Advice on H3 (qc issue or just the new version?)

[ajtatosmano2]

Hi!

I will start with my question, details below:
Will this change drastically with boosting? This might be a qc issue or natural? Maybe I messed up the glueing?

I ordered a H3 39 provincial orange sponge (well, actually I ordered a 40 blue sponge but got this instead). Hybrid rubbers are expensive and I learned playing with H3 originally, so I thought I would try it. I ordered some booster as well. But seeing how soft the 39 sponge and topsheet is, I thought I will try it out without boosting first. I checked it's an original h3 and the topsheet/sponge is firmly glued together. This is after the second session with it.

Now the issue: it has basically no spin. I am probably around 2050 usa rating, who is inconsistent, but I have good technique (at least in exercises). I just find it impossible to generate good spin with it, regardless of what technique and power I use. I have no issues with speed, it's easy to control, very linear and I can reach very similar or equivalent speed to modern tensors. My old hurricane 3 neo commercial was pretty tacky and I could generate spin just fine, on opening loops very heavy due to the tack. I've heard that the modern versions are just grippy by design, which is what I see as well. My training partners are youth players, and they say my full effort loops are the same quality as my blocks/drives during drills with my V<22 double extra. I have checked the rubber with a german TTR 2100+ player, he said it's unusable, and some even stronger players said I have no quality with it (they play with D09C)

 

[boretennis]

it sounds like you have gotten a bad sheet. newer H3 is known to be less tacky than it used to be, but obviously not in a way like you described above, it's still super spinny.

 

[GOAT 🐐]

You got a bad sheet, that’s why I tell my CNT coach to get me 10 sheets of CNT version h3(better qc and grip).

 

[riemsesy]

You need a golden Viscaria

I’m just kidding 😉

 

[Jslick89]

how much booster did you use? commericial or provincial or national h3?

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I wonder if it is fake
seller sending wrong item is already some red flag

 

[Attitude]

I wonder if it is fake
seller sending wrong item is already some red flag

Or he got a commercial one, although i never experienced them this useless😅

 

[Colestt]

I've seen h3 get less and less tacky over the years. I can imagine if you put the topsheets I'm seeing now onto a harder sponge, it could be very hard to generate spin

 

[ajtatosmano2]

I guess I got a bad sheet then...it's a provincial version, came in an embossed high print quality paper, with a sticker and the code on the sticker, checked it and it's a valid code...I see basically no chance of it being fake. It's not boosted, when the booster arrives I will try it again boosted and reglued. I am pretty bummed, because I could get Victas rubbers for 1.5x the price. I really liked the V>20, but it dies after like 40 hours of training, I can't afford a new sheet every month. Maybe I will stick to tensors, a V<22 or Dignics is good enough for 5 months for me.

 

[doppelmoral]

Hi!

I will start with my question, details below:
Will this change drastically with boosting? This might be a qc issue or natural? Maybe I messed up the glueing?

I ordered a H3 39 provincial orange sponge (well, actually I ordered a 40 blue sponge but got this instead). Hybrid rubbers are expensive and I learned playing with H3 originally, so I thought I would try it. I ordered some booster as well. But seeing how soft the 39 sponge and topsheet is, I thought I will try it out without boosting first. I checked it's an original h3 and the topsheet/sponge is firmly glued together. This is after the second session with it.

Now the issue: it has basically no spin. I am probably around 2050 usa rating, who is inconsistent, but I have good technique (at least in exercises). I just find it impossible to generate good spin with it, regardless of what technique and power I use. I have no issues with speed, it's easy to control, very linear and I can reach very similar or equivalent speed to modern tensors. My old hurricane 3 neo commercial was pretty tacky and I could generate spin just fine, on opening loops very heavy due to the tack. I've heard that the modern versions are just grippy by design, which is what I see as well. My training partners are youth players, and they say my full effort loops are the same quality as my blocks/drives during drills with my V<22 double extra. I have checked the rubber with a german TTR 2100+ player, he said it's unusable, and some even stronger players said I have no quality with it (they play with D09C)

Would be helpful to see a video of how you're playing. But it sounds like you are a good player so its probably not a technique issue.

It could be that you have gotten a bad sheet. But I think Orange Sponge in general is less tacky than Blue Sponge nowadays + Orange Sponge reaches its limit quicker. I feel like I can create alot more spin and pace with blue sponge on the forehand side, the arc is longer and more deadly. Orange Sponge especially those with matte topsheet and barely any tack dont give me this secure feeling of being able to impart alot of rotation.

That being said the Orange Sponge provincial that I have on my backup racket is still very spinny overall, just less deadly. Keep in mind that you really need to play with an open racket angle when using Hurricane 3 Neo, even more so with the Orange sponge imo. I recently wrote an article about that on my blog.

cheers

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

I suspect provincial grade quality has also dropped over the years. I think it used to be that finding national grade was akin to receiving rubbers made specifically for select players and provincial grade was distributed only in China, with commercial being the export. Nowadays it seems provincial is only just a bit more consistent than commercial grade, I have received a few provincial grade Neos that have dull appearance and stiffer feeling topsheets and some even with small cosmetic defects, but in comparison the few national grade Neos I have bought have all been pretty consistent and good quality with strong tack and shiny appearance but ymmv