[REVIEW] Butterfly Viscaria with DHS Hurricane 3 Blue Sponge and Stiga Boost TX

Butterfly Viscaria paired with DHS Hurricane 3 Blue Sponge and Stiga Boost TX.

Hello TTD!
It is again time for another equipment review. Sorry it is again in text, but next time surely I will do video reviews.
It has been more than a month since I purchased this table tennis combination (bought it last May 2014) and have used it for training and two competition events, one is a local competition and the ITTF GAC Tour Challenge Series in our country.

I will be reviewing the following:
Butterfly Viscaria
DHS Hurricane 3 Blue Sponge
Stiga Boost TX


I am a university player and part of our table tennis team. I am playing this sport for 9 years, but I only got serious this college because they have better equipment and better coaching in our university here than when I'm in high school. Anyway, I mostly used Chinese rubbers for my FH and Japanese rubbers for BH. I play mostly all-round but with big emphasis for finishing the point through FH drives and topspins. Also, placement is very important to me. However, the usage of Chinese rubbers for FH have given me more disadvantages than benefits. Actually, this will be the last time I will use Chinese rubbers for FH because it really requires being fit and good training to utilise such a monster rubber. Well, I am no Fan Zhendong nor Ma Long so mastering Chinese rubbers is really difficult and I believe if you did not start early in table tennis using Chinese rubbers then it can be pretty hard to use them. IMHO, Chinese rubbers should be used with great physical trainings as well as table tennis trainings. But unfortunately, I do not have enough time and the level of intensity required to master them. But it's okay.

Anyway! Back to the topic...


Butterfly Viscaria

Butterfly Viscaria comes in a blue plastic box. In terms of presentation and looks it is neat, but I have to admit that Xiom packaging are much more professional-looking, especially if you have invested a lot of money for a blade. Characters are in Japanese.

The Butterfly Viscaria that I have is Flared. Sorry I cannot give you the weight because I don't have equipment to measure it. The Viscaria is a 7-ply blade consisting of 5 wood plies and two Arylate-Carbon layers. However, I'm no woodworker so I can't determine the exact composition of plies. But according to forum reviews, it is the same with Timo Boll Spirit and Timo Boll ALC in composition.


The Viscaria is sitted in a slanted blue box. It is very simple, yet good looking. You have to slide the blade out from the handle to remove it from the box.


At the bottom of the blade handle is the new silver butterfly tag. The old one is bronze. One can see the heat-pressed J.T.T.A.A. stamp.

Viscaria is generally regarded as softer in feeling than the Timo Boll Spirit and much more than the Timo Boll ALC. It is older than the two blades. Some forum reviews say Viscaria is faster off table but slower at the table. I cannot confirm nor deny this. I have played with a Timo Boll ALC, but I did not find sufficient evidence in the gap of speed. However, the Viscaria is softer indeed than the ALC. I think the difference in speed is based on weight as well as weight distribution. Viscaria is a bit head-heavy than the TB ALC since it is older than the ALC and that the ALC is pretty much updated to be used with heavier rubbers such as the Tenergies.


Viscaria's blade face is almost without sealant unlike the TB ALC. This may result in higher tendency to splinter than with TB ALC. However, the blade finish is smooth.


The handle is smooth unlike in Stiga blades. Xiom Ignito, the one I used before TB ALC also has a smooth finish that can rival Butterfly.

Compared to TB ALC and Xiom Ignito which has a boxy handle, the Viscaria is wider and flatter. It gives a very good grip when flicking especially in backhand opening flicks. However, I like more the boxy handle of TB ALC. The one thing that bothered me with the ALC is that I felt the handle is shorter than the Viscaria. For general usage based on handle I would pick TB ALC. In blade head-to-handle balance, I prefer the ALC than the Viscaria, especially when using heavy rubbers such as Chinese rubbers.

DHS Hurricane 3 Blue Sponge Provincial

The rubber packaging is quite nice. With embossed characters. [WARNING: I have doubts about this rubber as I've read that provincial and national rubbers can only be given/sold by a Chinese provincial/national team players or coaches and much of the rubbers that are sold commercially that indicate provincial and national are fakes. I believe this is one of them. However, it plays much better than the commercial orange sponge ones.]

The DHS Hurricane 3 Blue Sponge is in 2.2mm sponge thickness. It is said that Hurricane 3 generally have higher throw than Hurricane 2 and I can confirm this because I've played with both. However, this is the first time I've played with a blue sponge. Blue Sponges are generally firmer but have better feel than orange sponge. They tend to be faster than orange sponges.


The blue sponge rubber has a thickness of 2.2mm and 39 degrees of hardness based on DHS scale. This sponge is the #20 sponge that is older than the one the current team uses. This sponge is said to be used with speed gluing.


The sponge is dense, much denser than with tensors. It has a lighter shade of blue and looks real nice.

This rubber lays flat when new, but I managed to have it dome a little by applying 3 thin coats of baby oil. Although this is the first time that I've seen a Chinese rubber dome just by applying baby oil to sponge. I've tried this same method to my orange sponge Hurricane 2 and 2 Neo rubbers but to no avail. Anyway, here it is after applying baby oil to sponge.


A noticeable dome after 3 thin coats of baby oil to the sponge. Note that I put it when brand new.

Generally, blue sponges are softer than orange sponges that allows for better feel. I think it was a mistake putting 3 layers of baby oil to this rubber because it became really soft, not like FX tensor kind of soft but a little too soft for a Chinese rubber. For the topsheet, the usual tackiness of Chinese rubbers is really there but not that tacky compared to my orange sponge Hurricane 2 and Hurricane 2 Neo, but it is not that far in tackiness, maybe just a 15% difference. When brand new, it really collects dirt fast.


Removing the plastic cover leaves the rubber open to dirt. And the tackiness really attracts more dirt than with tensors or the Tenergies.

Stiga Boost TX

The Stiga Boost TX is the last version of the Boost family rubbers.

Stiga Boost TX is one of the quickest rubbers I've tried. Really quicker than my Donic Baracuda. The Boost series is the series before the Calibra rubbers. A popular rubber from this series is the Boost TP. The TX is the last version of the Boost series. The rubber I purchased was in 2.0 sponge thickness. But I guess that it plays better when in max thickness. When brand new, the rubber is covered by a paper much like in Butterfly rubbers.


The paper covering the rubber can be cut and can cover the rubber when inside a case.


The Boost TX has a yellow sponge. Comparing to Donic Baracuda, they are quite alike, with the latter having a darker shade. Pinching the sponge feels they are the same in density or have little difference.

Boost TX has a grippy topsheet. But not in league from the grip of the Baracuda. IMHO, Baracuda is one of the most grippiest rubbers out there, it's like a European counterpart of H2. The top sheet of the TX is supple compared to Baracuda. I think this rubber has better speed capabilities than spin.


Serving - FH Excellent, BH Excellent
Serving with the setup is good. FH services are easy to make thanks to the Hurricane 3 blue sponge. With the H3 I can serve really short and very spinny. But the softer sponge of the H3 degrades the speed when I serve a sudden down-the-line topspin. BH serve is also good but not quite spiny. However, I was surprised that even though Boost TX is a tensor, I can really control its serving abilities. Thanks to the 2.0 sponge, I guess. Serving was also helped by the softness of the Viscaria. And when using fast serves, the carbon kicks in and ups the speed.

Blocking - FH Good, BH Excellent
Aggressive blocking with H3 is okay. But with passive blocking, you can not use the speed of your opponent (in here tensors are best). In the BH wing, the Boost TX really shines. The low throw of the rubber helps in blocking topspin shots of my opponents. And the speed is really there. Punch blocks are superb. I can block all day from my training partner. I feel that when used in Max it becomes much more aggressive without losing too much control. Blocking is very aggressive thanks to Viscaria. This is a blocking machine.



Touch - FH Excellent, BH Excellent
For touch and control shots, I think Chinese rubbers are unbeaten. And in here the H3 shines. You can direct the ball to anywhere one wants. Adding spin also while doing control shots is easy especially when dealing with floating balls. Just add a bit of wrist action. However, you cannot do this with the Boost TX. Although the TX is also good for touch shots, mainly because of the 2.0 sponge, the TX is bouncier than the H3. But I rated it excellent because it is really controllable.

Looping- FH Excellent, BH Good
FH looping is really excellent. The high throw of Viscaria and the H3 helps in playing against choppers. Counterlooping is also excellent. Compared to orange sponge, the H3 blue sponge is easier to use and have much more power. Even when I do not stretch my arms when counter looping, the ball still lands on the table with much spin! For BH, the Boost TX is okay. If low throw looping is your thing, it can be a dangerous rubber. However, when I'm not in a good position to recover for an incoming backspin shot, I tend to BH loop it and the low throw does not help here. You have to work yourself more, even with the Viscaria having high throw. I still prefer however Donic Baracuda in BH looping because of its high throw and spin!

Durability - FH Excellent, BH Mediocre
Usually, Chinese rubbers are almost indestructible. And H3 is no exception. However, Stiga Boost TX is not so good in terms of durability. This was the first time that I had a rubber cut, it is almost 4mm in length. I got it from hitting the edge of the table LIGHTLY. It was a BH looping drill, I misjudged the distance of the ball and went on BH looping it but stopped midway and hit the table. I swear it was not a strong hit. And there I was, shocked because of the rubber cut! It was shaped "V' and it started to come off from the rubber. To think that minutes later will be my match! And that was when I participated in the ITTF GAC Tour Challenge Series in our country last May! Actually, the "flap" from the rubber cut prompted me to use my coach's racket because the ITTF officials are strict in checking the rubber surface.

And that's it! Thank you for reading the review!


P.S. This setup is already sold. I am in search now of a new setup. It will be my final setup to be used for the last two playing seasons, because I'm graduating this year from the university. Hopefully I can continue to play in law school.

vamosromil said:

Where did you get the blue sponge?
I tried but couldn't get anywhere.

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I got it from a seller in Facebook. But I think mine was fake. I've tried one if my coaches H3 orange sponge that his friend gave from China and it was much more faster than the blue sponge. He said that his was the real thing and I couldn't agree more. Be careful when buying online, lots of fakes especially blue sponges. I already expected this before buying so it's okay, I just want to try blue sponges even if the fakes only play a fraction of the real thing. Haha


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TurboZ said:

Any doubt on the authenticity of that H3? The prints on front just does not seem right. Lines are too thick and not sharply define etc.

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Yes. I have indicated it in the review that mine was definitely fake... But it's okay for me. Just want to try them blue sponges, hehe. Just a concern is that when I played in the ITTF GAC tour, it was accepted. I don't know, is there a rule against fake rubbers?


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Alborz said:

I seems like you like the fake version. Imagine what you can do with the original one!

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Haha. But I have to admit that I do not have high percentages of winning shots using Chinese rubbers, I guess my style of play is not suited to them, really. I have better play with Japanese rubbers or even tensors. I guess japanese rubbers are easier to use thus I can focus more on technique. Not to say that Chinese rubbers are bad, they are good! on par with the tensors and japanese rubbers, but it is not for me.

Dan said:

That is one hell of a review! Very nice! I like the pictures you have taken to they are fantastic! I would love to try that provincial DHS Hurricane 3 of yours, you've made it good with that oil! Do you always use this setup or experimenting?



Which World Tour did you play in, what was the process when they took your bat for review, they didn't pick up your boost on the Hurricane 3 then..

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Thanks! I enjoyed making the review. Hopefully, I can also do video review like you guys, albeit not at the same playing levels like you. hehe

Regarding the oil, it was my mistake really to use baby oil to soften the sponge abit, I totally forgot that it can be dangerous because the ITTF officials may detect it. I do not want to boost the rubber, just soften the sponge. But anyway, the day after I put the oil, I immediately removed the rubber and aired it. I was extremely worried because I only have 3 days before the tournament! Luckily, the smell was removed.

I participated in the Challenge series. This is the first time actually for our country to have an ITTF sanctioned event. Anyway, before the match time, maybe 15-20 mins before match time, you have to present the racket to the designated officials from your playing table. I remember the officials made just visual inspection, then they put my racket inside a paper envelope then passed it to another official from the racket control area. The racket control area was covered so I did not see what they did with my racket, I can enter, but I did not and just did warming exercises for my match.

Now, my concern is that, if my rubber was fake, why were the officials not rejected it? My theory is that the ITTF relies on the rubber codes as seen on the website, but rubber codes can be easily copied and faked to imitate the original one. Or is there any rule at all against fake rubbers? I personally wouldn't want to play fake rubbers, but I was not sure back then of my rubber to be fake.

Dan said:

Awesome stuff! Looking forward to your future reviews with videos. I'am impressed with your written review, very in-depth and insightful for the reader with great comparisons.

Yes I understand, I think the Hurricane 3 needs to be a little softened to make it playable. And ah I see now thank you. I hope you enjoyed the challenger series, I wish you the best of luck in your future events

Hopefully some equipment specialists here can answer your question regarding the fakes. My guess is that the fakes can have the correct codes etc. Just a thought. How did you find and play with your rubber in the tournament, felt good?

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Thank you! I am glad you appreciate the review.

I played fine with the setup. The control on both wings is very good. When I played against Sambei from Japan, the tacky nature and the hardness of the H3 really helped in making spinny serves that we're close to the net. They were very short indeed, I think the shortest serves I have done! Haha. I serve short because I was against high level players so to avoid them attacking long serves. The Boost TX also played great, although I had trouble in spinning with it, it really is a blocking rubber in that match. Unfortunately, they were too high level players that I lost 4 sets, but now I know their spins! That was the first time I have played with international players but next time I can prepare better for them.


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Butt Stallion said:

hey buddy, your blue sponge is fake, im sorry for you. The writings are tooo thick and the stamp too. Take a commercial sheet and compare the writing of Hurricane topsheet with it, it is very very easy to identify.

best regards

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Yes, I am now aware of that. But now I have sold the setup. I just tested that setup, it was fun. hehe
But anyway that will be my last Chinese sheet. I have to admit that I play better with japanese rubbers and tensors. So i'm going back to those rubbers. My problem now is what blade to buy with the same speed than Viscaria and TB ALC, but I will now go to all wood blades. Any recommendations? I am eyeing Stiga Clipper, either CR or Classic but don't know if they have the same speed as Viscaria.

Butt Stallion said:

Stiga makes the best all wood blades in my opinion. For you I would go with the Hardwood series, Ebenholz V and Rosewood V and XO are the best choices right now.
They have an incredible large sweetspot, better than the Infinity or the YEO. It depends on the rubber which is the best, for medium to soft rubbers Ebenholz V, otherwise Rosewood V or XO. The Rw V has more self power and "vibrates" a little bit more (softer touch also) the Rw XO is a little bit harder and especially at the end the fastest of the Hardwood blades.

You dont really need a 7ply blade, especially not for euro/jap rubbers, a Rosewood V should be fast enough with 2 Tenergys

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Thank you for your response! Those are nice recommendations, but in my country, they are a bit pricey. I can actually buy a brand new TB ALC with the price of the Rosewood V. I have limited my choice to these three: Stiga Clipper Classic, Clipper CR, Infinity VPS V. All non-WRB, because I hate WRB. And you got it right that I would pair them with Tenergys. hehe. Which one of the three would you recommend? And have you tried any of the three blades?

So much thank you!