This is a pretty good recommendation. If you are going to change one thing at a time, start with changing the rubbers. And a change as big as going from Mark V to any modern rubber will be a hard adjustment. Just change the rubbers first and give yourself the time to adjust to the new rubbers.
Based on you using Mark V, I definitely would go with something simple first before something like Rasanter (any version).
Rakza 7 is a decent choice. Aurus (regular version) would also be fine. So would Vega Pro.
Nothing fancier than those as your first modern rubber.
Hey Folks,
sorry for hijacking this thread (if i should rather open a new one, please let me know), UpsideDownCarls post just fit a question i have very well.
I'm a 30 year old TT player coming back from a 20 year hiatus. I train twice a week for the second year now. My level is (lower) intermediate, but i'm working on my techinque and it's a lot of fun!
But with progess comes dealing with equipment, and the variety of blades and rubbers on the market is overwhelming...
I started with a Stiga Allround Classic (still using this blade) and 2x Andro Shifter in 2,1 mm. The sponges were too thick for my level of play a year ago (plus i didn't like the bouncy feel of Shifter at all i must add), so i went with Sriver 1.7 (BH) and Mark V 1.8 (FH) for my second try.
It worked out well, my technique got better and confidence went up a notch. I played a few rated matches since and TT is even more fun when you start winning... who would have guessed.
Then i used a buddies paddle for a few rallies last week, and since he's a very advanced player, he uses some kind of fast Tensor rubber with rather thick sponge (Acuda S2 i believe?). I know that i won't be able to handle that kind of bat right now in a match situation, but the feel of the thicker sponges and faster rubber was very fun to play. So i'm gradually trying to work towards being able to control a rubber like that.
Now to the actual question:
I'm replacing the Sriver on my BH with another Mark V in 1.8 since i discovered i like the feeling a lot more. Then i'll work on my technique a bit more, but when i'm ready to upgrade my material, would it be better to use Mark V with thicker sponges or move on to Razka 7? If so, what sponge thickness would i get for the faster Razka 7 rubber? All those considerations with regard to improving technique and my overall play long term of course...
Note: i got a used Razka 7 Soft and Tenergy something (not the 05 version) from said buddy to mess around with, and i really liked the Razka. It's just still a bit too fast for now i'm afraid.
Thank's for reading and hopefully answering
Greetings
Funkbrother