Recent content by greenbeanmachine

Yeah those are some fair points. Lots of people prefer softer rubbers, and lots of coaches will tell you to play with a softer rubber if you are a beginner. Especially if you have a weaker side (for most people this is the backhand), coaches will advise the use of a softer rubber. If you have a...

Skyline NEO is boosted, and the boosting chemicals degrade the rubber. If you want the rubber to last for a long time, you should get the non-NEO version. Personally I am a big fan of the Skyline series. I use Skyline 2 on both sides, though I will probably change to Skyline 3 on backhand after...

Yeah, on the backhand you have to use it actively to counterattack. If you use it to block, you will end up fishing far behind the table (something that I like doing but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea).

Or better -- you could get one European-style rubber and one Chinese-style rubber. Then you will probably end up using the Chinese rubber on your forehand. But you can test it on your backhand too and see if you like it. And vice versa with the European rubber. This is what I did when I got my...

TableTennis11.com has great deals, and they sell a bunch of different brands. They will also assemble your racket for you, for what it's worth.

5-ply wood or maybe 7-ply wood is a good starting point. I'd personally recommend the Ma Lin Extra Offensive -- it's a good blade, definitely the best you'll get in its price range. Rozena and Glayzer are both very fast rubbers. Glayzer in particular has many mixed reviews, though Rozena seems...

The non-neo version of TG2 is still pretty tacky. TG3 is really nice on the backhand but I'm not sure I'd go for it on the forehand. Like SFF_lib says, TG2 can be advantageous in the short game because you can hit very slowly and close to the net. I think TG2 also has higher speed when you're...

I think Skyline 3 is slightly better for blocking. It's a bit faster, but the throw angle is a bit lower, meaning that you can block with a more open racket. I think it's also easier to counterattack with Skyline 3, especially against heavy topspin. You need to be careful not to close your...

There is a Skyline 2 blue sponge, but it's harder to find. You can get it on prott.vip . Blue sponge only comes with black rubber -- there's no red rubber with a blue sponge. So if you want to have a legal racket, you can only use blue sponge on one side. Typically, the Chinese players will use...

I play with Skyline 2 on both sides of my main setup, with blue sponge black rubber on the forehand. I also prefer it to Hurricane 3. My alternative setup is a Ma Lin Extra Offensive blade with Skyline 3 (blue sponge) FH and Tibhar Hybrid K3 BH. Skyline 3 definitely has a lower throw angle...

It's all a matter of perspective. I'm a penholder and I like H3's low angle because it lets me take the ball really low (almost off the floor) and still reliably put it on the table. With a higher throw angle, it's much less consistent to take ball from below the table. I think the higher throw...

Yeah Dignics 09c is a popular choice. But beware of the throw angle, it's very weird if you're used to Chinese rubbers.

Dignics 80 is quite different from Hurricane 3. You'll have to get used to a new throw angle, new speed, more spin sensitivity, etc. I tried my friend's blade which had D05 FH and D80 BH, and I could not distinguish the rubbers from each other. They felt very similar -- if anything, the D80 was...

I have Darker Speed 90 in jpen and cpen. They're a bit too small for my hands, and so I am willing to sell them. Let me know if you want either of them.