Hybrid rubbers how close to Tacky Chinese or Grippy ESN spring sponge?

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wow, that looks so much better than mine. And I swear I'm not a pro-level player, neither do I hit like a truck. Well maybe I hit like an suv but still, that's only 10 hours 😂. I'll put on a new sheet Sunday and compare the difference after a week, hopefully it's just this sheet that's a little weird, otherwise I'll have to ditch the idea of using K3 as an alternative to H3 when I'm too lazy to boost. Though I guess the good thing about these marks is that I know I'm contacting the ball pretty consistently in one spot, the center part is where my drives and loops hit, and the upper left region is where I do my serves.



I'm disappointed in you Michael, you really think as a EJ master I don't clean my rubbers after everytime I play?

And it doesn't restore even with rubber cleaner? That does look quite severe after just 10 hours.

Will you or have you tried Bluegrip C2 or Omega 7 China? According to the list, it looks similar to K3.

 
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And it doesn't restore even with rubber cleaner? That does look quite severe after just 10 hours.

Will you or have you tried Bluegrip C2 or Omega 7 China? According to the list, it looks similar to K3.

I might try omega 7 China, don’t think I’ll try Bluegrip C2, and I’ll probably wait to get a bluegrip s1 for backhand.

 
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I might try omega 7 China, don’t think I’ll try Bluegrip C2, and I’ll probably wait to get a bluegrip s1 for backhand.

Is Bluegrip S1/S2 the first ESN company to come out with a softer and tacky BH oriented rubber? I think the existing assumption is that a tacky rubber must be hard enough to counter the tackiness.

Other than S1, I'm not aware of other companies trying to fill this product role. Considering all the players already using 09c on backhand, will Butterfly release a softer version of Dignics 09c for BH?

 
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I tested the D09c a little more on a friends racket. On heavy forehand loops, it is very hard and powerful like a boosted Chinese tacky rubber.

But i find that on softer backhand shots, it is quite slow. So its got quite a range of gears
 
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I tested D09c on my Fang Bo Carbon blade today. It's quite hard rubber, and at times can feel a little dead if you don't get a good clean strike on the ball. Definitely think this rubber is more suited for athletic and physically strong players.

Has anybody tried boosting D09c, K3, or other hybrid rubbers? Because of the hard sponge, I actually think they would play better and more forgiving with booster.
 
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Interesting how varied different peoples' perceptions of the same rubber can be. For example, I would say that Rakza Z belongs at, or close to, the bottom of this list (ie. the ESN-like side).

I notice that the new Joola hybrids (Dynaryz ZGR and Rhyzen ZGR) haven't made it onto the list yet - any thoughts on those two?

 
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Interesting how varied different peoples' perceptions of the same rubber can be. For example, I would say that Rakza Z belongs at, or close to, the bottom of this list (ie. the ESN-like side).

I notice that the new Joola hybrids (Dynaryz ZGR and Rhyzen ZGR) haven't made it onto the list yet - any thoughts on those two?

The bottom of the list is now loaded with rubbers that are fairly similar and closer to the ESN end of the scale. my experience with Rakza Z is that it is more tacky than those below it in the list, last weekend I did a 'how long can the rubber hold the ball test' on a couple of sheets of RZ that are around 5 to 6 months old and they held the ball for 2-3 seconds. For those rubbers that I have actually used myself, this is longer than many new sheets of 'Hybrid' rubbers!!

You could split and form a list for a particular attribute, tackiness, bounciness, speed, spin etc in which case the lists would change and a rubbers position could vary for each attribute. So when there is one stand out attribute, and for Rakza Z, I would personally say that it maintains it's level of tackiness better than those below it, which is closer to a CTR than an ESN grippy rubber.

Of course this is a 'personal perception' from myself and others who have posted their thoughts.
Until things are scientifically tested by unbiased checkers, then a personal opinion is the best we can do!!
Also, you don't know until you try!! and even then your opinion could be chalk and cheese compared to someone else!!!

This thread is meant as a basic guide not a definitive one and should be taken with a pinch of salt to make it more palatable!!!!

 
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This thread is meant as a basic guide not a definitive one and should be taken with a pinch of salt to make it more palatable!!!!
👍 100% correct!

If the attribute in question is tackiness then I agree with you: Rakza Z is more tacky than most and, in that sense, is more Chinese-like.
On the other hand, if the attribute is sponge-character, then I'd say Rakza Z is more ESN-like.

The thread title here muddles the issue a bit by referring both to 'tackiness' (which is a top-sheet attribute) and to 'spring sponge' (which has to do with the sponge). With that in mind, I've interpreted the question as asking, in an overall sense, whether a rubber plays more like a Chinese rubber or more like an ESN rubber. In that general sense I think Rakza Z plays more like an ESN rubber - just a particularly tacky one.

Though, again, I absolutely expect that others will have a different opinion to me. That's part of the fun!
 
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Whaat, you are playing 55 degree sponge on your BH now??

It's all relative, I actually think TD performs really well on my BH, but since I didn't order a red one I'll just use TE for my BH. Lots of reviews say TD is hard but not hard to use, the hits feel somewhere in between 39 to 40 degree H3. Koki Niwa uses it on BH, so I tried some chop blocks last night with it 😂, very easy to control the curve and placement.

 
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It's all relative, I actually think TD performs really well on my BH, but since I didn't order a red one I'll just use TE for my BH. Lots of reviews say TD is hard but not hard to use, the hits feel somewhere in between 39 to 40 degree H3. Koki Niwa uses it on BH, so I tried some chop blocks last night with it 😂, very easy to control the curve and placement.

So with the TDE on FH, are you playing both sides black for now?

It seems like you have been testing rubbers for quite a while. I know the TT brands come out with rubbers often, but not THAT often. Do you ever run out of rubbers to test and have to wait until the next major launch of a rubber series? At your pace, I would have expected you to have literally gone through every rubber series of every TT brand.

 
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So with the TDE on FH, are you playing both sides black for now?

It seems like you have been testing rubbers for quite a while. I know the TT brands come out with rubbers often, but not THAT often. Do you ever run out of rubbers to test and have to wait until the next major launch of a rubber series? At your pace, I would have expected you to have literally gone through every rubber series of every TT brand.

I've only been serious about TT equipments for a very short time, so I'm still going through a lot of new to me stuff. I'm using black TD and red TE.

 
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I've only been serious about TT equipments for a very short time, so I'm still going through a lot of new to me stuff. I'm using black TD and red TE.

BTW it seems like Victas and Donic and Andro are always up to date with the latest ESN technology and coming out with new rubbers.

But why does it seem as if Nittaku and Yasaka are way behind? Nittaku is still on their fastarc series, which is from 2012 or something? And Yasaka is still on Rakza. How come they don't have newer lines of rubber like Victas, Donic, and Andro?

 
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BTW it seems like Victas and Donic and Andro are always up to date with the latest ESN technology and coming out with new rubbers.

But why does it seem as if Nittaku and Yasaka are way behind? Nittaku is still on their fastarc series, which is from 2012 or something? And Yasaka is still on Rakza. How come they don't have newer lines of rubber like Victas, Donic, and Andro?

Nittaku with Hammond Z2, and soon Hammond Z6 and Z8 I guess. Sieger PK50 to compete with hybrid rubbers.
Yasaka with Rakza Z to compete with the latest hybrid rubber from ESN.

 
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Nittaku with Hammond Z2, and soon Hammond Z6 and Z8 I guess. Sieger PK50 to compete with hybrid rubbers.
Yasaka with Rakza Z to compete with the latest hybrid rubber from ESN.

What is the specs for the Z6 and Z8? I was really impressed by the Z2. How will 6 and 8 be compared with 2?

 
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It's all relative, I actually think TD performs really well on my BH, but since I didn't order a red one I'll just use TE for my BH. Lots of reviews say TD is hard but not hard to use, the hits feel somewhere in between 39 to 40 degree H3. Koki Niwa uses it on BH, so I tried some chop blocks last night with it 😂, very easy to control the curve and placement.

I just read up on TDE and TE. Is it true that both rubbers are made in China? So they are not actually ESN rubbers at all? Does Victas own a factory in China or do they outsource DHS to make these rubbers or something??

Or do they just mean that the topsheet is made in China while the sponge is ESN?

Do they play like actual Chinese rubbers or are they like ESN rubbers?

 
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I just read up on TDE and TE. Is it true that both rubbers are made in China? So they are not actually ESN rubbers at all? Does Victas own a factory in China or do they outsource DHS to make these rubbers or something??

Or do they just mean that the topsheet is made in China while the sponge is ESN?

Do they play like actual Chinese rubbers or are they like ESN rubbers?

Hi Micheal,

Victas TDE is at the top of the list, which means it’s pretty close to a H3 type rubber!! The TE is middle-ish and further away from say H3 than TDE is.
 
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Hi Micheal,

Victas TDE is at the top of the list, which means it’s pretty close to a H3 type rubber!! The TE is middle-ish and further away from say H3 than TDE is.

Hmm. It sounds like Victas Triple is literally a CTR, made by Chinese company, but marketed under the Victas brand.

I wonder if it literally is the same as Battle 2 or something.

 
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