Best affordable Chinese rubbers 2019

[JulianTT]

Hey guys, this is my first post here.

Quick intro: I started playing as a child when I was 6-7, then again in my teens for a few years on and off (never in a club, mostly with friends and during school holidays but sometimes every day). Now I'm in my 30s and hadn't touched a racket in many years until I recently joined a private sports club that also has a couple of tennis tables and a ball throwing machine. I started hitting a few balls and I was immediately hooked! I was surprised to see that the old reflexes were still there and after a couple of practice sessions with the machine, I could keep up with guys who have been playing regularly in a club for 1-2 years. I enjoy playing with topspin and attacking/smashing more than defending. After 4-5 sessions with the machine I set it on close to maximum speed and topspin, otherwise it wasn't challenging enough once I got into pace.

I never owned a racket before - always played with school and friends' equipment - and my first one is due to arrive later today, exciting! Based on reviews and some personal advice I ended up ordering a Butterfly Primorac wood blade and Stiga Mantra rubbers, H for the FH and M for the BH. This setup ran me about 100, not too much and not too little.

I am also intrigued about Chinese equipment and I wanted to get a cheaper setup to have for backup / friends visiting / trying out things. I already have a Palio Energy 03 on the way and I am looking for updated advice about the rubbers. A lot of the reviews I'm finding are pre 2017 and I keep hearing that the poly balls have changed everything and harder / faster equipment is now being recommended. I don't have a clear sense of the release timeline of the different rubbers and which are better adapted to this "new age".

I'm reading good things about the 729 Battle II and it seems to be more consistent in quality than DHS Hurricane 3 that is also a favorite of many, although not clear if still adapted to the modern game (I'm not planing to boost).

So without further ado, what are your favorite affordable Chinese rubbers in this day and age, particularly those that would work well with my two blades? Go!

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[tzifos]

AK 47 Red/Blue/Yellow is a good fast, non-tacky, lightweight, "euro"-type rubber that you can get for 11~12 USD from aliexpress.

 

[BeTWO]

Yinhe mercury2, Reactor tornado v5 40+

 

[thekleifheit13]

Gambler rubbers are my favorite I've ever tried. Burst and Big Gun aren't terribly different from one another and are super spinny with good speed, especially on Thor's Hammer sponge. Mech-Tek and Nine Ultra Tack are supposed to be similar to Tenergy, and, while that's quite a stretch, they're pretty dynamic and high throw for Chinese rubber. Nine Ultra Tack is the same sponge and pip structure as Mech-Tek but is decently tacky, while Mech-Tek isn't tacky at all.

 

[domac101]

I would definitely recommend Battle 2 and Palio Ak47 Yellow version, haven't tried Blue and Red yet...

Ak47 yellow is pretty decent rubber for the price, not great in any department but I enjoy having it on my backhand because it's good in blocking and offers a lot of control.
Battle 2 is definitely a rubber to try, tacky but fast and with good control...Playing with it for about a month, 3-4 days a week and enjoy every training, still tacky, a little less though, and seems durable.

 

[yogi_bear]

Sanwei target national

 

[yogi_bear]

Forgot to add reactor tornado.

 

[BryanY]

If you have never used tacky rubber before, then get something a little more beginner friendly like Yinhe (a.k.a. Galaxy) Jupiter II with 38 degree hardness). It’s my opinion that the other tacky rubbers like Battle 2 and H3 have sponges that are too hard and are intended to be softened with booster.

If you go non tacky then KTL Pro XP is a decent and easy to use choice. I have also heard good things about Palio AK47. I have a sheet of AK47 coming in the mail to try out.


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[ronz91]

friendship 729 focus 3 snipe

 

[RidTheKid]

How to define "affordable"? It's very relative. I consider H3N National BS very affordable at 70 dollars a pop. They last a very long time, have had 2 setups with the same rubbers (4 psc) for over a year and the loss of speed and spin can only be attributed to that the boost has worn off. No issues with bubbles or anything like that on any of the 6 National rubbers I've used either.

 

[pongforehand]

You can't really go wrong with the Hurricane line

 

[JulianTT]

Thank you for all the recommendations. I think most of the rubbers listed here are European/Japanese equivalents. I was wondering if maybe there were some newer rubbers in the same category with Battle II and H3 that are worth trying?

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[thekleifheit13]

Thank you for all the recommendations. I think most of the rubbers listed here are European/Japanese equivalents. I was wondering if maybe there were some newer rubbers in the same category with Battle II and H3 that are worth trying?

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Gambler Burst Thor's Hammer is in the category you mention. 14 USD and is faster than H3 but spin seems similar.

 

[TryHard]

I started using a fast carbon blade and progressively softer rubbers to try to achieve control, but I eventually got an all wood blade and Hurricane 3 Neo for my FH, and my loop progression was off the charts. I now use H3Neo on backhand as well (heavy but it’s a spin monster).

I can add to this list Galaxy (Yinhe) Moon Pro. It is $30 but it’s factory tuned and comes with glue. The tack on that topsheet is well beyond even Hurricane, and the sponge is softer and easier to create speed. No boosting needed! It ended up being a bit too fast for me right now, but I can recognize greatness even if I can’t handle it!

Also, I tried Friendship Presto Max speed, and can tell you that lives up to it’s name if you’re in the market for a fast tensor-like BH that won’t break the bank (I bought for $25 US). Also too fast and not tacky enough for me.

 

[Greenie]

I would add palio hk1997 to the list. Tried ak47 red/yellow, dhs h3 also. hk1997 seems to be spinner then those others, at least at close / mid distance. Only drawback (for some) is it's sticky and heavier than ak47, but similar in weight to h3. Use a protective film when not in use to keep dust out and the stickiness and play characteristic last awhile.

 

[piligrim]

HK1997 Gold definitely very good rubber. I like it more then aK47 red. 729 Bloom series also very interesting

 

[alas26]

I’m using DHS Skyline TG2 Neo on a Nittaku Acoustic (which should have some pretty similar properties to your Bty.prim.). It’s quite affordable and so far my favorite rubber (comparing to many variants of H3).

Lots of control and spin.

Enjoy your quest!


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[frankping]

Yinhe/Galaxy Moon, good spin and control with medium speed, no tacky, only 14 euro

https://www.pingmaster.it/en-us/galaxy-moon-medium/

 

[NanaChiTang]

Yinhe mercury2, Reactor tornado v5 40+

+1 for Yinhe Mercury 2

 

[lVegita]

You people realize that this thread was dead already, and the OP was even banned from the forum, right?