Fastarc G-1 (vs. Baracuda)

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hey guys,

i quite finished my EJ-testing ending with Baracuda on both sides.

i like the flexibility the rubber gives. it was never more easy to attack a backspin ball, with a slow shot as well as with an aggressiv one.

now i read about the fastarc g-1 beeing an upgraded version of the baracuda, giving equal spin and more speed (which is preference, i like more slow rubbers) but most important: the g-1 should be more spin-insensitive due to even firmer topsheet.

well before dishing out more money and starting with the EJ-virus again, i would like to hear some more opinions of main Baracuda or G-1 users who also have tested the other one.
 
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Yeah, this sums G1 v Baracuda up very well. G1 is pretty close to the ever-popular, dearly-departed Adidas P7.

G1 is definitely faster than Baracuda, pretty much equal in spin on stronger strokes. Baracuda gives more spin on lower-effort shots though, which makes it more spin sensitive as well, as you've mentioned.
 
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Yeah, this sums G1 v Baracuda up very well. G1 is pretty close to the ever-popular, dearly-departed Adidas P7.

G1 is definitely faster than Baracuda, pretty much equal in spin on stronger strokes. Baracuda gives more spin on lower-effort shots though, which makes it more spin sensitive as well, as you've mentioned.

so what does this mean for opening up backspin balls with an attack.

is it easier with the baracuda due to its higher spin on low attack balls or
is it easier with the fastarc due to the amount of spin which is to override
 
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so what does this mean for opening up backspin balls with an attack.

is it easier with the baracuda due to its higher spin on low attack balls or
is it easier with the fastarc due to the amount of spin which is to override

This depends on your technique and habits IMO. I tend to be aggressive when opening up off backspin so they're pretty much as easy as each other, but I got a faster ball with G1. On "softer" openers, Baracuda seemed to generate a higher arc so it was easier in that sense.

Don't overthink it too much. The main difference is that G1 is a bit faster. Quite similar overall, both good rubbers. Yogi's point about durability is a good one too.
 
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for me as a beginner the spin-sensivity is a big factor. recieves are a big winning condition.
if i could have quite a similar rubber like Baracuda but with an improved chance of avoiding recieve errors then i would do the change.

i choosed the Barauda as my daily rubber because i can do lazy backspin into topspin attack as well as hard shots. with H3 and other hard°rubbers i only could do hard shots.

thus this aspect is also important.

btw Andy: u choosed R47 as ur primary rubber. may u give me a short comparison between it and g1/bara please.
 
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I have a Kid that plays with Baracuda, as he is a chopper, I chose that rubber for him, he can attack very agressively with more spin than the older better players that use M1, or even tenergy, the ball comes really heavy.
He can still chop with the FH and is a very difficult shot to top spin.

I love that rubber, and with a little bit of booster, is the best.

stay with baracuda, it's great.
 
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R47 is really different. G1 and Baracuda are from a similar ESN release cycle, have a lot of similar properties. Rasanter is more recent - you get a matte topsheet, less catapult, more linearity (and for me, a better feeling of "grab" on the plastic ball, but not everyone agrees with that). Add to that a lower arc and it's a different proposition. It needs more effort to list backspin for sure. But I don't like the older ESN rubbers with the plastic ball - otherwise I'd probably be using G1 (in the absence of Adidas P7).

That said, I'm not the best person to ask about why I'm using my current setup. I change my rubber too often, so I'm not totally committed to anything you see in my signature. I'm looking very closely at a few new semi-tacky hybrid rubbers at the moment so it could all change in a flash.
 
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I have a Kid that plays with Baracuda, as he is a chopper, I chose that rubber for him, he can attack very agressively with more spin than the older better players that use M1, or even tenergy, the ball comes really heavy.
He can still chop with the FH and is a very difficult shot to top spin.

I love that rubber, and with a little bit of booster, is the best.

stay with baracuda, it's great.

If you're prepared to use booster and don't mind the faff, this is a good shout too. Baracuda is cheap(ish) too!
 
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baracuda is less durable. It easily chips at the side of the topsheet.

I have club members playing with years-old Baracuda. They don't look fresh, somewhat stained, but still generate tons of spin, and are not crumbling away at the edges. Well, aside from the expected damage to rubber as well as blade after clipping the table.
 
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R47 is really different. G1 and Baracuda are from a similar ESN release cycle, have a lot of similar properties.

Indeed. Which is why I think it´s quite funny that over on German TT News some people now treat G1 as the answer to all questions and a serious alternative to tenergy. If that generation (or any ...) had been, the news would´ve spread earlier ;)
 
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Indeed. Which is why I think it´s quite funny that over on German TT News some people now treat G1 as the answer to all questions and a serious alternative to tenergy. If that generation (or any ...) had been, the news would´ve spread earlier ;)

I think it is because some JNT members use it. Also, the new ball has made that generation more playable across the board even Hexer and Genius.
 
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The Fastarc G-1 is an absolute oddity.

It was released in July 2010, so over 2 years after Tenergy and close to 1 year after Baracuda/Hexer/Genius/X-plode. Unlike the others that started with a bang and then sank into oblivion, Fastarc G-1 has been in and out the top 10 of Table Tennis Kingdom sales ranking during the last years of 40mm, and only really became a best-seller well after the switch to the 40+(July, 2014). It's going strong in the ABS era(April, 2017) and has been at the top for the past 2 years except for 2 months, when Rozena temporarily dethroned it in Aug and Sep 2017.

lJ094d0.jpg
 
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May I throw in Vega Pro.
I had both VP and Baracuda on same blade. Baracuda was miles ahead for me. Don't get the hype of it as a Tenergy clone.
 
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In terms of sponge hardness, would the Rasanter R42 be closest to the Baracuda/G1?

As the name suggests, the R42 has a sponge hardness of 42° on the ESN-scale (I think they use Shore A), whereas the G-1 has a sponge hardness of 47.5°, so that's a rather significant difference. The R47 would be closer (if we're only talking about sponge hardness).
 
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As the name suggests, the R42 has a sponge hardness of 42° on the ESN-scale (I think they use Shore A), whereas the G-1 has a sponge hardness of 47.5°, so that's a rather significant difference. The R47 would be closer (if we're only talking about sponge hardness).

Yes, absolutely.

There will never be a good direct comparison between Baracuda and the Rasanter series - the whole rubber composition is just too different. The new Hexers might be a closer match, if you want something new.
 
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If someone is used to using Tenergy 05, should they try the R47 out of the Rasanter series? How does the R47 and Tenergy 05 compare?

If you absolutely had to pick a Rasanter to replace T05, it would be R47 yes. But they aren't that close. IMO R47 is more linear, easier to use, much better blocking and flat hitting, less sensitive to spin. But it's also lower arc and you have to put your own muscle into the stroke to get good spin out. It rewards committed strokes with good performance. T05 is generally more spinny across a whole range of gears but has all the usual T05 demands - spin sensitivity, catapult, price.

R47 is the better rubber for my needs, but it's a personal decision rather than R47 being a T05 clone or something like that.
 
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