New andro HY-Q rubbers

[Airoc]

https://www.andro.de/en/hy-q-say-hi-hybrid

I think you could call these mid-range hybrid rubbers, sticky like C-Rasanter, a bit less powerful than NUZN.

Fairly easy to play, well dosed catapult effect and very good spin capabilities, resulting in a very controlled overall feeling.

Generally better suited for variable close to the table offense with spin-loaded opening ball than mid-distance topspin vs. topspin rallies.

Very attractively priced as well.

 

[The0rigina1]

Sponge look similar to the DNA line from stiga

 

[Airoc]

Two weeks on, my impressions are the same as in the opening post, and the rubber is still looking fresh.

 

[Larshos]

How does these differ from the NUZN-rubbers, really? Like how are the NUZN-rubbers better, being a more expensive product line?

 

[SorryForTheEdge]

Are these equivalent to Xiom Vega Hybrid line in terms of speed and control?

 

[Airoc]

I´ve only tried Vega Pro H once and was hugely disappointed. That rubber just didn´t speak to me, it seemed like a rush-release to cash in on the hybrid trend in the low budget market.
Compared to that, I wouldn´t know about speed, but the HY-Q offers a much better feeling.
But at the end of the day the Vega could of course have been only one bad apple.

 

[chinacurious]

Two weeks on, my impressions are the same as in the opening post, and the rubber is still looking fresh.

Do you have any affiliation with Andro? Your posts here seem a bit like advertisement to me. I played 3 times with this rubber and it looks at least as bad as other ESN hybrids, maybe even worse. You also don't really share your own impressions much and speak in generalities instead.

 

[Airoc]

Do you have any affiliation with Andro?

No, just a small preference of one brand over others when it comes to buying something for testing.
Other stuff I might get handed down from friends coocasionally and try it then.

According to your profile ESN hybrids can´t be THAT bad, can they?
Or is that outdated info?

 

[Airoc]

You also don't really share your own impressions much and speak in generalities instead.

I don´t see any generalities in the opening post of this thread. Of course I could have put "I think that" or "In my opinion" before any statement, which sometimes I think would be the right thing to do, because one man´s dream blade is another man´s firewood. So bare with me for that.
But what I wrote there is what I thought when I played with this rubber, and still think after I played with it some more.

 

[Airoc]

How does these differ from the NUZN-rubbers, really? Like how are the NUZN-rubbers better, being a more expensive product line?

Better is always relative. NUZN rubbers feel more lively to me because they have a little more catapult effect, so I prefer them to the stickier HY-Q or C-Rasanter. If you think of hybrid rubbers` general idea of combining stickiness with dynamic tensor sponges, HY-Q would tip the scale more to the stickiness while NUZN feel more like "normal" Tensor rubbers.

Between HY-Q 48 and the "corresponding" NUZN 48 ( corresponding in sponge hardness) the difference in price is 10 Euro. If that is down to the underlying technology I don´t know, but I think you can only find out what suits you better by trying.

You´d find this in other portfolios as well. You have two versions of Donic BlueGrip, C1/C2 and S1/S2, differently priced, don´t know about their stickiness. You have the only slightly sticky BlueStar in three hardnesses, way more expensive. Now there´s BlueGrip J in three hardnesses, not as expensive as BlueStar, but still more expensive than C1/C2 and especially S1/S2.

The difference between all these might be marginal or simply a matter of taste. Maybe you´ll find a BlueStar S2 with 47,5 sponge hardness and more stickiness suits your game better than a BlueGrip A3 with the same hardness, but less stickiness. Maybe you wouldn´t find the more expensive rubber "better".

But that is something nobody can explain to or even decide for you in "hard facts".

 

[chinacurious]

Alright, good to know. Sorry for the blunt question
Let me ask some questions to get the information I am missing in your other posts.
Which rubber(s) did you play exactly?
48 or 42?
2.1 or 1.9?
Red or Black (this might explain our different experience with the fresh look)?
On what blade did you play it?
Did you try it on both forehand or backhand?
How do they compare to your usual setup?

 

[Airoc]

Sorry for the blunt question

No problem.

Which rubber(s) did you play exactly?
48 or 42?
2.1 or 1.9?
Red or Black (this might explain our different experience with the fresh look)?
On what blade did you play it?
Did you try it on both forehand or backhand?
How do they compare to your usual setup?

Yeah, I see I was a bit sloppy there.
I played HY-Q 48 red 2.1 mm on a Taiwanese copy of the Fan Zhendong ALC.
I tried on both forehand and backhand in "open game" with a friend, against defence and with a robot.
In open game or match situation I think HY-Q 48 is really good for topspin opening shots and anything close to the table. It doesn´t feel slow and it feels very controlled.
Step away from the table and you might think a little more catapult could help. But I think this corresponds with the description, at least I expected this rubber to be aimed at people who for their own good shouldn´t be too far away from the table, just like me
Against defence, I feel that I can cope with the spin, but can´t get through, for lack of a better description. I don´t have the stamina or patience to put the ball on the table waiting for the one to "kill", so I prefer a more powerful rubber.

My usual setup is a little faster. The ZCI is heavier than the ALC I ued for testing (can´t afford two ZCI just for occasional testing) but offers me even better touch. I think NUZN 50 is slightly out of my league, but I like the feeling of it so much that I kept it despite trying the 48 version which is reduced in power. Since HY-Q is even a little slower or to put it better has less catapult than NUZN 48 it cannot replace my NUZN 50, which doesn´t surprise me at all but still couldn´t stop the curiousity,
On backhand, I need that Tensor feeling anyway, so I wouldn´t want a hybrid there.

But I do think that HY-Q could be an interesting choice on both sides for many intermediate players who´d like to follow the hybrid trend or try an alternative to their Sticky Softs or MKs and whatnot.

Hope this helps a little more.

 

[chinacurious]

Thanks for the info. Does yours really still look "fresh"?

Here is a look at mine after about 5h of playing (freshly cleaned). That's why I was a bit suspicious of your claim.

I'm used to hybrids looking like shit but still playing fine. So it's not a problem for me.

 

[tzifos]

Doesn't seem that is going to last a month! @chinacurious waiting your feedback the forthcoming weeks.

 

[Airoc]

Does yours really still look "fresh"?

Can´t complain. It hasn´t been cleaned, just breathed upon and wiped, and covered with the foil that came with it.

 

[Airoc]

I'm used to hybrids looking like shit but still playing fine. So it's not a problem for me.

Yes, that seems to be the case quite often, and I know some people are put off by that.
But some people also can´t play when the rubbers aren´t perfectly cut with a surgical knife or when they are 1 mm too small.
However, when the properties are also affected it´s time to change the rubber of course.
I think I might take the HY-Q through a couple hundred more ball contacts with the robot and a few more hours of practice to see what happens.

 

[chinacurious]

Can´t complain. It hasn´t been cleaned, just breathed upon and wiped, and covered with the foil that came with it.View attachment 40852

Wow! That's quite a difference. Did you mostly play with older balls? I think I used a lot of relatively new ones.

 

[Airoc]

Did you mostly play with older balls?

Indeed.
I would have guessed from your photo that those are marks left by new balls. Maybe with sticky rubbers they´re harder to clean.

 

[zeio]

Marks (stress whitening) on red rubber are much less noticeable, especially on opaque ones since 2011. You need to shine the light such that it reflects into the camera to reveal them.