New FH Rubber (Glayzer, Fastarc G1, Omega VII Pro)

[po-stit]

Hello, guys, I need your help! I need a new forehand rubber.

I've been playing with Dignics 05 on my Hugo HAL and loving it, however, I feel that when I 'm not at my best, I struggle a little. Mainly when out of position, I struggle to activate the sponge and can't generate spin as well. That gets exacerbated on game day, I start to lose confidence and begin missing even more.
I think I need a softer rubber and one that is easier to play. I like the lack of spin sensitivity of the D05 and its linearity. I don't mind a little bit of catapult, but not much. I tried the Hybrid MK on the FH ( I'm currently using it on the BH) and liked it but felt it was a little too slow (I tried the Hybrid MK Pro and didn't enjoy it as much).

Previously i was using T80 on a Innerforce ALC but didnt like the jumpiness/spin sensitivity of it.

From my research , I've come up with three options:

Glayzer (softer D05?)
Fastarc G1 (less reactive T05?)
Omega VII Pro

I tried the Omega VII Tour on a friend 's blade and, despite its hardness, it felt more controlled than my D05. Maybe the Omega VII Pro will be similar but softer?
I appreciate your help.

 

[piligrim]

I think you can add to your list rakza 7

 

[kapahoo]

I have a Hugo Hal with D05 one side and Glayzer the other. They are very similar. In the short game no difference at all. When hitting harder the Glayzer is, as expected, slightly softer and slower. It also have a sort of suppressed feeling that is hard to describe. Easier to land balls on the table but harder to kill and still very similar! 😆

 

[po-stit]

I think you can add to your list rakza 7

Why do you say that? What advantages does rakza 7 have versus fastarc g1 over instance?

I have a Hugo Hal with D05 one side and Glayzer the other. They are very similar. In the short game no difference at all. When hitting harder the Glayzer is, as expected, slightly softer and slower. It also have a sort of suppressed feeling that is hard to describe. Easier to land balls on the table but harder to kill and still very similar! 😆

Hum. That’s actually on par with what I need. But you mean by suppressed feeling?

 

[golden_son]

Hello, guys, I need your help! I need a new forehand rubber.

I've been playing with Dignics 05 on my Hugo HAL and loving it, however, I feel that when I 'm not at my best, I struggle a little. Mainly when out of position, I struggle to activate the sponge and can't generate spin as well. That gets exacerbated on game day, I start to lose confidence and begin missing even more.
I think I need a softer rubber and one that is easier to play. I like the lack of spin sensitivity of the D05 and its linearity. I don't mind a little bit of catapult, but not much. I tried the Hybrid MK on the FH ( I'm currently using it on the BH) and liked it but felt it was a little too slow (I tried the Hybrid MK Pro and didn't enjoy it as much).

Previously i was using T80 on a Innerforce ALC but didnt like the jumpiness/spin sensitivity of it.

From my research , I've come up with three options:

Glayzer (softer D05?)
Fastarc G1 (less reactive T05?)
Omega VII Pro

I tried the Omega VII Tour on a friend 's blade and, despite its hardness, it felt more controlled than my D05. Maybe the Omega VII Pro will be similar but softer?
I appreciate your help.

I haven't used O7P/Tour but I have Omega V Tour on my HAL and love it. I've thought about trying the O7P (or even O8) to see if it's somehow even better, but something in me suspects I'll just end up with more bounce and speed that I don't need, and the O5T's topsheet is already wonderfully grippy.

...So if you do end up going with Omega 7 Pro, let us know your thoughts!

 

[piligrim]

Why do you say that? What advantages does rakza 7 have versus fastarc g1 over instance?

I think they prety close so if you consider G1 you can consider Rakza 7 as well

 

[golden_son]

I think they prety close so if you consider G1 you can consider Rakza 7 as well

Having used multiple sheets of both I have to disagree. They certainly do have similarities in being highly linear, durable Japanese rubbers, but G-1 is a noticeable step up over R7. Grippier, a little more spin sensitive, more difficult to engage the sponge, but higher overall speed and spin. To me G-1 is to Rakza 7 what D05 is to Glayzer (though they are of course different manufacturers).

 

[piligrim]

Having used multiple sheets of both I have to disagree. They certainly do have similarities in being highly linear, durable Japanese rubbers, but G-1 is a noticeable step up over R7. Grippier, a little more spin sensitive, more difficult to engage the sponge, but higher overall speed and spin. To me G-1 is to Rakza 7 what D05 is to Glayzer (though they are of course different manufacturers).

Not everybody need D05. Depend by your level. For lower level players Glayzer would be better.

 

[MORTtheORT]

T05. Everything else will just be a step down to your D05 and frustrate you IMO..if you are worried about it being bouncy, just get thinner sponge. If you are good enough to use the D05, you shouldn't have problems with a thinner sponge T05 when tired.

 

[golden_son]

Not everybody need D05. Depend by your level. For lower level players Glayzer would be better.

True. But I wasn't making an exact comparison, only that G-1 is the "similar, but better" version of Rakza 7 in the way that D05 is the "similar, but better" version of Glayzer. G-1≠D05; I'd argue D05 is more challenging to use. OP can handle D05 to an extent but is looking for a more forgiving rubber. Rakza 7 is definitely more forgiving, but my argument is it's a bigger step down than G-1, which is already more forgiving than D05.

 

[kapahoo]

Why do you say that? What advantages does rakza 7 have versus fastarc g1 over instance?


Hum. That’s actually on par with what I need. But you mean by suppressed feeling?

Well, perhaps just slower and on big swings than other rubbers I’m used to. More hard shots are coming back. But I would still choose Glayzer over D05 over all I think. And again the difference isn’t not big.

 

[BHShoulderPain]

Before purchasing a new rubber, you could try two things:
1. Reglue the rubber - not sure the exact science, but rubbers are always noticeably softer and less stiff after a reglue. Maybe because the excess rubber hanging off the blade on the first glue up causes the rubber to stretch and makes it more elastic and bouncy and that doesn't happen with rubbers that already have the excess cut off?
2. Use less glue - I find using more glue makes the rubber bouncier. Especially if it's a thicker glue such as DHS or the high viscousity revolution glue. Try reducing the amount of layers you put on the rubber and blade. Of course, make sure to apply to all areas of the blade and rubber.

Finally, if it's a fresh sheet of rubber, you might just need to break it in. After a bit of playing the sponge will naturally soften a little and it should be more controllable. Of course, if it's been a while, then you can try the other two steps.

 

[BHShoulderPain]

Funny enough, I just glued a d05 on my Xiom Hugo Hal too. Let's see if I can tame the beast.

 

[victormanriquey]

A couple thoughts here

- First, before giving proper accurate advice it would be good to see your technique in action, to see if you can hit through the sponge or not by hearing contact sound and checking blade angle. A harder sponge if you can't hit-brush through it is going to be more difficult to play. Also, the Hugo HAL is a 'viscaria-like' blade that uses a 'sort of carbon' (no real carbon) and ayous (instead of ALC + limba) to be more tamed, but it's still an outer koto blade, which paired with something like t80 becomes hard to use and d05 is more controlled in slow strokes but when activated has a significant catapult. I think this is what you mean with suppressed feeling? That you are forced to break to keep balls on the table? I have mentioned this issue in detail here: https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...ower-really-comes-from-in-table-tennis.38784/

- Then about the choice of rubber, if you like a catapult linear tensor, then G-1 is your best alternative as @piligrim and @golden_son mentioned. It is not a slow rubber though, linear does not mean slow. I agree that Razka 7 is slower and more controlled than G-1, having tried both on different blades. If you hit through, G-1 has more tempo and spin. If G1 is too much, Razka 7 is good too, glayzer too but glayzer has more catapult built in due to butterfly sponges, so it's not as linear.

- Last thought: If technique needs improvement and is still developing, the hugo HAL is not the right blade for you, and D05 not the right rubber

 

[Tyce]

A couple thoughts here

- First, before giving proper accurate advice it would be good to see your technique in action, to see if you can hit through the sponge or not by hearing contact sound and checking blade angle. A harder sponge if you can't hit-brush through it is going to be more difficult to play. Also, the Hugo HAL is a 'viscaria-like' blade that uses a sort of carbon and ayous (instead of ALC + limba) to be more tamed, but it's still an outer koto blade, which paired with something like t80 becomes hard to use and d05 is more controlled in slow strokes but when activated has a significant catapult. I think this is what you mean with suppressed feeling? That you are forced to break to keep balls on the table? I have mentioned this issue in detail here: https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...ower-really-comes-from-in-table-tennis.38784/

- Then about the choice of rubber, if you like a catapult linear tensor, then G-1 is your best alternative as @piligrim and @golden_son mentioned. It is not a slow rubber though, linear does not mean slow. I agree that Razka 7 is slower and more controlled than G-1, having tried both on different blades. If you hit through, G-1 has more tempo and spin. If G1 is too much, Razka 7 is good too, glayzer too but glayzer has more catapult built in due to butterfly sponges, so it's not as linear.

- Last thought: If technique needs improvement and is still developing, the hugo HAL is not the right blade for you, and D05 not the right rubber

HAL is not a carbon blade, it's a polyarylate fiber they called axylium. Similar to how Butterfly used to make an Innerforce AL (not ALC) with only the arylate fiber, no carbon.

 

[victormanriquey]

HAL is not a carbon blade, it's a polyarylate fiber they called axylium. Similar to how Butterfly used to make an Innerforce AL (not ALC) with only the arylate fiber, no carbon.

Correct Tyce, this is why I mentioned 'sort of carbon' implying is not carbon, will edit so it's clearer for other readers

 

[po-stit]

Before purchasing a new rubber, you could try two things:
1. Reglue the rubber - not sure the exact science, but rubbers are always noticeably softer and less stiff after a reglue. Maybe because the excess rubber hanging off the blade on the first glue up causes the rubber to stretch and makes it more elastic and bouncy and that doesn't happen with rubbers that already have the excess cut off?
2. Use less glue - I find using more glue makes the rubber bouncier. Especially if it's a thicker glue such as DHS or the high viscousity revolution glue. Try reducing the amount of layers you put on the rubber and blade. Of course, make sure to apply to all areas of the blade and rubber.

Finally, if it's a fresh sheet of rubber, you might just need to break it in. After a bit of playing the sponge will naturally soften a little and it should be more controllable. Of course, if it's been a while, then you can try the other two steps.

That’s actually a good advice. It is indeed a fresh rubber and feels faster than my previous one. Grippier yes but definitely faster. I though that it was in my head but probably a fresh rubber will be faster. Reglued it already and will see on my next training. Still I think I’ll benefit from a slower or softer(or both) rubber.

 

[BHShoulderPain]

Just tried the Hal with D05 on forehand and D80 on the backhand. I think it needs 09c or something tacky in order for it to work. Just not enough dwell time for me. The paddle was also much lighter than I'm used to, so my shot quality was much lower than usual.

 

[po-stit]

Just tried the Hal with D05 on forehand and D80 on the backhand. I think it needs 09c or something tacky in order for it to work. Just not enough dwell time for me. The paddle was also much lighter than I'm used to, so my shot quality was much lower than usual.

That's actually really weird. I feel that the HAL has a huge dwell on its own, and because of that, there are some rubbers I really can't use with it because it feels like the ball is "glued" to the blade (Hybrid MK Pro being one of those rubbers). That being said, I also think that the arc is somewhat low compared to an ALC blade, and I need to focus more on spinning instead of hitting. Maybe that's what you are talking about, no? On the other hand, I agree with you regarding D80. I love its softer feeling, but on the HAL, I feel the arc is just too low.

So yesterday , I did a training session focused on consistency, and indeed I felt the rubber was different . I probably did a bad job when I glued the fresh sheet because yesterday I could feel the usual dwell of the D05. Still, I think I will try to downgrade it. The opening balls are amazing, but I find myself hitting out of the table when trying to finish the point.

On the other hand , my training partner (who admittedly is weaker than me) couldn't place the ball on the table consistently after my open-ups. I don't want to give up on the monstrous spin that D05 can generate.

I'm still undecided between Fastarc G1 or Glayzer . I will probably buy both and test later this season.

 

[Hurricane AON]

Omega VII Pro is worth of all