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TableTennisDaily had the fantastic opportunity to review STIGA's latest Airoc Soft Rubber.

@Dan used the STIGA Emerald blade and @Tom used the STIGA Hybrid Wood blade in the review which looked at the STIGA Airoc Soft rubbers on both sides of their blades. The review looks at various techniques and a range of shots used in today's modern game of table tennis and also which types of players this rubber is suited to. The review also compares the soft rubber to the medium version of the Airoc series which we reviewed here.

Thanks to STIGA, Daniel Ives, Tom Maynard, and Kingfisher Table Tennis Club in the making of this review.


We hope you enjoyed this review, let us know what you think by posting below guys. Have you tried out the STIGA Airoc series yet? STIGA players Jean Michel Saive and Truls Moregardh (Winner of euro mini champs - Best 12 year old in Europe) are now using the Airoc medium rubber. Jens Lundquist is looking to change from his Calibra LT to the Airoc rubber.

Check out more TableTennisDaily Equipment Reviews here.
 
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wow. great review. you had a great sound when striking the ball. how do you think this rubber works with a slower blade? have you made that test or only with these two quick blades? im considering buying this rubber but not sure yet. i looking for this nice feel when playing and its hard to describe by words but i think many knows what i mean. could you recommend it?
 
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Excellent review as always Dan and Tom! You guys make every blade and rubber look good with your technique, so it's hard to decide which one to try. I already use the Airoc S on forehand but I'm thinking of changing my backhand rubber.

EDIT. I missed my question, haha. As I was saying, I'm thinking of changing my backhand rubber, does anyone have any suggestions? I'm looking for a soft rubber with great spin and great control. I'm thinking about using the Airoc S on both sides but I think it's to fast for my backhand.
 
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Stiga Airoc S rubber



Weight: 65 grams approx. (uncut)
Hardness: Soft
Speed: Off
Test Blades: Stiga Ebenholz 5 and Stiga Emerald VPS

After more than a week of waiting for the Airoc S, I got mine from the local distributor. I was really excited on this one more than the Airoc M because this one from what I have heard is spinnier than the M version. I tested the Airoc S longer with the Ebenholz 5 of mine which was only 84 grams. It felt really light even with the globe 999 National on the other side. I weighed the set up with both rubbers glued and it weighed only about 176 grams (approx.)



The Airoc S is identical to the Airoc M but with a softer sponge. If the Airoc M is like 45-47 degree in hardness in a euro rubber scale, the Airoc S is like a 40-42 degree euro rubber in terms of hardness. The Airoc S reminds me of the Aurus Sound but is more firm in hardness by a notch or 2.
When I started hitting drills with the Airoc S, the sound can be heard from the other room. It was very loud. The Airoc M is already a loud rubber, the Airoc S is even louder. It is louder than the Calibra LT Sound or any other rubbers from other brands that I have tried. If you check out one of the pictures in this post there is a side by side picture of the Airoc S (left side) and Airoc M (right side). You can see that the Airoc S has larger pores compared to the pores of the Airoc M.



Now for a side by side comparison with the Airoc M. I would compare them specifically according to their strengths and capabilities in order for people to understand their performance.

Speed

The Airoc M is slightly faster than the Airoc S. The Airoc S when compared to other brands seems like a faster and more firm Aurus Sound. Despite the soft sponge and feeling, the speed is there when you hit through the sponge. This is what I have experienced on the first few minutes of hitting forehand to forehand drives. The difference in speed between the 2 Airocs is really not that big but I tend to like the Airoc S better. Despite being soft, the Airoc S is not too mushy in terms of feel. It has this some sort of a little bit more of the needed firmness that you do not experience bottoming out or hitting the wood of the blade when you hit too much.

Control

Like the Airoc M, the S version has good control but much better than the former. In terms of blocking hard spin drives and loops, the S version is easier to use and block. Actually, it felt like the control is of a classic japanese rubber which is easy to use but the rebound speed of the ball on the blade seems fast enough. The Airoc M's rebound speed in blocking is faster significantly.

Spin

On the forehand using forehand loops, the Airoc S felt spinnier than the M version. I was looping the S version and my student says it is spinnier than the M version because the Airoc S was harder to block against with compared to the M version. The Airoc S produced a little more spin on delayed contact during loops compared to the Airoc M which for me was not so spinny. Still both the M and S versions, excel more on loops with off the bounce and peak timing contacts. If you hit the ball early or at its peak you will the amount of spin they have but I would rate the S version as spinnier. In terms of throw arc, the S version has a slightly higher arc when looping compared to the M version. Both rubbers are low to medium throw but with the Airoc S having a little higher arc.
If you will ask me what is the comparison in terms of spin, I would say it is equal or even spinnier than the Calibra Spin. The good thing about the Airoc S is that due to its sponge design it is even easier to produce spin compared to the Calibra Spin. The softer sponge of the S version seems to be the key in its spin generation. The softer sponge allowed me to hit through the sponge more therefore letting the topsheet and sponge grip and brush the ball more. On backhand loops, I think the M version was spinnier maybe it's because of the way I brush the ball in my backhand but still the S version was easier to attack with and spin with.

Surprisingly good potential

What I greatly noticed about the S version is that whenever I attack a short ball either with underspin or light topspin near the net, it has this built in accurate targeting system that enables me to accurately hit the ball either using a simple flick or a more aggressive and slapping kind of flick near the net. Drop shots were also good in that the bounce was not that high and was very easy to control.



So which is the one for you?

In my personal experience with these 2 very good rubbers, I prefer the S version on the forehand and the M version at the backhand most of the time. There are times on hard counters or if I spin drive a lot, I would choose the M version on the forehand. So if you drive and hit the ball more use the M version. I you want more spin and control get the S version. Surprisingly, I can live and play with both S versions on both sides as the S version is easier to use. Other people might like the M version on their forehands. All, in all I am happier with the S version.



I wish to thank www.pingpongonline.com, southeast asia's official distributor of Stiga products because they provided me the Airoc S rubber while waiting for mine. It was shipped this week and I'm still waiting for them to arrive.
 
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Dan

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Dan

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wow. great review. you had a great sound when striking the ball. how do you think this rubber works with a slower blade? have you made that test or only with these two quick blades? im considering buying this rubber but not sure yet. i looking for this nice feel when playing and its hard to describe by words but i think many knows what i mean. could you recommend it?

Thanks Gordan! I think this rubber will work well on a slower blade however I think it is more suited for a more harder, stiffer blade. We have only made the test with the Hybrid wood and the Emerald blade. Yeah I can recommend it definitely. It has a great feel and you can hit the ball hard maintaining good control.

Thanks for another nice review guys.
I'm gonna try the S for sure. Perhaps it can replace the Rasant Grip I am using.

(and a Dutch webshop has a really nice offer at this moment :)

Not to worry PingPong3r. Let us know how you find it once you have tried it, perhaps writing a small review/summary below.

Excellent review as always Dan and Tom! You guys make every blade and rubber look good with your technique, so it's hard to decide which one to try. I already use the Airoc S on forehand but I'm thinking of changing my backhand rubber.

EDIT. I missed my question, haha. As I was saying, I'm thinking of changing my backhand rubber, does anyone have any suggestions? I'm looking for a soft rubber with great spin and great control. I'm thinking about using the Airoc S on both sides but I think it's to fast for my backhand.

Thanks Rocketscientist, I understand your question. I think you should get the soft on your forehand first and then trial it on your backhand and see how it goes. I think this would be the safest bet. I don't think the rubber will disappoint your needs :)

Awesome work! So nice with a video review. Do you guys know if Jean Michel Saive plays with M or S?

Thank you Razz! According to STIGA and Stiga players Saive is currently using the M version yes.

Does anyone else think that Tom looked much sharper in this video review?
Maybe he was enjoying the rubber (or ball) more.
Dan what is Tom's view Airoc S?

Yeah I think he did to @Tinykin There was a spell where I didn't win a point for 10 minutes :D @Tom really enjoyed the rubber and is currently experimenting with various STIGA rubbers to find out which one best suits him.

How is it compared to the Tenergy FX?

I think their are similarities as both rubbers are in the soft category. Comparing to Tenergy is quite difficult as this Airoc rubber is pretty unique and is not to much like anything else. I would say both rubbers are similar in terms of speed. I think more control will be gathered from the Airoc S and more spin will be gathered from the Tenergy FX.

I think @yogi_bear can help you with comparisons :)
 
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Thank you Dan for your answer! I'll continue my search for my next rubber. Currently playing the Tenergy 05-FX but are getting kind of tired of it quite frankly. Also the price is tremendous, although now days almost every rubber is expensive.

Will you play with Airoc or will you stay with Tour? Btw, how come you play with STIGA material? Are you sponsored by them? Anyway you can help a brother out in getting a nit sponsorship? :rolleyes:
 

Dan

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Dan

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Thank you Dan for your answer! I'll continue my search for my next rubber. Currently playing the Tenergy 05-FX but are getting kind of tired of it quite frankly. Also the price is tremendous, although now days almost every rubber is expensive.

Will you play with Airoc or will you stay with Tour? Btw, how come you play with STIGA material? Are you sponsored by them? Anyway you can help a brother out in getting a nit sponsorship? :rolleyes:

No problems. Good luck in making a decision on what you will use. Let me know what you decide to do :)

At the moment I am using the Airoc Soft on my backhand and Calibra Tour on the forehand. Yes I am sponsored by Stiga as a coach so I get material for my coaching. If you contact your local distributor for sponsorship you may have a shot.
 
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