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Palio AK47 Reds could fit the bill nicely, but only if you're teaming them with a blade that has either hinoki (or hinoki-like) outer layer woods, or else (and even better) are using a one-ply blade. Without the hinoki outers, AK47 Reds are a slightly-better-than-average non-tacky rubber from...

In addition to which, sealing a blade can come with it's own problems if not done carefully or properly. All blades have wood in them, which means by extension that all blades 'move' (ie: wood in the blade is constantly exchanging moisture with its surroundings due to changes in humidity --...

Out of the two rubbers you mention, I've only played very little with the G-1, while the only T05s I've ever used all had max sponge. For that reason I'm hesitant to recommend either sorry (I have heard third hand that T05 in 1.9mm goes great on hinoki one plys, but I cant confirm that...

**Short Answer** Yes it's a real thing. Thinner sponge can *sometimes* result in far more speed (than you would otherwise normally get), if teamed with a Hinoki blade. All that being said, here come the disclaimers: - it depends an lot on the particular blade and rubber involved, - the...

Any updates on how the Loki 3 Pro performs? I'm a big fan of the R3 Blue myself and I'm looking for a good quality black rubber to team it with at around the same price point. :)

Welcome!

Learn to laugh at yourself, and do so before any key moments arrive in a game. I used to tense up hugely whenever I was approaching key points in a match (eg: 10-all in the fifth and final game). This invariably led to me making silly mistakes. Then this one time during a match I right royally...

Hi folks. Tried out a second hand sheet of Yasaka Valmo on the weekend, and absolutely bloody loved it -- but apparently it's been discontinued 🙄🙄 Anybody know of another, preferably non-discontinued rubber, that's genuinely close to it for playing feel? (No idea how long it's been...

Ooooohhh now that IS lovely. Brilliant bit of handle design there - Respect! 😎👍

If you want something fast, hard, cheap, non-tacky, Chinese and durable, I think it's gotta be a Loki T3. The spin is nowhere near dignics.level (actually it's downright average most of the time) but on some occasions if you get your technique *just right* the spin can surprise you (especially...

Robots are only ever one side of the coin. Robots provide repetition, and that's basically all they provide...but they provide it extremely well, and on demand. You need repetition to improve - no question there. But you also need guidance, feedback, and real-word implementation -- none of...

Actually (putting on his wood-geek hat), there's always a residual amount of moisture present in dried wood, which typically varies anywhere from 8 to 15 percent or more by weight, depending on your location on the planet and its climate. It's only relevant because the playing properties of...

Wow! Yeah, that wouldn't be the shrink-wrapping. Shrink wrapping shouldn't put that much stress on a blade normally. That being said, shrink-wrapping requires application of heat, and if badly done it might cause one side if the bade to dry out, which could conceivably cause the cupping you...

Mmmm - yeah, blade twist is a bugger. There's a lot of possible causes for that - it could be anything from misaligned grain in the core, to uneven gluing or drying, to movement in the wood after manufacture due to changes in humidity. Only thing you can really do with a blade like that is...

Long lasting *and* non tacky? If the AK47 had better longevity I'd recommend that one every time. Far closer to the mark is the 729 Focus 3 in hard sponge, or else go with a classic Mark V in Max sponge. Those who say the Mark V is too slow are probably using an ALL to ALL + rated blade (or...

As for the OP, any decent polyurethane based finish will do the job just fine. Either water based or oil based poly will do the job (with oil-based being that tiny bit tougher). Wipe on one thing coat with a clean, lint-free rag, and then wipe off any excess with another. Leave it to dry fully...

For what it's worth, I find that with all wood blades, differences in blade speed have a greater effect than differences in rubber speed. This is less the case with composite blades, as regardless of what type of reinforcing fabric you use, it all puts a solid "floor" under the blade's speed...

Choosing my *one* favorite attractive blade? Jesus - now there's a challenge. I'm a bit of a woodgrain purist when it comes to aesthetics - I love the look of beautiful timber grain, and while brilliant graphic design and artwork will always be a love of mine, I tend to admire more minimalist...

There's also a formal requirement that any external coating on the playing surface (paint lacquer etc) be less than 0.1mm thick. I would imagine this necessitates the epoxy coating the fibers must ALSO be less than 0.1mm thick (as the epoxy is there to secure and protect the carbon fibers...

That's certainly how I've interpreted the rule myself. Also seems pretty clear that carbon fiber is meant purely *as a reinforcement* and not as a casing, external playing surface, or outermost protective layer for the wood. Only way carbon fiber could be an outer layer, is if it were...