to put a lot of speed on the ball with minimal effort. The thin topsheet and thick sponge approach definitely allows you to produce high levels of speed. Whilst the R47 is a medium to hard rubber the fact that it has a thinner topsheet allows for the ball to soak into the thicker sponge. This in theory gives you greater dwell giving you more time, grip and therefore more spin on the ball which we found to be true with the R47.

The topsheet on the R47 itself was not too mushy and soft and as just mentioned had a medium to hard feel. This allows you to take the ball early with a lot of pace. After trying the other R variations, the 47 felt the optimal rubber for me personally. Tom is using the R 42 rubber here and you can see it’s not as fast as the R47. The R42 has greater dwell and feeling but not as much speed.

Spin

Tom always really likes ESN based rubbers on the backhand side. Using the R47 he liked the medium arc and flexibility that the topsheet gave him which increases both spin and safety.

Using a combination of backhand and forehand topspins the R47 has a medium to hard feel and a stable and relatively direct trajectory. However what we really liked is the amount of spin produced by the R47 and the rubber is definitely a notch up in terms of spin production compared to the previous Rasant rubbers, like the power grip and turbo. However you do need to put in a fair bit of effort with a fast, brushing action to produce this heavy spin.

When playing aggressive 3 point forehands, I could feel the grip on the topsheet picking up low balls. I find this is really important when playing fast attacking forehands, especially when out of position.

Spin against backspin

In this area of the review we looked at how much spin we could produce with the Rasanter R series against backspin. In general we could generate a lot of rotation on the ball. You can feel the ball dig into the thick sponge which helped with our feeling on the ball. Tom felt he was producing a touch more spin using the R47 in comparison to the R50 but there was not much in it.

Using the R47 I found good grip and spin, sometimes I sent the ball long after my first spin up. This showed the immense speed these rubbers possess.
When opening up with the softer versions of the R series the 37 and 42 we definitely found it easier to open up due to the softer sponge, however we found the 47 and 50 both followed up better as they WERE more direct and had greater speed in the open rallies. For players looking for more control in their game they would get more from the 37 and 42 versions as spin production is easier and are both noticeably slower giving greater control.

Backhand Flicks

We were both really impressed with how much speed and accuracy we had with backhand flicks using the R47. The spin this rubber produces, results in balls dipping quickly down onto the table. I always find that when you backhand flick, you want to go for placement and spin, and then follow up with a strong ball, this was easy to do with the R47.

Serving

The rubbers all produced good spin when serving with no real differences between them. Ball placement was easy and we were both able to keep the ball low over the net whilst maintaining heavy spin.

Block

It was easier to block with the harder versions of the Rasanter R. When blocking using 37 or 42 you get less control as the harder sponges of the 47 and 50 propelled the ball forward faster and more direct. The softer sponges however were less responsive to incoming spin so slower spinny balls are easier to control with the softer sponge variations.

Conclusion

The Rasanter R and V series rubbers have been targeted and developed to combat the plastic ball. The new concept of a thicker sponge and thinner topsheet combination developed by andro has definitely resulted in an improvement in their rubber game from their previous generations of Rasant. The new R and V series have higher arc and more dwell than their predecessors.

The high levels of speed and spin produced really helps when playing fast attacking shots in open play as well as when playing more delicate finesse shots like the modern backhand flick. Our favorite rubber within both series is definitely the R47 as it’s the most suitable to our game.

However there are a lot of options to choose from within the range. For players who want a bit more control and safety in their shots with ease of use against backspin, the softer versions R37 and R42 would be a good choice. Players who play more of a dynamic speed and spin game would prefer the R47. The R50 is a hard rubber and would suit players who like to play flat direct shots at close range. The difference between the R and V series is the pimple structure, with both sponges being identical. The V series has thinner and shorter pimples and allows for a stronger rebound effect off the sponge allowing for greater speed and lower throw angle. If you are a player looking for maximum speed and a lower throw angle the V 42 or V47 would be a good choice, and are both especially effective when playing fast attacking shots close to the table.

In terms of how other Andro rubbers compare to the new Rasanter series, the power grip and turbo do not possess the same qualities of spin and speed. The new rubbers from andro are a great addition to the rubber market as they are definitely something slightly different. Tibhar and Donic are also following suit with this thin topsheet, thick sponge combination with the Select, prime and Bluestorm.

Overall the Rasanter R and V series are a fantastic development and a great addition to andros rubber range, and we feel they really live up to the hype.