Looking for my optimal rubber

yogi_bear said:

Xiom Vega Pro

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perham said:

This is a rubber that you recommend a lot, but I have a hard time finding it in Europe. Is it just not distributed in Europe? Is there anything similar from other brands?

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RidTheKid said:

https://www.spinfactory.de/rubbers/karis-m.html?___store=en

I would pick another rubber as this is not very cheap.

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Yeah. It is not so easy to find. Nexy is a small company.

But it performs in a fairly similar manner to Vega Pro. So, that is another suggestion that would fit the bill.

RidTheKid said:

The secret is practice, nothing else. There is no shortcut. The equipment should be slow enough for you to land 100 fh loops in a row. If you can't do that then practice more.

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However, RidTheKid is honestly correct. Practice is the real way to improve.

Equipment, it should give you enough control to develop and train all the shots. And then training is the important issue.

I assume people who ask questions about the "right" rubber for them have the ambition to become as good as possible, maybe I assume wrong and some people just want to have TT as casual fun. TT is a very difficult sport to learn and master, in that sense it maybe reminds of golf. One has to go through a grind to become good at TT, thinking one hour here and there leisurely at work or with friends, watching you tube clips of pros, that it's gonna be enough to getting good at TT, but that's wrong. It takes appx 5 years of frequent (hours every week) practice just to get solid basics ie fh loop in place.

UpSideDownCarl said:

However, RidTheKid is honestly correct. Practice is the real way to improve.

Equipment, it should give you enough control to develop and train all the shots. And then training is the important issue.

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yogi_bear's suggestions seem spot on, to me. I would just go with his suggestion of Vega Pro.

perham said:

This is a rubber that you recommend a lot, but I have a hard time finding it in Europe. Is it just not distributed in Europe? Is there anything similar from other brands?

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Karis M is linear and control oriented, but not very popular.

Vega Pro is an excellent choice for a modern dynamic control rubber that would allow most people to learn most strokes and still use that rubber at a decent higher level.

For years my BH control rubber was XP2008 at USD 8 a sheet, couldn't beat the control or price.

Der_Echte said:

Karis M is linear and control oriented, but not very popular.

Vega Pro is an excellent choice for a modern dynamic control rubber that would allow most people to learn most strokes and still use that rubber at a decent higher level.

For years my BH control rubber was XP2008 at USD 8 a sheet, couldn't beat the control or price.

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One thing I learned is that the price doesn’t predict the usefulness of a rubber very well. Indeed as I learn more, my reliance on the type of equipment is reduced also. I’m pretty sure I can defeat the people I used to have very close games with even with someone else’s equipment now.

perham said:

One thing I learned is that the price doesn’t predict the usefulness of a rubber very well. Indeed as I learn more, my reliance on the type of equipment is reduced also. I’m pretty sure I can defeat the people I used to have very close games with even with someone else’s equipment now.

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I admit for a long time, I was thinking of buying tenergy 05 hard because people find it as a safe option. Even though I don't have money problems, I just find it as a waste of money to buy something that expensive and off my need. Instead, I went for a Donic Bluestorm Z1 Turbo rubber. Also for the blade, for a long time I thought Mizutani Super ZLC is optimal for me. But hell I don't need it. So, It's wiser to go with a DHS hurricane 301 that has a great control and speed and the price is also way better than somethung I just buy because it's been said that is a better option. Of course, it is a good option, but not for a non pro like yours truely
Also, in time, I realized the more you know about equipments(stuff like vibration, feedback, frequency, etc) the harder it is to pick something that can please you and make you feel good. Back in the day when I knew nothing about these, I didn't give a damn what I buying and just practiced on getting better technique. In fact, now that I'm back to those days, I see why I improved more than I probably should have. Because, I put my focus on playing efficiently rather than getting distracted with equipment choice. So, I'm gonna buy more expensive things when I need'em, not jut because I'm excited for saying: Hey, I got a JMSLZ with Dignics 05 on both sides!
So, my offer from the good days of back then is for sure a Donic equipment or maybe even Tibhar. I recommend you an Ovtcharov original senso carbon blade with bluefire m1 rubbers on both sides. BF is almost at the same price of rozena with higger quality and also, will hopefully give the comfort you want and thebspeed you're after. At the very least, If you find yourself unhappy with it, you know what exactly to look for in the future.
I know it was a long post but I think it's worth of spending something like 2-3 minutes to read.

I´ve played Rozena around 2-3 months on my FH and I can relate a bit to what the OP said. I´ve also tried a lot of the "begginers" Tensors like Vega Intro, Andro GTT40 and 45 and Gewo Neoflexx 48. The Gewo and Andro are all "softer" or I should say the feeling is softer due to the pimple structure of the top sheet. They have more catapult and also like the Rozena a lower throw. The one of the beginner Tensors which I really like the most was the Vega Intro. Rozen is also "softer" and behaves more like a slower Tenergy 64 or 80 which translates to more catapult and lower throw. So my advice would be either stick to the Rozena and adapt your technique or try the Vega Intro. The Vega Pro should also work. A lot of people described it as linear with nearly no catapult and a high throw. The Vega Intro on the other hand is cheaper.

I think it all comes down to technique. I find it easier to generate a lot of spin with Rozena compared to ESN rubbers like R47 but that probably comes down to having used it a lot for the past 8 months (>10h / week). I would stick with Rozena and practice practice practice. Switching to T05 is a breeze if you master Rozena. I have one setup with Rozena and one with T05 and I can switch effortlessly between the two.

Vega Intro is really good if you are transitioning from old rubbers like Mark V or Sriver EL but Vega Pro is still the go to rubber. Stiga Calibra Spin is also very good but underrated.