Rubber suggestions

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Looking to treat myself to some new rubbers as my old ones are looking worn now.

I've played with various rubbers for the last few years and I have a reasonable idea of what I like.

I want control over speed and prefer to achieve spin with non tacky, grippy rubbers.
Sponge hardness of somewhere between say 38 and 42 degrees would be ideal although I'm not overly keen on rubbers with too much bounce in them on softer touches.

I tend to play close to the table, very rarely moving more than 1 meter from the end.

I like to play the ball as soon as it has bounced or as it is still rising to it's highest point.

I'm comfortable and reasonably good at blocking and pushing with both backhand and forehand.

My topspin strokes aren't technically good at all. However most of my points are won with topspin as I can hit quite hard and fast.
My forehand tends to be more of a drive than a spinny loop, with a forward motion starting just below the table and finishing around chest height.
Backhand is similar although slightly shorter in stroke length.

I like the idea of getting out of a shot what you put into it rather than some super sponge with huge catapult effect doing it for you.

My question is bearing in mind all of the above. What is out there that will hopefully suit me.


Possibilities maybe are Rakza 7 soft, Xiom Vega Europe, Andro hexer grip SFX, TSP Ventus Spin or are there other suitable rubbers.

Around 40 degree sponge, grippy non tacky topsheet.
High control, reasonably high throw angle and not too heavy.

Trouble with ping pong is there are far too many different choices when it comes to equipment and too little time (never mind too expensive) to try things out.

Thank you.
 
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802-40 1.8mm on the BH and LKT Pro XP on the FH if you want to go cheap but good enough for club play.

I like Rakza 7 soft Max of the FH. If you go to tabletennis11.com you can buy Rakza 7 soft or regular for 4 for the price of 3. I am a Rakza fan too but there are cheap options especially if you play close to the table. SPs are good for playing close to the table and hitting off the bounce.

BTW, I am very disappointed I can't get 802 or 802-40 from zeropong anymore.
 
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You are describing yourself and game/strokes as a ringer for a hard sponged rubber, yet you are wanting very soft FX, Sound, or Spin kind of softness... and you want the rubber to be linear.

Your descried play and desired specs are conflicting. Still, if you want a soft rubber, understand that almost all of them are NOT linear.

Still, there are a few that are linear enough, soft sponged, and very old school.

NITTAKU HAMMOND 2.0

NITAKKU MAGIC CARBON 2.0

Tabletennis11.com still sells those.

Hammond is still kinda slow by modern measures, but it is low throw, linear, and can still finish. Magic Carbon is a SLOW, but the very definition of an extreme controllable rubber, very all-round, probably a better rubber than Sriver unglued in terms of control.

For a modern linear rubber, it doesn't get any linear than Nexy Karis. TSP Regalis is a relative I believe. The New MX-K 47 is right up your alley, but you said you do not want 47 degree sponge.

Actually, a lot of modern ESN rubbers would suit you well, even if you do not like catapult.
 
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Reading your post I would also tend to give some suggestions for 45° rubbers. It might be a little uncomfortable in the beginning but at some point you have to get out of your comfort zone to get better long term.
I'm playing the Hexer Powergrip and due to it's nature, this rubber plays around 2-3° softer. For you, I would start with the Grip or even Powergrip. Be aware that the Grip-/Powergrip family really is bouncy and can give you a lot of catapult if you hit with it hard head-on during something like a drive.
Other famous rubbers with 45° are the Xiom Vega Japan and of course the Nittaku Fastarc C1. The C1 is also nice, was considering this rubber also for my BH. The feeling during brushing strokes like a BH top spin showed me that long term with good technique something around 47,5° is better for me. I really didn't like the feeling when the rubber "bottomed out" and I felt the ball hitting the blade beneath the rubber on hard BH top spins.
 
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Reading your post I would also tend to give some suggestions for 45° rubbers. It might be a little uncomfortable in the beginning but at some point you have to get out of your comfort zone to get better long term.
I'm playing the Hexer Powergrip and due to it's nature, this rubber plays around 2-3° softer. For you, I would start with the Grip or even Powergrip. Be aware that the Grip-/Powergrip family really is bouncy and can give you a lot of catapult if you hit with it hard head-on during something like a drive.
Other famous rubbers with 45° are the Xiom Vega Japan and of course the Nittaku Fastarc C1. The C1 is also nice, was considering this rubber also for my BH. The feeling during brushing strokes like a BH top spin showed me that long term with good technique something around 47,5° is better for me. I really didn't like the feeling when the rubber "bottomed out" and I felt the ball hitting the blade beneath the rubber on hard BH top spins.

How thick was your C-1?

I had the same experience with C-1. Feeling the blade like that was unnerving and I decided to put C-1 aside for now. I was wondering if thicker sponge could alleviate the problem (I have it in 1.4 mm). Overall, I totally loved C-1 on FH except for the blade hitting part.

G-1 has solved the above problem for me but it plays somewhat differently from C-1. Both are great rubbers for sure.
 
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I used Rakza7, Rakza7 Soft, and Xiom Omega 7 Euro paired with Andro Trieber Z blade. The 7 was too much speed for me, the 7S was great for topspin shots, but I felt like the sponge was too soft and created too much catapult for touch shots (used max, so that may have been part of it). The Omega 7 Euro was a good balance for control, easy topspin and sponge is not so soft that catapult is extreme. A buddy of mine runs Omega 7 Asia on Viscaria blade. That feels good, but you must engage the sponge for good Fh shots. I recently switched to 5ply wood blade and Hurricane3Neo so right now Im kind of off on a tangent.. but it sounds like H3Neo may be good for you to try from the “get out what you put in” perspective. You hit a soft you get a soft shot, you hit hard you get power. Hard rubbers have a control of their own. Also, playing counters off the table is very easy with H3N.

If you’re not looking for the extreme change I made, I suggest you give Omega 7 Euro a try. The Vega Euro was too soft to me and had more catapult. The Omega7Euro is a bit harder sponge (i think 42) with less catapult but can generate tons of spin (Omega 7 has newer topsheet that is grippy AF).

Anyway that’s my $.02. Im not a top level player bit I’m a recovering Equipment Junkie and I play a lot.
 
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You are describing yourself and game/strokes as a ringer for a hard sponged rubber, yet you are wanting very soft FX, Sound, or Spin kind of softness... and you want the rubber to be linear.

Your descried play and desired specs are conflicting. Still, if you want a soft rubber, understand that almost all of them are NOT linear.

Still, there are a few that are linear enough, soft sponged, and very old school.

NITTAKU HAMMOND 2.0

NITAKKU MAGIC CARBON 2.0

Tabletennis11.com still sells those.

Hammond is still kinda slow by modern measures, but it is low throw, linear, and can still finish. Magic Carbon is a SLOW, but the very definition of an extreme controllable rubber, very all-round, probably a better rubber than Sriver unglued in terms of control.

For a modern linear rubber, it doesn't get any linear than Nexy Karis. TSP Regalis is a relative I believe. The New MX-K 47 is right up your alley, but you said you do not want 47 degree sponge.

Actually, a lot of modern ESN rubbers would suit you well, even if you do not like catapult.


I bought a robot a few weeks back so have been able to have a bit of a hit for the last couple of days.

I went through the pile of rubbers I had been given by friends over the last two years and picked out some rubbers with harder sponge.

Evolution MX-S
Tenergy 05
Gewo Neoflex EFT 45
Friendship 729 Super FX
Komman winning

I compared these with some of the rubbers I have used in the last 2 years

Gewo neoflex eft 40
Tibhar 5q power update
Aurus sound


Firstly, the two Chinese tacky rubbers just felt lifeless and dull.

However I was pleasantly surprised to realise that I was totally comfortable with the harder sponges on the Gewo EFT 45 and the Evo MX-S.
I found direction of shot and consistency of shot no different to what I'm used to.

I felt the ball cleared the net about the same but the balls were landing slightly shorter on the other side of the table with the harder sponges.
Maybe I have been barking up the wrong tree regarding softer sponges.


I tend to play most shots through the ball as opposed to brushing it so maybe the mid / hard sponges suit me better.


If I'm honest I couldn't see any variations in speed regardless of whatever rubber I used, maybe due to my more linear strokes. And the sound was the same with every rubber too. I seem to get the loud click sound with most topspin shots. Bottoming out maybe?

So I'm now thinking maybe I should be looking to go for a mid /hard sponge of around 45 or 47 degrees.

Rakza 7 or anything similar ?
 
says Hi In first i want to thank you for your interest...
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I bought a robot a few weeks back so have been able to have a bit of a hit for the last couple of days.

I went through the pile of rubbers I had been given by friends over the last two years and picked out some rubbers with harder sponge.

Evolution MX-S
Tenergy 05
Gewo Neoflex EFT 45
Friendship 729 Super FX
Komman winning

I compared these with some of the rubbers I have used in the last 2 years

Gewo neoflex eft 40
Tibhar 5q power update
Aurus sound


Firstly, the two Chinese tacky rubbers just felt lifeless and dull.

However I was pleasantly surprised to realise that I was totally comfortable with the harder sponges on the Gewo EFT 45 and the Evo MX-S.
I found direction of shot and consistency of shot no different to what I'm used to.

I felt the ball cleared the net about the same but the balls were landing slightly shorter on the other side of the table with the harder sponges.
Maybe I have been barking up the wrong tree regarding softer sponges.


I tend to play most shots through the ball as opposed to brushing it so maybe the mid / hard sponges suit me better.


If I'm honest I couldn't see any variations in speed regardless of whatever rubber I used, maybe due to my more linear strokes. And the sound was the same with every rubber too. I seem to get the loud click sound with most topspin shots. Bottoming out maybe?

So I'm now thinking maybe I should be looking to go for a mid /hard sponge of around 45 or 47 degrees.

Rakza 7 or anything similar ?
so no help for you ....you are just flat hitter and you are senseless.....
 
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Brs

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Brs

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"I tend to play close to the table, very rarely moving more than 1 meter from the end.

I like to play the ball as soon as it has bounced or as it is still rising to it's highest point."

This is a perfect two-line description of a short pips player.
 
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says MIA
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I bought a robot a few weeks back so have been able to have a bit of a hit for the last couple of days.

I went through the pile of rubbers I had been given by friends over the last two years and picked out some rubbers with harder sponge.

Evolution MX-S
Tenergy 05
Gewo Neoflex EFT 45
Friendship 729 Super FX
Komman winning

I compared these with some of the rubbers I have used in the last 2 years

Gewo neoflex eft 40
Tibhar 5q power update
Aurus sound


Firstly, the two Chinese tacky rubbers just felt lifeless and dull.

However I was pleasantly surprised to realise that I was totally comfortable with the harder sponges on the Gewo EFT 45 and the Evo MX-S.
I found direction of shot and consistency of shot no different to what I'm used to.

I felt the ball cleared the net about the same but the balls were landing slightly shorter on the other side of the table with the harder sponges.
Maybe I have been barking up the wrong tree regarding softer sponges.


I tend to play most shots through the ball as opposed to brushing it so maybe the mid / hard sponges suit me better.


If I'm honest I couldn't see any variations in speed regardless of whatever rubber I used, maybe due to my more linear strokes. And the sound was the same with every rubber too. I seem to get the loud click sound with most topspin shots. Bottoming out maybe?

So I'm now thinking maybe I should be looking to go for a mid /hard sponge of around 45 or 47 degrees.

Rakza 7 or anything similar ?

Keep it mind there's a big difference between practicing with a robot (or coach/partner for that matter) and in-game situations. Faster and harder rubbers can feel great in practice but then your technique can fall apart in an actual game because it becomes hard to control with all the variations and randomness, especially when out of position.

Now, based on what you've said, you might benefit from a slightly harder rubber than the 38-42 deg you're accustomed to that tend to be bouncy, but be careful in what you choose as many of the newer rubbers in the 45-47 deg region like MX-S/P, Tenergy and the likes tend to be fast and much less controllable. That said, rubbers like Xiom Vega Pro, Butterfly Rozena, Vega Japan or Yasaka Rakza 7 in 2.0mm might be good for you.
 
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