Chinese rubber for BH?

Hurricane_boss said:

Hi guys, so I am getting a hurricane 8 for my FH, but intend on keeping my H3 for my backhand, (btw im a modern penhold player) but my coach says I should get european rubber for my BH since you need more spin and bounciness , which made sense but I still prefer hitting hard and spinny so should I get new BH rubber or keep the H8? THx

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I am a modern penholder too. My BH is exclusively RPB. I had been using Xiom Vega Europe on BH. Wonderful control. Good balance between control and speed. Enough spin.

One day I slap a second hand Gewo Thunderball 2 on BH. WOW. It made such a huge difference. It's semi tacky. The spin it created (esp side spin when I loop) is dangerous. Plus I had become more confident in looping back spin with RPB.

When I saw Ma Long using H3 on #65 sponge. I tried H3 provincial 37 degree on BH. Another step up from Gewo. More tacky = more spin. And the sponge surprisingly provides speed equivalent to Xiom.

Recently got a H3-50 soft (37 degree) cheap from China. Plays even better. More control and spin than provincial, slightly less speed. So this is my BH weapon. Very dangerous.

So after all that experience I am very pro tacky rubber on BH. You can always try a H3 on your BH and see how it goes. But the hardness might be a bit too high. If you really like H3. Get a H3-50 soft. You won't be disappointed.

Passionate about TT

Hurricane_boss said:

alright thanks man! Always giving out helpful tips!

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Probably because we are both crazy about Hurricane!!!

Passionate about TT

TG3-60 is very similar to H3-50, but faster and I think overall works better. Just sayin'.

Hurricane_boss said:

Hi guys, so I am getting a hurricane 8 for my FH, but intend on keeping my H3 for my backhand, (btw im a modern penhold player) but my coach says I should get european rubber for my BH since you need more spin and bounciness , which made sense but I still prefer hitting hard and spinny so should I get new BH rubber or keep the H8? THx

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TG3-60 and H3-50 work well on BH and are cheap enough that they are worth a shot.

That said you might not want to dismiss your coach’s advice. A good coach knows how you play, and can point you towards equipment that works best for you.

More generally I doubt that a tacky backhand rubber is optimal for many players. In a nutshell, unless you’re having issues with ball slippage when counter looping, and compress the hard sponge on most shots outside of touch play and block, it’s probably not helping your game - except maybe as a learning tool. (Here’s an interesting take on why: https://thoughtsontabletennis.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/on-tacky-rubbers/ )

While I currently use a euro rubber for my RPB, which is Evolution FXS, I also like softer chinese also on the BH.

I don't particularly care for hard sponged rubbers on my BH.

Some softer still Chinese tacky rubbers I really like are.

Gambler Wrath - only comes in 2.15mm though.
or
729 Geospin Tacky - Could get max thickness or 2.0

Both of these rubbers are very similar. Real good grip & tack on the topsheet. Even when the tack wares off, the grip is just really good. And both come on a medium to medium-soft sponge. I simply like the feel they give more than hard sponged tacky Chinese rubbers.