Is Tenergy slowly losing its position at the top?

Tenergy loses from his dominance, but it will be No.1 for a time.

jedimasterplk said:

A lot of players that used to be Butterfly are now playing with other rubber brands, and are genuinely happy with the performance. Some have even gone so far as saying that prefer their current setup to Tenergy (and I am not referring only to Paul Drinkhall)).

Many top pros are visibly not using tenergy - like Hugo Calderano, Simon Gauzy, and Darko Jorgic at the junior levels. Tibhar MXP is also becoming an increasingly popular choice - and not just because of price, but based on its performance viz a viz Tenergy.

What do you guys think, and have you noticed a similar trend?

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Well, it still top overpriced rubber ladder [emoji14]

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I think that in pro play the differences between non tacky rubbers are not that big. They obviously use all types of boosters and stuff too.

However in my opinion the tenergys still have quite an advantage in amateur play, they are easy to handle and create a lot of power/spin with low effort. They also tend to have quite a large margin for error.

IMHO, the new plastic ball is the root cause here. All players - amateur and pro - have noticed the new plastic ball(s) play differently than the old celluloid ball. And so everyone, and the pros especially, have a reason to EJ and try new equipment =- which they would not have done had the switch to plastic ball did not occur. And guess what, some are finding that ESN rubbers like MX-P are actually quite comparable to Tenergy, and perhaps even play better for them than Tenergy.

In my opinion the plastic balls are a lot slower than celluloid. To me it seems you can generate more speed on the ball 'easier' with ESN rubbers than Tenergy.

Tenergy when used with good technique is the better rubber but for the average local league guy may find it of a nicer feel and initial speed increase with esn rubbers because of this.

I'm happy that you made the switch to MX-P. It's apparent that Tenergy hasn't lost it's position at the top, but there are many viable alternatives which are way better once you do the cost-benefit analysis. For example, playing with a £54 rubber that will give you maybe a 5-10% perceived advantage over <£30 alternatives doesn't look so good.

Of course there are so many variables, ESN has increased durability, performance and has kept price constant, whereas Tenergy has done nothing but increased price! So it's not way better than the competition anymore, but I still think it's the top rubber for now.

I think with the new ball and new brands and rubbers such as Victas and the MX-P, there will be a decline in Tenergy's reliance. AND THE PRICE IS INSANE ANYWAYS SO MORE OF A REASON TO TEST OTHER RUBBERS.

jiaming322 said:

I think with the new ball and new brands and rubbers such as Victas and the MX-P, there will be a decline in Tenergy's reliance. AND THE PRICE IS INSANE ANYWAYS SO MORE OF A REASON TO TEST OTHER RUBBERS.

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To put it in perspective, I can get Tenergy 05 for £47.50 a piece or Bluefire M1/M2 for under £25 a sheet. Half the price!

Exactly, why would you spend twice the money for a tiny difference in quality... And with the Rosena coming out after the plastic ball Era, I wonder if Butterfly even plans on trying to figure out something that can upgrade the Tenergys for the new ball.

Maybe soon butterfly will realize that their tenergy gold mine is reaching its end and will come up with something instead of selling over priced products all these years... RIP old Zhang Jike ALC

It is true, many people have stopped using Tenergy and gone to cheaper alternatives. And yet there are people who just wouldnt let go of the Tenergy series
It seems that Tenergy is the kind of rubber that either you get addicted to, or you just don't bother about it. It is difficult to find another rubber which is exactly like the Tenergy series, there are many rubber series out there that are similar to the Tenergy series, but thats about it. There is as such no 'cheap copy' for the Tenergy series.

jedimasterplk said:

A lot of players that used to be Butterfly are now playing with other rubber brands, and are genuinely happy with the performance. Some have even gone so far as saying that prefer their current setup to Tenergy (and I am not referring only to Paul Drinkhall)).

Many top pros are visibly not using tenergy - like Hugo Calderano, Simon Gauzy, and Darko Jorgic at the junior levels. Tibhar MXP is also becoming an increasingly popular choice - and not just because of price, but based on its performance viz a viz Tenergy.

What do you guys think, and have you noticed a similar trend?

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hmm! i tried the MX-p myself but i did not like it. On the other hand i tried Yinhe's moon speed (medium sponge) and so far its working well for me.
There will always be better technology out there in terms of blades, rubbers, etc. Question is that does that work for you or not. Tenergy series has been out there since 2007 if i am not mistaken.

jedimasterplk said:

What do you guys think, and have you noticed a similar trend?

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A few thoughts ...

1. Pro level has used plastic balls for years now, tenergy dominance prevails.
2. Some players under contract were forced to change, others weren´t. Most prominent example is Ovtcharov, who has tried anything but Donic.
Tibhar was early and strict with this policy, so the increase in MX-P being used is not solely due to performance.
3. On amateur level, price is a deciding factor for many. Why pay almost double for a rubber that you think is 5 or 10 % better, or which may be 5 or 10 % better on pro level, but not for you.

Great rubbers have arrived over the years, and they seem to be getting even better (Rasanter, GEWO Hype KR and XT). Yet some players won´t go anywhere near them, and this will continue to be so for a while at least.

The equipment stats of the players at the world championship would be interesting.
What i ask myself: How many players who are arent tibhar sponsored play tibhar (evolution)? And how many players who arent Butterfly sponsored play tenergy?
I think the dominance is not broken yet

Im curious if making the sponge thicker is really the answer to the new ball and if Butterfly adapts to thicker sponges with similar tenergy technology. I dont know if that is even possible though.
Can thicker sponges still get boosted well ?
That certainly could play a role.

We should focus this discussion on pro play. Amateur and semi pro play is something completely different where equipment budget plays a role.

This is what I would say:

I like MXP. It is fine and works for me. But the feel on Tenergy is better. And T05 still gets more spin than anything else I can think of. MXP is very close and more than close enough for me.

Here is how I would break things down.

Tenergy's sponge is better than anything else I have felt.
Tenergy's topsheet is okay. Perhaps it could be better. But the rubber, as it is, is still really, better than everything else out there for that kind of rubber.
Tenergy still lasts longer than anything else.
Tenergy does not rely on factory tuning for its performance which is probably why you see a high level of performance for such a long time compared to MXP.

MXP performs just about as well as Tenergy in many areas.
It is faster than T05. But not as spinny.
It has a lower throw angle than T05. This, I think is neutral and whether you like that or not depends on whether you like high or low arc.

Here is the major downside to MXP. The boost effect wears off fairly quickly and then the rubber performs differently.

As far as I am concerned, that is not really a problem. I like the way MXP plays after the boost effect has worn off. But after the boost effect has worn off, it is no longer faster than T05.

To me the main downside to MXP is that the sponge has a weird characteristic that mutes your feeling of the ball. I am fine with it. It took a little while to get used to. Once I got used to it, it did not matter to me. But, I would still have to rate Tenergy a little better because of how good the Tenergy sponge is.

However, I am not going to use Tenergy because of the price. For me, MXP is worth it, because of the very small downsides are not important to me. And the price point is much better for me.

However, I would say, if money is not an issue, then T05, simply comparing rubber to rubber, is just slightly better in most ways than MXP.

Still, MXP is awesome and as close as I have seen to T05 up till now.

Well, I've heard from first league players, that Xiom Sigma (can't remember which type) is just as good as Tenergy (with booster of course). All the rubbers can be judged differently by personal preferences.
We can argue if Tenergy is better than the recent ESN stars, but psychology matters a lot.
Pro players want the best rubber and they see that other pros are playing with Tenergy. They will choose Tenergy.
Many pro player didn't care about rubbers. They get some rubber from the coach and after they become better, they changed to Tenergy, because that times it was really the best or the coach advised so. They never played with anything else. These players will pay more for a Tenergy and they accepted that.
Others tried other rubbers, but they blamed the new rubber, if they couldn't play well.
Tenergy is a safe choice. Until there won't be something decidedly better, it will be the No. 1 rubber for pros.