Butterfly Rozena

Jack of all trades but the sponge stick to the glue if you peel it off. The sponge will end-up like the moon's surface. Maybe because of the cake sponge

Rozena is a good rubber for intermediate players with a good
technique that want to play with more speed than begginer rubbers while still remain a lot of control.

I played the rozena rubber in 1.9 mm on both sides on an ovtcharov s2 blade and I'm very happy with it. I've been playing with it for about 1,5 years now. For me it's a very good combination of speed and control. You can make every shot with good spin but there is nothing that really stands out. That's why I changed to tenergy 05. But I would recommend it to intermediate players who want to have a offensive rubber that's good in every department and want to get better.
Pros

• Control
• Serve and receives
• Topspins
• Close to table and mid distance
• Blocking

Cons

• medium-soft sponge
• Nothing that stands out

Rozena is a medium-fast rubber with above average rating for all other attributes. Kind of a do-it-all rubber (not a defensive rubber). Hits, serves, blocks, short game, loops all can be done with great ease. But none can be done top-grade. Hardness is "medium". Speed-glue effect is less compared other modern rubbers.

I think it's well suited to intermediates, developing players or BH of many FH oriented players.

The Butterfly Rozena rubber is a really forgiving, yet spinny and fast intermediate level rubber. While highly skilled players should probably opt for the Tenergy or Dignics series, the developing player that still has problems with reading spin and adjusting the racket angle, should definitely give the Rozena a try. I am using the Rozena on my backhand, which is why I don’t review forehand techniques. I used this Rubber on a 92g heavy Nittaku Violin FL LG All+ blade.

Countering/Blocking:
Countering is easy going. The rubber is still speedy enough to not let the ball drop into the net. Blocking takes some adjustment, because it reacts much less to incoming spin. I sometimes have the problem that the ball slips on my racket, when blocking a diagonal ball down the line. This is really bothersome but can be adjusted to accordingly.

Topspins:
Topspins played with a thin contact, such as flicks and slow loops, don’t benefit from the sponge as much. They are spinny, but not as spinny as they would be if the sponge was engaged properly. This means that the rubber has plenty spin from mid distance and at the table, if you drive loop the ball. In this regard the spin production is quite astonishing, considering the spinsensitivity or lack thereof. Topspins against backspin should be player engaging the sponge, to guarantee the clearance of the net.

Short game/pushes:
The short game isn’t the Rozena’s strong suit. It is very safe; considering you do get away with bat angle inaccuracies without the ball popping up high. But the spin developed is subpar when compared to other rubbers. Again, you must engage the sponge to develop proper spin, so touching short whilst creating spin is hard, but long pushed should be alright with proper technique.

TL;DR: Perfect rubber for developing player. Low sensitivity to incoming spin, producing surprisingly much spin when engaging the sponge.

I wrote up a little review shortly after having started using Rozena. I've been using it for a long time now, time to restate things. The following pertains to sheets of Rozena used for 10-16 hours/week in intensive training and matches during about 6 months, which is about 300-400 hours of use.

Rozena is a relatively spin-insensitive rubber. This also seems to entail that it is not always as easy to impart spin with it. This is especially so when pushing.

The short game is fine, but if at some point you seek to deliver a very tight and heavily loaded deep backspin ball, well, that's relatively hard to do and the ball won't be as spinny as with some other rubbers. So, don't do that.

When countering, blocking (actively or passively), or flat hitting, Rozena is extremely dependable. You can just keep going on and on keeping the ball in play if that's what you set out to do. As long as you're in position and manage to stay awake you'll keep going like a machine.

Opening up backspin balls is relatively easy, and the pleasant surprise Rozena brings to the table is a very high level of spin when engaging the sponge. A light brush will be less loaded than (say) with Tenergy 05, but with deep contact the difference isn't that big. Flicks are a bit easier, but might be a little less pressureful than with said T05.

It shines when counterspinning in half position or second position. Again, here Rozena produces massive spin, T05 level, upon deep contact, and has plenty punch to deliver quality of speed too. A high quality counterspinning game is enabled that way. My game has grown in solidity. This is a tradeoff; I also have a spare T05/NanoflexFT48 setup, with which I have higher percentages of both spectacular winners as well as abysmall errors. By now I prefer the certainty of getting in place, hitting the ball in full confidence that I'll bend it onto the table wherever and however I want it to.

After a while you get used to the way Rozena produces spin and incorporate the required deep contact in serving as well. That takes a little extra effort, and it requires a bit more skills. Learning this is a good thing anyway, and once this is mastered you get to play the deception game by way of deeper and shallower contact as well.

My slabs of Rozena are old enough to develop EJ rash in the meantime. They're worn a bit, visually, with a few crumbs breaking away from the edges; Rozena is more prone to breaking up when hitting the table edge or your partner's blade in doubles. I actually have a very little clot broken out when I brushed a ball that just cleared the long table corner, ever so gently grazing that corner. My index finger rest shows discolouration. Yet the rubbers still play pretty much like new; there's ball slippage only when things get all too wet/humid, and not more so now than when new. To I'm not giving in to EJ impulses just now; there's no justification for that.

A lot of people just look at this as Tenergy-lite but if you evaluate it on its own merits it’s a really excellent rubber for those looking for a balanced attack with good control and consistency, while still being dynamic with good spin and speed.

It has the same spring sponge as the Tenergy series, my best comparison being a slightly softer and more forgiving Tenergy 80. It’s throw angle is similar to MX-P or just less than T80 on the Tenergy scale. It also has relatively good spin and speed being just a notch below the most aggressive attacking rubbers.

The other criticism I’ve heard of this rubber is that’s it’s “jack of all trades, but a master of none.” While it doesn’t quite match the spin and looping ability of Tenergy 05 or speed of Tibhar MX-P, if your game is more than just pure looping and utilizes blocking, control, and placement (and you like Butterfly’s spring sponge) then this is an excellent rubber you should give serious consideration.

There's nothing you can't do with this rubber. It offers the dynamic attacking feel of Tenergy while being less spin sensitive and easier to use in the short game.

Update: after initially using this just on the BH side I’m now using using it on FH too. Really like this rubber, can’t find any faults with it and it’s a great fit for my game. Plan on sticking with it.

My friend had this rubber so I tried it. He was using it with a petr korbel blade. It had a different feeling to any rubber I have ever tried, I really liked it. It felt closer to an esn rubber than to Tenergy. I would still choose Tenergy over the rozena although rozena had more hit power and would be easier against awkward players.

The pro with this rubber is if you want to use a Butterfly rubber using the Rozena will not set you back as much as purchasing two sheets of Tenergy.

Butterfly Rozena (44.9€) (21/04/17)
Cheaper than Tenergy, but more expensive than most other tensor rubbers (with some "price reduction" in France for exemple)

Speed : it is fast (isn't for beginner at all !) little bit faster than t05fx
Spin : the spin is good but not like t05/t05fx which is spinner (more speed than 05fx but less spin because of the speed)
Control : good control, 35 degree is great, the ball is fast and spinny but is "linear", it doesnt make any weird trajectory
Weight : between t05fx and t80
Hardness : between t05fx and t80, it has a harder sponge than 05fx but a more elastic topsheet than 05fx like a 80 but the overall is quite the same
throw angle : medium/medium high (lower than t05/t05fx like the 80/80fx
durability : seems to be good like tenergy

special points : good for counter topspin because of a softer sponge like t05fx, also good for blocking

Conclusion : very good rubber ! Like a mini tenergy but with lower price ! Not for beginner, it isn't so forgiving

I feel mostly the same about the rubber in my short time using it as Yoass and Dan. Quite similar to JP03, with a slightly bouncier short game and a higher catapult in the top end. Same level of (extremely high) control with more oomph. Hope the durability is better than JP03. The rubber is quite light too. I do not have a specific weight as I forgot to weigh after cutting, but it my racket is 4-6gr lighter with Rozena than with DHS 3-60. I feel over all your highest quality shots maybe very slightly capped compared to a t05 or boosted h3, in terms of speed/spin (again very marginally), but your low quality shots will be better to a much more noticeable degree. A good trade off for new or seasoned players. My out of position shots now get a serviceable amount of spin where they may not prior with say a Xiom Asia/Euro DF or JP03. My training partner agrees on the receiving end of the hits. I am not a great player so I appreciate the help in the lower quality shots over the slight cap on the top end.

I was very worried this would play too bouncy in the short game, but with use it is perfect. It really plays quite tame with pushes. Serves seem no worse/less spinny than with my normal Hurricane 8, and surprisingly short. Blocking didn't suffer if you are used to ESN rubbers catapult. All of this is based on a sample of 1 red sheet in 2.1 (max sponge size I believe for this rubber) on the BH of a 92gr Viscaria. I flipped the racket around against my robot and the FH loop arcs were noticeably lower than H3, even lower than H8. Could really feel the catapult on FH. I really like this rubber. It satisfies the ridiculous internal desire to "play with the best "(ie Tenergy) while costing less and being more aligned with my playing level.

Butterfly Rozena
Weight: 68 grams uncut, 47 grams uncut
Sponge Hardness: 35°
Hardness: Medium
Speed: Medium/High
Spin: Medium/High
Blade used: Timo Boll ALC


Written Review

Initial inspection

What’s going on guys it’s Dan here from TableTennisDaily. Today we are reviewing the highly anticipated, 2017, Butterfly Rozena rubber. This rubber uses Butterfly’s famous spring sponge high tension technology also used in the popular Tenergy series. The Rozena is not designed for Butterfly’s, traditional, elite player market. Instead Butterfly’s idea with the Rozena was to develop a rubber for less advanced players or for players who need greater forgiveness and less responsiveness in a rubber then say tenergy gives you.

In terms of price, the Rozena sits just under the high end, premium price bracket around £41 per sheet approximately 20% cheaper than tenergy. The rubber comes with a unique pink sponge and looks very similar to the sponge used on Tenergy. The only real difference it seems between the two sponges is that the Rozena has a 35 degree sponge hardness whereas regular Tenergy rubbers have a 36 degree sponge hardness. Therefore, like the tenergy, the Rozena is medium to hard sponge. The weight of our Rozena sample when uncut was 68 grams and when cut was 47 grams. The Rozena was used on the Timo Boll ALC blade throughout the review.


Topspin + Speed

We were both so eager try out this rubber, a lot of online users have been skeptical about the launch of the Rozena so I was really looking forward to trying it myself.Right away I could feel the spring effect coming into play during my topspin shots, something you feel from the Tenergy series. Although it wasn't exactly the same feeling, the Rozena almost came off the bat with a louder sound and felt softer which was likely due to the softer sponge. I was able to maintain a good rhythm and consistency during my attacking shots which I liked. I have to say I thought the rubber was going to be slower as it is marketed for players who want to raise their level of play. Interestingly the Rozena has decent speed but a high margin for error which we were really impressed with during topspin play. Speed wise perhaps only 10% slower than tenergy 05. It was also evident early on this rubber had more tolerance and was less responsive to incoming spin than the Tenergy series. An initial impression we felt with the Rozena was that it was like a calmed down version of Tenergy 05.


Control

The speed to control ratio was well balanced on the rozena, I had adequate speed with little effort and yet was able to maintain a lot of safety on the ball. Whilst playing at maximum effort during 3 point forehand I was able to get high levels of speed and yet maintain good consistency and rhythm. We both found the Rozena produced a fairly standard Medium arc on the ball throughout our topspin shots.


Spin

The Rozena picks up the ball well against backspin generating a good amount of spin and ample control. These attributes helped greatly when following up with a fifth ball attack. I wasn’t developing insane amounts of spin that you would produce with a Hurricane or Tenergy however the quality of ball was still fast and gave sufficient spin.

The topsheet was grippy enough to produce a successful spinny backhand flick. The rubber had good dwell which worked well against the backspin ball.


Counter topspin

Initially we both had a few problems when countering. The ball literally shot off the end of the table. After some adjustments by not going for as much power and closing the angle more, we were able to execute counters effectively.


Blocking

Rozena is not too spin sensitive and handles spin well, especially when on the defensive side of things when blocking aggressive topspin attacks. I found I could relax and play with a lot of quality keeping the ball on the table with good precision.


Away from the table

The power helped when playing away from the table. You can really feel the ball dig into the sponge with a loud clicky sound.


Conclusion

Butterfly’s latest Rozena rubber does what it's been designed to do and has a great balance between speed and control. We both liked that this rubber possesses similar properties and feeling of Tenergy, using the same spring sponge technology, but is slightly less offensive in terms of both speed and spin. The medium sponge combination and topsheet gives you good control in your game. The rubber is less sensitive to spin than Tenergy and works well in the control game especially when active blocking.

We really like the sound Rozena makes especially in explosive shots. In the serve and receive game the Rozena worked well, it doesn't bite as much as Tenergy does however gives you ample and sufficient spin.

Another advantage with Rozena is how stable it is in the rally from close to the table and from mid distance, the rubber produces a quality shot with a lots of rotation on the ball. This was evident when out of position with shots and the Rozena was able to pick the ball up with medium arc. The rubber plays especially well when used on the backhand side and was very effective for blocking and punching.

We would we recommend the Rozena to players looking for a consistent and well balanced rubber with slightly reduced speed and spin compared to the tenergy series. It's important to note the Rozena is not a beginners rubber and still requires reasonable technique and playing ability. Whilst filming this review we did some comparisons with other popular tensor rubbers such as the Tibhar Evolution and Donic Bluefire series and the Rozena had similar performance properties but was still closer to tenergy. However the Rozena is definately a slightly, slowed down, less responsive version of the Tenergy series yet produces a lot of spin and but does still keep some unique traits of Butterfly’s flagship rubber.

It's important to note for those Tenergy lovers who are comfortable with Tenergy should probably stick with Tenergy. However the tamer Rozena is definitely an interesting alternative for players who find Tenergy that bit too fast and responsive.

Overall what butterfly have created is a great new rubber for attacking topspin players who want good speed and feeling in their shots whilst giving you high levels of forgiveness and safety in your strokes.

The new Butterfly Rozena rubber uses a slighty softer sponge than normal Tenergy rubbers. Beside the pink colour, the sponge is similar to the other springe sponge rubbers. If I would make a blind test, I would guess another Tenergy rubber would be in my hands.

The Rozena has a little bit more catapult and dynamic than the harder Tenergy rubbers, even though the sponge is more soft. This helps when playing fast topspins, both from the table or from halfdistance. The rubber has a good pace, but is not as fast as rubbers like Tibhar Evolution MX-P for example.
The strength of the Rozena rubber is the variability when attacking. Also the rubber is forgiving when hitting the ball not perfectly. Other than with Tenergy 05, when the angle of the stroke is not 100% right, the ball finds its way to the other side of the table. I guess the softer sponge and the new topsheet help both with this characteristic.
The throw angle is medium high and between Tenergy 80 and 64. The Spin level is also between those rubbers. A spinny topspin rubber, but not as dangerous as Tenergy 05.
Though the feeling and technology are the same, Rozena is a little softer, more forgiving, less sensitive to the incoming spin, with better dynamics/catapult and more lively feel than the normal Tenergy rubbers 05, 80 and 64.

In my opinion, the Rozena rubber targets topspin players, who need a high performance rubber, which has good control and forgiving abilities as well. It has the Tenergy Gen, but also standalone and unique characteristics.