I changed from Tenergy 05 to this. Here’s what I found, having played with it for over 3 months now on my backhand.
The standouts on this rubber are the precision when blocking and counterpunching/looping.
I always found that Tenergy 05 required a (too) deft hand when blocking. You always have to be super precise with it.
Mistakes and errors of judgment get punished. This rubber shone where the 05 fell apart: during blocking and short pushes.
Coming from the 05, what a delight to find yourself suddenly having time on the ball and not having to worry too much about being precise.
Short pushes were suddenly really short and loaded with spin. Blocking, active blocking and counter looping was a blast.
The last thing that stands out is its trajectory. Like Dan mentioned in his video, you always have the same trajectory and the same contact on impact.
It does this so much better than the 05, where the rubber is like a trampoline if your technique/timing isn’t perfect. The trajectory is lower and shorter and on first sight you think your ball is going to drift long, using the same technique as 05, but the amazing thing is, it doesn’t. Even 3 months in, this is apparent.
This let’s you rip balls and go for shots, you wouldn’t dare with the 05. I put this difference mainly down to the hardness of the sponge, being a lot harder than 05.
Some cons? These are mainly concerned with your technique/timing. The rubber asks you to play your backhand in a very designated way:
1. Stay low. Don’t stand straight up, your ball will miss the table and your timing will be off.
2. Hit the ball just before or at the highest point. The rubber does the rest for you, don’t be afraid to hit early and you will be amazed at how much control you actually have.
3. Use your legs! This one is the most important one. If you are a player who just uses his arm to spin your backhand, this rubber is not for you. You need to use your whole body. The rubber is like an extension of your body, the more you put into it, the better the result.
4. Compact stroke. The dwell time is not as long as in the 05. It pings of the bat faster. This means that your stroke doesn’t need to be as long to get the most out of it. Slow, explosive strokes with the backhand are best, hence why this rubber shines in counterlooping and banana flicks.
Durability is on the same level as 05, however, this one plays really good right of the bat. You feel with 05 you need to get through the rubber a bit, before you get the maximum out of it, not this one.
Overall, I am deeply satisfied with the rubber. It does everything better than 05 in my eyes, and it has none of the drawbacks. I will be trying this rubber out for the FH as well. But maybe in between seasons, not right now.
With the release of Dignics, so shortly after the 05 hard, I feel like this rubber gets overlooked. A shame, really. It’s 25 percent cheaper than Dignics.
I would recommend this rubber to any aggressive player, looking for a stable hard hitting powerhouse of a rubber. This is most certainly not for a beginner, or developing player, rather for a player who wants a stable rubber to get exactly what he wants out of his shots.
A master of all, but a stubborn one at that.
The standouts on this rubber are the precision when blocking and counterpunching/looping.
I always found that Tenergy 05 required a (too) deft hand when blocking. You always have to be super precise with it.
Mistakes and errors of judgment get punished. This rubber shone where the 05 fell apart: during blocking and short pushes.
Coming from the 05, what a delight to find yourself suddenly having time on the ball and not having to worry too much about being precise.
Short pushes were suddenly really short and loaded with spin. Blocking, active blocking and counter looping was a blast.
The last thing that stands out is its trajectory. Like Dan mentioned in his video, you always have the same trajectory and the same contact on impact.
It does this so much better than the 05, where the rubber is like a trampoline if your technique/timing isn’t perfect. The trajectory is lower and shorter and on first sight you think your ball is going to drift long, using the same technique as 05, but the amazing thing is, it doesn’t. Even 3 months in, this is apparent.
This let’s you rip balls and go for shots, you wouldn’t dare with the 05. I put this difference mainly down to the hardness of the sponge, being a lot harder than 05.
Some cons? These are mainly concerned with your technique/timing. The rubber asks you to play your backhand in a very designated way:
1. Stay low. Don’t stand straight up, your ball will miss the table and your timing will be off.
2. Hit the ball just before or at the highest point. The rubber does the rest for you, don’t be afraid to hit early and you will be amazed at how much control you actually have.
3. Use your legs! This one is the most important one. If you are a player who just uses his arm to spin your backhand, this rubber is not for you. You need to use your whole body. The rubber is like an extension of your body, the more you put into it, the better the result.
4. Compact stroke. The dwell time is not as long as in the 05. It pings of the bat faster. This means that your stroke doesn’t need to be as long to get the most out of it. Slow, explosive strokes with the backhand are best, hence why this rubber shines in counterlooping and banana flicks.
Durability is on the same level as 05, however, this one plays really good right of the bat. You feel with 05 you need to get through the rubber a bit, before you get the maximum out of it, not this one.
Overall, I am deeply satisfied with the rubber. It does everything better than 05 in my eyes, and it has none of the drawbacks. I will be trying this rubber out for the FH as well. But maybe in between seasons, not right now.
With the release of Dignics, so shortly after the 05 hard, I feel like this rubber gets overlooked. A shame, really. It’s 25 percent cheaper than Dignics.
I would recommend this rubber to any aggressive player, looking for a stable hard hitting powerhouse of a rubber. This is most certainly not for a beginner, or developing player, rather for a player who wants a stable rubber to get exactly what he wants out of his shots.
A master of all, but a stubborn one at that.