Experience with some other Loki rubbers - Arthur China, GTX Pro (inc)

[hclnnkhg]

I also played 2 tournaments yesterday with LAC and RXTON 9.

The RXTON 9 was very nice for my FH, felt really good and gave me complete confidence in the rubber.
The LAC on the otherhand, was really not for me. Normally my BH loops and openups are my biggest strength, but with the LAC it became a weakness. I had no feeling with the rubber, and it also seemed to lack a lot of grip.
I had about 10 balls where i just looked dumbfounded at the rubber after a loop that didnt clear the net, it really made no sense at all.

For the afternoon tournament i changed sides, playing with the LAC in FH, and RXTON 9 on BH. The RXTON 9 worked suprisingly well on my BH as well, much better than the LAC. Not really a fan of the LAC on the FH either.

So never buying LAC again, RXTON 9 there is a good chance i might stick with it.

So LAC didn't work for you on FH or BH, what rubbers do you usually play with and prefer?

 

[tomahawk11]

Did you boost Rxton9? What blade did you use? Also what its your usual BH rubber?

Yes, 2 layers of seamoon. The blade is xiom TMXi pro and normally i play H3 neo both sides, 39 on FH and 38 on BH

 

[Attitude]

Yes, 2 layers of seamoon. The blade is xiom TMXi pro and normally i play H3 neo both sides, 39 on FH and 38 on BH

Weird you cant play with LAC on bh then. H3 37 and 38 does feel somewhat alike in terms of hardness and bounce.
But it is way easier to generate powerfull shots with H3. With LAC you definitly have to work harder. That might actually be the main reason why i will make a switch at some point.
Anyway for now i can flick and control almost everything with it, and that makes it so valuable for me.

 

[mattlamperouge]

Weird you cant play with LAC on bh then. H3 37 and 38 does feel somewhat alike in terms of hardness and bounce.
But it is way easier to generate powerfull shots with H3. With LAC you definitly have to work harder. That might actually be the main reason why i will make a switch at some point.
Anyway for now i can flick and control almost everything with it, and that makes it so valuable for me.

You are talking about full BH loops or in general? I played with boosted H3 37 and its great to lift backspin and close to the table shots, but for blocking, drives & punchs etc i think Lac Is easier.

I Guess i should test H3 37 on this blade to get a better opinion on the overall felling.

 

[Attitude]

You are talking about full BH loops or in general? I played with boosted H3 37 and its great to lift backspin and close to the table shots, but for blocking, drives & punchs etc i think Lac Is easier.

I Guess i should test H3 37 on this blade to get a better opinion on the overall felling.

More like in general.
And i totally agree. The only advantage i had with H3 were the weaker, more cautious shots. They still had some impact and use, while lac let them fall of the racket

 

[mattlamperouge]

More like in general.
And i totally agree. The only advantage i had with H3 were the weaker, more cautious shots. They still had some impact and use, while lac let them fall of the racket

I Guess its the difference in grip or tackiness for those types of low power shots? So are you still Liking LAC due to overall performance without the need to boost? Seems like you rank other rubbers higher, so it must be price/performance, Stability etc to make sense. Im Liking Rxton9 More for the FH, even without additional boosting, i like the overall felling & quality, speed its fine & spin/control Is great. It also sounds awesome when hitting hard lol

 

[Attitude]

I Guess its the difference in grip or tackiness for those types of low power shots? So are you still Liking LAC due to overall performance without the need to boost? Seems like you rank other rubbers higher, so it must be price/performance, Stability etc to make sense. Im Liking Rxton9 More for the FH, even without additional boosting, i like the overall felling & quality, speed its fine & spin/control Is great. It also sounds awesome when hitting hard lol

Nah, my guess is the boosted and softer sponge.

Yeah that, and the fact that i can control almost everything with it on my bh. I mean i could go back to Moon blue 12 for that matter, but the soft version i had, had a speed ceiling i reached way too easy, so my shots were too slow in the end. If i hit enough, i can hit way harder shots with lac.

I agree with your experience on rxton 9. I just have to get used to its dynamic part. For example countering topspins is easy if you hit calm and controlled. But the moment i start hitting as hard as im used to, i hit my shots way too far over the table. I will train with it this week and see if i can reach the level i have with lac. If that is the case i probably make the switch.

Btw @longle are you still kicking with Moon Blue 12 on your bh?

 

[longle]

Nah, my guess is the boosted and softer sponge.

Yeah that, and the fact that i can control almost everything with it on my bh. I mean i could go back to Moon blue 12 for that matter, but the soft version i had, had a speed ceiling i reached way too easy, so my shots were too slow in the end. If i hit enough, i can hit way harder shots with lac.

I agree with your experience on rxton 9. I just have to get used to its dynamic part. For example countering topspins is easy if you hit calm and controlled. But the moment i start hitting as hard as im used to, i hit my shots way too far over the table. I will train with it this week and see if i can reach the level i have with lac. If that is the case i probably make the switch.

Btw @longle are you still kicking with Moon Blue 12 on your bh?

yes I am now sticking to Bloom Power and Moon 12 Blue combo, it gives me so much stability to win a lot of matches recently against higher ranking players. I don't lack speed since I have a beast of a blade - Dynasty Carbon and they complement each other very well. They last super long too, so I stock some more sheets to make sure they won't be out of stock the next months lol (the Blooms are all ITTF approved)

 

[TensorBackhand]

yes I am now sticking to Bloom Power and Moon 12 Blue combo, it gives me so much stability to win a lot of matches recently against higher ranking players. I don't lack speed since I have a beast of a blade - Dynasty Carbon and they complement each other very well. They last super long too, so I stock some more sheets to make sure they won't be out of stock the next months lol (the Blooms are all ITTF approved)
View attachment 27025

Good choice. These 2 rubbers are on my A-tier

 

[Attitude]

yes I am now sticking to Bloom Power and Moon 12 Blue combo, it gives me so much stability to win a lot of matches recently against higher ranking players. I don't lack speed since I have a beast of a blade - Dynasty Carbon and they complement each other very well. They last super long too, so I stock some more sheets to make sure they won't be out of stock the next months lol (the Blooms are all ITTF approved)
View attachment 27025

Hm maybe i have to revisit it at some point in a higher hardness. I mean i had medium soft which should be waaaaay softer than yours and therefore too easy to bottom out in terms of speed.

Sadly i only have one shop available that has your hardness degree,

 

[longle]

Hm maybe i have to revisit it at some point in a higher hardness. I mean i had medium soft which should be waaaaay softer than yours and therefore too easy to bottom out in terms of speed.

Sadly i only have one shop available that has your hardness degree,

yes the H- version is well balanced, but still required hitting through the sponge to send the ball to the opponent's side. I can imagine softer version may hit the net more often

 

[Zwill]

I also have a H- Moon Blue laying around which I ordered when it got heavily discounted. I will try it out sometime. Probably my ordered Rxton 9 will arrive today too, so I will glue these on my Yinhe D715 "Golden Viscaria clone" blade.

The H- feels significantly harder than a 47deg ESN or Jap rubber, less bouncy etc etc.

 

[Attitude]

yes the H- version is well balanced, but still required hitting through the sponge to send the ball to the opponent's side. I can imagine softer version may hit the net more often

Actually i never had the issue clearing the net. It was more an issue of speed. Even hitting through was not seriously fast enough to pressure my teammates.
Hitting through the sponge was actually quite easy, but that would be the main reason why you bottom out really fast with medium soft. I could easily see how you create way faster bh shots with your hardness version.

Well anyway, that will have to wait. Because switching my bh now too, would cause more issues than it would actually solve^^

 

[longle]

Actually i never had the issue clearing the net. It was more an issue of speed. Even hitting through was not seriously fast enough to pressure my teammates.
Hitting through the sponge was actually quite easy, but that would be the main reason why you bottom out really fast with medium soft. I could easily see how you create way faster bh shots with your hardness version.

Well anyway, that will have to wait. Because switching my bh now too, would cause more issues than it would actually solve^^

yes, the Moon 12 H- may suits me and my blade, my style really well but maybe it won't suit yours. Maybe give it a try when you have the chance

 

[M4rc0H]

Thats interesting...i glued mine without boosting to a V7rs blade & speed wise it plays & feels like a boosted h3, i have a month old Lac on the other side & the speed its pretty close, a little bit harder/less bouce.

Spin its great even though it isnt extreamly Tacky. It can lift the ball for a couple seconds, a bit tackier than my LAC, Reactor thunder its tackier.

Yesterday i hitted some amazing shots vs underspin, i had that new rubber placebo effect lol, i just felt i couldnt miss.

Counter topspin close to the table felt great too. Touch play & serving Is easy like other Tacky topsheets.

Overall i had a great first impresion, i think with one or 2 More layers of seamoon it should play even better, topsheet seems of great quality.
Tomorrow i will use it on a tournament, i will report how it goes.

After three more training sessions I have to correct my first feeling about the Rxton 9.
In fact, the unboosted R9 is faster than a unboosted H3N. The tackiness is also a bit higher. I also find it easier to play with the R9, especially attacking vs underspin.
But what I'm most excited about so far is the quality of the topsheet. I always had problems very quickly with the H3N rubber in terms of oxidation. The surface looked like shit very quickly. With the R9 I do not see the hint of it.

 

[disaster3]

is r9 really worth spending $44 per sheets comparing to h3neo BS? I can buy it for $44 from AliExpress and am thinking whether it worth?

 

[TensorBackhand]

is r9 really worth spending $44 per sheets comparing to h3neo BS? I can buy it for $44 from AliExpress and am thinking whether it worth?

Maybe just get the H3 for the "real" thing.

Get the R9 if you want to be original.

 

[mattlamperouge]

is r9 really worth spending $44 per sheets comparing to h3neo BS? I can buy it for $44 from AliExpress and am thinking whether it worth?

Rxton9 has great quality but i think for now price should be around $40 with shipping at most, on Loki official they list it at $36 with $3 shipping to argentina for example. Another store has it for $28... Are you able to buy a Real H3 National Blue sponge for that price from a reputable store without risk of fake rubber?

 

[lodro]

Are you able to buy a Real H3 National Blue sponge for that price

So you think that quality and performance of R9 is right up there with
H3 National ?

 

[Emin]

I got mine for 29 Euros and can get it for around 36 now. Maybe for less with special offers or sales.
I have no interest in any other forehand rubbers.
Maybe next offseason or if my R9 become significantly worse.
I didnt try H3 National.
I honestly dont know what it would give me that I dont have right now.