Butterfly Dignics 09c

I have a D09c, and I also tested out my friend's one. What can I say? It is just how people described. Incredible spin, but it retains the bouciness of a tensor. One of the best rubbers of all time period. Community loves it, pros use it, whats not to love? If you want a cheaper version tho, (it is quite pricey) get the Hurricane 8-80. It is basically the same but more chinese. It does punish bad technique, but not that much, but it does reward you lots for good technique. It is a lso incredibly versatile, it is arguably the best BH rubber OAT, but it is also top 10 FH rubber in my opinion. If you don't know what to go for, this rubber is a classic, and is also quite all- round, I would say! It was quite durable, lasted like quite a long time, but apparently now there are QC issues but you should probably be OK! So enjoy this brilliant rubber!

I’ve been playing Dignics 09C on a Viscaria for a while now and it’s the setups I have felt most confident with. My game is clearly offensive. I like to go forward, play with power and put pressure on the opponent, not just brush for spin. It’s a mix of spin and direct acceleration, and this rubber fits that balance really well.

Serve & Receive​

The grip is very noticeable on serves. It’s easy to generate heavy spin, but also to vary between spinny and more direct serves. At the same time, the rubber feels controlled in the short game. There’s not too much built-in catapult, so keeping the ball short on pushes and receives is very manageable. Flicks feel solid when you go forward confidently, and I feel comfortable being aggressive over the table when the chance is there.

Opening Against Backspin​

Opening is very reliable. The topsheet gives you enough grip to lift backspin safely, even if the contact isn’t perfect. What I like most is that you’re not forced to play ultra-thin spin. You can open with good rotation, but you can also go more forward and powerful. The rubber supports boht styles without feeling unstable.

Counter Topspin & Rallies​

In open rallies, especially from mid distance, this setup really shows its strength. When you commit and accelerate, the ball comes off heavy and direct. It doesn’t feel mushy and it doesn’t bottom out. On the Viscaria, you get that extra kick and speed, while the 09C keeps the trajectory controlled. Countering against strong topspin feels very stable.

Blocking​

For a harder rubber, blocking is surprisingly easy. Passive blocks stay low and predictable, and active blocks feel even better. You can punch the ball and keep pressure without worrying about it flying long.

Overall Impression​

Dignics 09C on Viscaria is a strong combination for aggressive players who like to mix spin with real forward power. It rewards active strokes and good timing. It’s not the easiest rubber out there, but if your game is built around pressure, quality topspin and finishing points with power, this setup makes a lot of sense.

Note: This is actually my first review ever, so I hope everything makes sense and is helpful. Just sharing my honest experience with the setup.

I tried D09c a couple years ago on my forehand side while playing penhold with an offensive hardwood blade. Coming from Hurricane 3, I found it very difficult to control because of the high throw angle. My loops often went long. I could not touch the ball softly, which is a big part of my game with H3. For a penholder, not being able to touch the ball softly negates a big part of the advantage of playing penhold.

Recently I have been experimenting with a shakehand chopping style using an extremely defensive blade (Zebrawood Oversize 3-ply). I like to twiddle to attack on the backhand, and Hurricane 3 on a defensive blade was simply not powerful enough to make dangerous attacks or lift heavy backspin. Even on forehand it left something to be desired. So I decided to try D09c again.

On this defensive blade the difference between H3 and D09c is immense. I can create fast balls with relatively little effort. Instead of feeling uncontrollable, the catapult effect gives a very comfortable increase in speed. This is exactly what I need to upgrade my hybrid-defense style.

When playing defense with Hurricane, I was mostly chopping on both wings, with the occasional topspin attack. These attacks were never fast or powerful enough to overwhelm my opponents, so I would only win points with good placement. Playing heavy sidespin loops far from the table was another main tactic of mine -- trying to imitate Hou Yingchao.

Switching to D09c makes my attacks much more potent. Instead of playing pure defense, I can attack when the ball comes to my forehand. My opponents are hitting the ball out because my loops are so powerful -- something which never happened with Hurricane. The backhand attack is also really nice, allowing me to kill the ball easily and get the ball safely over the net.

Aside from power, the other main thing I like about D09c is the high arc. When playing with an offensive blade I found the high arc to be annoying, but on a defensive blade it is quite nice. Particularly for lifting backspin, I don't have to exert nearly as much effort as with Hurricane. The motion for lifting backspin with D09c is quite similar to a normal loop with Hurricane. This can give me precious time during points to reposition and get ready for the next ball.

With Hurricane 3, blocking flat balls is a nuisance. You have to make sure to brush the ball to add your own spin, or the shot will be unstable. With D09c, I found that it can convert some of the speed of a smash into spin. It was possible to block smashes from short pips and antispin rubbers, and when the ball digs into the sponge it will generate some topspin on the return. Thus, I feel comfortable staying closer to the table and fast-blocking with my forehand.

Another big pro is how easy it is to generate spin, compared to Hurricane. With a small wrist motion, I can create 80% of the high end spin. This makes it easier to be deceptive about my spin and how much spin I am making. Needless to say, the high end spin is not as good as Hurricane's.

Certainly I think D09c improves my chopper playing style, transforming it from a pure defense style to a more hybrid defense-offense style. I am much more likely to attack and counterattack on the forehand, and much more likely to twiddle for a backhand smash. However, D09c still has some cons which I would like to list.

1. It is bad at chopping. I think this has to do with the throw angle and the catapult effect. Chopping on forehand with this rubber just isn't as stable as chopping with Hurricane 3. I am somewhat forced to attack balls that come to my forehand, because chopping might not be an option.

2. You cannot play passively or gently with D09c, you must play actively and touch the ball sharply. Touching the ball softly is a recipe for shooting the ball in a random direction. Therefore it is harder to carefully manipulate spin compared to H3 -- especially sidespin. For this reason I still think it would be a bad decision for a penhold player to choose D09c over H3, because H3 allows a much better short game and (side)spin manipulation.

3. Sidespin loops far away from the table are not as good. The quality of the spin is less, and they are harder to aim. Hurricane 3 allows low-to-ground scooping sidespin shots, but these are much harder to do with D09c. Side-downspin chops and snakes are also harder to execute. Best to just not let the ball drop so low, and just play pure topspin. I will certainly miss this aspect of H3, but I will keep trying to imitate it with D09c.

All in all this rubber feels amazing and after only one playing session I was already seeing improvements. I'm excited to continue using it. Hurricane 3 is nice and has a special place in my heart, but for a modern defender I think D09c is clearly a better option.

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I have been on a bit of a journey over the last year and a half trying multiple different setups to learn what is best with the heavier ball. For me 09C is a game changer on the FH for me coming from H3 neo blue sponge. In short a faster version of the H3 that is a bit less demanding on you physically. This is a very hard sponge so if you are a short stroke player who does not fully commit with high racket speed (need a back swing to generate enough speed) then you will struggle with this rubber. If you have enough speed and can put the effort into the ball, you will activate the sponge and this is unstoppable. The speed is unmatched, definitely the fastest rubber on the market by some way with the heavier ball. If you rely on the sponge catapult then you will think it is slow, but if you put the energy in this rubber does not have the speed limits that catapult rubbers have. Spin is crazy but I would say not has good as the H3 on slower shots and the serve needs more racket speed then the H3 to get quality on your serve. The danger of this rubber is if you don't put the effort in. Then the quality of the shot goes down a long long way and half decent players will put you on the back foot. If you are finding the throw high then you need to put more into it to activate the sponge more and the spin will rip that ball down. Short game is good but you will.need to adjust pushing if you come from a none hybrid/tacky rubber (it is light tacky with lots of grip but enough to make a difference). I have tried it on my BH and moving away from it after 3 months. It is a very good backhand, but I am just not good enough in a match to generate enough racket speed constantly to deliver the unbelievably high quality backhand this rubber can produce. The quality of shots just drops off my BH too much for a match situation. But my BH looked fantastic in warm-up rallies so if you are good enough then it will work. Control is good but the shit quality is average if you are not active enough with you control. Something to think about while learning how to use this rubber.

Feeling of contact is crisp and lots of power and spin, best rubber for forehand unless your backhand has a lot of power. The speed is enough for a hybrid rubber and it thin pimples make it easier to get a good grip on the ball.

After 3-4 training sessions grey doors snd dots start appearing on topsheet and some parts bubble and lose grip

There is no rubber more controversial than Dignics 09c, as someone who is below semi pro and growing above high amateur who loves offensive strokes I see good options in the market to choose for forehand.
I like how it is controlled in the short game, and has more power on medium shots compared to Hurricane 3 neo. Arc is significantly higher then H3N and that makes opening up easier.

The classic chinese counter topspin is a lot harder aswel, as you can't crush a topspin without properly closing your angle of the bat.
But it is easier to make a short controlled counter that is probably as effective in the high end quality.
I really like D09c, especially after boosting. I understand that it isn't for people who love lower arcs but it is a high quality rubber with good durability.

I recommend it, same as H3N and Rakza 7. All great rubbers for different amazing players.

cheers,
TSS

The Dignics 09C was my first rubber on a custom racket. It served me well as I was initially trying to find a Hurricane 3. It wasn't as tacky but did do its job. It was a bit heavy to start off with, but you can get used to it. The main drawback was that the spin for looping or heavy spin chops just wasn't enough. This is still a good rubber overall but lacks large amounts of spin which sometimes is needed.

It is an amazing rubber for RPB and forehand. Has good control which makes it easier to land safer shots. Works well with all wood blades and carbon blades.

I put a Dignics 09C on the back of my FZD ALC to pair with my H3 Neo Blue sponge (exact same setup as Fan himself lol). Backhand rubbers I have been searching for a long time for the perfect for me. D05 was too quick and spin sensitive for my liking, Fastarc P1 felt weird to me, hard to explain, K3 was good but durability sucked, and H3 was too slow for blocking and too low arc. 09C is everything I want in a BH rubber; the high arc might feel extreme to some but I really like it as I play more forward loops on my BH, it feels really safe and lands more often than not with adequate speed. Since I last used H3 Neo on my Bh, this 09C was a good speed for me. The spin generation for my topspin’s and open ups were too much for my buddy to handle. I struggle with the short game a lot, the 09C is excellent in this area with lots of control and not that spin sensitive at all. The only thing I don’t like is the price: $110 CAD i paid for this. But i’ve heard good things about durability so we shall see how much is value for money. Also it is not as tacky as H3 which some may not like, and not as fast and high arc as Tensors I have used like D05, so if you are coming from tensors be aware you will need a transition period. I would recommend this rubber to anyone of any level who is an attacker on either side, especially Bh. For FH I might twiddle to try out but I prefer H3 Blue for my FH as it provides more spin and control for my topspins, but I think many will love this on FH too!

Allow me to start by saying that this is probably a really good rubber... for professionals. But for amateurs I think most of us are not good enough to take advantage of it. I wanted to see what the hype was about, so I bought a sheet of this rubber (for way too much money) and was not so impressed by the outcome. I've tried several other hybrid rubbers which feel better than this one, including: Tenergy 05 Hard, Rasanter C53, and Tibhar Hybrid K3. Even Dignics 05 feels better to me, and I mainly use Chinese rubbers.

I personally cannot get over how high the throw angle is. It makes it very hard to loop the ball from behind/under the table, which is where I hit a lot of shots. I suppose the high throw angle can be nice when flicking an underspin ball close to the table, but let's be realistic -- no one under a 2000 USATT rating does this in a way that would be benefitted by D09c. Fan Zhendong probably gets some benefit, though.

The sponge hardness is nice, and it allows you to play some very fast shots if you put in the effort. But you have to add some spin -- flat hitting is somewhat unpredictable.

Dignics 09c is very sensitive to incoming spin, so you need to be very precise with how you hit the ball.

D09c generates a lot of spin in a very short stroke. Usually (with Chinese rubbers for example) you need a bigger stroke to generate a sufficient amount of spin. But the high-end of spin with D09c is still less than Chinese rubbers. Same with high-end speed.

Unlike other hybrid rubbers (mentioned above), Dignics 09c is very heavy. Some people might like this but I think most will not. If you want a lighter rubber, K3 and Rasanter C53 are better options.

All in all, I cannot find too many faults with this rubber. It's a great rubber and lots of people use it for a reason. Personally I REALLY dislike the throw angle, and I think there are better options out there for less money. So I will give it 3 stars.

Very unpredictable when doing flicks and very spiny

I love almost everything about Dignics 09C. The only thing that I don't like is the outrageous price.

tackinnes really opens up a lot of possibilities. it is important to keep some moiture (water) on the topsheet to increase tackiness. i dont fell it is a slow rubber since you can hit it flater and it will still impart a good arc on the ball. itts unbeliveble for receive: short touch or chiquita. its very safe, you dont need to read the spin perfectly. perhaps a little hard for backhand for some people. very fun to play with, great feeling.
i cant say if this is also qualitys of other tacky rubber. perhaps.
it does not have the dwell or elasticiity of chinese bosted rubber however.

Extremely good almost no flaws.

I bit the bullet and bought a sheet of 09C black max.I have been using Neo H3 Provincial blue sponge 41 degree, boosted with 4 layers of seamoon oil.I replaced the H3 with 09C on the same blade - Stiga nostalgic OFF. After 5 hours of play, I can write the following comparison.ServiceH3 definitely reign in short spinny service. I struggled to keep my service short with 09C. It's claimed to be tacky. But the tack is about 20% of what is on H3. Understandably it was difficult to produce comparable spin with 09C.Close to table flat hit09C reigns in this area due to the powerful sponge and semi-tacky topsheet. But the ball tends to go very long. I had to adjust the angle.Lifting back spinBoth are equally easy in this area. It is quite easy to engage the sponge in 09C to produce tons of spin. However, H3 still produces more spin.Topspin rallyIt is easier to counter loop topspin with 09C. You don't have to have a full swing to do power loop.Let's 50% power produces 70 spin in 09C, and 60 spin in H3. 70% power produces 80 spin in 09C but 85 spin in H3. If you give 80-90% of your full swing, 09C might top at 100 but H3 can go 120.Bear in mind, I was using 41 degree H3. If you use 39degree you might bottom out sooner, thus equal spin with 09C.ConslusionSpin (service, loop in high impact): H3>09CSpin (loop in low to medium impact): H3=09CSpeed: H3<09C

Dignics 09c is an excellent rubber .. In general, it combines better with stiffer woods .. I tried it on 3 different woods and responds differently in each one .. Positives is the effect, short game, service and counter-attack explosion ... Negative points just her weight really ..

On one of the woods i compared it to Tenergy 05.Tenergy 05 is one of the best rubbers ever made, but the 09c is the innovation for new plastic balls ... It seems. me that the transition went well because the 09c is a rubber that can be used by professionals or amateurs ... the problem i find with 05 is you need good technique and control so only for good players. 09C can be used by anyone as it's slower.

I expected a good competitor for hurricane coming from butterfly. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the Dignics 09C. The rubber ,although tacky, doesn’t quite have the stickiness as hurricane therefore it can be a struggle to deal with half long balls / generate pace and spin. On the forehand I really struggled to generate pace. It really is a lot slower than the likes of tenergy 05 ,MXP etc.
The pace issue isn’t as evident on the backhand, if you are used to blocking /countering on that side. Blocking is where Dignics really shines. It’s almost effortless. Still I prefer tenergy 64 on the backhand as you get the blocking ability with added pace.

Dignics 09C has great control . It shines in the touch game and service receive game where you can really cause problems for your opponent by keeping receives low and short. The control factor also makes counter top spins easier.
The high end spin of Dignics is also good,if you really brush the ball. Although , you will be punished if you don’t get the swing right this can feel really frustrating.The very hard sponge of Dignics 09C makes it especially difficult. This is similar to hurricane but at least with hurricane you get the added spin to help you(as hurricane’s top sheet is extremely sticky which is important)

I don’t feel like butterfly have hit the nail on the head with this. If you are looking for a Chinese /euro rubber hybrid there are far better options for a fraction of the price .Such as the fast arc g1 for example or donic m1.
If you are using hurricane , don’t make the switch to Dignics 09C it just isn’t as good (less top end spin and speed),although they have similar characteristics.

What's going on guys, today I'm joined alongside the German table tennis powerhouse Dimitrij Ovtcharov! In this video we compare the new Dignics 09C to Tenergy 05.

Find out Dima's thoughts on Butterfly's new tacky rubber and on how he thinks it compares to Tenergy 05.