Dignics 09c longevity

[NetProphet]

I play on average 8-10 hours a week. D09c is great for about 2 weeks, after that the sponge loses a bit of spring but remains pretty good for I actually don't know how long because the topsheet will wear out first. The topsheet is solid at least for my level for about 1-2 months, after that it's like @Serg said, it starts to fail with finer brushing strokes at increasing rate. I've used it for up to 4 months, but as my level increases it's starting to get hard to make it to 3 months.

I have a sheet that's 3 mths old now and no deterioration whatsoever.

If it lost something after the first 2 wks then I didn't notice as I was still getting used to it then.
At 8-10 hrs a week you do play twice as much as me though so maybe what you notice at 2 mths I'll notice at 4, and your failure at 4 mths may take 8 for me...

Tbh I am really hoping to get a year from it but maybe that's a bit optimistic.
Your experience is almost opposite of Cadoia (appx same weekly hrs play as you) but I reckon level and how hard we hit probably does comes into it too.....
I'll post again at 6 mths after I see how it is but if it's dropped off then I'll be switching to D05, it seems to last longer by most accounts

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

it is not accurate to use only hours to measure how long the rubber lasts, as everyone is different.
you could be a light hitter and hit forever, and the rubber will be like, are you hitting at all.
its about wear and tear and if you aren't doing much, it would last longer and if you are a hard hitter, after 40 hours, the rubbers will be asking to be replaced.

but you also need to factor in weather conditions
oxidation
sweat
etc

most benchmark on rubbers is 80-120 hours, the range is big for different conditions
but oxidation is also a problem for those that use rubbers for longer. Similar to temperature over time.

I would suggest to balance enjoyment and budget.
its not about finding the cheapest rubber and factor in durability (unless you are on a tight budget).
If you a hobby player, then maybe don't spend too much money (ie less than 5 hours a week to me is hobby, some might put it at 3, or 2 hours a week).

if you are doing 5 to 10 hours a week, or more, then you putting a lot of your "free time" into the sport, so get something you will enjoy. You are investing in yourself, and your enjoyment.

Unless you have a very terrible issue on durability (like K3 rubber has), then I see no reason to change, because changing - you might be spending more money in the short run to just find the correct rubber. Unless you are EJ and changing equipment is enjoyment too.

In general, Butterfly rubbers has better durability and consistency, but they are also heavily marked up, on what is actually very low production cost.

 

[RefereeNumber2]

I play on average 5 days a week for 2-4hrs each, so probably an average of 15 hours per week. For me D09c (I use it on forehand) is noticeably different from new after a week of play, maybe less. There isn't a sudden drop-off, but when I recently compared a 1-2 week-old sheet to a new one I put on my spare blade, it was noticeably softer/bouncier feeling. At that point it is still a very good rubber, and some may even prefer the "broken-in" D09c to the brand new one. The topsheet starts showing visible wear in the sweet-spot usually within a week.

It gradually gets worse (losing grip and surface tightness) after that and the longest I've gone is a little over 2 months before I felt like I needed to replace it. It's not completely unplayable beyond that point, but for me I'd rather bite the bullet and minimize the amount of adjustment required to get used to the feeling of a new sheet again. It would probably last a bit longer on backhand, since it wouldn't take as much of a heavy beating (I think hard counter-topspins are really the biggest culprit in wearing out the rubber).

I've talked to other players at my club who use it, and some who play less aggressively can use it comfortably for ~3 months. There's one guy who plays it even after it's completely worn out and dead, but he basically only smashes the ball so I guess it doesn't bother him.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I play on average 5 days a week for 2-4hrs each, so probably an average of 15 hours per week. For me D09c (I use it on forehand) is noticeably different from new after a week of play, maybe less. There isn't a sudden drop-off, but when I recently compared a 1-2 week-old sheet to a new one I put on my spare blade, it was noticeably softer/bouncier feeling. At that point it is still a very good rubber, and some may even prefer the "broken-in" D09c to the brand new one. The topsheet starts showing visible wear in the sweet-spot usually within a week.

It gradually gets worse (losing grip and surface tightness) after that and the longest I've gone is a little over 2 months before I felt like I needed to replace it. It's not completely unplayable beyond that point, but for me I'd rather bite the bullet and minimize the amount of adjustment required to get used to the feeling of a new sheet again. It would probably last a bit longer on backhand, since it wouldn't take as much of a heavy beating (I think hard counter-topspins are really the biggest culprit in wearing out the rubber).

I've talked to other players at my club who use it, and some who play less aggressively can use it comfortably for ~3 months. There's one guy who plays it even after it's completely worn out and dead, but he basically only smashes the ball so I guess it doesn't bother him.

I think your experience is about 80% of the case out there.

in the semi pro space, it is about 2 to 3 weeks, or say between 80 to 120 hours.
But we have training setup and match setup, match setup will always be new rubbers.
while older rubbers for training

 

[Kobehan27]

When they say it only last 2-3 months, I assume this is because they don’t consistently clean the 09c and use protective sheets. I have a pair of 09c that I put on 6 months ago and it is still very much tacky. I have another 09c (red) on a blade I sold to a friend 1.5 years ago and it is still tacky, as they followed my recommendation on maintenance (PLEASE use the ORIGINAL sticky/thin protective sheet it comes with as many throw this out & use butterfly’s SPIN REFRESH kit after every use).

Reading some of the previous comments to which I agree, I much rather prefer the broken in 09c rubbers after about 1.5 months of use. I play 5 times a week averaging 3 hours each night (15 hr/week or 60 hr/month). I feel like my 09c rubbers are actually getting tackier from its original state as it’s broken in now and it coinciding with the cooler indoor temperatures as the season is getting warmer (less humidity means more tackiness imo).

I truly think paying $85 for these 09c is much rather worth it in the long run if you take care of it compared to the likes of K3. I put in 360 hours of use already and it still has so much spin. I consider myself on the upper bracket of beginners level (1250 USATT) so I can’t tell if the sponge is degrading but these rubbers are able to hold the ball for more than 5 seconds!

I delved into the journey as a EJ and loved reading all the vast information on here before making my many purchases lol, so sorry for the ramble as this is my first post here on TTD!

 

[NoSpin]

I wonder how much avg ESN rubber lasts for guys who manage to kill 09c in 2 month.. Like 3 days?

 

[sebi]

I reglued my dignics 09c and in one week it shrank at least 0.5 cm. Is it heavily boosted from factory or why does it shrink that much and does it make sense to stretch it while reglueing.

Did Butterfly change the 09c? My old sheet was a bit sticky and my new one is not as sticky just really gripy. They don´t compare at all maybe it changes after a few trainings but right now i think i got a really bad one?

 

[dingyibvs]

When they say it only last 2-3 months, I assume this is because they don’t consistently clean the 09c and use protective sheets. I have a pair of 09c that I put on 6 months ago and it is still very much tacky. I have another 09c (red) on a blade I sold to a friend 1.5 years ago and it is still tacky, as they followed my recommendation on maintenance (PLEASE use the ORIGINAL sticky/thin protective sheet it comes with as many throw this out & use butterfly’s SPIN REFRESH kit after every use).

Reading some of the previous comments to which I agree, I much rather prefer the broken in 09c rubbers after about 1.5 months of use. I play 5 times a week averaging 3 hours each night (15 hr/week or 60 hr/month). I feel like my 09c rubbers are actually getting tackier from its original state as it’s broken in now and it coinciding with the cooler indoor temperatures as the season is getting warmer (less humidity means more tackiness imo).

I truly think paying $85 for these 09c is much rather worth it in the long run if you take care of it compared to the likes of K3. I put in 360 hours of use already and it still has so much spin. I consider myself on the upper bracket of beginners level (1250 USATT) so I can’t tell if the sponge is degrading but these rubbers are able to hold the ball for more than 5 seconds!

I delved into the journey as a EJ and loved reading all the vast information on here before making my many purchases lol, so sorry for the ramble as this is my first post here on TTD!

I clean it at least once each session at the end, and use protection sheet consistently. The tack remains stable, but the grip is significantly less after 2-3 months. I play/train about 8-10 hrs a week. Grip and tack are simply two completely different things.

 

[Jslick89]

i just realized ive been using my D09C since the end of last october and its still performing pretty good for my backhand. i mostly use for blocking and countering though. not crazy loops or anything but the rubber is still pretty tacky. the only worn down part is where i put my thumb.