i dont think chinese rubbers do most people any favours

[Tony's Table Tennis]

H3N does require boosting, but i feel like most people overestimate how much time and effort it takes to boost. it's really quite a simple process:

you are right

1) Open vacuum sealed rubber (10 seconds)
2) remove white protecting sheet off the sponge side (10 seconds)
3) open and apply booster (1-2 minutes tops, honestly I spend more time getting the booster off the brush back into the bottle than I do actually applying the booster to the sponge)
4) wait 24 hours for booster to dry
5) apply second layer of booster (1-2 minutes)
6) wait another 24 hours for second layer to dry

Once you finish these 6 steps, all you have to do is glue and cut your rubber, just like you would any other rubber. Most of the time spend is actually just waiting, which you dont have to sit there and watch the booster dry. you have a whole day to do whatever you want lol. The actual time of effort it takes to boost a brand new rubber takes a total of 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

Here is my estimate on time:

open rubber (less than 10 seconds)
apply booster, 10-20 seconds

wait 1 day
apply booster 10-20 seconds
wait 1 day

apply glue 1st layer, 10-20 seconds
wait
apply glue 2nd layer, 10-20 seconds
wait
put on blade and cut.

To me, applying booster is the same as apply glue.
from 2 layers, become 4 layers (40 seconds, becomes 80 seconds....)
and just the 2 days of wait and 40 seconds.. and I see a lot of people moaning about the trouble. I really don't understand what is the trouble

 

[Tyce]

The process itself isn't much trouble. It's the inconsistent results and the nagging feeling in the back of my head that my errors are related to the boost wearing off... And then pulling the sheet off, reboost, end up with a different feeling once again, add the nagging feeling that the sponge might be killed by the reboost, etc etc.

It's hard to have confidence in gear this way.

 

[Jslick89]

you are right

Here is my estimate on time:

open rubber (less than 10 seconds)
apply booster, 10-20 seconds

wait 1 day
apply booster 10-20 seconds
wait 1 day

apply glue 1st layer, 10-20 seconds
wait
apply glue 2nd layer, 10-20 seconds
wait
put on blade and cut.

To me, applying booster is the same as apply glue.
from 2 layers, become 4 layers (40 seconds, becomes 80 seconds....)
and just the 2 days of wait and 40 seconds.. and I see a lot of people moaning about the trouble. I really don't understand what is the trouble

You've been doing it a lot longer than me lol. Also, haifu national yelllow is like thick snot....i try to put a little back into the bottle before i brush on the sponge, which is probably why it takes me longer. Gluing is pretty fast- one little swirl and then brush it on the sponge with the foam. its really easy.

The process itself isn't much trouble. It's the inconsistent results and the nagging feeling in the back of my head that my errors are related to the boost wearing off... And then pulling the sheet off, reboost, end up with a different feeling once again, add the nagging feeling that the sponge might be killed by the reboost, etc etc.

It's hard to have confidence in gear this way.

I'm still relatively new to chinese rubbers (maybe a year and a half) but i feel like my results are already consistent enough. i know that nagging feeling if my bad shots are from booster wearing off though. for me, if its been 3 months and i notice my performance is going down, i take off and reboost. usually i can play another couple of months with that rubber. after another 2-3 months, I know its time for a new rubber once the performance goes down. its not really a problem!

 

[joshmak10]

you are right

Here is my estimate on time:

open rubber (less than 10 seconds)
apply booster, 10-20 seconds

wait 1 day
apply booster 10-20 seconds
wait 1 day

apply glue 1st layer, 10-20 seconds
wait
apply glue 2nd layer, 10-20 seconds
wait
put on blade and cut.

To me, applying booster is the same as apply glue.
from 2 layers, become 4 layers (40 seconds, becomes 80 seconds....)
and just the 2 days of wait and 40 seconds.. and I see a lot of people moaning about the trouble. I really don't understand what is the trouble

For me, I always do this
Open rubber
Layer of booster
Wait 8-12 hours
Layer of booster
Wait 8-12 hours
2 layers of glue then stick on racket

The thing about boosting is that there is no one way to do it. You just have to do what works for you

 

[mamedium]

but… where is the OP? you guys scared him off

 

[Arkady]

H3N does require boosting, but i feel like most people overestimate how much time and effort it takes to boost. it's really quite a simple process:

1) Open vacuum sealed rubber (10 seconds)
2) remove white protecting sheet off the sponge side (10 seconds)
3) open and apply booster (1-2 minutes tops, honestly I spend more time getting the booster off the brush back into the bottle than I do actually applying the booster to the sponge)
4) wait 24 hours for booster to dry
5) apply second layer of booster (1-2 minutes)
6) wait another 24 hours for second layer to dry

Once you finish these 6 steps, all you have to do is glue and cut your rubber, just like you would any other rubber. Most of the time spend is actually just waiting, which you dont have to sit there and watch the booster dry. you have a whole day to do whatever you want lol. The actual time of effort it takes to boost a brand new rubber takes a total of 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

Also, you don't need a full body swing every time. you just need to engage the rubber. To me. that means using the power from your kinetic chain, swinging fast, hitting with a slightly more open racket face, and then using the flick of the wrist at the point of contact to control the spin.

btw, i'm curious if a 3 times boosted and 2 times glued H3N weighs close to the nittaku hurricane pro 3 turbo blue. i imagine they have to be pretty close in weight since the booster and glue definitely adds at least several grams of weight to the rubber.

If you are talking about H3N then yes, I agree it needs boosting for sure since it's a 100% Chinese rubber.
But If you are talking about Nittaku Hurricane Pro 3 Turbo which is a hybrid, then I don't see why it should need boosting since it has a Japanese sponge. It can be boosted of course, but I don't think it's necessary.

I've seen the whole boosting process in video and frankly It's something me most players don't wanna do, in each rubber change.

 

[ThePongCommenter]

but… where is the OP? you guys scared him off

This entire thread was peak TTD

 

[CPH_Tiny]

This entire thread was peak TTD

This thread was like someone going to a Cannabis convention to say he thinks beer is better.

 

[lodro]

I've seen the whole boosting process in video and frankly It's something me most players don't wanna do, in each rubber change.

I agree, the absolute majority of TT players do not boost.
Lucky are those that can "buy of the shelf" and feel comfortable with their choice of racket.

 

[rbtitco]

I agree w/ OP, I see lots of people with slow footwork forcing themselves to use hard chinese rubbers, when they would probably play better overall with euro rubbers.

 

[Tyce]

I agree w/ OP, I see lots of people with slow footwork forcing themselves to use hard chinese rubbers, when they would probably play better overall with euro rubbers better footwork

Fixed that for you

Euro rubbers don't fix footwork issues (as I find out), but they let you produce low quality balls without using the right posture and footwork, giving the illusion of being in control.
Even low level opponents see through that and just take over.

 

[joshmak10]

Chinese rubbers are better for some. Tensors are better for others. Recommendations are not definitive. Just remember that.

 

[Yuomay]

I feel the argument “if no one around you plays Chinese rubbers, no one can help you develop” holds some truth though. I very briefly tried Chinese rubbers but could not physically, and I experienced something along those lines.

My teammates tried to advise me but their advice was way more relevant for tensor. Or at least their suggestions I could not execute with the hard rubber.

 

[BlotOnPaper]

I feel the argument “if no one around you plays Chinese rubbers, no one can help you develop” holds some truth though. I very briefly tried Chinese rubbers but could not physically, and I experienced something along those lines.

My teammates tried to advise me but their advice was way more relevant for tensor. Or at least their suggestions I could not execute with the hard rubber.

I don't think it is a problem if you are working with a coach or can analyze your videos. As a person who plays penhold in a country where pretty much no one even know to to grip penhold properly it's not that big of a deal.

TT technique has a lot of variables and every competent player has some unique elements to their strokes and differences in conceptualizing table tennis. If you are an adult and working with a coach you must talk and find the solutions that suites you and not just copy everything that is been said. Copy approach only works with kids who can absorb information and patterns from environment with lightning fast speeds.

Also, with internet you can find a lot of people playing with the same equipment as you in about 15 seconds, so even if you need advices you can get them easily. Video analysis(both pro players and your own gameplay) is also important thing that not much amateurs do. It really helped me to develop as a player just because i was able to see how I really play and not how i feel i play.

Yes, it can be less convenient, but in my experience this method provides much greater long term improvement.

 

[BlotOnPaper]

Also there are a lot of chinese rubbers that play great without booster. I like Battle 2 Gold/Nat or Xuperman Powerplay-X much more than Hurricane because i don't want to boost. But even boosted i choose Powerplay-X over Hurricane. I don't understand why a lot of people generalize Hurricane 3 characteristics to all chinese rubbers. They have a lot of difference and you can find something that suites your taste. You just need to experiment a bit.

With a lot of this takes about how hard it is to play chinese rubbers people are talking not about chinese rubbers, but about Hurricane 3.

 

[Angerer]

Also there are a lot of chinese rubbers that play great without booster. I like Battle 2 Gold/Nat or Xuperman Powerplay-X much more than Hurricane because i don't want to boost. But even boosted i choose Powerplay-X over Hurricane. I don't understand why a lot of people generalize Hurricane 3 characteristics to all chinese rubbers. They have a lot of difference and you can find something that suites your taste. You just need to experiment a bit.

With a lot of this takes about how hard it is to play chinese rubbers people are talking not about chinese rubbers, but about Hurricane 3.

H3 is usually the only chinese rubber you may see a decent player using. The other chinese rubbers are rarer, and you may typically see beginners using them--to negate the rebound and put the ball on the table.

And you are probably a physical beast or a "simpler" player if you're able to play something like Battle 2 Gold without a booster. For me, it's a true "brick" of a rubber that demands remarkable physicality to be an aggressive attacker.

 

[BlotOnPaper]

And you are probably a physical beast or a "simpler" player if you're able to play something like Battle 2 Gold without a booster. For me, it's a true "brick" of a rubber that demands remarkable physicality to be an aggressive attacker.

My main sport is rock climbing and I also lift weights and do calisthenics, so i'm physically stronger than most amateur players. But i play TT rearly, just as a cardio for endurance, so i don't have a lot of match experience. I can do a lot of things in training, but i don't find TT that much fun to play in a lot of tournaments to improve that aspect.

I find Hurricane to be much tougher to play physically because of harder topsheet. If you don't use booster with Hurricane you really need to hit through every ball, I like battle and xuperman more because of more elastic topsheet as it plays better without booster, it has better brush so if you make a mistake it still gets ball on the table and not an easy ball. Also Hurricane has higher throw than xuperman, i also don't like it for my forehand. With battle it's also a pain, but higher elasticity still gives me more options.

 

[BlotOnPaper]

TT is so much more fun to do than most other cardio activities, i have pure hatred for running and other stuff. But cardio is important for health, especially me as a person with chronic cardio conditions. I was able to do sports only when i turned 19 and doctor found the optimal medicamentation combination for me. So strenghtening my cardio system is really important for my longevity as a human being.
Therefore i'm pretty unique case of TT player.

 

[latej]

I find Hurricane to be much tougher to play physically because of harder topsheet. If you don't use booster with Hurricane you really need to hit through every ball, I like battle and xuperman more because of more elastic topsheet as it plays better without booster, it has better brush so if you make a mistake it still gets ball on the table and not an easy ball. Also Hurricane has higher throw than xuperman, i also don't like it for my forehand. With battle it's also a pain, but higher elasticity still gives me more options.

I think part of the confusion is that the term "H3" is simply too imprecise. When we say Xuperman-X, Rxton 9, DFVP, Battle 2 (well, B2 is also not precise enough) it is pretty specific already...

Anyway, cca 3 weeks ago I finished my Xuperman-X rubber. I quite liked it, esp. initially (as always), and I can play with it, but I prefer H3 BS prov and Rxton 9 a bit. At the end it turned gray, I guess it was too long, 3 cycles - last was off-season to finish it. Just like the Rxton 9 I have now. Anyway the top-sheet of the Rxton 9 is a bit softer than XP-X, as you say elastic, you may like it. A friend has H3 BS nat and the top-sheet also definitely is softer, more elastic, than XP-X (that's why I say H3 is not specific enough). But it doesn't matter, we play with what we like to play...

 

[longle]

TT is so much more fun to do than most other cardio activities, i have pure hatred for running and other stuff. But cardio is important for health, especially me as a person with chronic cardio conditions. I was able to do sports only when i turned 19 and doctor found the optimal medicamentation combination for me. So strenghtening my cardio system is really important for my longevity as a human being.
Therefore i'm pretty unique case of TT player.

you have an advantage in every sports if you have good stamina and physique, take Hugo for example. Of course you will need good feelings too