DHS fans unite!

[mihalichtheone]

Allright this time I can tell that I've found the one.
It's w968 Golden with H3 ML 42 and H3 ML 37.
At first, I thought that 42 is too hard, 37 - too soft.

But now I play with both of them unboosted (booster effect went away, I boosted the black one with 3 layers of Haifu black initially, red with 2).
The black rubber is already almost 6 months old and since it wasn't much tacky in the first place, it still performs very well. I can execute every shot very confidently, even the counters to heavy spinny loops. Same for red one. I really think that 'Star national' versions of rubbers are top notch, not something CNT gets, but it's very good. With these two I can be very confident that all my shots would go to the table.

End of EJing for me. Remember this moment!

I tried prov. orange sponge on the fh 40, orange sponge national 40 - but the Star National BS is still much better. Its like it grabs the ball and I can put it with my hand anywhere.
BH 37 might be a little too soft may be? But for now I am content with 37 Star National ML.

It's truly a gem.

One thing to note: FH side must be glued with at least 3 layers of glue on the rubber and 2 layers on the blade, this way I think it adds a lot of elasticity and it doesn't feel very hard. BH 2 layers + 1 is fine for me.

May be one downside of this blade is you have to be active with shots, semi effort ones dont' work well.

Let know if you need a gameplay video of this setup.

Edit: performance with b2 gold was nice too, however the feeling is not there - and that's what distinguishes H3 from the other rubbers..

 

[RPB Enthusiast]

Allright this time I can tell that I've found the one.
It's w968 Golden with H3 ML 42 and H3 ML 37.
At first, I thought that 42 is too hard, 37 - too soft.

But now I play with both of them unboosted (booster effect went away, I boosted the black one with 3 layers of Haifu black initially, red with 2).
The black rubber is already almost 6 months old and since it wasn't much tacky in the first place, it still performs very well. I can execute every shot very confidently, even the counters to heavy spinny loops. Same for red one. I really think that 'Star national' versions of rubbers are top notch, not something CNT gets, but it's very good. With these two I can be very confident that all my shots would go to the table.

End of EJing for me. Remember this moment!

I tried prov. orange sponge on the fh 40, orange sponge national 40 - but the Star National BS is still much better. Its like it grabs the ball and I can put it with my hand anywhere.
BH 37 might be a little too soft may be? But for now I am content with 37 Star National ML.

It's truly a gem.

One thing to note: FH side must be glued with at least 3 layers of glue on the rubber and 2 layers on the blade, this way I think it adds a lot of elasticity and it doesn't feel very hard. BH 2 layers + 1 is fine for me.

May be one downside of this blade is you have to be active with shots, semi effort ones dont' work well.

Let know if you need a gameplay video of this setup.

Edit: performance with b2 gold was nice too, however the feeling is not there - and that's what distinguishes H3 from the other rubbers..
View attachment 43616
View attachment 43617
View attachment 43618

Now you have to find the perfect setup for your penhold style 😂

 

[Archo]

I really think that 'Star national' versions of rubbers are top notch, not something CNT gets, but it's very good.

Most of CNT and sponsored players use something that's really close to H3 Neo National. I'd be inclined to say it's the exact same sheet, but they probably have a more controlled distribution channel than the resellers get.

They will pick out the good sheets, but otherwise it's not some super sheet. Your STAR Player sheets are better than what they use.

I think sponsored players do get very minor customisation in the hardness (So 41.5 instead of only 41 and 42 and so on) but I've been told it's "nothing special". The blades are more custom; fully custom in fact apart from the basic chassis layout.

The Star National versions are just "replicas" of the actual player rubbers, maybe cut from a slightly worse part of the sheet and maybe going through a bit less QC and with different markings. You can buy the real sheets from old leftover batches mostly from big tournaments, but you should honestly buy a fresher "normal" sheet, it will play better most likely.

I honestly can't tell Commercial, Provincial and National from eachother (Have not done A-B tests on the same blade, though, so maybe there I could) but I'm yet to try the STAR Player version. Some day I will be stupid enough to buy it, and if it really is better then curse myself with what I've got myself into LOL.

I'm sure they're more elastic for the same hardness and probably have more precisely controlled grip and tackiness. Everyone says they actually grip a bit less with Commercial and Provincial being the highest and I would agree with this.

It might be how the sheets come out when cut, or it might be an intentional adjustment to the formula, I dunno. Probably done for a better speed vs grip compromise. Or maybe just coincidence every time.

 

[mihalichtheone]

Allright this time I can tell that I've found the one.
It's w968 Golden with H3 ML 42 and H3 ML 37.
At first, I thought that 42 is too hard, 37 - too soft.

But now I play with both of them unboosted (booster effect went away, I boosted the black one with 3 layers of Haifu black initially, red with 2).
The black rubber is already almost 6 months old and since it wasn't much tacky in the first place, it still performs very well. I can execute every shot very confidently, even the counters to heavy spinny loops. Same for red one. I really think that 'Star national' versions of rubbers are top notch, not something CNT gets, but it's very good. With these two I can be very confident that all my shots would go to the table.

End of EJing for me. Remember this moment!

I tried prov. orange sponge on the fh 40, orange sponge national 40 - but the Star National BS is still much better. Its like it grabs the ball and I can put it with my hand anywhere.
BH 37 might be a little too soft may be? But for now I am content with 37 Star National ML.

It's truly a gem.

One thing to note: FH side must be glued with at least 3 layers of glue on the rubber and 2 layers on the blade, this way I think it adds a lot of elasticity and it doesn't feel very hard. BH 2 layers + 1 is fine for me.

May be one downside of this blade is you have to be active with shots, semi effort ones dont' work well.

Let know if you need a gameplay video of this setup.

Edit: performance with b2 gold was nice too, however the feeling is not there - and that's what distinguishes H3 from the other rubbers..

It's left+middle+left+right then random. The blade + rubber combo is for continuous top spins

 

[mihalichtheone]

Now you have to find the perfect setup for your penhold style 😂

The Xu Xin style of play is set: Stiga Dynasty, Either TG2 or H3 for FH and H3 for bh

However, Ma Lin style which I adore a lot I still haven't discovered the blade better than YEO. However YEO lacks support for the modern play, so nothing to replace it. w968 is too bendy, Dynasty is geared towards top spin play...no idea really. Probably some outer carbon Yinhe Pro 02 (thicker viscaria basically) may be considered, but I haven't tried it.

 

[RPB Enthusiast]

The Xu Xin style of play is set: Stiga Dynasty, Either TG2 or H3 for FH and H3 for bh

However, Ma Lin style which I adore a lot I still haven't discovered the blade better than YEO. However YEO lacks support for the modern play, so nothing to replace it. w968 is too bendy, Dynasty is geared towards top spin play...no idea really. Probably some outer carbon Yinhe Pro 02 (thicker viscaria basically) may be considered, but I haven't tried it.

Now's the time 😂

 

[arashfarshadi]

What do you guys think about the Fang Bo b2x against hurricane301x?

 

[Milton Table Tennis Club]

What do you guys think about the Fang Bo b2x against hurricane301x?

Have you read through the report at ttgearlab lab for 301x?
For the b2x, you can find some good information on that same site under fang bo blade comments discussion at the bottom.

Based on measurements, the 301x has similar measurements to viscaria even though its inner.
The b2x is supposed to be similar to the long 5x which was tested.

I tried the old long 5 and felt it required to much effort for someone around 50 like me. Based on measurements, the newer version should make it easier to use.

 

[arashfarshadi]

Have you read through the report at ttgearlab lab for 301x?
For the b2x, you can find some good information on that same site under fang bo blade comments discussion at the bottom.

Based on measurements, the 301x has similar measurements to viscaria even though its inner.
The b2x is supposed to be similar to the long 5x which was tested.

I tried the old long 5 and felt it required to much effort for someone around 50 like me. Based on measurements, the newer version should make it easier to use.

thank you very much

 

[RPB Enthusiast]

How come people don't use H2 anymore? I don't have much knowledge about it except that Wang Liqin used it and it's supposed to have a low arc. I say it on TT11 because I really like Skyline 2/Skyline 2 Blue Sponge and just had a curiousity about H2 🙂

 

[Coolsta Connor]

How come people don't use H2 anymore? I don't have much knowledge about it except that Wang Liqin used it and it's supposed to have a low arc. I say it on TT11 because I really like Skyline 2/Skyline 2 Blue Sponge and just had a curiousity about H2 🙂

1. Its no longer manufactured
2. It was way too demanding to the point that only a few CNT members could handle it, Wang Liqin being one of them. The incredibly low throw angle sounds great for some, including me, but you are absolutely battling your body and its fitness. Not to mention, in a tournament you'd need more ease of use.
3. It was likely more associated with the speed glue era, and they wanted to move away from that.

 

[Archo]

H2 is being sold officially by DHS in the 2025 catalog. They even updated the packaging for it a while ago. Not for the NEO though, that uses the old one.

Did they axe it in 2026?

There's also National Hurricane 2 that comes with some bats and which you can buy separately in 2025.

 

[RPB Enthusiast]

H2 is being sold officially by DHS in the 2025 catalog. They even updated the packaging for it a while ago. Not for the NEO though, that uses the old one.

Did they axe it in 2026?

View attachment 44134

There's also National Hurricane 2 that comes with some bats and which you can buy separately in 2025.

So far the only reliable place I would buy H2 at is TT11, but I wasn't able to see it sold on DHS in the US.

 

[Archo]

So far the only reliable place I would buy H2 at is TT11, but I wasn't able to see it sold on DHS in the US.

It's a relatively niche product because most people use H3 instead, but they exist. Here in AU there's a few shops stocking it.

The part number starts with G on some of the National ones so they may even be making export versions. Some of my H3 start with G, some don't; it's supposedly the export marking for "Global". I don't know if it signifies lower quality anymore like the old "export" marking did. They go for about 120AUD which is roughly as much as a STAR National NEO H3 sheet, jeez.

Considering they haven't updated the NEO H2 package and they seem to only produce small amounts of it, I feel like it might be on the way out, though.

 

[Leno]

If you think H3 is hard to hit through then H2 will make your life hell.
I tried it back in the days and its not comparable. You hardly get through the surface of the rubber and everything felt like a little harder brush than a hit. However it was really consistent in what it was doing.

The early H3 blue sponge that was not open to public back than had the same consistency, which you hardly can say about the H3 now. Hopefully they can reinvent themselves with a more hitting power rubber but same playing characteristics. I'm getting too old to play H3 on FH

 

[zwin]

Most of CNT and sponsored players use something that's really close to H3 Neo National. I'd be inclined to say it's the exact same sheet, but they probably have a more controlled distribution channel than the resellers get.

They will pick out the good sheets, but otherwise it's not some super sheet. Your STAR Player sheets are better than what they use.

I think sponsored players do get very minor customisation in the hardness (So 41.5 instead of only 41 and 42 and so on) but I've been told it's "nothing special". The blades are more custom; fully custom in fact apart from the basic chassis layout.

The Star National versions are just "replicas" of the actual player rubbers, maybe cut from a slightly worse part of the sheet and maybe going through a bit less QC and with different markings. You can buy the real sheets from old leftover batches mostly from big tournaments, but you should honestly buy a fresher "normal" sheet, it will play better most likely.

I honestly can't tell Commercial, Provincial and National from eachother (Have not done A-B tests on the same blade, though, so maybe there I could) but I'm yet to try the STAR Player version. Some day I will be stupid enough to buy it, and if it really is better then curse myself with what I've got myself into LOL.

I'm sure they're more elastic for the same hardness and probably have more precisely controlled grip and tackiness. Everyone says they actually grip a bit less with Commercial and Provincial being the highest and I would agree with this.

It might be how the sheets come out when cut, or it might be an intentional adjustment to the formula, I dunno. Probably done for a better speed vs grip compromise. Or maybe just coincidence every time.

Most of CNT and sponsored players use something that's really close to H3 Neo National. I'd be inclined to say it's the exact same sheet, but they probably have a more controlled distribution channel than the resellers get.

They will pick out the good sheets, but otherwise it's not some super sheet. Your STAR Player sheets are better than what they use.

I think sponsored players do get very minor customisation in the hardness (So 41.5 instead of only 41 and 42 and so on) but I've been told it's "nothing special". The blades are more custom; fully custom in fact apart from the basic chassis layout.

The Star National versions are just "replicas" of the actual player rubbers, maybe cut from a slightly worse part of the sheet and maybe going through a bit less QC and with different markings. You can buy the real sheets from old leftover batches mostly from big tournaments, but you should honestly buy a fresher "normal" sheet, it will play better most likely.

I honestly can't tell Commercial, Provincial and National from eachother (Have not done A-B tests on the same blade, though, so maybe there I could) but I'm yet to try the STAR Player version. Some day I will be stupid enough to buy it, and if it really is better then curse myself with what I've got myself into LOL.

I'm sure they're more elastic for the same hardness and probably have more precisely controlled grip and tackiness. Everyone says they actually grip a bit less with Commercial and Provincial being the highest and I would agree with this.

It might be how the sheets come out when cut, or it might be an intentional adjustment to the formula, I dunno. Probably done for a better speed vs grip compromise. Or maybe just coincidence every time.

for me, i have the xiang peng edition (41 deg, 2.1 mm), the tackiness lasts really long, im talking about over a year and its still tacky as if its brand new. However, the one little concern I have is when I make like direct contact with it, it sounds like the ball cracked (literally), like I know im supposed to brush hit it but something about that 'ball-cracking' feel puts me off. Its also playable unboosted imo for the star edition so no problems there

 

[Coolsta Connor]

for me, i have the xiang peng edition (41 deg, 2.1 mm), the tackiness lasts really long, im talking about over a year and its still tacky as if its brand new. However, the one little concern I have is when I make like direct contact with it, it sounds like the ball cracked (literally), like I know im supposed to brush hit it but something about that 'ball-cracking' feel puts me off. Its also playable unboosted imo for the star edition so no problems there

The ball cracking is just the signature hurricane 3, have you ever tried the Ma Long version? For me that had almost no tackiness.

 

[Archo]

for me, i have the xiang peng edition (41 deg, 2.1 mm), the tackiness lasts really long, im talking about over a year and its still tacky as if its brand new. However, the one little concern I have is when I make like direct contact with it, it sounds like the ball cracked (literally), like I know im supposed to brush hit it but something about that 'ball-cracking' feel puts me off. Its also playable unboosted imo for the star edition so no problems there

That's what my shots sound and feel like too sometimes. I thought I broke my blade at one point. I think it's just how it is.

 

[zwin]

The ball cracking is just the signature hurricane 3, have you ever tried the Ma Long version? For me that had almost no tackiness.

nope! i just got the xiang peng edition as a gift and didn't know it was a STAR edition until I took it off to re-glue haha, i feel like with the H3, i can easily fh slow loop thanks to the tackiness, but with my STN 3, its so hard and the ball always go into the net, which kinda pmo, waiting on my 729 battle 2 and hopefully its better.

That's what my shots sound and feel like too sometimes. I thought I broke my blade at one point. I think it's just how it is.

now im glad im not the only one haha, every time i have to check the ball to see if its cracked

 

[RPB Enthusiast]

nope! i just got the xiang peng edition as a gift and didn't know it was a STAR edition until I took it off to re-glue haha, i feel like with the H3, i can easily fh slow loop thanks to the tackiness, but with my STN 3, its so hard and the ball always go into the net, which kinda pmo, waiting on my 729 battle 2 and hopefully its better.

now im glad im not the only one haha, every time i have to check the ball to see if its cracked

I'll have to see how my Skyline 2 Blue Sponge sounds tomorrow night. I used to get a really loud cracking when I had my Boosted VICTAS Triple Double Extra on a Fan Zhendong Super ALC CS, so interested to see with my Boosted S2BS on Hurricane Hao III CS.