Butterfly Tenergy 05 Review
Speed: 9.1
Spin: 9.5
Control: 7.5
Tackiness: 2.3 - Slightly Tacky
Throw Angle: 7.3 - High in this sense
Weight: 6.9 - Medium Heavy
Sponge Hardness: 6.4 - Medium Hard
Durability: 8.4 - Lasts longer than average
I was sold the moment i played my first loop with Tenergy 05. The rubber has an incredible feeling of grabbing the ball and then catapulting it out at great speed with so much spin.
Butterfly Tenergy 05 gives out a much shorter arc in distance compared to other rubbers I've used in the past, making it much more forgiving when I go for a kill shot over the table.
Although this is not a tensor, it certainly is fast enough to play like one, but Tenergy 05 has a much better short game. Overall, it is not the fastest rubber there is, but definitely one more the easiest one to play with in its speed class.
Speed - 9.1/10
Tenergy 05 is a very fast rubber. Its unique spring sponge makes the ball catapult hard off the rubber but the best part of its speed is when you combine it with spin. Most rubbers you have a choice you can either generate loads of spin, sacrificing speed, or lots of speed, sacrificing spin. With Tenergy they have got the balance just right and you get the best of both worlds. Although it is not the fastest rubber out there it’s still a speed demon, thanks to its spring sponge, which makes it such a lethal weapon when combined with the spin possibilities. The best asset of Tenergy 05 is its looping but what makes it better than other rubbers is the speed you can generate with the loop, power looping is absolutely lethal. Power can be generated easily from short strokes but power can be generated so easily from this rubber it can be very effective from even the back of the court.
Spin - 9.5/10
Tenergy 05 generates bundles of rotation. It is one of the grabbiest non tacky rubbers I have ever played with. Not only is it the amount of spin that Tenergy 05 can generate at high speeds it is the sheer mechanical grip of the top-sheet that makes it a world class looping rubber. When playing a brushing shot you can generate loads of rotation and it barely ever looses grip no matter what angle you try. As a result serving with Tenergy 05 is also extremely good as it can generate so much spin at slow speeds. The top-sheet on Tenergy 05 is really the best I’ve seen and looping with this rubber is an absolute dream. When you strike the ball the rubber also gives a pronounced short arc which means you can play attacking shots than you wouldn’t dream of with other rubbers. Almost looping perfection!.
Control and Consistency - 7.5/10
I think partly the reason why I keep on going back to Tenergy 05 is its shot consistency. I can play the same shot 1000 times and it will always do the same thing which is very desirable in a rubber – it is completely stable. The consistency is absolutely spot on.
There are however a few downsides to Tenergy 05 control.
Incoming spin can be extremely difficult to handle. Because the rubber has extreme grip it is very sensitive to incoming spin and as a result the ball tends to have a very strong reaction on the rubber making it hard to control. This isn’t such a problem for pro’s as they have experience and top technique but if you are a beginner you could really struggle to control the oppositions incoming spin.
The other downside is the spring sponge and high throw angle. Tenergy 05 is a very bouncy rubber which aids you in attack but not in controlling shots like touches and blocks. You’ve got to have really good touch and technique to compensate for the high throw angle and bouncy nature of the rubber. This rubber is not an ideal choice for beginners.
Durability - 8.3/10
I have always regarded Butterfly products to be really high quality but they have really shown they’re pedigree with the Butterfly Tenergy 05 rubber. The quality is absolutely top notch. The topsheet grip is fantastic, it’s durable, it doesn’t easily perish, from what I hear from suppliers there is very rarely a bad sheet. Everything about this rubber screams quality and this is what makes it stand out above the rest in my opinion – it’s just sheer quality.
A lot of players state that Tenergy 05 isn’t as durable as other rubbers but I tend to disagree. Sure the speed glue effect soon wears off like all speed glue effect rubbers do but the aspect that lasts is that grabby topsheet. I had a 2 year old sheet of Tenergy 05 that out performed a 2 month old sheet of Joola Phenix hands down, which is very impressive. It is also a strong rubber that keeps its structural integrity when scuffed on the table as opposed to crumbling.
Other Key Attributes
Tenergy 05 is quite a heavy sheet of rubber and tends to make your blade very top heavy if you have maximum thickness on both sides
The throw angle of Tenergy 05 is very high.
Shot Selection
The only thing I find tricky using this rubber is power driving and smashing the ball. All Tenergy 05 wants to do is grip the ball and this makes it the perfect rubber for looping but when you come in for the kill I find myself making more mistakes than I would with other rubbers. I find it extremely hard to find the shot between heavy loop and the big ‘ole’ slap with Tenergy 05. At first I thought it was just my style and my technique when I tried other rubbers I could drive and smash effortlessly. As much as I can kill the point with heavy powerful loops it does bug me that I can’t just smash the ball effortlessly past the opponent like I can with some rubbers.
Overall - 9.4/10
Tenergy 05 spin and arc is just incredible and combined with its bouncy spring sponge power is a true weapon! If you are an attacker this is a rubber you definitely need to try at least once because there is a reason 90% or the world top players have it. Looping with this rubber is effortless, powerful and unbelievable. For me personally Tenergy 05 is the best rubber for looping in the world – hands down and in my opinion it is still the best rubber for attackers you can currently buy at the moment.
Here is one photo of the Butterfly Tenergy 05 rubber