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Hi all, recently saw Zeropong had a sweet deal going on where I could get a Gambler blade with 2 rubbers, case, and dry fit shirt for $55 US. I had been wanting to try a carbon blade and hinoki to see what all the hype is about, as well as Gambler's new generation of rubbers since they seem to have great feedback. I've only played once with this setup for 2 hours but will be playing Monday and will update this thread with better feedback and possibly video.
Background:
1350 USATT 2 wing looper that relies on serves and spin to score. Came back from a 1.5 year layoff and have been playing again for about a month or so at (what I, and others, feel is) a higher level than rating suggests. Main setup has been Dawei Matrix (5-ply with Limba outers) and 999T on both sides.
Burst Thor's Hammer Max (FH):
The rubber feels about the same hardness as 999T to the touch. If 999T is a 10/10 on tackiness and H3N is 5/10, Burst is an 8/10. Holds a ball for a few seconds upside down.
Serves have great spin and are pretty easy to control since the rubber isn't very bouncy. I found it a little easier to dig into the sponge than 999T when serving long, but overall I didn't have to adjust much. I found the same similarity in pushes and flicks as well, the short game of Burst is very similar to 999T in general. Good control.
Brush loops were great, no slippage whatsoever on thin contact and spin was more than enough to get the job done. As with all Chinese rubbers, throw is high when brushing the ball and control is good. Speed is good, but speed isn't what you're after when brush looping anyway.
Digging into the sponge is where Burst separates itself from 999T. Throw is medium (higher than 999T and maybe a touch lower than H3N) and there is significant power available. When going for stronger, more aggressive loops the speed and spin really ramps up and you can tell Burst is a modern Chinese rubber. You still have to provide the power, Burst won't turn weak loops deadly like Tenergy, but will reward good technique with some nasty loops. Looping underspin works just fine and the control of Burst lets you decide whether you want a safe brush loop or a more powerful loopdrive. I did step back to mid distance and Burst had plenty of power to keep pressure on in a looping rally.
Blocking at the table isn't bad - you have plenty of control but you don't exactly launch rockets back at your opponent. I don't really chop so I won't comment on that here.
Big Gun Thor's Hammer Max (BH):
This rubber feels similar to Burst in many ways, so I won't elaborate too terribly much. I think Thor's Hammer is a bit hard for backhand and found it hard to engage the sponge unless I was going for a balls-out loop. Then again, my backhand hasn't quite come back like my forehand has. Serves, flips, and pushes are very good with Big Gun. It's half tacky, just a bit less than H3N and will pick up a ball, but won't hold it. Opening loops had plenty of spin and I could place them well, but I wasn't engaging the sponge and speed was just OK. When I did get into the sponge, I found the rubber to be pretty fast. Faster than Burst and H3N. More to come on this after I play Monday, and I'll try it on FH too.
IM8 Hinoki (FL)
The first thing that stood out to me with this blade when warming up was that it feels like an all wood blade. Off center hits felt like off center hits and were pretty dead but the ball flew when hitting the sweet spot. When I started looping I noticed the blade has better dwell feel than my Matrix and I had great control. Still felt like a wood blade though. Then I played a match and went for an aggressive loop and was freaking impressed at the speed. I didn't need to rip my loops to get my opponents back on their heels as long as I had good body rotation.
Overall I'm really impressed with the setup and am excited to see how it feels as I get used to it more. Hopefully photos and video to come.
Background:
1350 USATT 2 wing looper that relies on serves and spin to score. Came back from a 1.5 year layoff and have been playing again for about a month or so at (what I, and others, feel is) a higher level than rating suggests. Main setup has been Dawei Matrix (5-ply with Limba outers) and 999T on both sides.
Burst Thor's Hammer Max (FH):
The rubber feels about the same hardness as 999T to the touch. If 999T is a 10/10 on tackiness and H3N is 5/10, Burst is an 8/10. Holds a ball for a few seconds upside down.
Serves have great spin and are pretty easy to control since the rubber isn't very bouncy. I found it a little easier to dig into the sponge than 999T when serving long, but overall I didn't have to adjust much. I found the same similarity in pushes and flicks as well, the short game of Burst is very similar to 999T in general. Good control.
Brush loops were great, no slippage whatsoever on thin contact and spin was more than enough to get the job done. As with all Chinese rubbers, throw is high when brushing the ball and control is good. Speed is good, but speed isn't what you're after when brush looping anyway.
Digging into the sponge is where Burst separates itself from 999T. Throw is medium (higher than 999T and maybe a touch lower than H3N) and there is significant power available. When going for stronger, more aggressive loops the speed and spin really ramps up and you can tell Burst is a modern Chinese rubber. You still have to provide the power, Burst won't turn weak loops deadly like Tenergy, but will reward good technique with some nasty loops. Looping underspin works just fine and the control of Burst lets you decide whether you want a safe brush loop or a more powerful loopdrive. I did step back to mid distance and Burst had plenty of power to keep pressure on in a looping rally.
Blocking at the table isn't bad - you have plenty of control but you don't exactly launch rockets back at your opponent. I don't really chop so I won't comment on that here.
Big Gun Thor's Hammer Max (BH):
This rubber feels similar to Burst in many ways, so I won't elaborate too terribly much. I think Thor's Hammer is a bit hard for backhand and found it hard to engage the sponge unless I was going for a balls-out loop. Then again, my backhand hasn't quite come back like my forehand has. Serves, flips, and pushes are very good with Big Gun. It's half tacky, just a bit less than H3N and will pick up a ball, but won't hold it. Opening loops had plenty of spin and I could place them well, but I wasn't engaging the sponge and speed was just OK. When I did get into the sponge, I found the rubber to be pretty fast. Faster than Burst and H3N. More to come on this after I play Monday, and I'll try it on FH too.
IM8 Hinoki (FL)
The first thing that stood out to me with this blade when warming up was that it feels like an all wood blade. Off center hits felt like off center hits and were pretty dead but the ball flew when hitting the sweet spot. When I started looping I noticed the blade has better dwell feel than my Matrix and I had great control. Still felt like a wood blade though. Then I played a match and went for an aggressive loop and was freaking impressed at the speed. I didn't need to rip my loops to get my opponents back on their heels as long as I had good body rotation.
Overall I'm really impressed with the setup and am excited to see how it feels as I get used to it more. Hopefully photos and video to come.
