This is just the review I've been waiting for, thanks! Can you compare the Mantra Pro M and H vs Omega 7 Pro and Omega 8 Pro?
As previously mentioned, Daiki rubbers such as Mantra Pro or Etika are not very grippy. If you clean them or slide over them with your palm, you can really feel how slippery these topsheets are. Instead, these rubbers rely on a topsheet that is under alot of tension. After you glued the rubber on, the topsheet is actually very stretched and you can see every single pimple shining through, just like with a well boosted h3. That is why these Daiki rubbers are very spin insensitive but very catapulty, the sponge is very reactive and shoots the ball out fast. Since the topsheet doesnt grip well on thin contact, players must activate the sponge to get a fast, low, deep loop that as solid spin. Mantra is praised because the price is low and its reliable, its really easy to play with this rubber and its intuitive, but the spin is mediocre if you go for lazy shots and solid / good if you go for bigger shots
ESN / BTY rubbers have a very different feel to them. In comparison to them, Daiki rubbers feel dull. BTY for example, if you play with d05 its really amazing, u can just full brush with the topsheet and because of the spring sponge the ball shoots out like a rocket, bouncy with a fast arc and high spin, its a great feeling but so hard to control. if you do the same shot with Mantra, the ball would be empty
ESN rubbers for me are in the middle between these two. Note that I am used to ESN rubbers and have played with omega 7 pro for a long time, so I am a bit biased towards them. But ESN rubbers are all more grippy than mantra pro. And omega 7 pro especially is a very balanced rubber, its performs well in every shot, not the highest spin but the spin is always good. You can engage the sponge, brush with topsheet, go for light push, heavy push, chop; and there will always be a nice feeling of dwell and bite. The topsheet is grippy which is why its easier to lift backspin or add spin to any shot. And of course, the maximum spin of xiom omega series is quite alot higher than mantra pro. Omega7 and Omega 8, if you go for power shots, the power and spin are amazing, good enough that many members of Korea National Team used them for years. Mantra Pro rubbers are more build for speed, they lack spin at the highest end
As usual though, for most players including myself (hobby players), it does not matter if I use bty, esn or daiki rubbers in terms of match performance. Overall, my results will be the same, technique matters. But what also matters in my opinion, is to have a comfortable shot feeling and good feedback from your setup. And I basically prefer the omega 7 pro in that regard
At the end of the day, Mantra Pro is king because you can get that rubber for 23€, which is half the price of any omega rubber, glayzer series etc etc. Mantra Pro wins because price performance is unbeatable, and as
@Zwill said before, Mantra is very fun to play with. I basically keep mantra Pro on my backup and play with it in the offseason, because its springy and bouncy but lets you do all the shots easily. Recommend you to try it out if you can get a good deal, but dont expect it to be better than high end XIOM rubbers
