Advice for BH rubber on Stiga Infinity VPS V blade

This user has no status.
Dear All,

I am beginner - intermediate player. I am using now Zhang Jike ALC with H3N on forehand and Xiom Omega V Euro BH side. My backhand is passive because I am not confident to attack from backhand at all. My playing style is offensive, I have long stroke on forehand.

I would like to learn technique for backhand so I bought Stiga Infinity V VPS, it is one of the top 10 recommended blades for beginners. I bought it because it's "fast". Unfortunately, after playing with Zhang Jike ALC all other blades are slow for me. I tried Primorac (old version) with T05 and it was so slow for my taste.

So I am buying Stiga to suit me as a training racket. I will use DHS H3N Pro on FH, but I need BH rubber.
Friend recommends me Xiom Omega 5 Tour. I find backhand flicks so easy with Xiom rubbers, like they are not sensitive to spin at all compared to DHS neo h3.

I would like to hear your advice. What would you recommend?

So, I am learning to attack from backhand, I need rubber to suit my attacking style, to help me learn backhand full stroke and loop.

EDIT: I live in poor and undeveloped country where we don't have table tennis equipment stores. I need to buy everything online. In my club (and country) people use old blades a lot which can't be bought today and they usually buy used rubbers that come from western pro players, or they buy new budget rubbers, so I can't try so much rubbers and then decide.
 
Last edited:
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jun 2019
198
44
468
If you want to change your blade to VPS then just keep the same rubbers as you usually use. If you are most confident/confortable with the Zhang Jike ALC blade then just stay with it. Since you are a begginer-intermediate, better use the VPS, especially since you are still learning backhand technique. While it is slower, I think you are just not used to it. You should build speed with your own power. But, if you change to VPS then only use VPS. Switching between paddles, especially when they are so different, is bad.
 
This user has no status.
Thanks for replies.

Main reason why I want to change bh rubber is because I think there is something better, better rubber which will help me learn faster in combination with Stiga Infinity VPS.
I read a lot about blades, rubbers and pairings, and I just wanted to see if there is a rubber which proved well with VPS in practice.

I will use vps for some time, until I improve my technique and then I will come back to alc. If that is 1 year then 1 year it will be. I will not switch blades for sure.
I just hope I made a good choice with stiga.
Many people recomended me balsa, but I think balsa is too thick and light and will not suit my looping style. I was thinking between primorac and vps, and I chose vps because primorac seemed slow to me.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jan 2018
89
57
183
If you need to build from the scratch and learn properly how to perform the strokes my advice is to buy some cheap 5ply from AliExpress for example, a bunch of Friendship 729 Super FX (if you are going to play tacky rubbers) and some 10€ tensor like rubbers.
For the price of the Stiga you can have the equipment issue solved for a year or so, and trust me, I know kids with 12 years old that plays with that gear and can beat almost the whole forum.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Oct 2019
1,854
851
3,212
Read 4 reviews
If you need to build from the scratch and learn properly how to perform the strokes my advice is to buy some cheap 5ply from AliExpress for example, a bunch of Friendship 729 Super FX (if you are going to play tacky rubbers) and some 10€ tensor like rubbers.
For the price of the Stiga you can have the equipment issue solved for a year or so, and trust me, I know kids with 12 years old that plays with that gear and can beat almost the whole forum.
Give that man a cookie! I have very similar feelings and experiences. It is not about gear but about fitness and skills.

BTW. Showing us how you play might be helpful. If you truly want to go back to basics. Get something like Donic Appelgren Allplay, which has no speed at all, and learn to make your own power. Imho VPS V is still a hella fast blade.

Speaking that after quitting ejing, due severe butt kicked syndrome by 10-12y/o with a cheapo tibhar + evo.

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: SamTheMan
This user has no status.
If you need to build from the scratch and learn properly how to perform the strokes my advice is to buy some cheap 5ply from AliExpress for example, a bunch of Friendship 729 Super FX (if you are going to play tacky rubbers) and some 10€ tensor like rubbers.
For the price of the Stiga you can have the equipment issue solved for a year or so, and trust me, I know kids with 12 years old that plays with that gear and can beat almost the whole forum.

Aliexpress is not an option at this moment. Shipping to Serbia is 30-60 euros due to covid19. What tensor like rubber for 10euros you can recommend?

I have backhand problem, it was always my drawback. I have problem with timing sometimes. My stroke movement for drive is ok, but I don't know how to perform backhand loop - no feeling at all.

 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Oct 2019
1,854
851
3,212
Read 4 reviews

Aliexpress is not an option at this moment. Shipping to Serbia is 30-60 euros due to covid19. What tensor like rubber for 10euros you can recommend?

I have backhand problem, it was always my drawback. I have problem with timing sometimes. My stroke movement for drive is ok, but I don't know how to perform backhand loop - no feeling at all.

https://gewo.stonitenis.org/product/nexxus-el-pro-48/ <-- faster and spinnier than what you currently have
https://gewo.stonitenis.org/product/nexxus-el-pro-43/ <-- easier to spin than what you already have

Since you said you have issues with generating spin on backhand consider the second one rather. I browsed through some Bosnian sites, and I can tell that you have some weird prices... Other than that Andro Hexer might be good too.

 
Last edited:
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jan 2018
89
57
183
Try Princett website, maybe the shipping is cheaper to your country.
There you will find loads of blades and rubbers for a decent price.
The thing I don't really get is how people ends with bats like ALC/h3/tenergy like rubber without mastering the movements, it's a handicap more than a blessing.
About the infinity VPS, I've been playing with that blade for a year, it's a strange blade and something that I wouldn't recommend, not linear, very different from other 5ply all wood and almost no feedback due to the hollow handle.
If I have to recommend a blade, from my experience, I would say TSP Swat. It's a 7ply, but there's something in that blade that makes it magic, the only downside is when you play flat strokes away from the table (almost never in my case) and works wonders with tacky rubbers.Another blade that feels nice and is beginner friendly that will last a long time is the DHS pg-7, still a 7ply, but the commercial version (the only one I tried) , it's a easy to play blade, nice for blocking and forces you to perform the top spin properly because the arc is quite low.
For Backhand, the Palio AK 47 yellow is a good rubber, cheap and easy to play with.For a player that is learning the strokes will last at least 2 months playing 8 hours a week.
For the FH side, if you need a a tacky rubber, Friendship 729 super FX is the place to start (in my opinion).
And the best recommendation and will cost 0 money, stop searching for that magical setup and play the game.Learn how to eat, make loads of squats, go out for some jogging, spend some time with your family/friends and teach the people around what you learn.

Kind regards.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Sep 2017
750
245
1,155
Read 1 reviews
Give that man a cookie! I have very similar feelings and experiences. It is not about gear but about fitness and skills.

BTW. Showing us how you play might be helpful. If you truly want to go back to basics. Get something like Donic Appelgren Allplay, which has no speed at all, and learn to make your own power. Imho VPS V is still a hella fast blade.

Speaking that after quitting ejing, due severe butt kicked syndrome by 10-12y/o with a cheapo tibhar + evo.


I have Donic Appelgren Allplay. Its not slow at all.

 
This user has no status.
Try Princett website, maybe the shipping is cheaper to your country.
There you will find loads of blades and rubbers for a decent price.
The thing I don't really get is how people ends with bats like ALC/h3/tenergy like rubber without mastering the movements, it's a handicap more than a blessing.
About the infinity VPS, I've been playing with that blade for a year, it's a strange blade and something that I wouldn't recommend, not linear, very different from other 5ply all wood and almost no feedback due to the hollow handle.
If I have to recommend a blade, from my experience, I would say TSP Swat. It's a 7ply, but there's something in that blade that makes it magic, the only downside is when you play flat strokes away from the table (almost never in my case) and works wonders with tacky rubbers.Another blade that feels nice and is beginner friendly that will last a long time is the DHS pg-7, still a 7ply, but the commercial version (the only one I tried) , it's a easy to play blade, nice for blocking and forces you to perform the top spin properly because the arc is quite low.
For Backhand, the Palio AK 47 yellow is a good rubber, cheap and easy to play with.For a player that is learning the strokes will last at least 2 months playing 8 hours a week.
For the FH side, if you need a a tacky rubber, Friendship 729 super FX is the place to start (in my opinion).
And the best recommendation and will cost 0 money, stop searching for that magical setup and play the game.Learn how to eat, make loads of squats, go out for some jogging, spend some time with your family/friends and teach the people around what you learn.

Kind regards.


Thanks a lot for advice.

I have PG13 and I am very satisfied with the blade, it suits me very well. It is 4 layers of wood and 1 layer of carbon in the middle, 5.8mm and 88g. I bought Stiga because I read everywhere that I should start with something slower. Isn't PG7 fast blade too (like pg13)?

I will put Xiom Omega Europe on backhand side and see how well it goes. And I will stick to that rubber until I destroy it, and then I will see what I am going to buy.

I will have to work on my footwork a lot for backhand strokes, that is for sure.

To all others, professionals and semi-pros who replied here, you should know I am recreational player. I will never play league nor I would like because I am playing for fun. It is a life challenge for me now to learn backhand loop, that is my goal at this moment. I am playing for fun and I would like to learn chinese style because I want my games to be beautiful to watch.
And I "trained" for 5 months in total, 2 times a week for 5-6 hours. Wanna know what my training looked like? It looks like 3-6 players come into a club, and then we all play against each other , and they really want to win each point, so there I can't make progress, and effective time of play for me is like 45 mins. When I was kid I spent hours and hours each day playing with my friends in my backyard but that doesn't count. We were playing tennis movements, my friend was playing two handed backhand, so it was pure fun.

And because I am not 10 year old kid I can't go into any serious club and start training. I can pay for individual coach and I will do that as soon as I find one, but in the end I will buy my own table and robot and I will train muscle memory. Because all I need is practice, which I don't have at the moment. Practice makes perfect. If I could hit 1000 times backhand loop, I would miss 999, but that 1000th would be a bomb and every next one would be more and more perfect.

So feel free to comment about movement because I am aware of that. I see people training for 10 years and still have poor footwork.
But also please give me advice for backhand rubber. And I know that you professional players can play with wooden sticks, but I can't. My play depends on the equipment I am using. For example when I took balsa blade with some donic rubbers (very lightweight and thick racket) I could block perfectly and fast, but I couldn't loop, I couldn't have long stroke forehand 1-2 meters behind the table, it wasn't possible. So I am looking for equipment that can suit my playing style the best and which can help me make progress fast. As I said, I am not 5 year old chinese kid who can train for 6 hours a day, so I need fast solution.

One more thing about Xiom Omega 5 Euro which I use now. I played this morning with a friend. I noticed that my backhand goes into net every time I try to add some power to it. So, slow backhands go over the net, but when I hit it hard it goes straight to the net. With tenergy I had problem with blocking on bh side (it was going over the table), but powerfull backhand strokes didn't go to the net.

 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Oct 2019
1,854
851
3,212
Read 4 reviews


Thanks a lot for advice.

I have PG13 and I am very satisfied with the blade, it suits me very well. It is 4 layers of wood and 1 layer of carbon in the middle, 5.8mm and 88g. I bought Stiga because I read everywhere that I should start with something slower. Isn't PG7 fast blade too (like pg13)?

I will put Xiom Omega Europe on backhand side and see how well it goes. And I will stick to that rubber until I destroy it, and then I will see what I am going to buy.

I will have to work on my footwork a lot for backhand strokes, that is for sure.

To all others, professionals and semi-pros who replied here, you should know I am recreational player. I will never play league nor I would like because I am playing for fun. It is a life challenge for me now to learn backhand loop, that is my goal at this moment. I am playing for fun and I would like to learn chinese style because I want my games to be beautiful to watch.
And I "trained" for 5 months in total, 2 times a week for 5-6 hours. Wanna know what my training looked like? It looks like 3-6 players come into a club, and then we all play against each other , and they really want to win each point, so there I can't make progress, and effective time of play for me is like 45 mins. When I was kid I spent hours and hours each day playing with my friends in my backyard but that doesn't count. We were playing tennis movements, my friend was playing two handed backhand, so it was pure fun.

And because I am not 10 year old kid I can't go into any serious club and start training. I can pay for individual coach and I will do that as soon as I find one, but in the end I will buy my own table and robot and I will train muscle memory. Because all I need is practice, which I don't have at the moment. Practice makes perfect. If I could hit 1000 times backhand loop, I would miss 999, but that 1000th would be a bomb and every next one would be more and more perfect.

So feel free to comment about movement because I am aware of that. I see people training for 10 years and still have poor footwork.
But also please give me advice for backhand rubber. And I know that you professional players can play with wooden sticks, but I can't. My play depends on the equipment I am using. For example when I took balsa blade with some donic rubbers (very lightweight and thick racket) I could block perfectly and fast, but I couldn't loop, I couldn't have long stroke forehand 1-2 meters behind the table, it wasn't possible. So I am looking for equipment that can suit my playing style the best and which can help me make progress fast. As I said, I am not 5 year old chinese kid who can train for 6 hours a day, so I need fast solution.

One more thing about Xiom Omega 5 Euro which I use now. I played this morning with a friend. I noticed that my backhand goes into net every time I try to add some power to it. So, slow backhands go over the net, but when I hit it hard it goes straight to the net. With tenergy I had problem with blocking on bh side (it was going over the table), but powerfull backhand strokes didn't go to the net.

Try asking every club. It took me a year two find two clubs in Kraków that allow recreational players to train with kids. This is common practice in TT. One of the players from the European north does the same.

 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jan 2018
89
57
183
The first thing you have to ask yourself is:
Am I in the same physical condition as the chinese players that perform the Style I enjoy looking at?.
Then comes the second question:
How many hours i can put on the sport every day?.
Because sometimes setting a right goal is better.You are triying to play like a few players from a country where table tennis is one of the main sports that have invested his whole live into It...
Look players that makes the strokes in a simple way (apparently), Koki Niwa, Samsonov, Waldner, Karakasevik...
All of them are amazing players that have a beatuful Style, performing in a top level.
For example, i'm 35 years old and as much i enjoy watching Lin Jun-Yu setting him as a role model would be a wrong decition.Because I'm training 9 hours a week and being 1'86m & 78/79kg does not help.
Watch the people around, ask them, be humble and listen that old Guy with funny stories about the good old days.That's what table tennis is about, if you can stole a few games to the Guy that teach you, go home with a smile in your face.
Equipment does not help for what you are looking for, just put hours on It and get fit.
Kind regards.
 
This user has no status.
Got Stiga Infinity , paired it with DHS H3 Neo pro blue sponge and T05 backhand side.
After one shot I was so disappointed with the blade. It is way to fast for wooden blades but I was disappointed with poor build quality. Harsh handle got me blisters after 2 hours of play and it has sharp edges. Overall I didn't like it and I sold it. In my opionion that blade should not be worth 60 euros. And @carl05 said it is true in total. Very strange blade with no feedback.

Then I got Yasaka Sweden Extra, paired it with DHS H3 commercial and T05 and it is perfect combo. I can feel the ball on the racket. I am so so satisfied now and Sweden Extra was the blade I was looking for. It's not all , it is off- at least (in my opinion, if primorac is off- then this is off), it is faster than Primorac Japan (i tried it with t05 both sides), and still slower than Stiga.

I am so happy with the purchase I am buying one more sweden extra for backup.

And I am done searching for backhand rubber. With T05 I am getting confidence in my backhand finally. Maybe sometimes when I loop or block ball is going over the table, but they aren't going into the net anymore! I like that high throw of tenergy and that is what I need because I tend to close racket on my backhand side. That is why my balls were going into the net with all previous rubbers (who had low or medium throw).

They say don't use Tenergy if you are beginner. Well, depends what you mean by beginner. I consider myself beginner but I know some technique and strokes, but still I can't play against fifth league player in my country, they are way better. That is why I consider myself beginner and I still have to learn. But I think t05 is perfect rubber, the best out there. I am finally satisfied with my backhand and I started attacking from mid and far distance with my bh. Also blocking with t05 is terrific (when you train it a little bit. in the beginning balls were going over the table).
 
says [IMG]
I'm confused.....
You're a beginner/intermediate with a BTY ZJ ALC (already starts getting weird) and switched to Infinity. After just a few seconds playing with the Infinity, your mind was set that's it's a horrible blade. You have to get used to new equipment and that takes time. Infinity is not blazing fast, but it's different yes. In my opinion it's a controller offensive blade for loopers. Then you switch to a Sweden Extra (which is a really nice blade) slow (definitely not off-) with high level of control. Three total different blades, but I'm happy you found the right blade for you.

Regarding the T05, I hope you still feel the same joyful feeling after some time. Especially when you are facing someone who brings a decent amount of spin into the game ;) As you're a beginner/intermediate player, you might use about 25% of the true capabilities of the rubber. As you are by far not able to defeat a fifth league player in your country, you need to learn more and develop your technique. T05 won't make you a better player. Only YOU can make you a better player (with the support of a coach).

Just my 2 cents.....

Again, I'm happy for you that you found the right setup for you. 👍
 
Last edited:
This user has no status.
I'm confused.....
You're a beginner/intermediate with a BTY ZJ ALC (already starts getting weird) and switched to Infinity. After just a few seconds playing with the Infinity, your mind was set that's it's a horrible blade. You have to get used to new equipment and that takes time. Infinity is not blazing fast, but it's different yes. In my opinion it's a controller offensive blade for loopers. Then you switch to a Sweden Extra (which is a really nice blade) slow (definitely not off-) with high level of control. Three total different blades, but I'm happy you found the right blade for you.

Regarding the T05, I hope you still feel the same joyful feeling after some time. Especially when you are facing someone who brings a decent amount of spin into the game ;) As you're a beginner/intermediate player, you might use about 25% of the true capabilities of the rubber. As you are by far not able to defeat a fifth league player in your country, you need to learn more and develop your technique. T05 won't make you a better player. Only YOU can make you a better player (with the support of a coach).

Just my 2 cents.....

Again, I'm happy for you that you found the right setup for you. 👍


I started with PG13 . Was very satisfied with that one, but it lacks control. Then I got up one morning and went to the store and bought ZJK ALC because that was my childhood dream. Now I am using it as an exhibit , wall decoration in my room. I will be using sweden extra until I learn to play. Then I will get back to my zjk in a year or two. And yes, I will never use 100% of that rubber or blade, but I don't care. I am not professional player. I play for fun and tt is my passion. I like blades and I will be collecting them one day.

 
Top