ITC PowerCell Ultra

says Hi guys anyone want to use Sanwei Brand? I try some of...
says Hi guys anyone want to use Sanwei Brand? I try some of...
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by the I use Sanwei 3 star ABS 40+ better than xuashaopa and stiga ball similar weight to nittaku 3 star premium
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Wow. This actually looks very good. You have very good technique, but the ball still jumps on every loop, very good sign. May I ask you which ball did you use for this review?
I've read reviews about the earlier ITC rubbers, those sounded like really average rubbers. But if the Ultra version cames over the earlier model's mistakes we can welcome another rubber in the top-end category. I hope its price is moderately low.
 
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Look very good for backhand. Any comment on throw angle? Wish to see high throw like T05 or baracuda.

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May ultra 48 is 66 grams uncut while the 45 is 67 grams. Strange huh? The 48 is worth it. Sponge is medium hard but topsheetbis softer enabling the ball to sink into the rubber well. It is very bouncy. Same speed as mxp and probably spin wise the same but with difference mechanics in producing spin.
 
says Hi guys anyone want to use Sanwei Brand? I try some of...
says Hi guys anyone want to use Sanwei Brand? I try some of...
Member
Feb 2011
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Thanks yogi

May ultra 48 is 66 grams uncut while the 45 is 67 grams. Strange huh? The 48 is worth it. Sponge is medium hard but topsheetbis softer enabling the ball to sink into the rubber well. It is very bouncy. Same speed as mxp and probably spin wise the same but with difference mechanics in producing spin.
 
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May ultra 48 is 66 grams uncut while the 45 is 67 grams. Strange huh? The 48 is worth it. Sponge is medium hard but topsheetbis softer enabling the ball to sink into the rubber well. It is very bouncy. Same speed as mxp and probably spin wise the same but with difference mechanics in producing spin.

yogi, are you going to do a more in deph review about ultra 45 and 48?
I'm particulary curious about ultra 45
 
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Sorry Yogi but can you be a little bit more specific. You think that we should get 48 because it is not better than 45? I know that my English skills are limited so could you clear this a bit?

Thanks,
Tommi

I will but i would suggest getting the 48 instead because the 45 is above average and there is nothing the 48 that the 45 cannot do.
 
says Hi guys anyone want to use Sanwei Brand? I try some of...
says Hi guys anyone want to use Sanwei Brand? I try some of...
Member
Feb 2011
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Yes ITC Ultra 48 is medium hard sponge but much faster, good feeling and efficient control better for counter topspin the good thing with 48 is they give you more boost and power on your top spin stroke specially if your away on the table no problem with that i unlike the ITC ultra 45 is to soft this rubber better for those player close to table style or for player like soft sponge I would say 48 is best.

Sorry Yogi but can you be a little bit more specific. You think that we should get 48 because it is not better than 45? I know that my English skills are limited so could you clear this a bit?

Thanks,
Tommi
 
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Hi I've recently installed ITC Ulta 48 in both sides of my blade. I was using MXP for a year or so. So here's the comparison I can give to you.
The Ultra 48 rubbers seems to feel a touch softer when hitting drives and I can definitely feel it catch the ball more when looping away from the table, which gave me more safety on my loops but without sacrificing speed or spin. It's got a higher throw, more spinny and a good deal more catapult then MXP. I found my backhand to be more consistent due to the higher throw, open ups and topspin loops were easier too. Like the T05 it is spin sensitive and I couldn't just simply punch through a topspin shot so easily, so I needed to make some minor adjustments to my blocks and punches.
The flat drives and and high smashes were trickier to pull off then MXP due to the high speed and high throw of Ultra 48, but its a case of me getting used to this new rubber, however since I tend to brush the ball a lot on my strokes that suits me just fine. Also its noticeably lighter then MXP. Overall I much prefer Ultra 48 to MXP
 
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Hi I've recently installed ITC Ulta 48 in both sides of my blade. I was using MXP for a year or so. So here's the comparison I can give to you.
The Ultra 48 rubbers seems to feel a touch softer when hitting drives and I can definitely feel it catch the ball more when looping away from the table, which gave me more safety on my loops but without sacrificing speed or spin. It's got a higher throw, more spinny and a good deal more catapult then MXP. I found my backhand to be more consistent due to the higher throw, open ups and topspin loops were easier too. Like the T05 it is spin sensitive and I couldn't just simply punch through a topspin shot so easily, so I needed to make some minor adjustments to my blocks and punches.
The flat drives and and high smashes were trickier to pull off then MXP due to the high speed and high throw of Ultra 48, but its a case of me getting used to this new rubber, however since I tend to brush the ball a lot on my strokes that suits me just fine. Also its noticeably lighter then MXP. Overall I much prefer Ultra 48 to MXP

Derek, do you know Sherwin? And are you somehow related with ttspot?
 
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Yes He's my coach and I'm a member of Moberly table tennis club, but I'm not involved with ttspot. I switched from MXP to ultra 48

I see. I just asked because I saw your comment on youtube. You were using it before it was officialy available on ttspot but you said that the rubbers could be bought from them, so I tought you have some kind of relation with this shop. If Sherwin is your coach than this makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.
 
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ITC Korea and megaspin.net sent me this rubber for testing. The ITC 48 degree version is the newest Japan-made rubber in the market that is outside of Butterfly's range of products. The Ultra 48(U48) that I got was about 66 grams which is 1 gram lighter compared to the 45 degree version (U45). The closest rubbers I can compare the Ultra 48 is with the Nexy Karis H and Stiga Mantra H rubbers. The previous Powercell MP rubbers were good but they seem to be lacking in spin when compared to the ESN rubbers. They have plenty of spin and power but in terms of spin generation they still have a gap with ESN rubbers. To be fair they are already spinny but when compared to Tibhar MX-P they were a class lower. Now comes the Ultra 48 version in which they softened the topsheet a little bit to allow ball sinking and gripping. Initial thoughts on the total hardness seem to be medium and not medium hard because of the soft or medium soft topsheet.

I will directly compare the Ultra 48 with the mentioned rubbers from other brands because they are contemporaries although the Ultra 48 came out late last December compare to the Nexy and Stiga rubbers which came out earlier last year. I will also compare it with Tibhar MX-P since this is the benchmark rubber that people use aside from Tenergy 05. In terms of speed, the Ultra 48 seem to be equal in speed with Nexy Karis H and Stiga Mantra H. The difference is that the Karis H has the habit of being choosy about the blade it is used with. Usually the Karis H is harder to control with very stiff blades while the Ultra 48 and the Mantra H are not. The Ultra 48 is the most controllable rubber among the 3 mentioned when it comes to very strong shots inside and far from the table. If I compare it with MX-P, the Ultra 48 may edge out MX-P in terms of speed. In terms of spin, the Ultra 48 is the spinniest of the 3 rubbers with the Mantra H as 2nd and the least is Karis H. Some factors like blade being used or level of play and strokes may change but the Ultra 48 is very easy to produce spin compared to the Karis H. MX-P still have an edge in terms of spin but the difference between the 2 is not that big. The Ultra 48 produces a medium to medium high arc but it is mostly noted with its very long trajectory when spinning our counter driving away from the table which is also noted with Mantra H. Just like Daiki-made rubbers, spin is better produced by digging into the sponge and brushing the ball although in the backhand if I spin the ball using a thin brush, I can produce a level of spin like when I am using a spinny esn rubber but this is probably due to the stroke. The least sensitive to spin would be the Karis H and Mantra H. Overall, the Ultra 48 is awesome both in the forehand and the backhand. It can be an alternative of MX-P if a player is looking for a high level of spin and at the same time a balance of control and speed. Definitely, the Ultra 48 is only for advanced players with developed strokes and skills as this is a little bit too fast for beginners even if they will just a 2.0mm sponge thickness.

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The Ultra 45 is toned down version of the Ultra 48. If the qualities of the Ultra 48 can be quantified into numbers you may say that the Ultra 45 is like the 48 with about 20% lesser speed, about 10% lesser spin but with more control and ease of handling. The U45 is comparable with the Mantra M and Karis M++. almost the same structure and design but somehow a different topsheet look with the Ultra 45 in which it has a matte look and not as shiny or bright red as the Mantra M or Karis M++. The speed of the Ultra 45 is above average and it is off compared to off+ for the Ultra 48. It has a low to medium throw when you are doing topspins with it. Spin is above average but the difference between the Ultra 48 and 45 in terms of spin is big. The Mantra M and the Karis M+ seem spinnier than the Ultra 45. It is still a good rubber that offers speed and control with good spin but I believe it is only best as a backhand rubber. Unlike the 48 version, the Ultra 45 seem to be catered more for developing or intermediate level players and the amount of power it can produce is not as big compared to the Ultra 48.
 
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Thanks for the review yogi!

Is U45 faster than Mantra M and Karis M+?

Also, could you please compare U45 with Rakza 7 and Vega Euro in terms of speed and spin?

I don't need a super fast rubber like MX-P and U48, so U45 seems to be more appealing to me.
 
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